Why You Hate Your Airline
The October issue of Consumer Reports outlines “Secrets to Stress-Free Flying.” This 14-page article provides an interesting history of the airline industry, including the forces that drove your once loved airline to become an object of intense scorn and hatred for most passengers.
Over recent years, the airlines have refined their strategy for making record profits. Charge as much as possible, squeeze passengers into smaller and smaller spaces — which poses medical risks (see Consumer Reports article) — provide as little service as possible, make passengers pay for almost every breath they take in flight, and smile while they say they care about passengers.
I don’t think we should re-regulate the airlines, but they should be forced to pay for the problems they impose on passengers. For example, they should pay you when they waste your time. How about $100 per passenger for every hour they are late. This includes delays for mechanical problems, crew complications, and inclement weather.
Airline executives will complain that delays are seldom their fault. This is akin to shipping executives complaining about all the water, or trucking executives complaining about the traffic. My answer is simple. If you don’t know how to run an airline, get out of the business. Flip burgers. Mow grass. But stay away from airports.
