Reasons not to fly.
By Lucas McCain
03/09/10Flying. Some people dread the thought of it. Others love the feeling of roaring down the runway at 150mph and then the thrill when the wheels leave the ground. Some people need a few drinks or anti-anxiety pills before they board. One thing we all can agree on is that "flying the friendly skies" is not what it once was.
Anyone who flew on a commercial airliner in the 60’s or 70’s knows what it used to be like. If you’re too young to remember, ask your parents or grandparents. This article I found on Airlinereporter.com tells of the good ole days of flying.
"Flying was an event-not just a way to get to a destination… The food service had real food on real plates and silverware and was included in the fare."
In the past 10 years flying on a commercial airliner has been quite different. In 1999 and 2000, the flying experience was reasonable as I recall the flights I took back then. After 9/11, Americans gave up some of their freedoms for the illusion of more safety, and the airline industry crash landed. Now Americans surrender their shoes at security checkpoints after paying ridiculous fees for checked baggage only to be asked at the gate to volunteer to be bumped because the airline overbooked the flight. In the last two years I have flown round trip to Phoenix and also to Baton Rouge, so I’ve been in the trenches recently.
Airlines make bad headlines.
Aug. 2008 - The story behind the crash of Flight JK5022 from Madrid brought to light some ugly details. The pilot had to land shortly after takeoff for an issue with an air valve in the cockpit. While the issue was being resolved, the airline was deciding to have the plane takeoff again, and Ruben Santana Mateo was texting his wife telling her there was something wrong with the plane. She texted him back and told him to get off the plane but the crew wouldn't let him leave. Shortly after the second takeoff the plane crashed killing 153 people, including Ruben. Read more
Dec. 2009 - A few days before Christmas, Ryanair, an Irish low cost airline that has a history of charging ridiculous fees, gave ice cubes to the 200 passengers waiting in their seats for five hours to stave off heat exhaustion. Read more
Jan. 2010 - An incident occurred in January at the Gatwick-London Airport where passengers of a cancelled flight to Madrid where told they would be treated as terrorists if they didn't leave the boarding gate. According to police, the passengers wouldn't leave until they were given alternative flights. Read more
Feb. 2010 - This month at LaGuardia Airport a man claimed that for two hours while in a hot plane his attempts to get water for his seven months pregnant wife were repeatedly refused. The flight attendants said it was "against corporate policy" to serve water before the plane was in the air, and then kicked them both off the plane. Read more
Feb. 2010 - Film director, Kevin Smith, got pulled off a Southwest Flight because of his size after he had already purchased two seats for just himself. Smith said, "I'm never going on Southwest again." Read more
The TSA and airline security.
When the TSA security checkpoint agents aren’t failing screening tests, they are playing pranks on the travelers or just sleeping. And this isn’t just recently, see for yourself.
2006 - Screeners fail government bomb tests.
2008 - TSA tester slips mock bomb past security. see VIDEO
2009 - Testing of airport screening reveals flaws.
2010 - TSA agent pranks traveler with bag of white powder.
2010 - TSA agent failure gets blamed on bomb dogs.
Pictures of TSA agents asleep in the airport surface on the web.
Bucks for Baggage.
All of the airlines that I checked out charge a fee for checked baggage. And most of them charge the same price for your first and second bag. For example, when traveling within the United States, Delta customers are charged $23 for the first checked bag and $32 for the second checked bag, PLUS a $2 fee on the first and a $3 fee on the second if you didn't prepay for your bags online...*deep breath*, which is something you can only do on Delta's website instead of one of those deal searching websites like Orbitz. This is the same for Continental Airlines, American Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines. But for your third bag this is where the prices change for each airline.
Delta
For a third bag... $125, and for 4 or more bags, it's $200 each.United Airlines/United Express
$125 for your 3rd, 4th, and 5th bag. $200 for your 6th bag and every bag after that.American Airlines
$100 each for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th bag. $200 for the 6th bag and over.If your checked baggage is deemed overweight by the airline, get out your wallet again.
For travelers flying Coach/Economy on US Airways:
$50 extra for bags that weigh between 51-70 lbs (23-32 kg)
$100 extra for bags that weigh between 71- 100 lbs (32-45 kg)Obese passengers.
The new frontier for airlines is how to deal with larger passengers. Some airlines avoid the subject, but some look at the issue and see dollar signs. Check out these articles for more information.
Your cash is no good here.
Another new airline policy deals with how we pay with cash during the flight for snacks and headphones, etc. As of December 2009, Delta is starting what is called "Cashless Cabins". I know you would think it means that all the travelers in the cabin are broke because they're flying Delta. But no it means that for all the snacks and drinks you have to pay for, they have to go on a debit/credit card instead of paying cash. Remember this is a "stop using cash" society we live in now. United Airlines does the same thing and they call it "Easy Purchase." Their website actually says they are “phasing out cash”.
“We have now phased out cash and will only accept credit and debit cards on flights within the United States…”
Why are American companies killing cash? Personally I’d rather pay cash than give my card to a busy flight attendant on a crowded plane.
Don’t talk back.
Just in case you get the idea that you want to have a 1970’s flight experience, you will be quickly reminded that this is 2010 and airline passengers should their place. Their place is in their seat and with their mouths shut. Flight attendants have never held more power than now. If they think you are being unreasonable or rude or disruptive, they can have you in Homeland Security handcuffs faster than you can say “bonus miles”. When my girlfriend booked our flight to Phoenix online she was given the option to pick the seats that we would sit in using a seating chart of the plane. She picked two seats next to each other. At the airport we checked-in, we looked at our boarding passes and our seats were changed completely and we weren’t even sitting next to each other anymore. What could we do? Going back to the check in desk would have gotten us nowhere because the airline reserves the right to seat people wherever it pleases. Once on the plane my girlfriend tried to work something out with other passengers and trade seats with someone. The flight attendants didn’t like that to much and told us to take our seats. The lesson to be learned from this story is if you are going to fly, don’t expect much, or atleast keep your expectation low. Keep it right around the level of, you'll get to your destination and get there alive. Well, even that expectation level may be too high.
But all hope is not lost because there are groups established that have the airline passenger’s interests in mind. A non-profit organization called FlyersRights, claims to be the largest at what it does, which is to support the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights. There is also a division of the Department of Transportation called Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement. I don’t know how quickly complaints get handled by them, but it can’t hurt to submit of claim if you are treated unfairly when traveling by air. Also this website, Airsafe.com, has some good information.
And as I post this article tonight, PBS Frontline is airing their investigation story called "Flying Cheap". Which most likely will provide more ugly reasons to avoid flying.
