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The US carrier I like best is Southwest. They hardly ever delay or cancel their flights. Plus, the interiors of their planes are very clean, and the flight attendants are better than the other carriers.
In the 1930s-1970s air travel was a glamorous experience. You had plenty of leg room, free alcoholic drinks, attractive stewardesses in pleasing uniforms, hassle free boarding experiences, deluxe luxurious accommodations, steak and lobster meals, and comfortable seating.
Since the 80s the industry has consisted of sardine can-like seating, hellish boarding procedures with cavity searches, free peanuts if you're lucky, and frumpy airline staff who look and act like they escaped from a prison chain gang.
It makes me sick.
I had this discussion with a friend and I told him the answer and he got mad at me. The answer is that air travel used to be restricted to a relative few people and was a luxury. Nowadays, it's considered as normal as riding a bus and people demand low fares that anyone can afford. Everyone rides planes, not just for special occasions. People also have stopped caring about flying. Earlier this year, I flew on a plane for a job interview. I flew halfway across the country and back in the span of one day (it was over two days, but within a 24 hour time frame). That should blow you away still, even in today's world. In the past, if I did that, people would have thought I was a king or something, but it cost me just a few hundred dollars. So what do you expect?
In the 1930s-1970s air travel was a glamorous experience. You had plenty of leg room, free alcoholic drinks, attractive stewardesses in pleasing uniforms, hassle free boarding experiences, deluxe luxurious accommodations, steak and lobster meals, and comfortable seating.
Since the 80s the industry has consisted of sardine can-like seating, hellish boarding procedures with cavity searches, free peanuts if you're lucky, and frumpy airline staff who look and act like they escaped from a prison chain gang.
It makes me sick.
I quietly contemplate that same question each time I board a plane. Today's plane service is much like a greyhound bus, except those who are there to provide a service are consumed with their power, and are not helpful.
KLM was my favourite, with swivel seats, silver plate tableware, cloth serviettes, white or red wine glass as appropriate, good meals, dessert separate and delicious, gifts, blankets, pillows, free playing cards and - that life is only a memory. Flying today, I mentally prepare myself to board a Greyhound bus, as it has always been known as full of crying sick children, everyone lined up at the bathroom, plastic utensils, limited room, and luggage goes in the overhead storage bin. It's like the difference between a "trip" and a "vacation". Air travel used to be a vacation, but today it is a trip.
Pan Am once flew almost worldwide. For many decades they were *THE* American flag. That was part of what made them such an attractive terrorist target. You hit Pan Am, you were hitting America.
Pan Am has a long fascinating history. Did you know that prior to 1980 they operated no domestic services of any kind? Not even 'connecting' routes between their three divisions (LA-which was their gateway to the Pacific, New York-which served Europe and Africa, and Miami-which was their Latin American gateway).
They were prohibited.
Then came Deregulation.....
And that's when the beginning of the end came for them. When, in order to gain an instant nationwide presence they bought out National Airlines. They paid way too much for them and it was not a good match in so many ways from the incompatible fleets to the different cultures to the fact that National really only served three corners of the country with little in between. And National was a well liked and profitable airline. Pan Am went deeply into debt buying them out and never really recovered. They started selling off pieces of themselves just to meet payroll such as the entire Pacific division (to United), the Northeast Shuttle, and the iconic building in New York City.
The final nail in their coffin was Lockerbie.
Yet they still managed to limp along bleeding for a couple more years until Delta stepped in, made a promise to infuse some cash to keep them afloat and help them reorganize into a smaller but profitable airline. Instead, Delta basically cherry picked the pieces they wanted and threw the rest of Pan Am out like a dead animal carcass. They finally succumbed on December 4th, 1991. It was truly a sad day in aviation history.
You won't catch me on a plane EVER. I'm 38 and i never flew on a plane and never will. If for some odd reason i have no alternative then you will have to drug me like B.A. in the A-Team. There are about 50 reasons not to fly for me.
Now an overweight grandma serves you drinks you pay for.
I sure miss the Braniff stewardesses in those go-go boots!
Those were the days......
Yeah, you were paying their salaries with somebody else's money.
I, too, think the cabin crews would benefit from an upgrade, so write to your Congressman and demand repeal of the age discrimination laws and the ability of unions to engage in collective bargaining. Maybe you'll win that fight; I don't think so. But don't blame the airlines. They would love to run their businesses as they please, but this is America in 2016.
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