There was a time when traveling
by air was a pleasurable, luxurious and restful experience. What happened? There
used to be trusted airliners like Pan Am and TWA, Trans World Airlines. They
are gone now. Travel Agents used to hand you all you needed. Now you have to
book your own flights. Pilots were the epitome of professionalism and handsomeness.
Now many pilots are removed from flights for arriving to work intoxicated. There
was a standard for stewardesses to be beautiful, thin and all within the same
height. Now they come in all shapes and sizes. If you are into gay guys who
like to bend over and hand you a drink, you will find him on a flight. If your flight
was delayed for any reason or cancelled the airlines would offer you
complimentary hotel rooms for a night. Now people sleep on the cold floor in
the terminal. If your flight was delayed sitting on the runway they used to offer you
complementary blankets, pillows drinks and snacks. Now you are told to shut up
and sit down indefinitely. If you dare to go to the bathroom the entire flight
will be cancelled. Quite often there would be empty seats next to you and you
could spread out. Now flights are usually overbooked and you have to give up
your paid seats for flight personnel or get beat up and dragged off the plane. Do you wonder why frustrations are high on air
travel these days and horrific tempers are raging in that small space of an
airplane?
Traveling by air has become a
living nightmare. There was a fistfight on a plane at the gate in Japan on ANA
Airlines. Two girls were thrown off a flight for wearing stretch pants on a
United Airlines flight. A doctor was assaulted and was dragged off another United
Airlines flight bloody and with broken teeth after he refused to give up his
paid seat. A family was thrown off a Delta flight because they refused to give
up their paid toddler’s seat. American Airlines took a stroller away from a
mother with two babies on board. United also killed a passengers large bred bunny
on a flight with no explanation. This is all so outrageous it should be scenes
on those old Airport comedy movies from the eighties. But this is no joke it is
our present reality. Why?
Congress is having hearings on how
air travel can be improved. I am not sure how much progress they will have on
the subject since they are now on another two week vacation they voted for
themselves. They are so rich that they probably take only expensive private
planes everywhere and get to avoid the evasive pat downs allowed in some of
your most private areas by the TSA. They also get to avoid getting their
belongings taken away too. Most people get their shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste
and shaving cream taken away which is pretty much everything a terrorist doesn’t
use but you can’t have it either. They just walk on their flights. You have to
strip down first and remove your shoes, belts and all your valuables during the two hours you need to arrive early for your
flight. Could all this have something to do with tempers flaring?
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz
was at the Congressional hearing but no executive is even addressing the
problem where it starts with the various costs for the same seats on the same
flights now! There is no apologizing for the price gouging. You can be bumped
from a flight because of the type of ticket you buy. United Airlines policy says, “ The priority
of all other confirmed passengers may be determined based on a passenger’s fare
class… frequent flyer program membership” as stated in their United Airlines
Contract of Carriage. So, simply buying a ticket is not good enough.
Do you even know what fare class
you are buying? Most people search to try to find the cheapest deals. Ask
anyone sitting near you waiting for the same flight and no two people will have
paid the same price for their same type of seat. Prices can change usually to a
higher price while you are booking the flight. With Memorial Day approaching
and you want to get out of town quickly. They say to be a loyal flyer with the
same airliner. You might not get thrown off a flight if you have a spending
record with the airline. Avoid hub-to hub flights. Choose off days to travel
not busy times or days when business travel is at a peak. So, Bon Voyage maybe!
Take your chances with the friendly skies!
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