This is the time of the year when
lots of people travel by airlines. You would be lucky if you don’t see an angry
person at the ticket line, an argument on a flight or just anyone who paid the
same price for the seat next to you. Anger over small seats, less service and
big profits for the Airlines are driving people literally crazy. The Senate
needs to get to work and put back the laws that regulate the airline industry
and then maybe people would not be assaulted or dragged off a flight treated
like animals. Our lawmakers are so filthy rich and travel on private jets that
they do not even know what is going on at our airports.
Why should flying these days be a
nightmare? Why has the friendly skies been replaced by constant delays and
baggage fees? Blame it on the no-frills flights like Spirit Airlines that have
no spirit and on unregulated greed. Why should we be paying for waiting 6 hours
in an airport and to have a miserable day? Air travel these days is less like
an adventure and more like a battle. Congress needs to get involved and stop
voting 6 times on a failed health care plan and start voting on issues that
have a chance to change things for the better like regulating the air travel
industry again. Trump needs to focus on other issues important to the American
people till the Republicans can devise a better health care plan that would
benefit all Americans and not just give tax breaks to the rich.
Our airline disasters began in
1978 when the airlines became the first industry in America to be deregulated.
President Carter signed his executive order to stop the rules that govern
routes, schedules and fares. He had hoped with an open market that competition
would rule and airlines would compete to offer better services to their
consumers. Well, that didn’t happen. The new rules did force down ticket prices
but that also put many airlines out of business. Now we have fewer airlines to
choose from and since they have less competition, they arrogantly just make up
their own rules because they know that they own the anxious traveler. People
are now being dragged out of their seats for airline employees and are being
told that the ticket they paid for their child has to be given to another adult
passenger; put the kid on your lap for a 6 hour flight to name just a few disastrous
mal- treatments of people going on flights.
Today only 4 airlines, American, Delta, Southwest and United control
80% of all flights. They all have in place a thing called a Contract of Carriage
that you agree to when you buy a ticket. It is a contract that you have
probably never seen. It is a 80 page document that is completely biased that
favor the airlines in their own made up rules and regulations. They manipulate
their own rules. If your flight is cancelled and the guy next to you paid more
money for his seat, chances are is that he would get a seat on the next flight
out before you do. Money talks, you walk.
Discount airlines like Spirit
have given the passenger more grief while they reel in high profits. Starting
in 2007 they stripped down every comfort on a flight. They charge you for
everything that once was for free like pillows and blankets. They charge you
for drinks and snacks that once was free. Spirit has the lowest satisfactions
rating yet they make the highest profits. Fuels costs have dropped recently but
the fees are still rising. In the 1980’s seats were 36 inches apart. Thanks to
places like Spirit airlines the space between seats are now only 28 inches so
that they can cram in more seats on every flight. You can now assault some
idiot without even leaning too far to reach him on a flight now. And now you
have to feel lucky you even have that small seat at all. Last year U.S. Airlines
bumped more than 40,000 paid customers off their flights
against their will. They call it “Capacity Control” where they sell more seats
than they even have.
There are now 5,000 fewer flights
each day than 10 years ago. They serve bad brands of booze on flights that just
make people misbehave more. Chaos on flights went up but so did the stocks of
airlines go up so we need regulations to stop the nonsense NOW. Now after 40
years the airlines could use some re-regulations. The FAA Reauthorization Bill
must be passed. Get those bloated rich Congressmen off their private planes and
cancel THEIR vacations to stay here and PASS THE BILL. The consumer needs
protections NOW. The government needs to set reasonable fees for check baggage,
itinerary changes and seat selection. Throw the airline industry lobbyists out
that influence our elected officials with campaign donations. The consumer has
no lobbyist to fight for our protections. There is only the smell of
frustration and cheap scotch in our airline air. The only real spirit on a
flight is the need to punch somebody in the throat!
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