The Airline Industry: Part 2

Through the 1960’s, flying was an experience to be savored although the majority of the population couldn’t afford to fly. Perhaps these wealthy passengers could be construed as being snobbish in their dressed up clothes and demanding respect and high quality service from the airlines. But these passengers received both respect and levels of services unheard of today. As more people started to fly, however, the idea of flying changed from being prestigious to being fun, friendly and most of all, sexy.

Pilots were revered as handsome playboys with a woman in every city while the stewardesses were beautiful young women who epitomized the idea of free love. Airlines perpetuated this image with advertisements ranging from the tame “Fly the Friendly Skies” to the racy “Fly Me” whispered, of course, by a beautiful stewardess.  The epitome of this image was encompassed in the campy book and subsequent movie entitled “Coffee, Tea or Me? The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Stewardesses” And the idea of sex and the airline industry wasn’t limited to just the stewardesses and pilots, even the passengers were getting in on the act with The Mile High Club.

In the last 10-20 years, more and more people could afford to fly as the airlines lowered ticket prices due to deregulation and lower fuel costs. Forty years ago you were in the minority if you had flown, but twenty years later you were quickly becoming in the minority if you had never been on a plane. Businessmen still made up a large percentage of travelers but by the 1980’s more and more families could afford to take their children on to planes. Flying was no longer prestigious or sexy but had become the transportation for the masses.

Today, however, it has turned into a chore, something to be endured.  The excitement of picking up someone from the airport has become a major inconvenience. Forget meeting them at their gate - you can’t even park and wait at the curb. Instead you circle around or wait off premises until you get the call that they have landed. And if you are taking someone back to the airport, anyone under 25 would be astounded to learn that you use to be able to wait with them at their gate. Now you quickly pop the trunk and nearly toss out both the person and their baggage and move on before the guards yell at you for parking at the curb.

But the real horror is saved for the travelers. No one can keep up with all the restrictions as to what you can or can’t bring with you or even checked. Not only are there a gazillion rules but now you are also charged fees if you have too much, too many or too heavy bags! The airlines are charging you fees for everything, if they still even offer these extra services. Northwest now charges $10 for meals; US Airways charge $5 for headsets and $2 for water or a soft drink! There are $7 fees for blankets and pillows plus extra fees if your baggage is too heavy or you have too many. But the worst I’ve heard is United which charges $25 to talk to a real person when making your reservation instead of on-line!

Then there is the hassle of getting to your gate and on your plane. Everybody knows the strain and stress of standing in the security line. More and more are now wearing loafers and flip flops rather than go through the added hassle of stooping to untie your shoes to remove them and then keeping your balance as you stand on one foot putting a shoe on the other while juggling with your bags and being bumped by other passengers. The worst, though, are the horror stories of hours spent on the plane sitting on the tarmac, of cancelled flights, overbooked flights and I could go on and on.

The idea of flying being sexy seems ludicrous today, doesn’t it? Stewardesses aren’t even called that anymore and more than likely are men or older woman and the pilots are barricaded behind steel enforced doors. And any of the earlier slogans promising to take care of you (Delta Gets You There With Care) or provide terrific service (Hospitality and Service From The Heart) would also be laughed at when compared to flying today.

It’s sad. Something has been lost, thanks to terrorists, greed, unions whatever and I don’t know if flying will ever regain that image of prestige or excitement or even sexiness. Perhaps like carriages, trains, buses and Amtrak it’s time is past. Maybe it is time for something new - a faster, safer, more exciting way to travel. Space shuttle anyone?