ahbi's Journal: Make flying fun again

In response t: http://varifrank.com/archives/2006/08/you_can_try_mak_1.php

Nice thought.
Unfortunately, it will never happen.

The airlines view their "customers" as an inconvenience. And, passengers respond in kind.

I don't remember when you could go to the airplane without going through a metal detector. Of course, on the upside they have stopped asking the 2 stupid questions: "Did you pack your bags?" "Has anyone asked you to carry items on this flight?". Great great so you are admitting that all this hassle was worthless and you're just going to fall back to honesty as a terrorist prevention measure? Great.
Well, at least with the post-911 regulations they cut those insulting questions out.

What this will result in is not more conveniences, but more selling opportunities. More opportunities to get abused by the angry waitress on the plane. Remember after 911 the "flight attendants" decided to take out their fears and aggressions on the passengers? I do.

I also remember being physically shoved off an airplane because they miscounted; while I tried to explain that my wife had to get off the plane with me (I had the only set of keys to the house BTW.). I wasn't trying to stay; I just wanted to tell that lady in that seat that we're getting off the plane. Now if I had shoved back what do you think would have happened? Probably the same thing that happened to the guy behind me who said "What the Hell" when the stewardess yanked (and I mean yanked) his luggage out of this hand. His ticket was voided and he was "banned" from the airline. He was also told he was NOT allowed to see the manager. And this was pre-911.

All I want on my flight (and in life in general) is to be left alone. I want the pilot to stop acting like a tour guide. If he would just shut up I could go to sleep. I try not to bother anyone. I wish they would try to not bother me.

Yeah, I fear that soon my iPod (with my audiobook) and my physical book will no longer be allowed on the plane. Then I'll have no way to escape the stale air, the smelly seats, and the guy that has reclined his chair to the point that I wonder if I am supposed to give him a shave (more power to the airlines that stop reclining seats).

I check everything. I just sit down, shut up, and read as soon as I can get on the plane. And, I don't stop until I am at the next airport.

I love international flights (aside from LAX security, but you know). International flights at least don't beat you with a stick. I like nothing more than paying $300-$500 for domestic flights only to get abused by the staff. Really wasn't there a "common carrier" legal standard for the treatment of passengers?

The airlines are not going to change who they are. Not as long as Chapter 11 is available to them. (Let them fail and let something else move in.)

I HATE flying. Actually I am OK with going though the air. It is the airport and 25% of the flight attendants I hate.

.

I am looking to change jobs. My wife gets furious with me when I mention that I am thinking of moving back East so I don't have to fly to the relatives. It would save me $1k-$2k per year in tickets. Given the choice between 8 hours in a plane and 8 hours in a car, I'll take the car. Yeah I like the geography in the Northwest but after my last two experiences, I am ready to move to where I don't have to fly.