Flying in a sardine can and other travel misery

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41. Interestingly enough

This article came out yesterday--I didn't see it when I wrote this post:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/01/travel/air-rage/index.html


(CNN) -- When it comes to air travel, just about everyone has a complaint, no matter which security line they use.

Passengers are tired of long lines, baggage fees and last-minute delays. Airline employees and flight attendants could do without the cranky travelers who refuse to wait patiently, turn off cell phones or stay in their seats.

Sometimes that frustration escalates into "air rage" incidents that still disturb the friendly skies post-September 11. Reported instances of unruly passengers rose internationally about 29% between 2009 and 2010, following an estimated 27% rise between 2008 and 2009, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents about 240 airlines worldwide.

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Americans of a certain age might recall a time when airlines were the gold standard of customer service, when champagne flowed freely and every passenger received a hot meal. It was also the era when air travel was strictly the domain of the wealthy and business passengers, and family travel was reserved for the most special of occasions.

The golden days of air travel: How glorious were they?

Service began to deteriorate with the deregulation of the industry in 1978 and continued into the 1990s with the arrival of bargain airlines, airline industry expert Joyce Hunter wrote in her book, "Anger in the Air." Airlines across the board were forced to cut prices to keep up, leading to cutbacks in service and amenities that had defined the golden era of air travel.



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I guess my concerns are of a timely nature; I often operate in a near-vacuum, so perhaps it's part of the global subconscious.