Clark loves to travel, even when he must travel for work. I think Clark must be the exception.
I remember when planes would not be packed full. Seats were spacious. You had leg room. You could actually move from the window seat and walk to the aisle without other passengers moving.
Baggage service was quick, easy and free. Only a couple of small necessary items were carried onto a plane, because everything you needed was provided to you on the flight. If a flight was delayed or cancelled, you could take your ticket to the next gate and airline going to the same place and hop on that plane to get to where you wanted to go. Plane tickets were almost like cash. I could go on and on about how the airlines and the airports now make you feel like you are a prisoner all the time during your travel. I don’t know how the pilots and flight crews deal with it.
Many years ago, there was an attraction at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World called Delta Dream Flight. One part of the attraction showed a couple in a dining room being served a meal by a waitress. It was roomy and they received excellent service. The attraction would show you how marvelous air travel could be.
It is amazing how the airlines have taken a wonderful technology and adventure and have changed it into a torturous ordeal. Until things change, I do not plan to travel via air travel again.
Thanks for sharing. If flying were like that for everyone, I would be the first to get onto the plane. On many flights, passengers are herded onto the plane like cattle. The airlines keep trying to find more ways to pack more passengers into the plane. I heard Christa describe planes as flying buses on one of Clark’s podcasts. I completely agree. In many ways, buses are more comfortable.
Before getting onto the plane, a traveler must endure the airport. Clark says he loves airports. I don’t know which airports he goes to, but I certainly do not enjoy airports. It used to be possible to walk from your car to the gate and the process would only take a few minutes. Now you must arrive hours in advance of your flight to deal with crowds, security, etc. Then you must wait and wait and wait. I will stick with ground transportation.
When I was first promoted into management with a major airline I had the opportunity to learn what it cost to operate. It’s staggering, and I don’t see how any airline remains in business.
That was back in my day. With today’s fuel cost, the problem is far worse.
I agree that the cost of running an airline must be extremely high.
I have always been confused about how airline tickets are priced. One passenger might pay $100 for a ticket and the passenger in the next seat might pay $500 for the same flight. Would it make sense to have per seat pricing where each seat is the same price? Maybe airlines could discount the dreaded center seat and charge the same price for the others.
I learned great deal about airline true operational cost…but…not…ticket…prices. They appear to be some kind of complex, intentionally secret algorithm.
From the carrier’s perspective it’s not that simple, there’s lots of variables that go into ticket pricing.
Things like filling up seats as loading time gets closer, attracting new frequent fliers, accommodating and incentivizing existing freq fliers and maximizing profits from occasional fliers go into the mix of fares.
Flights are less expensive now than in the days when the industry was regulated by the federal government. Yes, planes are mostly full and there’s less space. Yet you can still get from point A to point B faster and safer than driving a car.
If flying coach is so bothersome, simply purchase first class and business class tickets. Yes, you’ll pay more but it’s a nicer experience. Sometimes upgrades are available - I recently had a coach ticket for about $350 and a couple of weeks before the flight I got an offer to upgrade to first class for $240 (total for all 4 legs). I went ahead and paid for it, as I needed to check a bag and would have had to pay extra for a good seat not in the back few rows. Sometimes upgrading your ticket is cheaper than purchasing seats and baggage fees separately.
I have flown since I was a child. There was a time when planes were only about 70% full. No TSA inspections. Flying was a wonderful experience
Airline travel is just too much hassle now. Seats are crammed so tight you cannot lean over to retrieve items on the floor. Food mediocre at best. Bags may make it with you or they may not.
Which we had a system of luxury coaches to travel like is so common in other parts of the world.
