Love the Plane, Hate the Airline

Let all the airlines (and of course airline executives)go to the hot place. Seat sizes are based on some out of date statistic that doesn't come close to actual size. I hate to fly simply because the seats are way to small. I'm a healthy 50 yr. old male who has to fly for business purposes. I'm not at all overweight, but at 6'3" it's downright humiliating to try and squeeze into a standard airline seat. I hope to see a fifty fold increase in DVT lawsuits to force airlines to increase seat size. That might take care of inadequate leg room then we need another health issue to force wider seats. Go ADA lawsuits!

to the one whos thinks that airlines employees are rude, not at true jump across to their side, you wnat to see rude and hateful people, the pax are the rude ones out of control, just because you flight is late, or clxd, and they yell that the person whos is trying to help them. People wake up, you come into an airport with a clip on or shoudler you get what you get. Maybe you need to be nice Scott i bet you are the one in line yelling and this is it right its all your fault I want this and this. And get the entire group upset. Take a chill pill, be nice it goes a long ways. I have done this for over 10 years, a nice person get more than a pax you yells and thinks you did it, and wants the airlines to give you anything you want. Take the train, you be one less person we have tp deal with and we save fuel.

Cheryl, I'm a private pilot and own my own airplane. I haven't flown on an airline in several years. To anyone who has the means, this is certainly the best way to travel. My airplane flies about half the speed of an airline, yet to most destinations within 800 miles, I can beat the airlines in total time spent traveling. And, what's more, I don't have to check bags or take off my shoes. It's a shame most people think these "little airplanes" are dangerous. With modern-day sophistication, they are often times more technologically advanced than the airline aircraft. The way people complain about airline travel, I just can't understand why more people don't fly themselves.

Everyone shares the blame here without exception: Unions, Management, the FAA, airports (i.e. PHL), and the few passengers who can't or won't act like human beings on a flight. Look for fewer people flying airlines and look for fixed base operators that operate VLJs (very light jets) and other smaller aircraft that burn less fuel at smaller, less-congested airports in the future. I spent 10+ years in the industry at four different airlines before getting out and concluding that it is very much like a condemned building: it simply has to be torn down and rebuilt anew if it has any chance at all... (One bright note: at least President Bush signed a bill into law extending the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots from 60 to 65.)

Bullet Trains! (Mag Lev) Where are they? Why is it that the American flaged carrier employees are the rudest, most un accomodating in the world? When I fly to the Orient I make it a point to fly non American carrier. Service is always top notch. Not some old bitty hell bent on putting us lousy passengers in our place. Other countries allow their airlines to actually FIRE employees for poor attitudes.

The airlines are not the enemy. Gov't involvement isn't the answer either. American consumers need to heed this wakeup call that we're no longer the dominant player in the oil market. China's growth, fueled by our desire for cheap merchandise on Wal-Mart shelves, has caused demand for oil to increase dramatically, causing prices to jump to record levels. Consumers are the best source to gauge markets. As long as consumers continue to drive gas guzzling SUVs and buy tickets on airlines that can't control costs, you can expect oil prices to keep moving higher. Inflationary price pressure is already materializing in these "add on" fees which are clearly early warning signs that businesses cannot sustain their current pricing models. Oil remains the life blood for our (and the world's) economy. Ultimately, any changes made by an airline or any other business are prompted by consumer spending behavior. So, consumer, what message are you planning to communicate?

Wade says "The delays out of the northeast are horrible due to an antique air traffic control system." The airlines created their own mess in the northeast along with the absolute resistance to any and all airport expansion. The airlines have increased their daily flights by 75% over the last 5 years using small RJs. They also depart 75-80 flights per hour when the capacity of the airport is only 56 per hour. It is no wonder there are delays. When more than one plane tries to occupy a runway, bad things happen. And the Bush administration wants to turn the FAA over the airlines with a huge new bureaucracy and hide the taxes passengers pay while eliminating the fuel tax on airlines. Sounds like a great idea right?

What needs to take place in this industry is for the pricing policy to step back forty years and charge the true cost of the travel demand. This may also relieve the high demand on the TSA and less stress on the Airline employees. The riff-raff can go back to traveling by Greyhound or car and the traveling public can enjoy aviation as the luxury travel it used to be. Imagine traveling in coach with an open seat next to you and the other travelers dressed in business attire rather then some pissed off stinking drunk, $49 fare, where's my drink, A-hole. At least double the fares for now. Some degree of collusion needs to take place between these airlines in order to create an agreed upon pricing initiative. Let's see, shorter airport lines, happy employees, profits for the airlines, less capacity, lower load factors, more leg room and amenities. Let's pay for our travel needs and take this greyhound in the sky back to the "good ole days".Now if we can only get the FAA up to date.

Sense I work for an airline, I can speak for it. Yes, the airlines are in touble, why cheap fares, high fuel prices, and money hungry top excs how get out and take millions of dollars in retirement. Employees who work long hours, because of cut backs and under payed. The airlines are here to make money some how, so the old days of freebes are gone for ever. Prices will go up, excess changes are going up. So paxs get ready, for no free bags, overbags wgt and over sizes bags if they are over 50lbs you are going to pay big time, if its over 70lbs for get it, you cant take it, oversized bags we get changes remember 62in is the max, before its a 100 change. So one bag can cost, 15 for the 1st bag 50 if its over 50 lbs and 100 if its over 62in. So thats $165 before you even get you broading pass. All of this cheap webs site SEE YOU IN THE FUNNY PAPERS you are gone. Warning, if anybody buys a ticket on this sites and miss or want to change it (for get airlines are getting in a mode you bought it on them, use it or lose let them change it. because we cant if we do you going to pay the price. And that can be very high. In closeing people need to understand the airlines are here to make money, so stop crying if you change you ticket it cost you more money, and stop taking too money bags for a 3day trip and they weigh 90 lbs. People the airlines will get higher just like gas and bag of chips we used to get for 50cents. Its just the way it is now

whats with you people i got no response from you if you want to hear my take on the airlines go to treasurecoasttravelers.com and listen to frequent flyer blues.let me know what you think...

Hi! from the West Coast, Yes, Airlines are terrible right now and I'm just about to give up on them. I driving this summer and I'm going to get killed on gas but at least I don't have to pay for luggage, poor customer service and I don't think I'm going to be standing in lines for gas. By the way I do LOVE your show and I like your time change as I now can view it from California without getting up so early. You all have a great group of folks that know their business and know how to dish it out in a great way. Keep up the good work, I love Fox Business!!!

Not adequately screening someone because they are in a wheelchair or over-screening someone because of the color of their skin are both examples of profiling, just different aspects of it. I am a FO for one of the major airlines and I can say that when your #1 job is to ensure that your passengers arrive safely to their destinations, there is no such thing as too much security. They say that security is always too much, until it's not enough -- and we've seen the results of the latter. You never know who your passengers are or what their intentions are-- if it saves 1 life then I think we can all agree it's a small price to pay. Most TSA are very professional. An antiquated ATC system is certainly part of the problem, but their are many other issues that are plaguing us-- namely the exploding numbers of aircraft (including private GA) and airlines over-scheduling flights from busy airports. Then when there are any delays, they compound very quickly-- just like an accident on the freeway. To decrease delays, we really need to decrease the number of flights and increase the utilization of alternative airports--- but then the airline loses the advantages of having their operations for a particular city at a major airport-- this is a big deal to most airlines and to most customers. More and more customers are booking cheap travel on websites that achieve lower prices by using multiple carriers for a particular itinerary-- which usually necessitates using a major airport where there are other carriers available. Don't worry, I throw the ATC's under the bus any chance I get when trying to explain a delay to passengers even when they have nothing to do with it, but if you ask any flight crew their opinion they would say the controllers are the Angels looking over us-- and they are literally responsible for more lives in a single shift than a surgeon is in their entire life. Charging per bag is a long overdue change in my opinion. One of the factors of fuel expenditure is the weight of the aircraft. Now does a 40-lb bag cost $15 in fuel-- probably not, but when consider the cost of baggage handling/screening/additional fuel/etc. then you start to see how it may not be fair to passengers who don't check bags to cover the costs incurred by those who do. The same logic applies to why most airlines don't have an open-bar, would you like to buy drinks for the whole aircraft as part of your fare cost or expect people to pay for their own? I won't even go into what the rising costs of petroleum is doing, there is not one industry around that isn't affected. Is there one right answer... no. Each airline is attacking the problem in a different way. Lower cost and fewer delays are not mutually exclusive or unreasonable expectations for a passenger, but try to keep in mind that there are no simple 10-word answers. The problem is very, very complex and cannot be attributed to 1 "gear that needs to be oiled".

"Is it time for the government to step in? If they do, what would that action look like?" I don't know what they should do, but it certainly is time for the Government to step in and make things worse. The reason airlines displease customers AND lose money at the same time is that they are essentially Government operations now. I am sure Congress and their minions at the FAA will figure out new ways to make it worse though. I suspect that transportation and medical regulators are in a competition to see who can screw up their respective industries the worst.

Cheryl, Unsure if it's true or not, but Warren Buffett is credited with saying that the best way to make a million dollars in the airline industry is to start with a billion. It's a losing proposition and, believe me, it is for those us us that work in the airline industry as well. It was at one time, a great career. We've seen our pensions stolen, pay cut in half, insurance premiums tripled, work rules trampled, bargaining agreements violated and safety compromised. Some of us have lost our homes, cars, marriages, and the ability to provide a college education for our children. A chef gets more respect than an airline captain. Waiters make more than most new-hire First Officers even at the major airline level. We don't have a problem paying a doctor $50,000 for a single hip replacement, but when it comes to fairly compensating those that hold your safety onboard an airline flight in their hands, management claims we are overpaid and the public perceives this similarly. Think about that the next time your aircraft has an emergency. Who do you want up front - an angry and bankrupt pilot or a happy professional? Airline employees are continually asked to shoulder the burden for the plight of the airlines. Is the problem fuel? No, the problem is bad management and bankruptcy laws that protect that bad management. What other industry is continually bailed out of bankruptcy like the airlines? Bankrupt carriers lower fares to attract business and other airlines must match them to prevent the same plight. It then becomes a death spiral to see who can beat the other to the bottom. When costs rise, fares don't. No airline wants to be the first to raise fares for fear of losing business. So instead, they scream bloody murder, claim the sky is falling and demand that employees give up pay to keep the airlines afloat instead of passing the costs along to the traveling public like most businesses. Does management give up anything? Hardly! They continue to pocket obscene bonuses and lucrative stock options while their employees suffer. Is government intervention is the answer? Possibly, but hopefully not the way it was during the Airline Regulation days. We don't need the government to regulate a free-market or prescribe routes, but we might need them to say that you can't charge less than it costs to move an airline seat. We also need the government to just let some teetering carriers finally fall into the dustbin of history and do the rest of us a favor.

The FAA has ruined the industry. It's so regulated the government might as well just nationalize it. Bureaucrats scare me. They ruin things, blame it on the "free" market failures, and sieze control. I fear for my country. This just isn't sustainable. I have no idea where to turn or where I can go to escape it all. West Texas is calling. I hope it holds up long enough for me to get a ranch in the middle of no where.

Quote :"Until something happens, prepare to be charged for checking more than one bag when you fly." Actually, American just announced that after June 15th, all check bags will be charged...$15 for the first, $25 for the second, and $100 for the third...and this is each way. Better get used to the way things were in the 1940's and 1950's...when people drove the long distances. At least Greyhound is doing okay. Perhaps Boeing and Airbus should start building motor coaches.

I remember when flying was fun too. It is now more like being herded like cattle. We have the security nonsense, and no one wanting to invest to make it rational (e.g. stop frisking old ladies). The delays out of the northeast are horrible due to an antique air traffic conrol system. What I find interesting is that my two biggest beefs with air travel are vgovernment imposed -- how on earth can you expect things to get better if we give the government a bigger role in running air travel?

Ditto --- what a surprise! Even the airline employees hate the airline industry now. The glory days are gone. What really sticks in my craw are all those critical thinkers in the executive suites that want to increase revenues by charging nuisance fees for extra bags and the such rather that just raise ticket prices appropriately across the board to compensate for higher fuel prices. Truckers, farmers, and smart businesses do it --- why not these smart guys? Instead, by staying "competitive" these executives create a grumpy workforce badgered by layoffs, lost pensions, and crummy pay and long hours in many cases. No wonder customer service is a lost art! Not that Homeland Security and the TSA have helped matters. Sure, we're grateful for the protection from another terrorist attack; but, seems to me that we need more emphasis on north and south border control than screening blue-haired old ladies in wheelchairs as likely suspects! Somehow the TSA and Homeland Security is out of control. The answer is likely to involve consolidation (sorry Cheryl), higher ticket prices, and a continued search for better customer service. Perhaps passenger behavior will even become more polite, courteous, and sanitary (have you read about the passsenger trash in airline seats?). But, don't look for it soon. And hope that the government does NOT start regulating the industry --- that will turn the clock backwards 50 years to a place none of us really want to go! Too much turbulence in the industry. We need to wait to see who survives, how the FAA gets a better grip on its own job, and how technology can assist us with outrageous weather delays as they ripple across the country --- hopefully without costing us another "surcharge" or "toll charge" for improvements. I guess the alternative is to get your own jet or learn to fly and don't fly into or out of major airline hub airports! Bye the way, has anyone noticed if anyone is at charge at the FAA in recent years! Where's the leadership?