The airlines suck these days. I used to get a free can of pepsi when I flew, now they give me a half-cup full of ice with a drop of water. Gee... thanks a lot. I can hardly move in my seat without smashing the person next to me. There is no space for your feet. God-forbid you might want to get something out of a bag. And yet... how else are you supposed to travel from Detroit to Las Vegas?

There needs to be a consumer revolt! The consumer needs to demand better service. The consumer needs to strike alongside the unions. When we stop giving them out money they will decide to listen. But then there's that problem of how else are you supposed to travel from Detroit to Las Vegas?

Don't forget the airlines are in business to line the pockets of the fat cats at the top. They are NOT in it for the benefit of the passengers, who are nothing more than numbers, or for the benefit of the employees, who are nothing more than a drain on profits. I work for a BIG airline and they make this very clear to us every day.

so they squeezed us in, lost our luggage, made us wait and wait and mostly treated us like shit. But they made lots of money.

Ok can we say that the airline crisis is OVER now - at least for them? I am so tired of their whining when they consistently give poorer service.

I must be one of the few travelers that consider air travel an unbelievable event. They will take me from the US to Asia and back for about $900 or from CA to Hawaii for about $300 c'mon people stop and think for a minute about it and for them to try and prepare and serve at hot meal at 35000 feet in those cramped conditions.....I can't do that in my own kitchen. I travel a lot and have never had a negative time. As far as service... they look at my ticket, I board and say hello, I chose a meal and say thank you, I leave and say good-bye....what the hell do you want? Sure their are certain things you should do to insure a smoother trip but most people are so stuck in their own spoiled little world they make it a miserable time. I love air travel.

Flew Delta last week. We actually arrived early. We were asked to participate in a survey. I said sure, when they make the same offer when my flight is delayed(which is 80% of the time), of course then they won't want my opinion.

Okay, sow we know their profit. What was the profit margin?

I'd like to see the FAA adopt consumer friendly service standards for the airline industry. I say put an end to exorbitant rates for reasonable service.

1) Food service on all flights over a thousand miles and food that doesn't suck! I've got food allergies and I avoid airline food like the plague.

2) Seats that don't screwup your back and knees. This has to have safety implications because how are people in agony supposed to rapidly exit a plane in an emergency?

3) Fat fines, paid directly to the passenger affected, for things like plugged-up toilets or getting stuck on the runway for ten hours.

Monopolistic functions--energy (electricity, coal, petroleum, telecommunications telephone, radio, television) water, transportation (trucks, trains, shipping, air lines)-- must by their basic nature be placed under public control. It is critical to society that naturally monopolistic enterprises be both efficient, that is, running one full airplane from point A to point B rather than three competing airplanes running the same routes, each a third full. Society must also assure that airplanes are run effectively through strict regulation and enforcement. A monopolistic enterprise must provide fares that are in line with a fair, but not usurious, return on investment, assuming competent management. Incompetent airlines must be replaced with the able and willing.
Under FDR through Nixon, we had licensed monopolies of naturally occurring monopolies. With the TVA and rural cooperatives, we had and have models of non-profit production and delivery of electricity that has contributed mightily to the standard of living of lucky Americans within their jurisdictions.
We would be wise to return to regulated monopoly administration of these entities. Then we may again be provided economic efficiency and effectiveness with fair rates for producer and consumer alike.
In some functions of human need, there is justification in both theory and practice to modify the free enterprise system.

The Hillery Billery Bop wants you to pay the piper.

To Lady Hillary, I say, "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
[Hillary's] but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets [her] hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more: [she] is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

America deserves better and we are not getting it from the front-runners in the GOP or DNC.

CNN just did a piece on wasted millions going for small airports so the elite and moneyed interests can avoid the crowding of the profit centers.

There is no two party system in the USA. It's only the rich verses we the people and we have no representation.

I believe that deregulation of the airline industry began in the Carter Administration (1979), not in the Reagan Administration actually.

I used to fly for American and it still has a special place in my heart. I left just before they started charging for domestic meals. Many things changed after 9/11. Once the door was opened to less service there will be little that will close it again.

On the west coast, the train is not a good option for most of us. I like Alaska Airlines, myself. They are no longer the "Nordstrom's" of the airline industry anymore, but they have, along with Horizon, a smart business plan.

I traveled this summer and flew some portions on Asian airlines. The level of service was much higher and I prefer them to using the American airlines. International routes are helping prop up bottom line, but discounters will soon enter this market also. The high cost of airfares and huge drop in the dollar are making Europe unaffordable for a social studies teachers who likes to share his experiences with his students.

Ah, remember that Reagan-era airline 'deregulation' that was supposed to free the magic of the market, provide for more competition, and benefit consumers?

And remember the United bailout post 9-11? The possible impending Delta bailout?

Remember how airlines needed to cut costs by reducing maintenance schedules?

And now, with oversold flights, airports at capacity, overpriced food and services for travelers held hostage at ever larger, more expensive airports, it's a profit-maker's paradise for both airlines, airport authorities, and the monopolistic traveler 'services' that captive commuters need just to eat.

You can't complain about non-fulfillment of your ticket contract, even diplomatically, for fear of being labeled a security threat and hauled off to prison.

Your average airport is a Bushian Korporat model for how society should be run. Citizens must stand in line, disrobe on command, submit to inspection, sit quietly and without complaint, watching ad TV, until their number is called. In the meantime, you purchase food at the company store. You pay full price whether you get the agreed upon service or not.
Your seat is sold twice, just in case every plane's not 100% filled.

This just goes to show the entire fallacy of the 'libertarian' model when applied to big business. It's time for re-regulation, criminal liabilities, and enforced responsibility. It's either government by government, or government by amoral corporate warlords - assuming that there's currently much difference.

Watch for the outsourcing of maintenance. Now that is scary. Proper maintenance is required.
I hope they don't start to cut there, all in the name of profit!

The oil companies have been doing it for years, so why not the airlines?