The last time I flew I was squeezed in that middle seat. The guy next to the window was so fat and I was wedged in so tightly that I actually had a bruise on my leg where I had my chapstick in my pocket. After that I decided to see if I could spend a year on the ground.

Since then I've watched prices skyrocket and the addition of all these petty little fees. I swear I fully expect to have to pay for my own oxygen mask the next time I fly. There was a story in the paper this morning about how the airport in my town is intentionally closing down the remote parking lots just to force people to pay higher fees to park in the decks.

I hate it because I feel somewhat trapped by sticking to parts of the country within driving distance but I really don’t miss having to take my shoes off to get through security and I certainly don’t miss sitting next to an overweight guy with pretty bad BO for 5 solid hours.

I feel like we’re getting back to the days in the 70’s when only wealthy people flew anywhere just for a vacation.

After working over 15 years in the travel and hospitality industries, I've learned serveral things however two of things that really stand out are:

1. The customers who deliberately choose your company in order to pay the least amount of money because they can not afford a first class flight are the ones who demand the most service. They want, and feel entitled to, Jet Blu prices with first class service becuase they are spending thier hard earned money on your flight.

2. The other category of customers have money for a first class ticket but usually demand a discount anyway. These demand to pay the least amount because they are wealthy and important and fly regularly. These are also same ones that remind you costantly that they are wealthy and important and need the level of services the Royal Family can expect.

The bottom line is neither category of person wants to really pay for the level of service they feel they are entitled to, they will always discount the value of your product or service ,and neither category wants to (not that they should have to)understand or appreciate what it takes to deliver great products and services let alone what it cost to do so.

Thank God for the third group of people who use flying as a means of transportation and pay whatever they feel will be the best option for them. They are just happy to get to their destinations safley and as comfortable as affordable and posible. These people also understand that if the plane goes down, leg room, snacks, and entertainment may matter so much. The rich, the poor,the under serviced and the overly serviced are now in the same predicament together.

After working over 15 years in the travel and hospitality industries, I've learned serveral things however two of things that really stand out are:

1. The customers who deliberately choose your company in order to pay the least amount of money because they can not afford a first class flight are the ones who demand the most service. They want, and feel entitled to, Jet Blu prices with first class service becuase they are spending thier hard earned money on your flight.

2. The other category of customers have money for a first class ticket but usually demand a discount anyway. These demand to pay the least amount because they are wealthy and important and fly regularly. These are also same ones that remind you costantly that they are wealthy and important and need the level of services the Royal Family can expect.

The bottom line is neither category of person wants to really pay for the level of service they feel they are entitled to, they will always discount the value of your product or service ,and neither category wants to (not that they should have to)understand or appreciate what it takes to deliver great products and services let alone what it cost to do so.

Thank God for the third group of people who use flying as a means of transportation and pay whatever they feel will be the best option for them. They are just happy to get to their destinations safley and as comfortable as affordable and posible. These people also understand that if the plane goes down, leg room, snacks, and entertainment may matter so much. The rich, the poor,the under serviced and the overly serviced are now in the same predicament together.

 I have been flying Southwest since I can remember.  Their customer service has always been great.  And with the pioneering they did via their online services, I personally do have some brand loyalty.  I have never missed the meals, movies, or whatever.  A smile as I am boarding is more important to me personally.  They almost always get me where I am going on-time and for considerably less that other airlines I have considered.
 And dispite the recent inspection screw ups, keep in mind they have never lost a passenger.  They just provide the best value for the money all the way around in my opinion.

 I too believe that obese passengers should be charged more. Why should the rest of us have their elbows in out seats and their fat rolling over the sides of their chairs into mine. I've flown more than 14 flights in my 18 years with various companies and they deffinately dont look close enough at that factor. I'm all for having them charge for extra weight like "Buffy and Eliot". It'd be so worth it and it would encourage America (yes I am American) to lose all the extra fat their begining to be comfortable with.
 Outside the states air travel seems much more civilized and was still a good price for the distance. So save up and visit a far away place, you'll cherish the memory more and you'll get to brag about being to another country.

I hate the 300Lb. momma sitting next to me as much as the 150lb. pencil necked geek guy with his huge carryon bag that he has to continually put up and down from storage while barely hitting me with his boney bagging pants arse, while in the guise of 'I'm just a little guy, it won't take much for me to squeeze thru this tiny space in front of you."  I'm 220lb. 6'2" so I think the weight thing is ridiculous. Maybe if they made the starting point weight somewhere over 200lb.  and made smaller people double up in a seat and the fatties pay a little more from say 210lb.  I'd rather have Aunt Lucy flying next to me than some professional jockey.  You people crying about weight limit/penalties are the same bunch that chastise smokers for doing something legal.  I hate all of you.

Airlines are a mode of transportation... Just like a bus... every time you get on a city bus, or train, do you expect a drink, and a snack? NO... same with air travel. You are paying to get from point A to point B.

safely taking off and landing are important... snacks are not.

How many of you that are for the weight/cost factor are overweight? Yeah, I thought so.

Let's see now, there is a problem with the amount of air traffic the FAA can handle, there is a problem with too many aircraft on the tarmac with an increasing number of fender benders. The cost of fuel is way up, passengers are being harrased (made to sit on toilet seats during a flight - thank you "Jet Blue"
No food, lousy service etc.

The cure:

forget frequent flyer gimmicks, return service and charge the true cost of the tickets. The result-less flights, safer skies, profitable airlines (albeit smaller).

Businesses could cut travel by using VTC more.
Vacationers could plan more "flightless" vacations.
Airlines could use smaller aircraft and fly point to point instead of hub and spoke.

Let's face it America built its infrastructures on the basis of cheap energy, those days are over, we have known since the 1970's oil crisis this day was coming and did nothing about it. Now we all have to "pay the piper".

In closing, as yourself why did Bush have to beg his Saudi "friends" to increase production when the U.S. imports most of it's oil from Canada? Also why don't we force the oil companies to further develop Gulf and Atlantic sites using the obscene profits they are "earning"? Why are we not using more wind, nuclear, and hydro power alternative resources? Why not change the SEC rules away from "maximising devidents for the shareholder" to "do what is best for the American infrastructure" What a concept!

MONEY MONEY MONEY..thats what it comes down too.  I live 6000 miles from my family, across an ocean so car/bus/train is really not an option for me. I want to see my family and am willing to pack a few granola bars in my bag to eat on board rather than pay a small fortune for inedible food.  If airlines want the business then it is al about prices, if the check in clerk doesn't even make eye contact with me, I DONT CARE, just give me cheap flights.

I only fly on business travel, and then only American - I haven't taken a vacation in over 20 years where I had to fly to my destination. Yet business travelers get the same short shrift as do vacationers and convenience travelers. I have to bring a large amount of video equipment with me when I travel, and I constantly have to tell the ticket counter agent that there is a special code to use with A/V equipment. Then I wind up with either damaged cases or, in one instance, damaged personal luggage because the baggage handlers have no respect for private property.

I think if business travelers began taking trains or buses to their destinations (even though it takes longer to do so), the airlines would wise up - that's got to be a good 60 - 70% of their customer base that would go right down the drain. I'm going to pitch that as a business case and see how far it goes.

Why do we expect flying from point A to point B to be an 'experience'? If you take Greyhound across country, do you expect them to provide you with a meal? Why do you expect one when you get on an airplane? When you get down to it, an airplane is really nothing more than a bus with wings.

Pack light. Bring your own lunch and water. Clean up aafter yourself when you're leaving.

Like eric, I avoid flying at all costs.  Airlines treat all passengers as if they were morons (I  used to be a frequent flyer - but no more.) Like shoes and clothes, charge the correct price for the quality offered and treat all people like customers.  There are Guess handbags and Prada handbags, it is the features of the product that is the differentiator.  But even the purchaser of a Guess bag expects to be treated with courtesy by the clerk that waits on them and takes the money.  

The $15 for a checked bag is another way to disrespect the customer, by incenting the crass folks that stuff the contents of their home into one huge bag, then crack the skulls of other passengers try to stuff the case into an overhead bin.  The airlines should charge for carry-ons not the checked bags.  Carry-ons slow the boarding and unboarding that costs the airlines in expensive turn around time, cause discomfort to other passengers, etc.

No, I don't have stock in Hertz, Avis, or Budget.  I will only travel if I can rent a car and drive to my destination.  The staff are willing and able to help, I can adjust the seat to get leg room, and a GPS gives great directions.

Will there be an additional charge to use the escape chute in an emergency? Will the restrooms become pay toilets? How about toll booths on the access skyways?

If the airlines are going to resort to charging for everything, then I think they should be held liable for performance. If the aircraft is late for departure, there should be incremental refunds to the passengers, up to 150% of the cost of the ticket if the flight is canceled.

Sorry folks, but charging overweight people more for their tickets is not feasable unless they require two seats.

While in theory charging by weight seems reasonable, the logistics of doing so would simply cause more problems by creating enormous (no pun intended) delays which would in turn defeat the purpose.
In addition, if the airlines started charging by weight they would be sued for discrimination which would lead to even higher costs for the rest of us.

I understand the airlines' woes, however their current policies don't seem to be well-planned. Most obviously, they should charge more for carry-ons, not checked bags. All people are going to do is increase the ammount of crap they carry on which will cause delays, irritation, and other general headache-inducing problems. I guess they will have to learn the hard way and we will have to suffer in the process.

It all sucks, I'm ok with less service but does less service require the attendants to be rude and mean.  Really a smile goes a long way with me, especially if its the only positive thing about the flight.  I find that the general public is somehow transformed into unidentifiable creatures once aboard an airplane. Grown, educated adults who may be successful in thier jobs, coach little league etc, act like monkeys.   I understand that the whole flying experience is aggravating, but really people, take a deep breath, deal with it and smile, we can all contribute to a better flying experience if we don't take our our frustrations on eachother.  Lastly, lower your expectations, you are not getting caviar and champaign on a silk pillow.  If you are truly a VIP, you won't be sharing your flight with anyone, so to everyone else you obvioulsy think you're important and therefore you think others should know that you are important and kneel to you.  We'll you are only important to you, or some very small circle of people who actually know who you are, to the rest of us you just some guy with a blue shirt.  So lose the attitute, bite your lip, bare it and grin until we land.

to all the self righteous anorexics who think charging the Mcfatties extra is a solution, go eat a sandwich- your logic is faulty. Doesnt it seem more logical that if accomodations were made to allow more leg room, a little more width, and maybe some courtesy thrown in would make the "normal" sized people and obese people happy at the same time? I get so sick of hearing how people are "inconvenienced" by the large guy/gal next them crowding their seat. Yes this is a valid complaint, but i didnt see a complimentary magic wand kiosk near the gate last time i flew, in which a large person could wave over their heads to "make their fellow traveler more comfortable" .
this is all solved by widening the seats- even eliminating the dreaded "middle" seat that everyone hates, and possibly charging more to cover the costs (both fuel and seat real estate).
Seating aside, its the callous attitude and complete lack of care that all carriers now have. No one, and i mean NO ONE cares in this industry anymore for customer comfort or satisfaction- which brings people back to the seats later. It's all about the money and how much people are saving. What's next, charging for every inch over 5'-10"? or inseams that are longer than 30"??? Get real

Pay by the pound?  I think not.  How much does an empty plane weigh anyway?  And how much of a difference do my extra 10 pounds (in relation to the weight of the plane) make in getting that plane off the ground?

As for the $15 for a checked bag, I say charge $15 for a carry-on bag instead.

I fly to Mexico quite often. I always try to get a Mexicana flight. The price is around 50 dollars more than a similar American Airlines flight. At (now) almost 700 a ticket, 50 dollars is not much.

Especially when you are still treated as a customer and not like just cattle. Yea, I know, the price of fuel hurts, and guess what? It hurts all, not just airlines. But that doesn't mean I am going to treat my clients like dump.

Mexicana still gives me a movie, real food, free drinks including alcoholic and gorgeous looking attendants that still know how to smile.

Southwest gives me some mad woman in sweatpants.
American Airlines one that gets mad because I don't carry change for a 20 and get my drink wrong.
Delta looses my baggage... 7 out of 10 times, and their planes break down, so I end up flying Continental.

God, I can't wait for bullet trains to arrive to USA. Now, that is value for your money and true first class service.

I believe the sad thing is that good customer service is diminishing all over our culture. From fast food, to banks, to airlines, we seem to have lost sight of the fact that treating the customer well pays.

Meals, snacks and such cost the airlines money but basic good customer service does not. Service with a smile and understanding frequently goes a long way to sooth the irritated customer. Friendly treatment evokes friendliness in return. Of course, there will always be the flyer (or bank customer or fast food consumer) who is bound and determined to vent her or his rage upon those who are "required" to be kind with them. However, I know that if I'm in a bad mood or angry I'm liable to let that spill over to those around me. But courteous, friendly service will diffuse my mood immediately.

I haven't bemoaned the loss of the meals and if I never again have another pack of peanuts or pretzels, it would be too soon. But I demand to be treated with respect and courtesy. I think that is what the airlines are forgetting.

A few years ago, as a presenter for two major seminar companies I traveled 100% of the time. And I flew wherever I went. I don't do that anymore unless distances are just too great to drive. The hastle of getting to the airport, parking, walking long ways to the terminal, waiting, and then being treated as if the airline personnel are doing me a favor by scanning my ticket, are too much.

I recently was required to fly to San Antonio from DFW, by a boss who didn't want to pay my parking at the hotel. By time I drove into the airport through heavy traffic, found a parking place, walked into the terminal and then waited for a flight that was delayed for a thunderstorm, I could have driven to San Antonio, before my plane even took off, seated comfortably in my car with a Book on Tape or Disk and able to stop and get out whenever I wished.  The convenience of flying is no longer convenient. And the customer service is no longer good.

As a trainer, I teach an excellent customer service course, but I'm afraid that I'm like a small voice crying in the wilderness.

i think the airlines should charge a fair, profitable fee. they could cut out all the million possible ticket prices, cut advertising and as the guy said, not serve anything on flights less than 3 hours. we can all live without a coke for 3 hours, or we can bring our own. if they fly full at a fair price then maybe prices won't skyrocket. that's really all anyone can ask, except for good service which can only be "bought" through good training, taking care of and careful hiring of employees. and you're right, people will choose by cost of ticket, not whether you get peanuts and drinks.

All the sad result of the corporatization of our infrastructure policy since WW2. America needs a decent rail network, it's the most efficient form of travel and can outperform air travel on trips <500 miles. Put Amtrak on steroids so it will be able to compliment a reregulated air travel industry. Time for America to get the stick out of its a$$ about "subsidizing" rail travel-- initial investment in balancing our transportation network is vital now, not later. Why do the French, Germans, and Japanese have better rail networks than we do? Depending upon air and road travel without railroads is not a tenable option.

I think its awsome.....it will make everyone pack less and that means less weight and will end up saving millions of gallons of fuel worldwide and thus, greenhouse gases, that would have been wasted on hauling around heavy bags filled with stuff many people never even get around to wearing.  I think they should charge $25/bag and then $10 every pound over 40.

In Europe ( Great Britain ) you are limited to one checked bag and one carry-on bag including your handbag, or laptop and it's the Security that enforces that rule about one carry-on and not the airline. I usually fly American and have always found their gate agents and Flight attendants to be friendly and helpful; of course it does pay if YOU are polite and don't think you are some royal personage that needs to be waited on hand and foot and get to be bitchy. I also fly Southwestern as they offer bargain airfares if you book early enough and if you want to board early, then check-in on line exactly 24 hours before your flight and get to the airport and the gate at least and hour early- your boarding pass will have a number and only those that paid extra for premium seating or for "business class" will board before you. I found their service and flight attendants to be very good and friendly.

This has been a very entertaining blog as of yet. I think that some people are out of touch with the reality of our cultures necessity for flying while still others are expecting too much.

Is that fair to say? That someone is expecting too much. By the same token that some can agree that the airlines should charge a reasonable--profitable--fee for the cost (reflective of the rising cost of fuel, etc.), it should be understood that while everything is increasing in price, wages are not increasing... What's the average? -$1,000/family?

America's problem is the greed of the top while the lower suffers through just enough to get by for survival and continuance of their job. This reminds me of something... Whatever that something is, I'm sure that it was related to the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863...

And before anyone argues to the contrary, do consider the reality and then respond with some intelligence.

The divide and conquer strategy that has been enacted by the American government since this "new age" of "conservative" (though, truly ANTI-AMERICAN) politics has brought us to this point in our rather short history.

Have I flown? Of course, but mostly by the funding of Government programs like the US Army, during trips to Iraq... That has ended, and now I hardly consider flying. Although I enjoy the take-off, I'll just go to six-flags for that excitement.

Really folks. The reason that airlines DON'T charge a "reasonable" price, is because of greed (although this normally works in the opposite direction). As someone said earlier, although most people do travel for business, it comes at a discount. The people left to pay are those whom have tapped their savings to make the trip.

To charge extra for weight is scientifically understandable, but not ethically understandable, so that'll never happen (BTW, I weight 160lbs, so I'm all right, I'm sure). Extra for the bags is fine, but will the lower cost be handed off in the form of the plane ticket for people who travel without bags (such as myself...when I do travel...which is normally Greyhound at this point)? Probably not...

We call that...GREED...

Eventually, like all things that ascend, this will descent.

Let's just hope that its in the form of a control landing and not a repeat of our most famous national disaster of 2001...

Until later...

Thanks for reading...

Oh, yeah...

And for our foreign friends who've suggested rail-lines...

Haven't you noticed that our most peaceful government here in America invests much more in military technology than civil technology? I guess you guys haven't heard about our collapsing bridges, poor race relations, and sinking job markets, huh?

We are a militant nation. Militant nations don't worry about their citizens liberties...

Uh-duh!!

:-P

flying sucks,  airports suck, the security personell suck.   if i could drive everywhere i would

What's the noise all about? Actually, I am surprised it took the airline industry so long to climb on the "nickel and dime" bandwagon. Have you read your entire cell phone bill lately? How about that list of "fees" that the nice lady at the title company had you sign on your last mortgage or re-fi? Purchased a car? Remember how quickly the business manager flew over the "documentation fee" on the disclosure statement?
I can't remember the last time I bought something with more than two moving parts and was not offered the "service plan" or protection or extended warranty.
  Let's face it. we've been  bending over for this stuff for a long time; and people who buy on the cheap are just asking for it.
  So, pony up, pay the "two dallahs" and imagine what it would cost to DRIVE the trip.

It's not just the airline industry that's failing EVERYONE these days. If there's a company that offers a service, I can pretty much guarantee that they suck at it and don't care about how much they suck.

Take AT&T, for instance ...more bars? Sure, you'll have lot's of pretty bars on your phone. But, what do they really mean? Not much, in my experience. I drop about one call per day. But, there are those bars. Sometimes, in the middle of a conversation, my line will get mixed up with someone else's voicemail box. Yup, it's like I've been transferred to someone's voicemail, as if it were my own. Now that's service! But don't try to call and get a situation like this fixed. After several days of their techs trying to get a hold of me at all of the times I informed them would be really bad times to get a hold of me. They just stopped calling. So long as that automatic payment keeps coming, why bother? Right?

Customer service crashed into the mountain a LOOOOOOONG time ago. Every one on the other end of the 24 hour help line is just there to read their script, divert all calls and pick up their checks at the end of the week. Kind of the same thing going on with the airlines ...do what ever it takes to squeeze us for every last dime.

Continental is a great airline, I'm surprised no one has said anything about that.  I fly them once a month and 95% of the time have a great experience.

All of this reminds me of two ads many years ago--one fake and one real.  The fake one was a Saturday Night Live commercial spoof in the mid 80's of a fictional airline, where each of the differenct personnel told you their name and job and what they did, which pointed out the lousy sevice this airline did, with the funniest being Eddie Murphy standing on the tarmac in a jumpsuit saying "I'm Hank.  I'm the guy who loses your luggage."  The commercial ending with the slogan "TransEastern Airlines.  We're a Cattle Car with Wings."  The second was an Alaska Airlines commercial, similar to the Southwest Air mentioned, showing a guy who wanted to use the lavatory found out that it costs some quarters to use, first realizing that he had no change, then asking other passengers for change for a dollar, the $1 change for two, etc, going on up to asking for 2 quarters for $5!

I wouldn't be too surprised here in the future if the airlines removed all of the overhead comparments, thereby forcing you to check your bags, naturally for a fee, instead of having you shove and stuff your overpacked carry-on into the bins since we don't want to pay extra to check it, only to have "Hank" lose it.

If I go shopping for a TV I can buy a Sony for a $1,000. or an Insignia for half the price. When I go looking for a car I can buy a Mercedes Benz or a Kia.  It all depends on how much I am willing to pay for the extra quality..  It's my choice.  The airlines should work the same way. If you want great service, lots of legroom, and meals during your flight, you should pay the price. On the other hand, if all you want is cheap transportation between here and there, pay the minimum and don't complain.  The airlines need to realize they are not a commodity and people will pay for the service they desire.  Stop trying to be all things to all people.

For domestic travel, I gave up on airlines. Rude fellow travelers, overbooked flight, and lousy service turned me off. I learned to fly and pitched in with a buddy to buy a small, older light plane. Keeping up with the maintenence and fuel costs are a pain but I never have to go through a metal detector, take off my shoes, pay extra for baggage or put up with TSA morons or crabby gate staff. There are thousands of small airstrips all over the U.S, you can always have a car waiting for you or borrow one of the airport's cars (they often keep one on the field, just so pilots can get around),and the folks you meet at small airports are wonderful, friendly folks. For flights of less than 400 miles, my little puddlejumper is faster, door to door and sometimes it's even cheaper. Best of all, if you can document 51% business use, all that maintenence expense is a write off

50% of travelers really have to travel.  The other 50% do it to feel important and spend company dollars on meaningless flights.

Ever heard of video conferencing?  Save you time and money and you can be productive!

Airlines will always be there.  However, an evolution is coming.  Enter air taxi and the likes of eclipse aviation.  Economical light jets.

I'm with Jeff Konecke for the most part. The only thing I differ in is that I think there should be two kinds of airlines -- the kinds like Jeff Konecke recommends, and the kind that say "We don't give you any frills, we just give you a seat on our plane for a low price and you agree to that in order to be able to afford to fly rather than taking a train or bus -- oh, and BYOM (bring your own meal)."
Then folks can make their choice between all the frills at full cost, or no frills for a lower price.

The person who commented with the name dollar bill.. do you realize how rude and discriminatory you are being... i am 5'2" and weigh 235 pounds but not all people are as you say "fatties hang[ing] over onto the other paying customers" guess what people who are obese pay the same way you do and if a person is that big they have to buy 2 seats at least thats how it was last i flew regardless and weighing as much as a i do i dont hang over one bit. so i find your comment offensive and dont know why they allowed it to be posted. And it will be sad the day that a person has to step on a scale and get weighed before they fly and pay for it. That is humiliating having someone tell you you owe more money becuase you are obese. Just Fly people stop complaining. Flight attendants are the way they are half the time becuase of pay or previous rude customers think of the full spectrum please everything runs in a circle....

I know I'm late in commenting on this, but as a former Delta stew, I know first-hand how much the industry has deteriorated. I flew (for Delta) in the 'good old days', eg, in the late 60's through the early 80's. We gave solid value for the money. I hate flying these days. Between the government and the airlines it is a miserable experience. I wish I never had to fly, and find alternatives whenever possible. I feel sorry for those of you 'youngsters' who have no 'golden standard' with which to compare the way things are today against the way they SHOULD be. I hope that someday a domestic airline will come into existence that will use the old standards as their business model, even if they do charge more for their efforts. I would always be willing to pay for that. Even first-class doesn't provide the level of service these days that was routine just a couple of decades ago for 'economy' travelers. Part of the problem is that today's travelers don't demand better. Until that day, nothing will change.

Haven't fell out of the sky yet and I have been a  business traveller on SWA for years.  

For those of you who think large people should have to pay for the extra pounds, why not also include charging extra for the people with long legs who kick at your bag stowed under your seat or granny who decides to push her seat back to nap and you have to stare at her purple hair throughout the entire flight or the guy who's constantly coughing and clearing his throat?  Hello!  You're on an airplane and it's packed with people from all walks of life, all ages, all sizes and all levels of intelligence. Complaining about it ain't gonna fix it, so take the bus or drive or just sit there and get over it!

You know what?  I've read through every single one of these responses and not one attacks the real problem.  The problem is us as a nation.  Look around you.  Look at what's happening to us.  People complain about everything because their not happy. What makes today different from the 80's or earlier?  Somewhere in the 90's people became more self-centered (me me me).  In turn there was less emphasis on civility.  we have become money-hungry and absorbed with our lavish lifestyles (meaning the genius execs who run these stupid companies).  My husband and I recently flew via Delta Airlines (US) to Madrid, Spain (Iberia). The instant we boarded Iberia we thought we were in heaven.  Yes the tickets were more expensive, but we were greeted in either espanol or english, and treated like travelers used to long ago.  Iberia not only serves snacks, but full course meals (Salad,Roast chicken with rice and gravy, dessert,real flatware, and unlimited amounts of tea or cafe).  Not to mention that there were no hold-ups at the airport.  People move with a purpose instead of waiting for someone to serve them. The crummy experiences we have in our airports are the workers themselves. Most of them (not all) are obese themselves who spend their time talking to one another and joking around instead of doing their jobs.  No doubt they are feeling the pressure from execs yet again cooped up in their offices rolling around in mountains of money and watching tired travlers at their breaking point on a big screen like a reality show.  I agree that it's time for a change.  The question is how much more do we have to put up with before we are willing to stand up and do something about it?  And to the anti-europe gentleman... there's a reason why most of those countries have been in existence longer than us.  They've made the stupid mistakes that we are currently making and chose to learn from them.  They chose to look at the bigger picture instead focusing on the pixels.  With freedom comes responsiblity, respect, and humanity.  Somehow we as Americans have lost that.  If this country is to be strong again the change will start with the individual.  Snack on that for a moment. It's free.  

ok i read all these comments...and i'm sure no one is reading mine. (it looks like i'm a bunch of days late)  Long story short.  Southwest did the best business deal, they made a fuel deal when the company was created.  The low cost of fuel expired in 2008 (not sure exactly when)  So when all other airlines are paying $90 plus a barrel and today $130 a barrel, southwest was sitting pretty at $30 a barrel.  So they can sell a seat for $29 or $39.  Just a couple of passengers and they are breaking even.  But if you notice those fares don't exist anymore.  Now they are at the same price of all airlines...there fuel cost deal ended!  So did southwest come up with a great deal...well the management did.  They deceided not to spend any more on service (audio, video, food, 1st class) but you can spend more money to get on the plane first!  That's worth a lot....  bottom line...you get what you pay for.

Wow.

There are a lot of people complaining. You want the full service, but don't want to pay for it. You hate having to pay a bag-checking fee, even though that requires both time and money (maybe it could be included in the cost of the ticket?).

Heck, for some people, they have decided to dislike a particular airline, because fellow passengers were in a bad mood, or rude. To me, that is retarded, and placing blame on the wrong person. Of course flight attendants might become ill-tempered if there is an exceptionally high number of rude people. It isn't the airlines' fault, nor any CEO's that people are simply rude sometimes. People will be people, on whatever airline passengers fly. At the same time, it seems to be equally important for passenger morale, when the captain greets the passengers, and smiles at them, again regardless of the carrier.

Because air travel has become a commodity in the U.S., we need to treat it as such. Think of it like coffee. When people want to drink coffee, they pay for it. If gas/shipping costs, and processing costs increase, then coffee price will also increase. When this happens, coffee drinkers either decide to pay more for their favorite style of coffee, or switch to a cheaper, average Joe cup'o'Joe. If people pay for premium dark roast, they get it. If people pay for the less expensive, lower quality coffee, they should know what they are getting, and not expect premium. The world, while it doesn't need coffee, expects it to be there. If people want their coffee, whatever level of quality, they should expect to have to pay for it. And thus is the same with airfare.

As for complaints about waiting in a line forever, deal with it; arrive at the airport earlier (even if it means you may get bored or have to miss some appointment, tough), expect delays (airlines cannot yet control the weather), and if you think you might have a long wait, prepare to entertain yourself. To use the old scout motto, "Always Be Prepared."

In the end, when the people feel that the airline is too expensive, or the service is not good enough, then quit giving them your money and drive (for domestic travelers). For international, oversea travelers, if the courtesy or service isn't up to your taste, then tough. That is the way it is while you fly. Complain to the proper people, considerately, instead of to a population of people who can do nil about it.

In the words of one commenter from Wyoming, "Quit bitchen'". Don't like it? Don't fly.

I had to chuckle at the May 27, 2008 comment from Shayne Haynes of Dallas, who whines that he, as a business owner, is "subsidizing" leisure travelers by paying two to four times their price for his business travel.  I'd be willing to bet that he's been known to mix in a bit of pleasure into that business trip - just like the rest of the world has learned to do.  And, I'm not naive enough to believe the sob story about all that money coming out of his pocket when in reality he will write-off the expense on his schedule C, and what is not reimbursed there will be passed along to his customers.

The consumer pays for everything          

I'm going to fly to Seattle this year, and I will probably never travel by air again. Once this country put men on the moon, now we can't even get a plane across the country. So, hike up the fares and add more charges! I'll drive next time.

People take trains and buses cross-country all the time.  Trains and buses don't have flight attendants.  Trains usually have a snack bar that charges exorbitant amounts of money for things, but on the trains I've taken there is always a constant stream of customers going to and coming from the snack car--they are somewhat of a captive audience.  I think if the airlines want to survive they should replace flight attendants with snack bars and operate more like the trains do.  That way, if you don't care about food, you don't have to pay for it, and vice versa.  Also, the airline wouldn't have to pay the salaries of attendants, and the attendants' weight could be taken up by customers/paid-for luggage instead.  It sucks for flight attendants, but at this rate they're not going to have jobs very soon anyway.

This obesity issue is asinine.  While Americans are admittedly overweight, some of us are simply bigger.  I'm 6'4" 230 pounds and fit.  I'm just a big guy and far from obese.  Why should I should have to pay an extra $100 because of my genes?  Following that line of thought then, I no longer want to pay full fare for my 55lb six year old daughter and 45 pound four year old son.  I think I should just have to pay $15 dollars for each of them since this is what checked baggage seems to cost these days.

My God, what narrow minded bigotry this country has spawned. Ok, so we start charging more for the "fat asses", "Lard Butts" and "Big Mamas" how bout Mr. Jock, who, by no definition is overweight, yet hangs over into the next seat becasue he can't put his arms down. Or his shoulders are so wide that half your seat back is gone before you sit down? Why isn't this seen as a problem? Is it simply becasue "we must punish fat people"? I have flown just as many times and been displaced in my seat because of some steroid snorting bull as I have by some overweight person. If you're going to charge more for an overweight person, you better have a larger seat to put them in or it ain't gonna make a bit of difference. Personally I don't care if you charge by the ounce, the pound, hair color or nationality (Oh GOD! Couldn't do that, it would be discrimination.) However, half of the people that I have seen that have trouble "fitting" in a normal airline seat are no where close to overweight. They may, however, be oversized. So my 6'4 brother who weighs 200 lbs is charged extra for being "overweight" When any medical chart in any country would sharply disagree.

I don't have a solution, but I hardly think trashing what is a growing (no pun intended) portion of the public is hardly acceptable. And to the twit who posted that a 125 lb woman is easier on the eyes...wow...I bet the 125 lber you're thinking of weighs closer to 135 and lies about her weight. There is no way to tell by looking at a woman how much she weighs. My best friend and I are both 5'7" we both wear a size 6, and she weighs 20lbs more than I do, however, we take up the same amount of space. She just has more muscle mass and a higher bone density. Stop judging and get over yourself.

On my most recent flying experience I got off a clean comfortable friendly Aire Lingus plane, with wonderful attendents only to come home to Chicago on a dirty filty cramped digusting American Airlines plane (more terrible than the worst greyhound in existence) where the flight attendents were too busy yacking with the other attendents to care about the passengers. No thank you, no welcome backs. I am a savvy consumer. Let me tell you I vote with my feet and my money. I won't ever ride on American again, I don't care how much my ticket costs. Cost was not an issue. Connectivity was the issue. Next time I don't care if I have to fly to Alaska (a great Airline) to get to Chicago, I will! I have flown all over the states-this was the worst ever!

"...why don’t airlines dump the commercials altogether and put that money toward making our flights just slightly more endurable?"

That pretty much sums it up for me.  Flying has become a royal pain and the needed price increases for them to remain profitable just isn't going to help matters.  Last time I flew, it occurred to me I could have arrived at my destination for less money, WITH my luggage, in the same amount of time.  If they could give me what I pay for, i.e.: getting me AND my luggage to my destination efficiently, I might be willing to pay the higher prices.  These days it's more cost effective in time, money and hassle to drive.

I find it amusing that treating customer rude is fine because they did not get payed well.
For people thinking that airline will do better job if they can increase price. This is not a free country, airlines can charge 10,000 dollars per flight if they want. They can not because all the legacy airlines still charge more than SWA while provide worse service.

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