In 2023, There are no Good Airlines, Only Greedy Failures

I spent my early twenties working at LAX for a single airline that changed names many times. In May 1967, when I was first hired, it was called “Bonanza Airlines.” When I left in 1977, it was known as the “Republic.”

Doing It Better With Less

In 1967, we did not have computers, cell phones, or instant information via satellite. We had “walkie-talkies,” landlines, and “teletype machines.” However, our customer service was far superior to anything which happens within the industry today.

Today’s commercial airliners are overcrowded to the point of being painful. Nothing is offered to passengers for free. If the company which owns the airline pays 20 cents for a miniature bottle of vodka, they charge you five dollars.

In 1978 the Government Made Them Worse

Most of the expense and discomfort caused by air travel today is the result of changes in the industry in 1978. Our government gave a gift to big business and a slap in the face to the traveling public. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 removed all protection for passengers. Each airline was allowed to charge fares they deemed appropriate. Protections for travelers flying to smaller airports were removed. They were forced to pay more per mile than passengers traveling from Los Angeles to New York. Everything related to air travel became more difficult and more expensive for travelers. There were virtually no rules remaining to protect passengers.

Greed and Campaign Donations

This wasn’t enough to convince the owners of these poorly run companies to donate huge sums of money to the campaigns of crooked politicians, so they demanded the approval of mergers. Today there is little competition between the few remaining airlines, resulting in over-priced fares and what were once free amenities for travelers. America has moved from capitalism to a plutocracy.

My wife and I took our last flights in 1998. We traveled from RNO to Florida for my daughter’s 21st birthday. I will not bore you with the details, but it became one of the most miserable and frightening experiences of our lives. Unfortunately, I was forced to fly again while working for the Decennial Census in 2010. However, I will never fly again, regardless of the situation.

We Were Better, Much Better

I know from personal experience that commercial airlines can be better. I was employed during the time when airport security began. With financial assistance from the federal government, the airlines operating out of LAX placed 10-foot walls between customers waiting for their flights and the actual boarding areas. In our building, there were three openings where employees of a private security company called Wackenhut hand-searched all carry-on luggage, purses, and briefcases. There were very few delays. The process was efficient, and economical, unlike the TSA today which is a total disaster and very expensive to maintain.

In my lifetime the airlines have been bailed out by the federal government at least three times. Not only have they failed to improve, they have become less efficient and less customer friendly.

If our nation had better train service, flights would be half-empty.

Op-ed by James Turnage “The WiseOldFart”

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Sources:

National Air and Space: Airline Deregulation: When Everything Changed

NPR: U.S. fines airlines $7.5 million and they must refund customers for canceled flights

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of osde8info‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License