Everyone's always complaining about how horrible flying is--especially "economy class" flying.
And compared to other ways that one can spend one's time, flying is indeed often unpleasant and aggravating. Absent a need to get somewhere else, it's hard to imagine choosing to fly.
Among the common complaints about flying are lousy service, cramped seats, yucky food (if any), egregious add-on fees, frequent delays and cancellations, and a general impression that one is less a customer than a herd animal.
But!
If we airline customers have demonstrated anything over the past few decades it's that what we care about most is cost. Given the choice between paying more for better service, food, space, etc., or suffering and saving, today's flyers almost unanimously choose the latter.
So you can't blame airlines for cutting amenities. Especially when, even with these cuts, airlines still go bankrupt all the time--like American Airlines.
What's it really like to fly international "economy class" these days? And what's it like to fly on a bankrupt airline?
Yesterday, I flew American from Zurich to New York.
First and foremost: They got the important things right. The flight left on time, arrived 40 minutes early, and arrived safely. That's 99% of the "service" I was buying when I bought the ticket. And American delivered!
I'm not going to talk about the gum-chewing stewardess or the pee all over the plane's bathroom floor. Those things certainly did not enhance the flight. But I actually blame my fellow passengers for the latter.
I was flying in a 767, in Seat 29J--in the heart of cattle class. The plane was relatively full, and the flight was an interminable 9 hours.
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