As mentioned in previous posts, I fly quite often for business. Until we learn how to turn cow chips into computer chips here in SE Missouri or I change my profession from the semiconductor industry, I will have to fly to work. This currently involves a 3 hour drive to the nearest major airport in St. Louis. Memphis is actually approximately equidistant but flying out of Memphis is much more expensive than St. Louis for some reason (I have heard the reasons in the past, but they don't make much sense--a flight from St. Louis through Memphis to Austin, for instance is much cheaper than a flight from Memphis to Austin direct on the same airplane). I have been flying for many years now but it is not what it once was. In the few paragraphs below, I will share what I know many of you frequent fliers already know--customer service and comfort in the airline industry is a thing of the past. I am not by nature a complainer, but when it comes to airlines, it is hard not to complain...Seats
I have flown several times to Germany on Lufthansa and have purposely "missed" a Lufthansa flight to instead go on a code share on United to get more leg room. I am only 5'6" tall yet the leg room on Lufthansa (and they are not the only one) is so cramped that it made me feel uncomfortable. I can't imagine what someone much taller than I must go through for a long flight like that. I have noticed over the last several years that the airlines have started to publish more information on the planes in regard to DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and on how to minimize your risks. For one, they could increase the pitch of the seats on the airplanes. I understand their need to make a profit and I flew after 9/11 and was among only a few on a almost empty 757 many times. Now, however, the situation is completely flipped and in opinion, ridiculous (never an "empty" flight).
The next issue regarding seats is getting a "good" seat. I am a "window seater" myself. I sleep often on planes so having the wall of the plane to place my head instead of my neighbor or the snack cart aisle works for me. Others prefer the aisle. I have not met anyone who longs for the middle seat, however. The key to getting the seat of your choice was once early booking. The earlier you book your seats, the more likely you are to get to sit where you want. That is not true anymore. It seems that overbooking of flights is much more prevalent than before 9/11 which forces you to get your seat assignments at the airport rather than when you book the flight.
Further, airlines are beginning to charge EXTRA for those "choice" seats. I encountered this in Montana once when flying Northwest Airlines (not my favorite airline by a longshot) and noticed while trying to move to a better seat that there were "$" symbols on all of the seats to which I wanted to move on the checkin kiosk screen. They were charging $15 for any change to these seats from the middle seats even though there were many seats available since the flight was not full. Southwest addresses that problem by allowing open seating which I once loved because I am an early checkin type of guy. With the advent of online checkin 24 hours before your flight, however, I am increasingly in the position of having to take the middle seats unless I can remember to checkin online before heading to the airport and beat the others who have discovered this to the punch.
Food
A mention of airline food does not exactly bring up visions of gourmet creations. In relation to what we have now, however, I long for the "good ol' days". I remember not having to worry about breakfast, lunch, or dinner when flying on a longer flight because they would be serving something on the plane even in coach. Now, you are "lucky" to get even peanuts or pretzels on some flights. The drink service is still there, but if you want something else, you have to pay $5 or so for a "snack pack". They have invested in a portable credit card machine to charge you for the privilege of being fed but not to feed you as part of the service. I have no problem being charged a reasonable amount on top of the ticket for meal service but being charged on board an exorbitant amount of money for a nutrition-poor substitute is wrong in my opinion.
No Peanuts for You
Even my friends at Southwest Airlines seem to be in on the act. I EXPECT only peanuts on their flights. On longer flights, they will give you a variety of snack foods at no extra charge. I love Southwest because I know what to expect and a majority of their flights are short in nature. With this said, however, I noticed that their peanut packages are not always the same size. Many times I will be sleeping during the "peanut handout" and wake to notice that they have left the peanuts next to me. On one such occasion, I stuck the peanuts in my carryon and had them with me for several weeks. On another flight, I noticed that the peanuts they gave me seemed to have much less volume of peanuts in the bag than what I had in my carryon. I took out the carryon version and their were 3 times as many peanuts in those bags (same size bag, by the way) than in the samples they had just given me. Bagging machine a little less generous when those peanuts were packaged? Something tells me it was more than just coincidence or a flawed bagging machine...
Security
First, let me say I have no problem with the security screening itself. I rarely have issues with TSA with the exception of one problem: consistency. My home airport, St. Louis, has one of the more expedient security line processes of the many airports from which I fly. It can still be a long line at 5AM on a Monday, but nothing like I see at other airports. Try walking to the back of a security checkpoint line at Phoenix, Dallas Fort/Worth, San Jose A terminal, or the B terminal at Sacramento, for instance, with only an hour or less before your flight on an early Monday or Friday morning. You can do this at St. Louis or Austin, for instance, without too much fear, but you had better be prepared to rebook if you do this in other places. The funny thing is that there does not seem to be much reason for this. I have been in Phoenix where there are plenty of metal detectors and x-ray machines open but the urgency on the part of the TSA folk there does not seem to be the same as STL or AUS. They are still thourough at those other airports, but the line actually moves. As mentioned, I am an early checkin guy so no huge deal for me but there are always those poor people who have a flight in 20 minutes and are at the back of a 30 minute line or worse.
Offsite Car Rental
Some airports like Austin still have rental cars very close to the terminal and others like Love Field in Dallas only require a short trip on a bus to get to the facility. Others seem like you have to ride almost the length of your airline trip to get to your vehicle. Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix come to mind. My advice, despite the airlines that state you should arrive at the airport an hour or so before your flight, please arrive at least two hours ahead at DFW, PHX, or similar airports.
So with all of that said (and I am sure I can come up with other "complaints"), here is my personal list of favorite and least favorite major airlines on which I frequently fly. Let me know if you agree or disagree (never thought I would say I wished TWA was back):
Favorite Airlines
1 - Southwest
2 - Frontier
3 - American/United
Least Favorite Airlines
1 - Northwest
2 - US Air/America Worst(West)
3 - Lufthansa
4 - Delta
5- American/United
Even my friends at Southwest Airlines seem to be in on the act. I EXPECT only peanuts on their flights. On longer flights, they will give you a variety of snack foods at no extra charge. I love Southwest because I know what to expect and a majority of their flights are short in nature. With this said, however, I noticed that their peanut packages are not always the same size. Many times I will be sleeping during the "peanut handout" and wake to notice that they have left the peanuts next to me. On one such occasion, I stuck the peanuts in my carryon and had them with me for several weeks. On another flight, I noticed that the peanuts they gave me seemed to have much less volume of peanuts in the bag than what I had in my carryon. I took out the carryon version and their were 3 times as many peanuts in those bags (same size bag, by the way) than in the samples they had just given me. Bagging machine a little less generous when those peanuts were packaged? Something tells me it was more than just coincidence or a flawed bagging machine...Security
First, let me say I have no problem with the security screening itself. I rarely have issues with TSA with the exception of one problem: consistency. My home airport, St. Louis, has one of the more expedient security line processes of the many airports from which I fly. It can still be a long line at 5AM on a Monday, but nothing like I see at other airports. Try walking to the back of a security checkpoint line at Phoenix, Dallas Fort/Worth, San Jose A terminal, or the B terminal at Sacramento, for instance, with only an hour or less before your flight on an early Monday or Friday morning. You can do this at St. Louis or Austin, for instance, without too much fear, but you had better be prepared to rebook if you do this in other places. The funny thing is that there does not seem to be much reason for this. I have been in Phoenix where there are plenty of metal detectors and x-ray machines open but the urgency on the part of the TSA folk there does not seem to be the same as STL or AUS. They are still thourough at those other airports, but the line actually moves. As mentioned, I am an early checkin guy so no huge deal for me but there are always those poor people who have a flight in 20 minutes and are at the back of a 30 minute line or worse.
Offsite Car Rental
Some airports like Austin still have rental cars very close to the terminal and others like Love Field in Dallas only require a short trip on a bus to get to the facility. Others seem like you have to ride almost the length of your airline trip to get to your vehicle. Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix come to mind. My advice, despite the airlines that state you should arrive at the airport an hour or so before your flight, please arrive at least two hours ahead at DFW, PHX, or similar airports.
So with all of that said (and I am sure I can come up with other "complaints"), here is my personal list of favorite and least favorite major airlines on which I frequently fly. Let me know if you agree or disagree (never thought I would say I wished TWA was back):
Favorite Airlines
1 - Southwest
2 - Frontier
3 - American/United
Least Favorite Airlines
1 - Northwest
2 - US Air/America Worst(West)
3 - Lufthansa
4 - Delta
5- American/United
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