Reason #5,628 Why Not to Fly the Airlines

They suck. And they suck by design.

This article in today's New York Times, while not saying this precisely, explains why the coach section of an airliner now has all of the amenities and comfort of a Greyhound bus, complete with lavatories that probably are broken and oh, if you want food, bring your own.

But if you can afford business class or first class, the ride is a different experience altogether.

Sure, the airlines are trying to save every cent they can. American Airlines saved $34 million a year by ripping the coach-class galleys out of its DC-9s and replacing them with four seats (yeah, I know they call them MD-80s or MD-90s or Boeing 717s, but they will always be DC-9s to me). Not giving out free snacks saved Northworst $2 million a year. American also is saving almost a million a year by not handing out pillows. Everywhere the beancounters can cut service and save, they are doing that.

But if you want to know who is truly to blame for all of this, you need only look in a mirror.

When so many people book flights based solely on price, that tells the airlines that the only interest you have is getting there, hopefully with your luggage. And they can play with this, they can offer better service and comfort and they have. Not to keep picking on American Airlines, but they ripped out a few thousand seats from their fleet several years ago and advertised that they had more room in coach. That didn't sell worth a frak. Since there was not a flood of customers into their airplanes, American put the seats back.

You wanted cheap flights, you got cheap flights.