Lynne Kiesling
I really like this column by economist Charlie Wheelan about the airline industry:
There are a lot of industries and businesses that I don’t thoroughly understand. But they’re different from the airlines in two key respects: 1) They don’t routinely make my life miserable; and 2) They seem to make a lot of money. …
1. Why is there no “in between” fare option — something more comfortable than a cattle car but more affordable than business or first class? …
2. Why haven’t the airlines been more effective in dealing with the biggest cost of air travel: time lost to security and congestion delays? …
3. Does it really make sense in the long run to charge us something for nothing? …
4. Is it too much to expect just a little more empathy?
You’ll have to read the article to see his elaborations on these questions. Among other things, he points out that auctioning and better pricing of gates and takeoff and landing slots would, granted, lead to higher fares, but it would also be the best thing the industry could do to improve the appalling congestion that they can’t seem to keep from creating.
I think he totally hit the nail on the head. I used to love, love, love to fly, and have been Platinum on American for a while. But last year and this year I’ve really dialed it back, because it’s just such an unpleasant experience. I’ve jettisoned almost all discretionary flight travel.
That said, I do think that part of the problem is that “the flying public” has prioritized low fares over other aspects of airline travel, so either we have really been pushed to the lowest common denominator, or I am not in the modal part of “the flying public” distribution. Either way, flying sucks.
BTW, I’m glad to discover this column; I really used to enjoy his commentary when he was the local economics commentator at WBEZ, the NPR station in Chicago.