Flying used to be not only a fast way to reach even close destination, but fun and entertaining too.
My wife and used to love to fly to Los Vegas, when we lived just outside of Los Angeles. We could get a great deal on the flight and a hotel for 2 nights and forget the 12 hour drive round trip, which would have been longer on weekends. We had nice small breakfast on the flight and arrived ready to hit the Blackjack tables had fast and for as long as the money held out.
We attempted once since moving to Columbus, Indiana almost 23 years ago. The seats are cramped, the ventilation was non-existent, and in flight service crap.
In 2001 I took a trip to Nome Alaska to do some mining on the GPAA Claim 12 miles west of Nome. We flew to Minneapolis, then to Anchorage. Both aircraft were 757s, the seats were cramped, and I found myself on a window seat having to lean into the passenger next me. From Anchorage to Nome, via Kotzebue, we were on Alaskan Air 737. It was set up more for cargo than passengers, but what stood out, was the leg room we had. Except for the bouncing arrival at Kotzebue, with its short runway, the flights within Alaska were comfortable and fun.
911 changed things. The airports are now more like induction centers for inmates. I understand some of it, but, well… that is another blog subject… maybe later.
In 2014, I and a few friends planed a trip to California to hike Mt. Whitney. My GPS says the trip by car is just over 1,700 miles each way. Or about 40 hours with fuel stops but no sleep. I started researching flights and rental cars.
Whatever happened to non-stop flights? The fastest and cheapest flight was Reno, NV. From there it is about a five hour drive to Lone Pine, CA. where we would pick up our permits, drop one car at the exit point and drive another to our starting point. Oh, only two of us were leaving from Indiana, the other two were from Eastern Washington and they were driving.
My round-trip flight was $473 plus taxes and fees. I don’t recall the cost of the rental car. Sounds good, right? If it was, why am I writing about it?
Problem 1. Baggage fees. My Kelty Coyote 80L pack is too large. The weight was not the problem, it was around 35 pounds, the upper limit for overweight was 50 pounds. No, the problem is when you add up the length, height, and width of the pack; it totaled more than 62 inches. Oversized baggage fee for the round trip, $400. So with taxes and fee plus the baggage fee, I was looking at more than $900. The rental car was I think another $300.
Problem 2. Arrival time. I had to arrive the day before, because the rental car at the airport was not open from about 45 minutes before I arrived until the next morning around 6 am.
Problem 3. TSA. A week-long backpacking trip requires cooking on the trail. TSA won’t allow canister fuel on the plane, and use of liquid fuel bought at the destination leaves residue in the stove and fuel tank, meaning TSA will toss the stove out. The same problem applies to shipping it via USPS, FedEx, or UPS.
More research made it clear that checking a backpack was at best a bad idea. The backpacking message boards are replete with stories of destroyed backpacks because baggage handlers love to use to the shoulder and hip belts as handles to fling the pack around with. Kelty makes a wonderful durable product, but it was never meant to be flung around like the hammer throw in an Olympic event. Everyone posting said the best bet was to buy a large duffel to put the pack in. More Money. I was attempting to reach the trail head of Mt. Whitney, not Everest.
My friend and I drove, it was cheaper and less stressful.
I know the airlines are a business, and need to turn a profit. I am the first one to say capitalism is the best system ever created. I love it. However, the airline’s customers are people, not cattle.
Cutting services to save weight and fuel costs and charging baggage fees was understandable in the past, but the new engines are more efficient, the price of fuel lower. And when airlines start bumping paying customers so flight crews can deadhead, fly free, one has to question how much of a loss inflight meals, or roomer seating takes from the bottom line.
Now American Airlines announces they are building a new aircraft with seats that will be closer by 2 inches, meaning they can cram more cattle, uh I mean, passengers into the same place, which means more weight in passengers and their baggage. And I’ll bet higher priced tickets with no inflight services.
I for one think the entire board of an airline should have to fly from Los Angeles to New York City in Economy Class with the rest of us for 25 round trip flights before they can call for increased seating and smaller distances between seats.
I hereby announce I will not fly American Airlines. Why buy an overpriced ticket, and pay baggage fees, for less service, less comfort and the real possibility that me and mine will be bumped off a flight so someone else can fly free?
The airlines do this because we the customer, let them by putting up with it. It’s time to tell them we’ve had enough. Drive and see the country. Jim and I had a ball driving the almost 3,500 miles out and back. We saw some beautiful site along the way, noting those places we wanted to show our wives.
So, I am doing my part. Unless I must fly, I’ll drive. If enough of us start driving, maybe, just maybe, the Airlines will get the message and realize the customer comes first.