Airline Service Still Declining

People are flying again. In fact, people are flying as often today as they were prior to 9/11. But service has declined since 9/11, and it shows no signs of getting any better, anytime soon.

Meals are history; some airlines charge for their crappy snacks; flights are hopelessly crowded; there are fewer flights to choose from; and according to a recent study by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Wichita State University, there is only a 77.3% chance that you’ll actually arrive on time.

That report also says that Customer Satisfaction last year was at it’s lowest since 2000. And 2000 was a record year for flight delays, cancellations, and passengers left stranded in airports.

The study's other conclusions include:

- Southwest Airlines had the lowest rate of complaints (no surprises there), 0.18 per 100,000 passengers, while US Airways had the highest - 1.86.

- ATA had the highest rate of denied boarding’s, 2.75 per 10,000 passengers, while JetBlue had the lowest at 0.

- AirTran had the best baggage-handling rate, mishandling 3.43 bags per 1,000 passengers; and Atlantic Southeast had the worst, (mishandling 17.41 bags per 1,000 passengers.

I’ve given up on flying for everything except short business trips that take me more than 8-12 hours (driving time) away from home. I can no longer tolerate the discomfort and disservice of flying. But I’m a lonely minority in that choice.

As long as the public continues to pay the airlines for the abuse they are serving up, they’ll continue to do what they do. If there is to be any change at all, we must all choose to stop flying until service reaches an acceptable level. A level of service that at least matches what it was prior to 9/11, if not what it was back in the early 1990’s. Service that included meals, snacks, and real service from real people with real smiles on their faces.

I won’t be holding my breath about positive changes in airline service in the foreseeable future. Instead I will be loading up the RV and enjoying a nice leisurely drive to all my vacation destinations, taking in as much scenery as I can along the way. I’ll take all the time I need to get there and back; it will be considerably more comfortable than flying; the food will be better; and I’ll arrive on-time – whatever time that happens to be.