Flying is no longer enjoyable

My departure flight from Bloomington was 1 hour late and my returning flight to Bloomington was delayed 2 hours because the crew was late getting into Chicago. However, I noticed that the flight was to be delayed at 2:00 in the afternoon and my flight to Bloomington was not scheduled until 7:45 that evening. Why didn't they get another crew in there? The reason is probably because it would cost more money and also flights to smaller cities get less priority since there are fewer passengers and thus less revenue.

While cooling my heels in the gate area of the airport, I noticed the differences from years ago when I first started flying. First of all, instead of reading books or magazines, many people were using their laptop computers to bide their time. A larger group of people were busy yakking on their cell phones. I noticed that some people appeared to be talking to themselves as they walked the corridors of the airport. Then I realized that they were talking into a little wire microphone that was attached to an earpiece which was attached to a cell phone in their pocket. Everyone is electronically wired to something nowadays.

Twenty five years ago I flew to California quite often. The DC-10s I flew in had the middle part of the cabin made into a standup bar where one could imbibe in his favorite cocktail for free! In addition to that, you also received a full course meal. Today you get pretzels and a coke. If you want an alcoholic beverage, it costs $5. In addition, passsengers are packed like sardines in a can. There is little leg room. To complete the story, the airlines today are bathing in a sea of red ink. It is impossible for the airlines to cut any more services. So how are they going to start making a profit again?

In short, by opening up the airlines to the masses, the quality of service has declined due to the need to reduce cost to make up for the lower airfares that are necessary to remain competitive. In the process, air travel has been transformed from a pleasant experience into an unpleasant one. Thanks to the terrorists, I almost have to strip down to my underwear in order to get through the metal detectors. Shoes and belt have to be removed along with everything in your pockets. This process creates even longer lines than at the check in counter. If capitalism is left to solve the problem what will happen is that many more airlines will go out of business and only a few will remain. The survivors will then be able to increase air fare because there will be less supply for the same demand. Increased air fares will then reduce the demand for flying and thus eliminate the masses again. Capitalism is efficient and without compassion.

As I sat in O'Hare killing time I wondered how necessary it was for everyone in the airport to be flying. Aren't we reaching the point to where it might be better to try to find other ways to get the job done and save time and money in the process? For example, I had to do some training for a client in South Carolina. Years ago I used to do sales presentations at a client's site. In the future, I can see training and presentations done over the internet to a client. Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate, that teleconferencing over the internet will be possible. People will be able to interact over the internet just like they were together physically. Today's chat rooms and instant messengers with a video cam are crude forerunners of future communications over the internet.

Flying may still be an option for a family that wants to take an annual vacation to a remote spot or to visit relatives for the holiday. However, the poor businessman will continue to fly as often as business dicates. Myself, if my destination is under 500 miles, I will choose to drive just so I can avoid the hassle of flying. It is no longer enjoyable.