Flying The Unfriendly Skies Of Virtually Any Airline
MayorBob.
Posted to Etcetera on Sun Oct 21, 2007 at 08:47:04 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Getting there isn't half the fun. Getting there is most of the pain -- especially if you're talking flying. Flyers experience lost luggage. They get stranded on runways. They get nailed with obnoxious, hidden airline fees. They have to pay for airline meals (which the airlines spin as "yummy"). They're subject to arbitrary changes to airline "rewards" programs. All of these add up to making flying a royal pain -- a pain which some experts say may never go away.
Flight delays, and the impenetrable nature of most airlines in giving customers meaningful information on why the flight is late, are other examples of "dissatisfiers" for most flyers. Flight delays, which have been reaching record levels in the US, is a pain not limited solely to US flyers. Good that the FAA realizes something needs to be done in New York City. Nice to see they're talking about "market-based incentives" to move the airlines in the direction of better customer service. But, what about the rest of the nation? What about the likelihood that the airlines are using bad weather as an all-purpose excuse to avoid having to compensate travelers for flight delays?
If the reason for the delay is beyond the control of the airline (weather being a dependable standby) you're out of luck on being compensated for a flight delay pain. There are end runs around the airline itself to double check the next bad weather excuse you get. One possibility is flightstats.com to see if the airline is giving you the truth. However, consumerist.com says the airlines go to greater lengths to provide accurate information on flight delays if you check out their cargo operations. But, never fear, as flight delays will almost disappear by next summer. The bad news is there will be fewer flights and they'll all cost more for a ticket. I guess that's what they meant by "market-based incentives."
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