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Why Air Travel Is Going to Keep Getting Worse
Topic Started: Dec 30 2014, 05:27 PM (984 Views)
George K
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Finally
http://www.popularmechanics.com/how-to/blog/why-the-airlines-charge-so-many-fees?click=pm_latest
Quote:
 
Over at The New Yorker, Tim Wu identifies the two little, insidious words that explain why airlines have made flying more and more awful: calculated misery.

Perhaps you didn’t realize there was a name for the way that the airlines nickel and dime travelers, but if you’ve flown lately, then you know all about the effects of this economic strategy. Unless you’re a devotee of Southwest Airlines, the good old days of free checked bags are pretty much gone. But it’s not just bags: The airlines now extract huge amounts of cash by degrading the basic flying experience and then charging fees for priority boarding, slightly better economy seats, paid in-flight Wi-Fi, and other features that make the flying experience something less that totally unbearable. Delta and United each made more than a billion dollars in 2014 just from rebooking fees. Wu writes:

"In order for fees to work, there needs be something worth paying to avoid. That necessitates, at some level, a strategy that can be described as “calculated misery.” Basic service, without fees, must be sufficiently degraded in order to make people want to pay to escape it. And that’s where the suffering begins."

Wu says the biggest casualty of late has been JetBlue. The airline has garnered some brand allegiance by offering passengers a modicum of dignity, but lately the company has been under pressure from investors who see the billions that other airlines have collected by charging fees for just about everything. Pretty soon every airline will be Spirit Airlines.
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Copper
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Shortstop

Get a pilot's certificate, buy an airplane, problem solved.
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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George K
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Finally
Copper
Dec 30 2014, 05:57 PM
Get a pilot's certificate, buy an airplane, problem solved.
Civilized
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Copper
Dec 30 2014, 05:57 PM
Get a pilot's certificate, buy an airplane, problem solved.
Seems a lot easier to just go fractional.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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George K
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Finally
jon-nyc
Dec 30 2014, 06:03 PM
Copper
Dec 30 2014, 05:57 PM
Get a pilot's certificate, buy an airplane, problem solved.
Seems a lot easier to just go fractional.
Easier, faster, and probably cheaper.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Copper
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Shortstop

Nobody goes commercial anymore

http://americantrainvacations.com/
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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Copper
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Shortstop
jon-nyc
Dec 30 2014, 06:03 PM
Copper
Dec 30 2014, 05:57 PM
Get a pilot's certificate, buy an airplane, problem solved.
Seems a lot easier to just go fractional.

They stick out like a sore thumb, everybody knows the fractional tail numbers (QS) - there's no ramp presence.

The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Flying international isn't really that bad - at least nowadays you get your own TV, which is the single biggest improvement in the last 20 years for longer flights, particularly involving children. Admittedly the prices are pretty horrendous compared to 15 years ago.

As long as internal flights aren't longer than 2-3 hours, they're bearable. After that, the misery starts kicking in.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
i fly alot i guess, and i really dont mind the airplane time, (and i pretty much stick to economy class, no frills, but always always a window seat so i can rest my head on the side).

its the aiport time that i cant stand. check in lines, security, lousy expensive food.

if i could just get from the curbside right on the plane, i could pass on any amenities. just give me my book/kindle/tv screen, a sleeping pill, and im set for pretty much any trip.
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
I agree the security time can be the worst, but if you were 6'3" you might not find coach as acceptable as you do.

In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
bachophile
Dec 31 2014, 06:42 AM
its the aiport time that i cant stand. check in lines, security, lousy expensive food.
Yes, this is the real misery.

A few years ago I missed a connection and spent the first 24 hours of my annual holiday at JFK, with a stomach upset. It wasn't actually hell, but you could smell it from there, and not just because of my stomach upset.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Chris Aher
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Middle Aged Carp
jon-nyc
Dec 31 2014, 06:59 AM
I agree the security time can be the worst, but if you were 6'3" you might not find coach as acceptable as you do.

:wave:
Regards,
Chris
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bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
yes i agree, im 5 10 and i have no seat issues. and i recline and dont care if im reclined on.

but thats me. i just dont mind airplanes.

well, i dont like it when they fall into the sea, but other than that, im a very comfortable flyer.
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
Flying coach is torture (ok, overstatement), and normal height people do not understand this.

Where's the advocacy group for us tall people anyway? Where's my government when I need it?

I can't even get an exit row before a normal sized person, if they choose to pay $50 for it.

I seriously consider really hard before traveling. About as hard as if a first class fare was the only reasonable option.

And it's not like I'm the tallest guy in the world. I'm in the 99th percentile but there are millions still taller than me. I don't even know how they can do it.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
as the randy Newman song goes...

Tall people got no reason to live
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
How tall are you, Horace?
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Moonbat
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Pisa-Carp
mmm 6 4?
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
Somewhere between 6 4 and 6 5.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Freak.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
Shunned by society.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
bachophile
Dec 31 2014, 08:24 PM
as the randy Newman song goes...

Tall people got no reason to live
They got too short sleeves
Big old toes
You gotta climb a ladder
Just to say hello...
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
Me and her.

Posted Image
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Well, you are a tall one, Horace! She looks lovely.

You never do better - you do different. And that is where the beauty of it comes in. None of the women I have had serious relationships with over the years were alike. The few times that I did try to replace one with someone I thought was similar it was a disappointment for me and a disaster for them.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
Pardon the weird claw on my left hand. I was trying to keep my other hand steady for the picture, and everything in my body tensed up.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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Horace
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HOLY CARP!!!
Thanks Mik. That's good stuff, as always.
As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good?
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