i was aboard when the aviation industry reached the height of comfort for travellers, and have ridden all the way down to the ground floor, into which it is currently poised to crash. i started flying four times a year between cincinnati and phoenix in 1976. i was usually alone, or with my sister, and would be escorted to my seat by the flight attendant (they were called something else at that time). she would check on me a minnimum of five times during a flight, and would often bring me special little things to keep me occupied. i remember coloring books, magazines which other flight attendants had in their carry-ons, even once just for fun a styrafoam cup with water and dry ice… smoking throughout the immediate area. i was walked between gates if i had a connection, and the extra pillows and blankets simply poured forth. one time when i was in my early teens i fell asleep and wasn’t woken by anyone when the meal came around. when one of the flight attendants realized i hadn’t eaten, she got an airline check for ten dollars so i could go to a resturant in the terminal and choose whatever i wanted. it was an absolute world of comfort and luxury which i eased through with enjoyment.
i recently returned from a flight between the same two cities, and i doubt the difference would have been more stark even if i had been rip van winkle. poked, prodded, hurried, crammed, deprived and tested all had their place during my latest trip. now, i realize many of the reasons for the differences, and i certainly report a lot of statistics on how much money the airlines are loosing. in fact, i’m not writing about this to point a finger at anyone. i am simply wondering, how much worse can it get? how bad does it have to be before a significant number of people will say “it’s just not worth it”, and then what will happen? $5,000.00 for a one way ticket? an allocation of 3 ounces of water for each passenger to avoid dehydration? a pre-requsite to obey the “do not speak, motion, or hum while on board” rule? i can hear the attendant now…”would you prefer stockcade or rack mr. hawgood”? i can tell you what i hope. i hope that someone tells this story in reverse someday. that story will describe how luxurious things have gotten in air travel lately, and it will begin by decribing how bad it once was. the first line will be “in the spring of 2008 was when we hit the bottom”.
