Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Flying Has Become a Horrible Experience and Giving Me Mouthwash Is Not Going to Help

Wow.  Airlines are really sticking it to their customers.  I've come to dread flying, especially long international flights.  The seats keep getting more and more cramped, and the airlines keep making things more and more complicated.  The amount of time that I waste on finding the right flight and airline to a destination is terrible.

I've been a longtime United frequent flyer, and belonging to their elite flyer status has some benefits.  I've recently flown three flights with United, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to see their seating maps, to choose and change seats, and to even see what flights I can upgrade or buy using miles.  United's planes are kind of old, and the coach seats are way too close together both sideways and front-to-back, but I believe that's the same for all airlines these days.

I've been an American Airlines frequent flyer for many years also, but it's been over a year since I flew them.  I still get their email newsletters, however.  Here's one, and it shows how out of touch airlines can be:


Hey, American Airlines -- and all airlines: I don't need a bottle of Scope (R) mouthwash for my international flight.  I'd gladly pay more if I am flying coach for a seat with more legroom and more width so that the guy next to me doesn't alway elbow me whenever he moves.  I think that the airlines got away with downright fraud when they took away the ability for someone to transfer a ticket to someone else.  If I buy a ticket and can't make that flight, then why can't I give my wife the ticket so she can make the trip, for instance?  Your $200 change fees are ridiculously overpriced.   Just make the flight more comfortable, which means stop making the seats smaller and more crowded together.  I for one will be happy to pay a bit more to get more comfortable seats. 

Wow, if I pay for First Class, I get pajamas, slippers, and a bottle of mouthwash.
For Business Class, I get retro amenity kits.

Wow.  Who gives a crap about this stuff?  Why waste my time sending me emails about this ridiculous stuff?


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