http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8482654.stm...and why are the airlines losing passengers? Well, here are a few possibilities, just off the cuff you understand:
The Jihad (not the fault of the airlines but the main reason the World is such a shitty place).
The TSA (not the fault of the airlines but a great innovator of pointless, ill-conceived regulations and perpetrator of opportunistic thievery).
The brusque, uncaring flight attendants.
The rude, uncaring airline counter staff.
The ever diminishing seat comfort.
The ever diminishing seat size.
The ever diminishing distance between the seat rows.
The ever diminishing palatability of the slop served up as an excuse for a meal.
The ever increasing fares.
The ever increasing fees.
The ever increasing additional charges.
The ever increasing petty, mindless rules and regulations.
The ever decreasing fun factor. Oops! Delete all the others; this one sums it up!
Now, those of you who have ever flown on a commercial airliner will know I am talking about the economy (coach) section of the 'plane which is the area in which I have to sit for personal economic reasons. This section could best be described as an animal marshaling yard slightly less horrifying than the airport itself but akin in space and comfort to the rail-cars in which the Nazis transported the hapless Jewish folk to the concentration camps. The lavatories, when you are allowed to visit them, do have a door which is a marginal improvement over the previously mentioned railway facilities but scant comfort in light of the decided lack of potty training exhibited by the majority of one's fellow travelers.
I for one intend to avoid air travel as I would the Black Plague and as a general rule of thumb will no longer go anywhere I cannot get to by car, train or boat (assuming, of course, it's too far to walk or swim).
The sense of anticipation and excitement I used to experience before flying has been replaced with feelings of dread and anxiety and I know I'm not alone in this. The airlines will continue to suffer reduced patronage until they figure out a paradigm shift which elevates their passengers to something greater than a protoplasmic blob which gives them money and can be forced into a diminutive holding area for hours on end without relief or creature comfort. Perhaps they should also look to the Taliban, Al Qaida and the TSA to come to some sort of accord which does not involve blowing the aeroplane out of the sky thereby bringing the need for travelers to be humiliated, victimized and preyed upon in the name of air-safety.
HELLO!!!!!!!!! Do the airline morons actually think Joe Public enjoys being interrogated and frisked at the airport, forced into a tiny, uncomfortable, very expensive space on the aircraft by a huffy bitch in a uniform only to enjoy the possibility of being blown out of the sky by a fanatical Muslim for a few hours and be told to sit tight and cross your legs at the captain's whim, and then be herded out into another airport for yet more ignominious treatment which may include having some of your valuables stolen by the very people who are there to protect us.
Hmm...
I'll have to take that under advisement.
My Opera
