I get annoyed at some of the petty aspects of airport security, like shoe removal and the confiscation of nail files, because i don’t think that these little things improve our security, and they cost much time and aggravation. Still, if you’re arguing that the overall level of security at airports in unnecessary, i have to disagree. Various incidents, from the Lockerbie bombing to September 11, show that planes are vulnerable targets if not properly secured.
Imagine that! They’re actually allowing men and married women to be flight attendants now! And they don’t necessarily have to be young, perky, and beautiful! What is this, the twenty-first century or something?
Give me a break. As people have already pointed out, reduced service on airlines is more a result of lower costs and the drive for company profits, and has little to do with how professional the staff are. Most flight attendants, in my experience, do their best to be helpful and courteous, within the constraints of the job. Even the Qantas staff, who i criticized in an earlier post, aren’t that bad.
I have no idea what being “young, pretty, and charming single young ladies” has to do with anything, unless you subscribe to the belief that the flight attendants’ role is to be nothing more than eye candy for leering businessmen.
Well, with the video games and individual movie selections that are now offered by some airlines, even in cattle class, playing cards probably seem rather dull to many travellers. Many travellers also have laptop computers or Gameboys to entertain themselves, and some people even (shock, horror) bring a book to read. As for drinks, this thread is dealing with international flights, most of which, AFAIK, still provide free beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
Well, we all know what happened last time some passengers wanted a view from the cockpit. Seriously, is this issue even up for debate?
Again, not the case on long international flights.
It’s probably true about the seat spacing, and this does make things less comfortable. As the the planes being full–how dare the airlines try to avoid wasted space and fuel, and maximize their income, by filling up the planes? You realize, i assume, that if the airlines ran all their planes half-empty, ticket prices would increase dramatically?
We have a place for those. It’s called THE CINEMA. Also, the replacement of large screens at the front of each section with a greater number of smaller screens (sometimes even individual screens for each person) actually allows more people to get a better view of the movie. My girlfriend, who is 5’3", can usually see a video screen from wherever she is sitting; in the older configuration, she would be out of luck unless seated right near the screen.
Hang the inconsiderate louts, i say! How dare they expect to get a fully-laden 250-ton aircraft and its 400-odd passengers off the ground on time? They should be well aware of the fact that you were too stupid to take a leak earlier, and should inconvenience everyone else for the sake of your ablutions. After all, there are no toilets on the aircraft, are there?
Given that many (most?) people now fly on e-tickets, some form of check-in is essential, especially with heightened security concerns. And i don’t know too many people who take international holidays without having to check some baggage. Do you have some system whereby this might miraculously occur wthout queues or human intervention of any kind? Furthermore, the self-check-in services that i have used tend to make the whole process faster, because there are more podiums in use, they allow the passenger to do much of the check-in alone, and only require a staff member for ID checks and baggage tagging.
Hubby didn’t mention U S Air had a “blended family.” Sorry I gave you incorrect information.