Yes, I’ve been flying, and it still sucks
It’s been a while since my last post because, yes, I’ve been traveling. Which, because of the distance involved, means flying. It still sucks. If it were at all convenient and expedient to drive, believe me I would.
But what’s really got me bugged today is that in the last week or so I’ve received emails from two of the airlines for which I have frequent flyer accounts, asking ME to help with the situation, by writing to my elected representatives to request that they fix the problems with the FAA.
Wait a minute, WHAT??? Problems with the FAA? The airlines want me to believe that the massive mess they’ve made of flying is the fault of the FAA??? Come on - I was born at night but it wasn’t LAST night!
Do they really think that we’ve forgotten that just a few short years ago there were MORE flights in the air, and yet we did NOT have the same huge problems of overcrowded flights, delays, and cancellations that we have today. Oh an occasional problem yes, but not the everyday, routine occurrance, you-can-be-sure-you’re-going-to-miss-your-connecting-flight problems we have now.
And our FAA was still the same FAA back then. With the same, albeit antiquated, systems they have now. And YES the FAA desperately needs much in the way of modernization and reorganization. But DON’T try to fool me into thinking “Oh if we just fix the FAA everything will be alright”. BALONEY!
So what’s the problem? The airline executives are TOO GREEDY! THAT’s the problem. Their yield management is out of whack. They treat their employees like dirt, so no one wants to work for them. Which means that at every level they are understaffed, and overworking what staff they do have. Their employees are doing the best that they can under the circumstances, so please don’t take it out on the gate agents or ticket agents. But why on earth should the executives be making huge (and I mean HUGE) salaries all the while they are crying “poor us - fuel prices are SO high” and cutting the pay for pilots, flight attendants, and other staff. If everything were running perfectly I’d have no problem with their salaries, but when they are performing as poorly as they are, all the while pointing fingers everywhere but at themselves, they don’t deserve it.
It’s time for some big-media journalist to do an exposé of airline executive salaries along with a “report card” - how ’bout it, Geraldo - are you up for the task?
