The Not So Friendly Skies

First of all, my apologies for the long hiatus I took since last blogging. I won't make any excuses...but a recent article I read inspired me to vent a bit.

Rumor has it that a certain large commercial airline (I won't use any names so that I can't get in any trouble) is going to start charging passengers for water, juice, and soda. So this may not be a big deal in general, but it is part of a growing trend of the commercial airlines charging passengers for every little tiny thing that could possibly make a long, uncomfortable flight more bearable. And, it has made me think about my experiences up to now of flying the not-so-friendly-anymore-skies.

Back in the day, when the skies were oh-so-friendly...
My first flight was at age 5, when I took a plane from Colorado to Florida to meet my Mom and Pop (i.e. step-dad) after their honeymoon. My Dad was able to walk me onto the plane, get me situated, and off I went. I don't remember many more details except for having lots of coloring books and getting a bag of peanuts (which I mistakenly thought--for many years, in fact--that the nice man sitting next to me bought for me).

Over the next couple of years, when I was between 6 and 8 years old, I had the chance to fly (accompanied by my parents) to Washington, DC, and Newark, NJ (with the ultimate destination being Cape Cod). I remember always looking forward to flights, getting excited about watching the take-off and landings and getting very excited about the cute, compact airline meals. The food may have been mediocre (or worse), but I thought there could just not be anything cuter than a mini salad, mini Salsbury steak, and mini dessert. Anything mini was SOOOO cool.

As I got older, I made a few more trips. I visited family in Georgia and Florida. During one of those trips, I was on crutches due to a broken foot, but don't remember the flight being all that bad despite not being able to walk.

In high school, I expanded my horizons and went overseas for the first time. I travelled from Colorado to Paris, France. That was a LOOOOOONG trip. I began to understand why some people would want to pay more to have larger seats, more leg room, and fancier food. But, I was content in my coach seat. Because it was an international flight, our meal was presented to us on a menu and alcoholic drinks were, of course, free (not that I was allowed to have any, but the concept of free alcohol was exciting).

My college years were when I flew the most. Four times a year, I had round-trip flights between Colorado and the NJ/NY/CT area. I was a travel pro. I knew what to pack, how to pack, how to get to/from any airport, what to expect on flights (flying time had to be 2+ hours in order to get a meal), etc. Going to college in the fall and leaving in the summer, I would have 2 large suitcases, both weighing about 70 pounds, a carry on bag and a backpack. Those were the days! There were no weight restrictions on bags, you could check 2 bags for free and take 2 carry-ons, you could bring your own food & beverages (though you didn't need to because you got it all for free on the plane), and there were no crazy security restrictions (a 1 quart ziplock bag would more likely have food in it than all of your toiletries).

The skies become a little grouchy...
I can't remember exactly when things changed; but I seem to remember big changes when I was in medical school. First came the weight restrictions on bags. As a heavy packer, this was bad news for me. I had to unlearn all my skills for packing densely and learn how to pack lightly. This was (still is) not easy. Then came the size restrictions for carry-on bags. This wasn't too big of a deal for me since my carry-on suitcase still fit. What was more annoying was the strict enforcement of the 2 carry-on item rule (previously, people would often get away with 3, even 4 carry-ons). I distinctly remember being in the New Orleans airport with my carry-on suitcase and 2 medium sized shopping bags and being told I had to get rid of 1 bag. After rolling my eyes and sighing, I simply put 1 shopping bag in the other, and voila, I had 2 bags total. I remember the end of free airplane food and the introduction of the $10 snack box. I got around that problem by bringing my own food and drinks. Then, I had the unfortunate bad luck of flying on the exact day that the "no liquids" rule went into effect. I was able to check my bag with all of my toiletries (which I had originally intended to carry-on) and all was ok. But, forget bringing my own food and drinks anymore, unless I bought it for some crazy price in the airport concourse.

Now, the skies are just mean...
I haven't yet had to deal with some of the new "fees", but anticipate I will in the near future. I was able to travel recently to Martinique without having to pay a checked-bags fee, but that's only because I bought my ticket before the airline cut-off date. I haven't had to pay an earphone/headset fee because I always have my ipod ear buds; though I'm sure the airlines will find someway to charge me for just plugging in my ear buds. I don't usually care if I have a pillow and blanket, but if they over air-condition a flight I'm on and have the nerve to ask me for a few bucks for a blanket, I'll tell them to kiss my cold butt. And when I have to deal with a fee to have water on a several hour flight, it's hard to say what I'll do (within reason, of course).

And the moral of the story...
I don't see any way of travelling to the places I want to go to without having to deal with the greedy airlines, but I am crossing my fingers that the airlines will stop using "rising fuel prices" as a lame excuse to take advantage of decent folks. They have already raised the cost of airfare; and on top of that, have a "fuel surcharge". Is charging passengers extra money for their basic comfort really necessary? After all the frustration airlines cause their passengers (flight delays, flight cancellations, lost bags, missed connections, etc), a cheap blanket and a free beverage is the least they can offer us!