Years ago it was a pleasure to get dressed up and drive to the airport, get on a half-empty plane, and fly away to a beloved vacation spot. Nowadays, no one is dressed up, boarding areas are crowded and noisy, a meager snack has replaced a meal, every seat on the plane is taken, the fare is higher, and the whole experience is made into a drag by long security lines. Add to that the inconvenience of delayed flights, lost baggage, stormy weather, more "dwell time" in airports (needing to be at the airport two or three hours before the scheduled flight departure time), obnoxious loud talkers or unruly children, seat-kickers, sick people coughing and sneezing on your neck, and the nightmare of being imprisoned on runway-bound planes for hours.
Despite these inconveniences, airplane flight is safer than ever, according to Mark Gerchick, a former FAA chief and aviation consultant, who has written this lively and informative overview of air travel. Here are some of the details about this multi-billion dollar industry:
• U.S. domestic air fares have been rising since 2009.
• Flights are far more crowded than they've ever been. Dream along if you think you'll be lucky and have an empty seat next to you.
• Airlines are cramming in more paying customers in more seats so each flier gets less space.
• New York area airports are responsible for half of all U.S. air travel delays.
• More than 10,000 consumer complaints pour into regulators annually.
• Air travel can be unhealthy due to poor ventilation of cabin air which increases infection (a fully loaded jet has one of the smallest volumes of air per person of just about any enclosed public space), hours of cramped immobility, and surface germs on tray tables, overhead bin latches, and E. coli on the lavatory surfaces.
Gerchick marvels at the fact that there are nearly two million fliers and more than 25,000 U.S. commercial flights every day. Will things improve for the ordinary passenger? The perks of comfort and convenience are going to those willing to pay the price. International flyers are now offering showers and full beds in the elite sections of new super-jumbo jets, and more wealthy travelers are choosing the ultimate luxury of their own private planes. Meanwhile, the rest of us can practice patience and being present in our coach-class seats.
