Flying in a Bad Dream

One of the more disheartening manifestations of this economic 'repression', is the crumbling infrastructure and sinking service of once-mighty airlines. I don't want to name names, but I think most of you who've experienced the airline I have in mind would be united in opinion.

Once a leader of the industry, this airline has reduced it's fleet from over 600 to fewer than 400 jets, and it's workforce from over 100,000 to something shy of 50,000. All of this in less than 5 years. Now that's a plunge steeper and scarier than any landing at San Diego's Lindbergh Field.

So what, I hear you say? A lot of companies have to cut back to save money in the recession, and it makes them more efficient. At least that's how Wall Street views it, rewarding the cost cutters with increased stock prices. Maybe, but it doesn't quite work out for airlines, at least not the one of which I speak.

Fewer planes means fewer backups should one break. That means delays and cancellations. Fewer planes also mean fewer alternative flights for those displaced passengers to 'standby' for. The end result is a horde of pissed off passengers who have either been stranded, or spent twice as long getting where they were going (and arriving without their bags which were lost in all the changes). Not quite the definition one would give to 'efficient'.

I used to fly this airline frequently. I subscribed to their private 'club', so I could sit and nosh on cheap snacks and work away from the noise and hubbub of the terminal. I never had a cancellation and only minor delays - nothing I would call a bad experience. How things have changed.

On a recent trip from LA to the East Coast, my flight out of LAX was delayed, then my alternate bookings were also delayed, until all hope of making connections was lost and I had to be re-routed through another hub. Then THAT flight was delayed enough to miss connections too. A precautionary standby booking finally paid off and I managed to get to the hub only for that flight to be delayed too. By my count that was four delayed flights in a single outbound trip.

Bad Luck not yet satisfied, my return trip was worse. My connecting flight out of the hub was about 40 minutes out when we had to turn around and return with 'mechanical issues'. The pilot tried to sneak back, but some observant passengers noted the turn which forced an announcement. After a semi-tense return trip, we were kept on the plane while the mechanics worked on the problem. Unfortunately, they were busy on some other emergency repairs ahead of ours.

About an hour later, the problem reportedly fixed, we attempted a take off. Just as we were 3rd in line for departure, the pilot announced the problem had returned and the takeoff was aborted. After a slow return to the gate, we were ushered off the plane and to another gate where we commandeered (essentially) the plane that was about to take a bunch of folks to their destination. I thought they behaved quite well given the circumstances, with most restraining their indignation and rage admirably. Angry stares weren't taken personally. We WERE taking THEIR plane, after all. But we weren't about to let sympathy interfere with our getting home.

That commandeered plane got us back to LA. Too late as it turned out for all of the connecting flights - those passengers were trundled off to hotels. I dragged my weary self to the car park and drove another 30 minutes home. I fell quickly asleep, and out of a bad dream.

EPILOGUE: The airline gave every passenger on that problematic return flight a voucher for a compensation of your choice (from a limited list). Fair enough, as damage control goes. I have also been once more on this airline since that experience (not by choice), and it was uneventful. But as I scanned the monitors at the airports, I noticed quite a few delays and cancellations - and not just for the airline in question. The problems are widespread, and they don't disappear because you don't experience them.