Remember the days when the airline industry was considered "glamorous"? Pilots were almost worshiped by the public, cutting a most dashing image in their double-breasted uniforms. And the flight attendants, or "stewardesses" as we called them back then, were so gorgeous they put movie stars and fashion models to shame.
Even the food was good. Of course, they were catering to a most discriminating customer back then, too. Flying was expensive, and when you flew it was an "occasion" and you dressed in your Sunday finest.
As with everything, times have changed, and this time for the worse. Now pilots are sniffed as they get on board looking for evidence of alcohol. Flight attendants fly into their 60's and even their 70's, and customers routinely show up in gym shorts, T-shirts, and flip flops. (Git er done!)
Airline food ceased being edible years ago, and today on most flights ceases to even exist at all. They'll sell you a cold, hard sandwich at the gate, but the smart traveler buys their own and brings it on board with them. While our posteriors have gotten larger and we've grown taller, seat width and legroom has shrunk. Today it's "coffee?", "tea?", "seat belt extender?"
I've even heard some of the lowest cost "low cost carriers" are considering bringing back pay toilets. ("Hey buddy....can you spare a quarter?" takes on a whole new meaning.) Even getting on the plane is an ordeal today, thanks to the TSA.
Now it seems you're advised to bring your own tool kit on board with you, too. That's so you can make sure your seat is properly bolted to the floor. Apparently, on American Airlines at least, that's something you can't take for granted anymore as three of their planes had to make emergency landings yesterday after entire rows of occupied seats just flopped over. (Labor strife / sabotage?)
What's next? How low can they go?
Just a thought: If you see your pilot board wearing a parachute, de-plane and take the bus instead!
S
Just when we thought the economy might be stabilizing somewhat we hear this: Foat Wuth-based American Airlines, already in bankruptcy, announced yesterday they were laying off 13,000 employees. OUCH! Those are 13,000 people, presumably with about as many families depending on them.
We Americans have been criticized for years for "living beyond our means", but how do you know what your "means" are these days? How do you make any long-term plans or purchases without knowing if you're going to have a job several years in the future, regardless of how vital your job is or how skilled you are? I know a great many airline employees, both current and retired, from my 20 years of volunteering alongside them with the Commemorative Air Force. (Formerly the Confederate Air Force, it's a group that buys, restores, and flies vintage WWII aircraft. "Lowandslow"....get it?) Many of them will be devastated by this layoff.
Over 8,000 mechanics will soon be on the streets. How many do you think will lose their homes to foreclosure in Ft. Worth and Tulsa, American's two largest maintenance bases? What about property values in general in those areas? And unless they speak a foreign language and are willing to relocate to Turkey, China, or Latin American and work for 50% less, they're screwed. American A&P mechanics are dinosaurs these days. Three cheers for globalization!
Over a thousand flight attendants will be out of work soon, too. They took a HUGE pay cut after 9/11 and haven't recovered since. (My girlfriend before K was a flight attendant.) Same for baggage handlers, provisioners, and some mid-managers. But here's what gets me....millions of dollars are still paid out to senior executives as "retention bonuses". They say if they don't pay these bonuses they'll lose their smartest, most valuable people. I say that based on results, they're not worth a damn anyway. (Have you ever noticed the same group of senior executives just bounces around from airline to airline? Have you ever noticed almost all the major carriers have been bankrupt at least once? Do you see a pattern?)
Over 400 pilots will soon be on the streets, too, but with their substantial incomes I would hope they would have put some $$$ away and can afford to stay in their homes and maintain their lifestyles. But what about when the survivors retire? Are there replacements working their way up the ladder? The commuter airlines (think of them as major airline farm teams) say the quality of their applicants is at an all-time low. The appeal of an airline job just isn't there any longer. This certainly won't help.
Yep, the glamor of flying is definitely gone. Has been for years. "Get in, sit down, shut up, and hold on." Sad.
S
