Letter: Why the skies are no longer friendly
As public anger seems more pervasive than ever, our airline altercations have been brought to the fore thanks to cell phone videos.
Prior to airline deregulation, passengers were treated cordially and respectfully. However, deregulation in 1978 allowed the airlines to focus primarily on profits, and they began to see the flying public as cattle being crammed into a sardine can.
I wonder just how many narrow and uncomfortable seats can be installed in each plane, while a bag of peanuts and a bottle of water are offered with an attitude of, “Be happy you even got this much.”
With greedy CEOs getting larger bonuses and salaries, while the flying public becomes more agitated over their treatment, it should be expected that frustrations would boil over.
The flight attendants have to deal with planeloads of unhappy passengers and they, in turn, lose the smile that was pervasive in days gone by.
In the meantime, our current administration is trying to deregulate just about anything that has yet to be liberated, so I would expect to see more anger on the part of “the little guy.” They don’t seem to care while they throw us crumbs, as long as the executives and shareholders make obscene profits.
Having been a commercial flier since the 1950s, the decline in civility and respect is well documented in my mind.
Bob Alberti
Sun City Hilton Head
This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Letter: Why the skies are no longer friendly."