I just got back from a flight to the east cost the other day on Delta Airlines. Of course we had to go through Atlanta, which isn’t too bad until you are delayed by the weather. If you find yourself in the Atlanta airport with a little time to kill be sure to check out the African sculptures on exhibit in the lower connecting tunnel between Terminals A and T. It really is some amazing art work.
So Delta, what’s the deal? Are you guys so hard up that you have to overcharge for crappy food just to make a buck? I remember when they used to give you the ‘whole’ can of soda with your cup of big block ice. Now you get what ever is drizzled over that little cup of big block ice. I’m sure they get about three servings per can that way. Then you want to charge $3 for a half can of Pringles. And why would you charge us $8 for something that was only barely eatable when it was free? Why are you charging us at all on a flight that is four hours in length? I have to admit that the free cheese crackers were good, but you could have given us two and left the can to wash it down with.
Why is it that we have all this cool new technology on the plane to keep us distracted for the duration of the flight such as built in TV’s in the seat back in front of you but only a portion of it is useable? There were supposed to be 24 channels of Dish network television broadcast live into the plane. The most I had working at any one time was 6. Well that isn’t completely true. There were times when about 10 of the other channels were coming in but they all were showing the same thing, how to work you new dish network. The channels that were supposed to be there, the ones I wanted to watch, were replaced with this lousy instructions video for new users. The others channels were either blacked out or said lost signal. A guy can only watch so much HGTV. If this was an effort to sale me on the Dish network I would definitly be looking at cable.
Movies were available but for $5 bucks apiece. Even old TV shows from HBO were $2 an episode. There was one free trivia game available, the rest costing $5 apiece. Add another $2 for headphones and you would think that something should work right.
Sometimes I like ala carte, sometimes I don’t. This just feels cheap and abusive on your part. I am not expecting great things, or wonderful things. I am talking about simple little things that can make a big difference. The TSA has made it a pain to go to the airport, you should be doing what you can to make it less of a pain once we have crossed over to the other side. With competition what it is in the airline industry, you would think that you would be doing what you could to differentiate yourself. It doesn’t have to take much, when little things mean a lot.
Now least you think I am just a nitpicker, let me say that I have been on commercial aircraft since the 70’s and I know that aircraft have gotten a lot better in that time. From take off to touch down and all points in between, the rides seem to be smoother. The moving map GPS that lets you know were you are, were you are headed, how high up you are, how fast you are going and when you are expected to arrive is one of the coolest inventions to be added. The fact that you can personalize your entertainment to taste is remarkable. And though the speeds have not increased greatly in the last couple of decades, you still cover ground faster than any other alternative choice. Flying commercial is still a pretty nice way to travel, all in all. It’s just that it could be so much better. I hope we haven’t given up trying. After all, we love to fly, so let it show.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
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