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I don't recall reading about the airlines seeking or getting government help fifty years ago when they had to phase out their fleets of nearly-new DC-6s, DC-7s and Stratocruisers in order to operate 707s and DC-8s. That was hellaciously expensive, compared to the cost of installing some new boxes. And frankly, given that the airlines now charge for every amenity (other than toilet paper in their lavatories) and given that a significant fraction of airline employees have adopted the interpersonal skills of concentration camp guards, it is hard to feel very sympathetic to the complaints of the airlines that "it costs money to keep up with technology."
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I'll go the Misfit one better and say "fuck them". They took billions from us after 9/11 and have treated us like shit ever since. As most regulars here know, the Mrs. travels on business a lot and flying has gotten worse by degree every year since. There's a reason I try to arrange our vacations so we only fly one way.
You know, it's amazing. All these capitalists yelling and screaming about government regulation and oversight hurting their business model, yet when they run their companies down the tubes, they're the first ones with their hands out looking for public money to help them through. Fuck them all; the banks, the airlines, and the car companies.
For those who don't understand, capitalism is, or should be, Darwinism in its purest form. If you don't make it, you die and someone else fills the vacuum you left; no handouts, no bailouts, no "too big to fail". Fuck them all; we'll survive without them.
And just a thought before I leave for work:
I've been flying since I was 4 years old, when my parents would put me on a plane (Lufthansa or IcelandAir 707) in the summer and send me to Germany to stay with the family until September. It used to be an event. Men would dress (I gotta dig up a pic of me in my little suit with a bow tie) for the occasion and customer service was Job One.
The flying experience was something to be enjoyed; gate agents and crew doing their best to make you feel at ease and rested by the time you got where you were going. In 30 years, it's turned into a nightmare; something to be avoided at all costs in my book.
After Congress gets done reforming health care (I'll believe it when I see it) they should turn their attention to the airline industry. If there is any sector in need of improvement, it's them. It's time for businesses to learn that if they require taxpayer funds to stay afloat they'll have to abide by a set of conditions. I'm tired of footing the bill to save these assholes and then get shit on shortly after.
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