April 13, 2008
Fed Up With Flying? You're Not Alone
Nancy Giles Wonders Why Travelers Have Gotten Used To Long Lines, Delays And Mass Confusion
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Passengers were stranded as American Airlines cancelled thousands of flights this week. Nancy Giles counsels those unlucky fliers to get zen about it. (AP Photo/Frances Roberts)
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Special Report Going Places Planning is essential for those who travel this summer. Here's news and tips that might prove useful.
I remember my first time. On an airplane.
The stewardesses were cool. The seats were comfy - my knees, my hips, everything fit. We had a "light snack." So elegant!
As we glided in for the landing at JFK, I thought of all the times my family parked the Volkswagen on Rockaway Blvd. to watch the planes come in. We'd watch them get closer, closer until the metal birds were right above our heads, and we'd shriek our guts out, but the overpowering noise would drown us out. It was great.
Lots of passengers feel like screaming again. What happened? Did it all start to go wrong when President Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers years ago?
And how did he get an airport named after him?
Somehow we've gotten used to long lines, longer delays, and mass confusion. Why do we accept shoddy treatment?
Remember when "American Idol" gave their voters the wrong phone numbers? And when Starbucks closed for three hours for "re-training"? And when millions of BlackBerry users had their service interrupted? It was infuriating, right? We need coping strategies!
And so, my fellow passengers: don't get mad. Get zen. Find your inner Yoda. Blaming the ticket agents won't help - it's not their fault. Breathe. Bring a neck pillow and a fashion magazine. Don't have children, so you won't have to travel with them. Carry bottled water and extra toilet paper.
As the hours tick by, ask yourself: Do I really have to go on a honeymoon? Can't we watch movies?
Close your eyes. Focus. And meditate on the fact that you'll never fly that stinkin' airline again.
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Add a Comment See all 20 Comments
- Normally I don%u2019t feel the need to comment on your, as Barack Obama would say, %u201Cbitter%u201D puff pieces every other Sunday, but today was different.
Your comments regarding airports and the inconvenience for travelers during required maintenance for the many MD-11 has nothing to do with the Republicans and Ronald Reagan. I would applaud the many business people that have done what was right to ensure the safety of the public while they fly around the world and not turn this into an obvious election year hatchet piece. You cannot really expect Americans to swallow your Oberlin %u201CGrape%u201D seeds without spitting them out; after all they leave a %u201Cbitter%u201D aftertaste.
Regards,
Daniel Taylor
Arlington, VA - Reply to this comment
- Reporters are suppose to report the exact news.
Let the reader interpret and decide.
Example: Let the voters know from birth to present day what each person''s background is who are running
for office. Parents, education, associates, business
connections, religious background, and full name which includes first, middle and last. - Reply to this comment
- I rarely find Nancy Giles humorous, but I do often find her aggravating. In a piece about frustation with flying, she still has to get a jab in at Reagan by commenting on why an airport should be named after him. There is always some smart aleck political comment made on her commentaries which is why we often do our channel surfing when we know she is about to be on.
- Reply to this comment
- Sometimes, people need to ask themselves, "Is this trip really necessary?" This is especially true for business and government travelers. Nothing seems to generate needless travel more than doing it on someone else''s dime.
For years, businesses and the government touted the wonders of the Internet that would allow them to attend meetings and such without leaving the office. The equipment is there, especially in the federal government which has invested millions in electronic conference rooms over the years. But, it is grossly underutilized.
So, cut the congestion, the waste of time and fuel and the damage to the environment. Stay home. - Reply to this comment
- Current "crisis" = LOOK OVER THERE!
Every time polls show something going on that negatively impacts the administration something like this appears out of nowhere to distract the media and the people. - Reply to this comment
- One word: AMTRAK...
- Reply to this comment
- "Did it all start to go wrong when President Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers years ago?"
No, if you recall, that''s when things went right: lower fares and better on-time service (i.e. Southwest). Things started to suck big after billary clinton bailed out bankrupt airlines that should have been allowed to go under to make way for better service and lower fares. - Reply to this comment
- I LOVE Nancy Giles and always look forward to seeing her on the CBS Morning Show. She is bright, funny and witty. Keep up the great work Nancy!
- Reply to this comment
- I''d actually rather have a root-canal done than fly on a commercial airliner, the way things are these days.
Any other form of transportation is preferable. - Reply to this comment
- Deregulation of the industry in the late ''70s has lead to many of negetive changes that were compared in this little bit of "journalism?". Sponsered by Ted Kennedy and signed by Jimmy Carter it has also resulted in much lower fares and traveling choices (especially in the major markets). Nothing... NOTHING... about todays flight problems have anything to do with RR. Take a history class.
I think Nancy''s colors are showing... - Reply to this comment
- Nancy Giles is a waste of broadcast time: 1st do you know why President Reagan fired the traffic controllers??? THEY went on strike, refused to negotiate & could have crippled our nation without Reagan''s gutsy & sound decision. AND YOU PUT DOWN AN AIRPORT NAMED AFTER REAGAN? You''re just plain silly.
- Reply to this comment
I refuse to type in italics.
I also refuse to become the cheapest meat in the seat for these airlines...- Reply to this comment
By the way,
I do feel Nancy Giles
needs to get FIRED.
This may offend her so be it but she
wrote a stupid piece.
If she thinks it was humor she has a problem.
Bottom line Nancy Giles needs a lot of work
as does the article she wrote.- Reply to this comment
Oh c''mon!
I give MY OPINION on how I feel about this "article"
and CBS censors it?!
Now I know CBS is in the toilet.
In my opinion Nancy Giles wrote a very stupid piece.
In my opinion CBS should have told her it wasn''t funny
it wasn''t anything and to try again.
CBS, here is a NEWS FLASH for you:
Peoples perception of CBS is a reality.
Re-evaluate what you do.
Seriously.- Reply to this comment
- I think that the blame for the current "crisis" in air travel should be placed squarely at the feet of the FAA. Either they have not been properly inspecting MD80 Auxiliary Hydraulic Pump wiring harnesses for the last 3 years or they are suddenly on a witch hunt that they feel will exorcise their own demons! The airworthiness of the aircraft involved was never in question. After looking at over 300 of American Airlines MD80''s not a chaffed wire was found on that harness, so, obviously, the Airworthiness Directive had been implemented in such a manner as to protect the wiring. The FAA''s beef was with the way AA implemented the work in their own engineering change order. This was nothing more than a witch hunt and the flying public was the victim! Everyone who was affected by this should be writing their Congressmen and Senators about this and they should be asking them to question the FAA!
As to Southwest in the comment above, remember who started this fiasco, it was Southwest. They were caught not knowing whether their own aircraft were airworthy or not! If you like them so much, think about how much your life is worth when you buy that ticket! - Reply to this comment
- I think that the blame for the current "crisis" in air travel should be placed squarely at the feet of the FAA. Either they have not been properly inspecting MD80 Auxiliary Hydraulic Pump wiring harnesses for the last 3 years or they are suddenly on a witch hunt that they feel will exorcise their own demons! The airworthiness of the aircraft involved was never in question. After looking at over 300 of American Airlines MD80''s not a chaffed wire was found on that harness, so, obviously, the Airworthiness Directive had been implemented in such a manner as to protect the wiring. The FAA''s beef was with the way AA implemented the work in their own engineering change order. This was nothing more than a witch hunt and the flying public was the victim! Everyone who was affected by this should be writing their Congressmen and Senators about this and they should be asking them to question the FAA!
As to Southwest in the comment above, remember who started this fiasco, it was Southwest. They were caught not knowing whether their own aircraft were airworthy or not! If you like them so much, think about how much your life is worth when you buy that ticket! - Reply to this comment
- I think that the blame for the current "crisis" in air travel should be placed squarely at the feet of the FAA. Either they have not been properly inspecting MD80 Auxiliary Hydraulic Pump wiring harnesses for the last 3 years or they are suddenly on a witch hunt that they feel will exorcise their own demons! The airworthiness of the aircraft involved was never in question. After looking at over 300 of American Airlines MD80''s not a chaffed wire was found on that harness, so, obviously, the Airworthiness Directive had been implemented in such a manner as to protect the wiring. The FAA''s beef was with the way AA implemented the work in their own engineering change order. This was nothing more than a witch hunt and the flying public was the victim! Everyone who was affected by this should be writing their Congressmen and Senators about this and they should be asking them to question the FAA!
As to Southwest in the comment above, remember who started this fiasco, it was Southwest. They were caught not knowing whether their own aircraft were airworthy or not! If you like them so much, think about how much your life is worth when you buy that ticket! - Reply to this comment
- I always thought Nancy was a big dope but she really made the case today. Blaming Ronald Reagan for the airline mess is just plain stupid. My first flight was when I was 19 (in the early 70s) and the ticket was almost 600 bucks - one way - from National airport to Des Moines. That was real money in those days. Now you can fly across the country and back for 250! That''s why there are more planes and people in the sky. If you want to go back to 600+ dollar airfare the skys will clear out pretty quick.
I know you hate conservatives, but blame Ronald Reagan? Oh, for God''s sake. - Reply to this comment
- I think that the blame for the current "crisis" in air travel should be placed squarely at the feet of the FAA. Either they have not been properly inspecting MD80 Auxiliary Hydraulic Pump wiring harnesses for the last 3 years or they are suddenly on a witch hunt that they feel will exorcise their own demons! The airworthiness of the aircraft involved was never in question. After looking at over 300 of American Airlines MD80''s not a chaffed wire was found on that harness, so, obviously, the Airworthiness Directive had been implemented in such a manner as to protect the wiring. The FAA''s beef was with the way AA implemented the work in their own engineering change order. This was nothing more than a witch hunt and the flying public was the victim! Everyone who was affected by this should be writing their Congressmen and Senators about this and they should be asking them to question the FAA!
- Reply to this comment
- Southwest Airlines has never had a layoff in company history. And yet their rates are still among the lowest in every market. I try to fly Southwest exclusively if I can, just knowing they have never had a layoff, that they don''t don''t see business as an aggressive attack of overpaid executives against their own workers, gives me more confidence in their pilots and their process. Look how well they handled the inspectons compared with American Airlines, a traditional worker-hating business. I actually flew right in the middle of Southwest''s inspections, and you wouldn''t even know it was happening.
You can do business right, and we need to support those who do. - Reply to this comment
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