yes the whole thing - everything cut to the bone - outsourced and penny pitching - and outsourced to a bunch of untrained minimum wage 'I would rather not be here' folk...not their fault just not mentored not given enthusiasm nor pride
its gives the passenger no pleasure to experience the nonsense the airlines today seem to think is a business model BUT selling fares for £25 is what you see - that i'm afraid also attracts folk that will travel at the cheapest cost who frankly cannot look after themselves at home let alone travel on an aircraft with today's constraints of safety and behaviour -
add that into the mix too -
hence the constant aircraft diversions (almost weekly come daily now for the likes of say BA and possibly Virgin) for disruptive drunk nutcase and/or sick passengers
we NEVER had this in our day....maybe just maybe one medical diversion a year when I was with another holiday charter airline.
Also the most massive constraint to the industry are the issues of security post 9/11 and further incidents which is making the task of running an operation with huge frustrations coupled with insane growth of the Lo-Co and legacy airline market selling flights at unsustainable fares over time swamping airports, as per this discussion
the strain on crews, handling and border controls then meltdown - BUT oh no everyone wants to fly from their local airport to almost anywhere on the planet but at what price ??
anyway rant over - I should lie down with a large gin and tonic on ice and lament of the good old days of flying which I was very proud to have been part of.
back on topic - I will have to pay SEN a visit one day soon - I was from Upminster and we used to go in the 60's and 70's to the airport on a FRI or SAT summer evenings for a meal and a drink to watch all the Channel Airways Viscount all start up and go off on their night charter flights !
BTW
did you know who we can blame certainly in the UK for starting the LO-Co nonsense off in the first place ?
Easy Jet no
Ryanair no
it was Thomson's - yes a package tour operator who suddenly one year decided to dismantle the package and start charging for transfers from the overseas airport to the resort and then charging for meals on board the aircraft -
This
PR stunt/move was titled 'Just for You'
so there we have it - Thomson's started the choice of buying what they thought passengers wanted (or not as the case maybe)
Had they left alone and kept prices not so keen - who knows - the likes of air europe dan air bia and monarch may still be here