Quote: “Even down the back one very long sector is better than two just long sectors.“
Strongly disagree! Over more than three decades Mrs C and I have been travelling between North America, usually from Canada, and South Africa. In 1996 we tried the non-stop New York - Johannesburg flight of SAA, over 16 hours. Way too long to be cooped up in a tin tube with inadequate leg room and disgusting bogs after about halfway! We much prefer to break our journey in Europe. This gives us a day room or an opportunity to do some shopping or have a meal with some friends or relatives. We normally route via the UK but the last trip deliberately avoided both the UK and USA because of the security nazis. Also in the USA bags have to be collected and rechecked, sometimes even having to be taken between airports as in Kennedy/La Guardia, but travelling via Europe they are checked right through from start to finish. Also we prefer daylight flights rather than overnighters.
As an add-on to the above, in North America, Africa and the UK we now drive wherever possible, or use the train in the UK, because the whole air transport experience has become so anti-passenger. Air travel now takes considerably longer than it used to because of increased check in times (when I started in the 1950s it was always 30 minutes domestic and one hour international), increased waiting times to check in because usually less than half the check-ins are open, and additional waiting for security. Bags are now more likely to be lost or damaged, even deliberately ripped open by American security goons, and contents stolen. On top of this is the often bullying behaviour of the security nazis and the obnoxious air transport industry attitude that anyone who complains of bad or no service is a terrorist. It’s no surprise that large numbers of pax have quit air travel where possible in favour of rail, coach, car or ferry.
Until the whole air transport industry, including security, restores the basics of customer service it does not deserve any sympathy. Do those in air transport want jobs or not?