Well, I must say this thread has got me thinking. I've not been to the USA lately, as the focus of my business has been more Eastern. Some of the comments here have served to inform me just how dire air travel to, from and within the USA has become, and I am in a position to compare that with the way services have developed in Russia, where I've been a lot lately.
Now, I do speak some Russian, so I know that makes a difference when travelling around the country. But I must say that the overall travel experience, while nowhere near perfect, has improved enormously over recent years. In fact, once you know where to go and what to do, you can travel the huge distances relatively comfortably and with a lot less hassle than previously. The challenges in Russia are different to those in the USA, and we frequent travellers are versed in the short cuts and wheezes, but from what I've heard and experienced, travelling to, from and in Russia is probably no more unpleasant than the US experience. How times change indeed.