[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

I just finished watching the President’s address to Congress. It looks like Greyhound bus style air travel will be with us for sometime to come. Sadly, like the banks, the airlines have proven they can not be trusted to responsibly discharge their obligations to the public without a “policeman” (the government) looking over their shoulders—more so than is already being done. Unfortunately, it looks like money for “policemen,” at least for “airline patrol,” won’t be available any time soon. As to my use of the word “obligation,” with regard to US-based airlines: I think many, particularly those in the airline industry, lose sight of the fact that an Operating Certificate is, among other things, a public trust. It’s hard for me to understand how that sense of public trust is appreciated when you have some airline staff refer to customers as “the enemy,” and “self-loading cargo.” OK, airline staff, like this, may very well make-up the minority. On the other hand US-based airline managements have shown an astounding willingness to tolerate this minority on the basis that cost, not quality, is what matters.

Under the heading of “doable” may be getting tough with overscheduling at airports like LaGuardia/New York and O’Hare/Chicago. Until modernized air traffic control infrastructure comes on line the public needs to realize that sacrifices must be made if timetables are to bear some relationship to the real world. Higher fares must be accepted in return for convenience. Those wanting to travel on the cheap must accept longer travel times. In areas of the country experiencing congestion in air travel, “inter-modal” travel, and usage of secondary airports, must be considered. A single flight into New Castle County Airport, Wilmington, Delaware (“ILG”) could, effectively, result in service to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC if, following arrival at ILG, passengers were bussed to the Wilmington Amtrak Station and onto special rail cars. As some of the airline people on here well know this is a common technique in Europe.

Finally, it appears the Obama Administration has taken the first step toward restoring sanity to air travel by doing something that will benefit BOTH the airlines and the public (an unusual circumstance!) The “American Recovery And Reinvestment Act of 2009” (recently signed into law) provides 200 million for: improvements to power systems, air route traffic control centers, air traffic control towers, terminal radar approach control facilities, and navigation and landing equipment. Perhaps the airline people on here can provide more detail. However, it sounds like some of this stuff includes upgrading outdated navigation systems—a source of complaint from airline managements.