Why our major US Airlines are failing:

Why are the major US airlines so unfriendly to fly in the friendly skies? I have been traveling quite a bit recently and decided to take a closer look into this subject. For the record, when I say major US airlines I am talking about United, US Airways, American and Delta. These airlines have been around the longest and attend to the most airline traffic across the United States.

The competition:

Let’s start with some of the simple reasons of why you might value your flight on an airline such as Southwest, Virgin America or Jet Blue more than the aforementioned airlines. Could it be that Southwest year in and year out, has a better on-time ratio than our major airlines? Or maybe it is the free in-flight TV entertainment on Jet Blue. Not to mention Virgin Americas comfortable seats and a first class section that truly means first class. These 3 airlines give you a bigger seat, which in America let’s face it, some people need bigger seats. These are the accommodations that I would pay a few extra dollars for when booking a flight. If I had never flown on these “better” airlines, I would have no idea that these great amenities even existed.

A comfortable seat on American Airlines

The in-flight problems:

Not only do these “better airlines” give you a better value for your dollar, they also don’t nickel and dime you to death. United, US Airways, American and Delta are probably going to charge you to check your bags. US Airways will even charge if you’re flying international. This is ridiculous! Even Air Jamaica does not bother you with this extra charge. $2 water anyone? How about a $7 Bud Lite? After miraculously being able to fall asleep in those cramped seats, I was awakened by an announcement which made me think I was at a ball game being flooded with solicitations and announcements. This is not a deal killer for me, but wouldn’t the airlines make more money if they just baked in an extra $2 on to every ticket and gave everyone free juice and soda? Do you see someone complaining about their flight being $2 more expensive or that they were thirsty and it cost them $2 for some water? I personally would pay an extra $50 for a cross country flight on Jet Blue or Virgin because I know there would be some in flight entertainment.

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The behind the scenes problems:

So much for the in flight experience being enjoyable, let’s look at how these airlines have really screwed it up. Southwest airlines has only one type of airplane; the beloved Boeing 737-300. This means they need one type of mechanic, one type of pilot, flight attendants need one type of certifications and basically one type of anything else you think you would find on their airplanes. Delta and United use 27 different types of airplanes! That has to be 27 times more confusing to manage. Try finding 27 different types of mechanics, 27 different types of pilots and 27 different types of anything else you find on their aircraft’s!

All four of the “budget” US Airlines we have been talking about all have unions that help back their employees. One would assume this makes them happier? In our opinion I would say that the staff on southwest (which has no union) is friendlier and harder working than the staff of say, American Airlines. This is a personal opinion, but we at mad true all agree with this 100%. Furthermore, unions can put strict policies in place limiting the number of hours workers can work, which in turn will drive up the cost of overtime. In some cases an airline might decide to delay a flight and find a new crew rather than pay the overtime. This is the new America and yes, you now have to work hard and more than 40 hours a week to have success! At the end of the day these unions probably don’t help the workers much and end up hurting the customers and airlines by driving the cost of your ticket up, adding to delays and putting policies in place that are pointless.

The importance of booking carefully:

At the end of the day it’s all about getting from point A to point B safely and on time, right? I am not saying, “Never fly our major airlines” because believe it or not sometimes they can get it right. What I am saying is; if the price is in the same ballpark range, don’t just immediately take the cheapest fair. Think about things like paying that extra $10 for a TV, more leg room, a better on time ratio and a friendlier flight crew that values you as a customer.

The seats above on Virgin Air look a lot more comfortable then American Airlines!