Angry traveler: In a nation of whiners, should airlines join the chorus?

Former Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas has said we’re a “nation of whiners.”

Others have suggested that the 12 CEOs of major airlines who this week signed a letter asking consumers’ help on the question of oil speculation belong to that class.

I’m not so sure.

On Wednesday, Northwest Airlines announced it was adding a $15 fee for the first checked bag. It joins several other airlines, including LAX biggies United and American, in adding the fee. Northwest also increased its fee for booking a frequent-flier ticket to $150 — you know, the tickets that are supposed to reward you for being loyal.

Northwest says these two measures, along with an increase in ticket change fees ($50 domestic and as much as $150 internationally) will generate as much as $300 million in revenues.

Now I’m no fan of the airlines. They jerk us around, giving us things such as more legroom (remember when American removed seats to make us more comfortable?), meals (remember when you had not only a meal but a choice of entrees?) and in-flight entertainment (US Airways announced this week that its 500-pound in-flight movie system would disappear on domestic flights because it weighs too much and uses fuel) and take them away.

Unless you’re a short person who doesn’t eat much and finds himself endlessly amusing, modern air travel probably isn’t your cup of tea.

But in many cases, it is a necessary evil. And that necessary evil — the one that gets you home to spouse and kids, or to the side of a sick parent or to the vacation spot of your dreams — is spending significantly more on fuel, just like the rest of us. Northwest said in a news release in May that fuel had increased from 30% of its budget to 40%. And that was when oil was trading at $123.69. More recently it’s about $145.

So am I going to whine about those baggage fees? You bet I am. But I’m also going to defend the CEOs’ right to whine about fuel prices and, if it makes them feel better, oil speculation.

Whining, you see, changes nothing, except it might make the whiner feel a little better. So yes, it’s selfish. But it doesn’t mean you have to act on what the airlines are telling you to do. It doesn’t even mean you have to listen. Just know that their pain is as real as yours.

– Catharine Hamm, Los Angeles Times Travel Editor

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 11, 2008 at 1:35 pm by Catharine Hamm and is filed under Angry Traveler, Business Travel, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.