so when was the last time you travelled by an airline and actually enjoyed the experience?
when i was young, sea travel was already non-existent and automobile use had achieved critical mass. only air travel remained a class act, making pretty much everything about flying beyond cool. airports, airlines and airhostesses were the stuff of fantasy and travel by air lingered as the last abiding medium (after land and water) romanced by the millions.
the situation could not be more different today. the combination of low-cost airlines, discount fares and budget terminals has led to an explosion in air travel worldwide. airlines are no longer a preserve of the rich and famous but at the same time, you feel neither rich nor famous flying them nowadays. unless one flies first-class, flights have transformed from being a pleasure trip into a quick ride between two points.
which is a real disappointment and here’s why. the airline business has been reduced to a numbers game - ticket fares, paid onboard-meals, legroom - and competitors vie for passengers by juggling this same set of tangibles. however, i suspect what passengers are really looking are a few intangible qualities - quick check-in, an attentive staff, a quality cabin - which cannot be calculated yet make all the difference during travel.
for me, nothing quite beats the excitement of a ride in the skies and i lie in wait to fall in love with air travel all over again.