Are These Good Reasons to Hate the Airlines?

One article that I've been seeing a lot of late is a list from Time - "20 Reasons to Hate the Airlines." When I see articles like this, I start to cringe - just a little - because I know what's coming - a litany of complaints.

And, like I expected, that was the case. But are many of these complaints justified? Doubtful.

For example, take reason number ten - "The Security Line Confiscation." The authors argue that dealing with the TSA can be annoying. I agree that security can be a hassle. Is this the fault of the airlines, though? The answer is no.

Or number eight - "Pay TV." I think this one is a missed opportunity here. The authors bemoan the fact that we have to pay for headsets now. First, was a headset you ever received from an airline all that great? Secondly, many airlines now have the same audio jacks on their aircraft that you'll find on your iPod, laptop, or whatever. In the past, you'd need a converter to do that. So I think that change makes airline headsets less necessary. Meanwhile, the authors could've criticized some airlines, like US Airways, for dumping domestic in-flight entertainment, but chose not too. Also, let's point out that on a few carriers you'll find multiple channels of live television. I don't think we can really complain.

The last item I'll focus on is number six - "Lunch is Not Served" - which is a complaint about the loss of meal service. First, how many people out there in coach actually enjoyed airline meals? Not many. Second, does the food make someone willing to pay a higher fare? Not often. I'd even argue that cutting free meals has resulted in better food onboard. Airlines offering a buy-on-board product actually need to offer something of value to make people buy it. Case in point - I happily spent $10 for a roast beef sandwich on Virgin America a couple of weeks ago because it was a good size, and, frankly, delicious (and that's by normal food standards, not airline food standards).

Here's my main thought - yes, it's a shame that some amenities are now gone forever. But the airlines realized that for economy passengers, our purchase decision is largely driven by price and schedule and not by the extra frills. So I think consumer behavior might be the biggest culprit here.