MY TRUTH: DEAR…

Frequent and not so frequent fliers:

While the number of complaints against airlines have increased considerably and altercations between passengers have also had an uptick; according to the report released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group “the number of flight passengers has fallen from 886 million in 2019 to 799 million last year.”

So less fliers, but more complaints, ranging from lost bags, delayed or canceled flights, rude employees, ticket refund delays, ticket agents who don’t greet you when boarding because they are on the phone or deeply engrossed in a conversation with another employee; and the list goes on and on.

I want to focus on a few customer complaints.

It seems as though most people have not been schooled on proper airplane etiquette so some commence to complaining and grumbling.

I’ll start with an easy one. Passenger talking loudly on cell phone before flight takes off and also while waiting to exit. This person tells quite a bit of their personal business while using their outside voice.

Somehow those calls never seem as important as the per- son talking appears to think.

What say you?

Why do they talk so loudly? One might say they may be hard of hearing or the person they are talking to may be.

Then there’s the one who is really not in too much of a hurry but they still fail to observe the unspoken rule of letting the person in the row before you go first when deplaning. Should you wait, especially if the person ahead of you is ready to go, or do you barrel ahead?

Or what about the person who wants to stand up as soon as the sound alerts you that you can take your seat belt off. Since we are not in a person’s shoes, we may not understand that a person may have a health issue. There was a time when you could stand more often or even walk around. And that was good for those who have circulatory issues because they shouldn’t be sitting down for long periods of time, without stretching or moving their legs around.

They know they should be moving around and so soon as they are able to, they should get up and move around.

Still people get upset.

And, lest we forget, the crying, screaming baby.

Here there’s a need for a little compassion but at what age does the crying stop? At what age should the child fall out of grace?

Good question!

Then too, somebody explain to me — does the person in the middle seat get both armrests and if so, why?

More people are beginning to choose flying as the preferred choice of transportation so we are going to have more issues and more challenges.

Which brings me to my truth. Yes, I do believe that there needs to be a major overhaul.

There also needs to be an addressing of some of these issues in the many pieces of literature provided on flights.

Some people just don’t know. And I am not going to get into attire. That is opening a can of something that we don’t have time for right now.

Yes, some people don’t dress anymore. They do come to board a flight like they are going to the Greyhound Station or just rolled out of bed.

Oh well.

It’s a sign of the times.

Are you going to make a complaint?

Some might say, just bring head- sets, wear shades, and pray for a safe flight!