Air Travel Seems Fundamentally Broken

 I have to fly next week - much to my consternation. I booked a flight to and from my destination. Paid extra to check a bag and have enough legroom, because we want to incentivize people bringing steamer trunks as their carry-on and make people over 5'6" miserable.

I flew on American Airlines once this summer, and they didn't have a plane ready. We had to wait an extra hour and a half and get in VERY late after a cross country flight. Then my son flew on American and they overbooked his flight. So we volunteered to switch it since he wasn't on a tight schedule. They sent him to an airport with no jet fuel.

So, fuck American Airlines, right? I booked in United, and they just told me that my return flight NEXT SATURDAY is being cancelled because of weather and runway construction. Given that there is absolutely no way that they can know the weather next Saturday, it's the runway situation. Which they knew about when they sold me my ticket.

We've all heard stories about people being awful on flights. I don't want to be one of those people. I have not been one of those people. But people who snap because of the way airlines treat them? I don't think they are a complete mystery. 

Way back when we over-regulated airlines. Today, we under-regulate them. It's very simple. We need an Air Travelers Bill of Rights. 

- Every airline must have enough customer service reps at their 800 number. When my son was sent to an airport with no fuel it took them 15 hours to return my call and they hung up on me.

- An airline should be penalized for over-booking. (And there should be some sort of penalty for people who book and cancel.)

- An airline who sells a ticket that they cannot honor for reasons related to airport and airline operations (not acts of Dog) must give 150% of the fare as a refund.

- Airlines must reduce seating so that normal sized people have enough room to sit comfortably.

- Airlines should charge for the second piece of carry-on and not charge for the first checked bag. This will improve loading and unloading the airplane.

I don't know. That's just off the top of my head. In return for these regulations, the Federal government should take on some of the financial burdens that are forcing them into these shitty business practices.