When the latest IATA study came out recently, the results weren't too surprising. Or, in truth, very good at all. As it turns out, despite ever increasing ticket prices, terrible if any perks, and customer service no better than you'd get on a bus, the airline industry still isn't a great business to be in these days. Shocking, right?
There's a ton of money being moved around the travel industry, but apparently, it's not going to the airlines themselves. And that could explain, in part, why the overall flying experience has been in such decline over the last few years decades.
But I do feel for the airlines; they have price-sensitive customers (like me), cut-throat competitors, and extremely high operating costs. Worse, without much “upside potential,” investors aren't exactly clamoring to buy their bruised and beaten stocks.
Airlines need to make money to stay in business, sure, but they need to make a boatload (planeload?) to reinvest in improvements like more modern planes, free meals, free blankets, and non-surly flight attendants.
Hopefully, they're trying to figure out ways to increase efficiencies. Because commercial airline travel is already prohibitively expensive for most Americans. And because you never want to be in a business where running anything other than the slimmest possible profit runs you out of business.
