A Few Easy Ways to Make the Friendly Skies More Friendly

Several years ago, I struck up a conversation with a United flight attendant on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. We were talking a bit about the strange business of U.S. air travel and he remarked that if just the first class cabin of the plane was full with the rest of the plane empty, it would still be a profitable flight. This is quite telling. Over the past several years Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines have invested heavily in improving their business and first class products both domestically and on international routes. The storied transcontinental, or "transcon" as referred to in the aviation community, from New York to LA or San Francisco is a virtual arms race of amenities, better seats, better comforters, and better food. It takes up a big percentage of the marketing budget of these airlines and serves as a halo effect for the brand where everything is stress free and comfortable. And when you fly the transcon, you can feel this compet