Fed up with flying? Heck yes, say travelers

Wow. I’ve been writing this column since 2003, and readers have never been shy about sharing opinions. Last month I posited a simple question: Are Americans flying less, or not at all)? I received more than 160 emails, plus dozens of online comments.

It’s an understatement to say this column hit a nerve. I think it tapped into an undiscussed phenomenon – that record airline passenger loads would be significantly higher if flying wasn’t such a hassle. Your responses made it clear there’s a huge demographic of mostly silent travelers opting not to fly.

Too crowded?

Plenty of Americans still book airline flights. In fact, we may have entered the domestic airline industry’s busiest summer season ever, to the tune of 246.1 million anticipated passengers in June, July and August. But last month I reported the U.S. Travel Association estimated Americans avoided 32 million trips last year, which cost the domestic economy more than $24 billion.

Just before Memorial Day, Airfarewatchdog announced that flight searches were down 35 percent since the same weekend last year, and released a poll of more than 1,200 travelers that found 54 percent weren’t planning to travel during the holiday. Spokesman Nevin Spearma conducted a follow-up poll of 1,350 travelers that showed the following just before Memorial Day:

❚ 57 percent not traveling

❚ 24 percent driving

❚ 16 percent flying

❚ 3 percent bus or train

I made this point last month, that other travel modes such as cars, buses and trains have been posting larger percentage increases. And although many of you noted I didn’t detail the many reasons Americans are fed up with air travel, the column kicked off intense discussions about topics USA TODAY has covered thoroughly, such as baggage fees, TSA lines and overcrowded airports.

Your take

The outpouring of opinion underscored how avoiding flying has become a hot-button issue. As Angela Schwartz wrote, “I thought we were unique when we drastically cut back our flights this year … Thank you (for the column), which reassured us that we are not alone.” I’ve aggregated many of your opinions. Consider:

❚ Electing to drive and take buses or trains was repeatedly cited, as was the need for high-speed rail service.

❚ Airline fees and tighter seats topped your complaints, with many providing their height and/or weight while describing the misery of economy seating. A common refrain was that we’ve become “livestock” or “cargo.”

❚ Besides complaints about airline personnel, there was much frustration about rude fellow passengers, with one reader terming such bad behavior a “societal breakdown”

Dozens of emails detailed disgust with the airlines; as one reader wrote, “I would be happy if I never had to get on an airplane again!” Common refrains included the terms “hassle” and “fed up” and “hell.” One reader stated, “I’d rather remove my own gallbladder with an oyster fork.”

Other significant trends:

❚ Grounded fliers. An extraordinary number of readers cited their previous frequent flier status — gold and even platinum. Some racked up 1 or 2 or 3 million miles. Yet so many ex-road warriors hardly fly at all now. One said, “I’ve gone from six to eight flights a year to zero.”

❚ Clipped wings. As a former airline employee, I was struck by how many other ex-employees weighed in, including several retired pilots who stated they now avoid flying. Perhaps only fellow aviation geeks can appreciate just how extraordinary this is.

❚ America not first? Quite a few world travelers praised foreign airlines while giving low marks to U.S. carriers. One reader wrote, “Maybe this is an American problem and not global?”

❚ Security woes. There also was widespread discontent with the TSA.

❚ Two readers took matters into their own hands – by building their own airplanes! Another recently chartered a private jet with 12 friends, calling it more expensive but enjoyable.

❚ Discontent isn’t universal. By my math, 98 percent were unhappy, but that 2 percent was just as vocal in telling me to give the airlines a break.

Last month I noted how I drive or take Amtrak or buses more often now. Dozens of readers shared their formulas for when to fly, and when to drive or seek other transportation (or avoid traveling altogether). Dan Oltman, of Nebraska, drives on trips of six to eight hours by himself, and 10 to 14 hours with his family. He wrote, “I avoid flying at all cost.” One couple reported driving from Illinois to California to “avoid the hassle” of flying.

What lies ahead?

The big questions seem to be: Despite population growth, do long-term trend lines indicate the airlines’ customer base is eroding? And have industry consolidation and lack of government oversight emboldened airlines into taking their customers for granted?

It seems you the people are either not being heard or you’re being heard but ignored. So for the airlines, it may be getting late early.

GETTY IMAGES Airline passenger loads are at record levels, and so is consumer frustration with flying.