美国国家公共电台 NPR 'The Travel Detective' Explains How Airlines Became A 'Mafia'

'The Travel Detective' Explains How Airlines Became A 'Mafia'

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Airline travel hasn't been glamorous 1 for years. Yet, more people are flying than ever, and airlines are reporting record profits. But if this generation of passengers no longer expects finger bowls, free food and having their pillows plumped, what about seats that are large enough to comfortably hold an average human being, not just one of the Keebler cookie elves and seats that recline an inch or two without catching 2 the nose of the passenger just behind you? And what about seating families together? Peter Greenberg joins us, the Travel Detective, as he's often known. He's also a travel editor for CBS News and an author.

Peter, thanks so much for being with us.

PETER GREENBERG: Happy to be with you, Scott.

SIMON: OK. The days of glamour 3 are gone, but how would you describe what it's like up there right now to, say, for premium 4 passengers?

GREENBERG: Well, if the airlines are telling the truth, they've gone from being in the travel business to being in the human transportation business. It's all a numbers game. In order to understand what they've done, you need to go back about 20 years because 20 years ago, you had about 10 airlines competing for 88 percent of the market share. Today, because of mergers 5, consolidations and, in some cases, outright 6 failures, you've got four airlines that own 88 percent of the market share.

So the need to compete has sort of evaporated because - imagine four Mafia families in the days of "The Godfather," you know. Somebody does numbers. Somebody does drugs. Somebody does prostitution.

SIMON: (Laughter).

GREENBERG: And nobody goes into anybody else's territory, and everybody wins.

SIMON: (Laughter).

GREENBERG: And if you actually add to that, the airlines finally got discipline when it came to capacity. They started reducing capacity when they no longer had the need to go - fly to everywhere. You know, there was a time when airlines felt they had to fly everywhere. Now they only fly, not for market share, but they fly for yield - how much they can get for any individual seat.

SIMON: Yeah. On the other hand, this is America. I mean, airlines, like any business, they're entitled to make as much money as they possibly can as long as the plane takes off and land safely.

GREENBERG: You're right. I mean, look - at the end of the day - I get phone calls all the time in emails all the time from people who are just outraged 7 about the worst trip they've ever taken in their life, how it was horrendous 8 and it was worse than fighting in a war. And I always ask them two questions. Question number one - at any time during the flight, did you hit a mountain?

SIMON: (Laughter).

GREENBERG: No, you didn't. And question number two is, when you landed, did the wings cartwheel and explode into flames? You didn't have a terrible trip. You had the best trip ever because you're alive.

SIMON: Yeah. Can I share a personal gripe I have with you? With all - it's not just personal - families are not routinely seated together. Even if you book in advance, the equipment's often reassigned because of mechanical or weather delays. And a family of four can find themselves in four separate rooms.

GREENBERG: But I have good news for you. Recently, Congress agreed on something. I know that sounds amazing, but they did. And they passed the FAA reauthorization bill. Tacked 9 onto that bill is a requirement now that airlines must seat families together without charging them additional money.

SIMON: Peter, this is good news. I didn't expect good news (laughter) talking to you if I might be blunt.

GREENBERG: So I've made your day.

SIMON: Peter Greenberg, the Travel Detective.

Thanks so much for being with us.

GREENBERG: You got it.