by Erin O’Neil

Thanksgiving is coming and I can almost hear the collective groan. For some, that groan may be the result of dislike for in-laws or even turkey (heaven forbid). Most likely, however, the reason why the mention of the holiday has your stomach in knots is because you will have to travel before you’re able to completely give yourself over to the food, drink and (sometimes pleasurable) company. In recent years, the flying experience has gone from tolerable to unbearable. Never mind the endless amounts of fees that have been tacked onto everything imaginable, due to route and seat cuts, planes have been fuller with more delays and layovers. In the news last week it was announced that although there will be a drop in airline passengers this Thanksgiving, flights will be as full as ever. I am now groaning with you.

ABC’s new show ‘PanAm’ has really brought into focus what the flight experience today is missing. The vision of commercial flight in the decades before it became mainstream is one of elegance and sophistication. Though air travel today is much more convenient and affordable, many now see it as a chore. It’s a dreaded experience; a necessary means to an end-the romance has left us. Granted the designated travel day for Thanksgiving is the busiest of the year but it does give pause to wonder how far we’ve come from the days when flying was an experience that really made true the statement, “it’s not the destination but the journey that counts.”

Let me paint you a picture:

Imagine yourself walking onto the plane dressed to perfection. The flight attendant greets you by name. She’s dressed impeccably in a uniform complete with hat, heels and white gloves. She leads you to your seat, which has plenty of legroom by the way, marked by a name card. Mid-flight, your steak sandwich arrives on a china plate with silverware utensils-no plastic to be found. As you wipe the crumps from your lips with your linen napkin, you hear the tinkling of piano keys as the live music begins. You walk into the lounge, order yourself a cocktail and sit back down to take in the music and the atmosphere until you land. Jealous yet? Ready to break down into tears at the thought of the reality, yet?

I understand full well that commercial airlines don’t have the means anymore to provide most of those services. Flying back then was equal to what our ultimate first class/private jet experience is today. What the industry has compromised in service, it has made up for in convenience, flexibility, and affordability-all relatively of course.  So what is it that we are so upset about? PanAm has reminded us of what it is that we are so desperately looking for-that personal touch. It shouldn’t be just those who belong to first class or elite flier programs. Those who pay for it should get their extras and loyalty should be rewarded but is it so hard to ask to be treated like a fellow human being?

Last year’s Thanksgiving travel was marked by the new TSA body scanners and  the controversial pat-down alternative. I wasn’t one of those people up-in-arms about it but some of the stories I read about how people were treated by TSA blew my mind. It wasn’t the scanning process rather, it was the insensitivity to the loss of dignity people went through trying to cooperate. Is a word of understanding too difficult?

It’s the automated messaging systems you get that never actually help when you call about a problem with your fight. It’s the endless add-on of fees and the revoking of in-flight meals, snacks and blankets without any recognition of how ridiculous this has become.

What it really boils down to is yes, we would all love to be greeted by name and served chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven 30,000 feet in the air. Times have changed and that just isn’t going to happen. What we really want is the industry to recognize and honor our humanity. These are tough times and the airlines are going to do what they have to to survive. But have the decency to acknowledge your customers as more than just a seat number. Have we really come so far from the white-gloved service of the 50s and 60s? Taking a step back, it really seems like we have.