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Middle-class air travel: What happened to it?

Imagine a car industry that only offered two models, a Mercedes-Benz (NYSE: DCX) S600 and a Chevrolet (NYSE: GM) Aveo. A restaurant industry that forced you to choose between Taco Bell (NYSE: YUM) and Smith and Wollensky (NASDAQ: SWRG), with nothing in between. A clothing industry that offered only K-Mart (NASDAQ: SHLD) house brands and designer labels, no Old Navy (NYSE: GPS) or Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX).

Intolerable, right? We middle-class shoppers demand products with a modest price but acceptable quality.

So how did we end up with an airline industry that offers only two real choices, cattle car or royalty? Where are the middle-class offerings? My wants are not complicated. I want a little more room. I want quicker check-in. I want to talk to real people when my flight is delayed. I want the kind of service I would receive at Applebee's (NASDAQ: APPB), or a Holiday Inn (NYSE: IHG), or (to shoot for the moon), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN)

Unfortunately, I receive service that is rated by the American public as worse than the IRS, seating reminiscent of my grade-school desk, and the punctuality of a grunge band concert.

Continue reading Middle-class air travel: What happened to it?

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Last updated: May 28, 2012: 01:20 AM

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