The Virginian-Pilot
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NORFOLK
The airport saw a continued decrease in passenger traffic in May while cargo transport increased.
For the month of May, Norfolk International Airport reported 300,000 passengers, a 7.2 percent decrease compared with May 2009 when 323,250 travelers used the airport.
Over the five-month period from January to May, there were about 1.3 million passengers, a 6.7 percent drop from the same period a year earlier, according to a news release from the airport.
However, about 5.2 million pounds of cargo were transported through the airport in May, a 9.7 percent increase in volume from the previous May when about 4.7 million pounds of cargo shipped.
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Miserable passengers
Anyone who has flown recently knows how bad airline service has gotten. There's no such thing as quality customer service in the airline industry anymore. Most of the airlines other than Southwest, got stuck paying for higher fuel costs a few years ago. They are also having to pay out for newer aircraft as their fleets get older. Other than the new regulation regarding passengers' rights with regards to how long airlines can have you sitting out on the tarmac waiting to take off or land, there hasn't been any new regulation for over a decade put on the industry. The airlines are still one of the most heavily government subsidized industries in America. On top of it all, other than driving one's own car, there aren't many choices when it comes to transportation here in America, so people are stuck putting up with the terrible conditions and service.
Airline Traffic Decline
When you are faced with a global recession, and a business model that makes its revenue off of corporate accounts and end of the quarter bonuses, hearing about a decline in travelers is not news. It is part of the quarterly cycle. Maximizing shareholder profits off of checked-in luggage is a stop gap measure. Airline travel has become the 21st century version of Greyhound, and it is time the public came to grips with that. In-flight luxury is a lost dream of the 60's and 70's. Its all about filling the seats with the least amount of overhead. If you need legroom, drive. The airlines have no extra money for comfort.
your point is...
You say that like it's a bad thing. Would you rather they just go bankrupt and we have no airlines? or worse, have the government take them over and run it like Amtrak? Costs go up and businesses have to adjust. Unions demand more money, fuel prices are through the roof, and government regulations hamper any efforts to find areas of productivity, yet you ignorantly insinuate that it's all due to quarterly bonuses. You people who have zero clue about corporate finances always have to point to the "bad" guys who dare to seek that evil thing called profit. Who is John Galt?
Fuel prices are down, not up.
I haven't heard of any new government regulations that would have added costs to airline operations. As for unions, I agree that they have caused some of the financial problems, but one has to remember that airline personnel still have to live. One of the reasons for decreased passengers may be that people are sick and tired of the "nickel and dime" fees that airlines now place on them. How many people fly without having luggage? That should be a normal cost to the airline, and should therefore be part of the ticket price. The airlines previously had an "overweight" fee. Fine, keep that, but get rid of the baggage fees, both for checked luggage (i.e., two pieces or less) and carry-ons (i.e., one piece only). (And they can also rid themselves of charging for snacks and beverages.)
Locked fuel prices and unions
The airlines purchase their fuel on speculation years in advance. Most of them other than Southwest, came out on the losing end of the deal. That is why they are having to come up with creative ways of making more income to cover their costs. As for the unions, airline workers have taken cut after cut after cut in personnel, benefits and pay for years. The pilots, especially when it comes to the commuter airlines, have taken cuts to the point it is getting dangerous. The FAA has blamed the last few aircraft accidents on overworked flight crews because of cut backs in crews. The picture is not at all a simple one, but more complicated than most people think.