Welcome, Mr. Siegel, and good luck to you

03-17-2002

Ten days ago, US Airways named David N. Siegel as its president, chief executive officer and board member. Thus, he becomes the apparent heir to Chairman Stephen M. Wolf, who at 60 is rumored to be preparing to retire. Siegel, most recently chairman and CEO of Avis Rent A Car, also worked at Continental Airlines, where he earned a reputation for improving difficult situations.

We wish Mr. Siegel good luck. He's going to need it.

Perhaps at no time in its 75-year history has commercial aviation's future been so difficult to predict. The economic and psychological repercussions of Sept. 11 have shaken the world's airlines to their foundations, along with every other aspect of modern travel. But even before that date, decades of accumulated transportation difficulties were piling up, with few realistic plans to address them.

In the past six months, nations have come to realize the importance of travel to their gross national products. They've also learned that as much as people claim to value their mobility, many can live happily without straying far from home.

In the wake of the worst tragedy in aviation history, many people cite long litanies of why they don't want to travel. Most will fly if they must but with greater trepidation.

Fewer flights are taking off, and many are carrying fewer passengers than last year.

A number of factors contribute to the industry's malaise. But simply put, many travelers regard air travel as a thoroughly unpleasant experience, from start to finish.

To start, there's the roulette of ticket buying, of finding a flight that fits your schedule and a fare that's reasonable. Sure, it is possible to book amazingly inexpensive round-trip seats, especially if you have the time, patience and savvy to wait for specific destination bargains. Travel Web sites and name-your-own price ticket sellers promise savings and convenience but often with strings attached that diminish their benefits, such as hidden fees or a slew of flight connections.

It is equally unpleasant to need a ticket for a specific flight or date only to discover how expensive unrestricted air fares can be.

Then there are the hassles of getting to the airport on time (a factor which may get far worse for many PG readers on April 6, with the closing of the outbound lanes of the Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel).

Post-Sept. 11 security procedures have transformed airports designed for convenience into fortresses. Now travelers are asked to show up two hours early for flights. Hurry up and wait.

There's the running of the security gauntlet, hoping the line is not too long, that your travel documents are in order, that you don't set off the metal detector and that some other passenger's security misstep doesn't shut down the airport entirely.

No one questions the need for increased security, but somehow regarding every passenger as a potential enemy and every piece of metal as a potential weapon smacks of paranoia. The presence of armed guards, meant to reassure travelers, also contributes to the overall aura of tension.

Even though carriers are reporting improved on-time performance, any flight can be delayed or canceled, with the inevitable unpleasant consequences to a traveler's itinerary. To make matters worse, airlines are often faulted for giving the cold shoulder to inconvenienced passengers.

Then there's the flight itself. For years, the airlines have been packing more and more passengers into smaller spaces. I'm a reasonably big guy, and whenever I sit in economy class, I hold my breath until I see who my seat mates will be. If either is as big as I, the flight will be a shoulder-to-shoulder experience.

In-flight amenities also have been reduced. After 9/11, meal services were eliminated from all but the longest flights and entertainment offerings pared back. (It is notable that this month, US Airways began showing movies again on longer domestic flights.)

There are other nagging travel worries, such as will my bags arrive on time or will the airline mechanics go on strike right before my trip? They all detract from the overall experience, make flying even more worrisome than before.

That's not even counting the unthinkable possibilities, exacerbated periodically by vague official warnings of potential terrorist activity.

With all these negatives, is it surprising that people are either looking for alternatives to flying or reasons to not travel at all?

This does not bode well for the short-term future of travel.

Or the long-term future of airlines.

Clearly, more major post-9/11 changes are in the offing.

Witness the recent collapse of Europe's national airlines. Belgium's Sabena is gone, Swissair is teetering, Lufthansa and British Airways report big losses, and Air France is exploring the purchase of Alitalia. Now that European countries have united their currencies, can the consolidation of airlines into one or two "EuroAir" conglomerates be far behind?

The same logic could apply on this side of the Atlantic.

Instead of expedient "quick fixes" to substantive issues, perhaps what is needed are new paradigms for airline travel, from the way tickets are priced and sold to the need to balance security with passenger considerations, to the basic assumptions by which airplanes and airports are owned and operated.

Mr. Siegel, Pittsburghers have a love/hate relationship with US Airways, and although we're frequently frustrated and sometimes outraged by the airline, we certainly hope it survives and prospers. The issues raised here are probably beyond the ability of any one person or airline to address in a meaningful way, but while you're dealing with US Airways' particular challenges, keep an eye on the bigger picture, too.

History demonstrates that those who are most adept at identifying and embracing the future are most likely to reap its benefits.

Welcome.

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