AIRLINES: Source of discontent

A recent Press editorial cited numerous examples of rudeness in the airline industry and begged the question when did customer service and civility come to an end? I’d like to suggest an answer: 9/11. That was when every person, from the 3-year-old toddler to the 90-year-old grandmother, were no longer seen primarily as paying customers, but as potential terrorists.

That attitude has permeated every aspect of the airline industry and given those in positions of “authority” the right to abandon reason, intelligence, and permission to mistreat, harass and in some cases, outright abuse innocent people. We are now accustomed to giving up many of our comforts and rights in a trade off for safety; almost willing to accept mistreatment and letting ourselves be bullied by authority “as long as we survive.” Unfortunately, it is human nature that people given power over others have a tendency to abuse it. Too many in those positions aren’t trained to use discernment, just follow rules, even when they are ridiculous (the plane is sitting there with open door and they won’t let a passenger board because of a missed “deadline”).

How do we change the situation? We want to be safe, so we need to change the focus to PROFILE for terrorists. If it’s not politically correct — too bad! The tradeoff of all of us being treated like criminals is too high a price! We need to get back to treating the majority of the flying public like the treasured paying customers they are.

DENISE GRAVES

Hayden Lake