Just a few days ago, this was going to be a yet another angry article about the airline industry, specifically the increase in fees and reduction in customer service that have plagued air travel in recent years.
That changed on Wednesday.
When veteran pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III guided US Airways Flight 1549 to a safe landing in the icy waters of the Hudson River -- and more than 150 passengers and crew survived the ordeal without major injuries -- it was a stark reminder that air travel is a pretty wonderful, safe invention and that we should not take it for granted.
In other words, the $15 charge to check a bag, the elimination of hard-to-open pretzel and peanut snacks and the $2 charge for a can of Diet Coke that used to be free suddenly seemed less important. The debate about fees and customer service and on-time arrivals is still valid, but it can wait.
In light of recent events, we'll focus on something the airlines can do -- and are starting to do -- to make travel more pleasant.
The addition of wireless Internet access on flights. For business travel and even restless vacationers, access to e-mail and the Web at 25,000 feet can make for a more pleasant, productive flight.
Let's face it -- Americans are expecting Wi-Fi everywhere they go. The cabin of an Airbus is no different. The German airline Lufthansa first tested online Wi-Fi in 2003. American Airlines began offering the service on a limited basis last summer, mostly on transcontinental flights between New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco and New York and Miami. The cost of the service is $12.95 on cross-country flights and $9.95 on the New York-Miami route.
"The airlines are putting their money into onboard Wi-Fi," author and travel expert Peter Greenberg told OnMilwaukee.com in an e-mail. "American started it, Jet Blue is doing it, Virgin America is doing it and Delta just started.
"It's not free, but for roughly $12 for transcontinental flights, it's about the only thing I find worthwhile on the planes. It allows me to fly during the day and be incredibly productive and on top of everything.
"Remember, for the airlines to install anything that even resembles something passenger-friendly and functional, it still needs to generate revenue. in the case of Wi-Fi on the planes, it's both."
Interestingly, the trial period for online Wi-Fi created some controversy among flight attendants. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents 19,000 workers at American and other airlines, asked management to add filters to the Wi-Fi access to prevent passengers from viewing pornographic sites during flights.
Given the cramped nature of airline travel, it's hard for any Web users to keep their browsing private. Proponents of unlimited access argue that airlines have not had major problems with people reading pornographic magazines or watching their own DVDs on flights, so it's unreasonable to expect problems with Web surfing.
In an era when free snacks and soft drinks are going bye-bye, paid Web access could be a way for airlines to recover revenue and keep customers happy.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
