European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 stars and stripes saturday february 15, 1986 mundane mass transit or what s left of air travel Glamour Tai  Luck Fly pm by Ralph Blumenthal. New York times a in travel in the United states a costly luxury for much of the 20th Century is losing its Glamour As hotly competing airlines slash fares to lure americans to Amore mundane mass transportation. The change unleashed by Federal airline deregulation is providing millions of recreational travellers with air plane Speed at bus prices. But it is also costing travellers some amenities and reducing the level of service particularly domestically that has Long been identified with commercial aviation. Airline officials acknowledge thai planes tend to Fly Fuller and that More seats have been added reducing leg room. More oversize carry on bags further crowd the Cabin. Officials also say they have trimmed food expenses by offering simpler and cheaper meals served less frequently. Little things like children s colouring books Are frequently things of the past. And with weight a Factor in fuel Cost Many airlines have dispensed with China and Glass place settings in favor of plastic. First class and business class have also declined some passengers complain. But International service has suffered less particularly on state subsidized foreign carriers travellers say. It s not ilk the Golden age of flying lamented Merle s. Scherr an Arizona physician who recently complained that he Cut his pants and gashed his leg on an plane seat Only to be shouted at by an irate service manager. The Public today is seen As an annoyance Scherr contended. Airline officials deny any dwindling interest in passenger satisfaction. On the contrary Many insist the Competition requires them to seek and hang on to customers More vigorously than Ever. They acknowledge however that the flying business is changing and that passengers May detect a decline in service. But they say this must be weighed against the dramatic drop in prices. They say competitive pressure has sometimes raised the service level citing the Boston new York Washington corridor where new York air has introduced free newspapers and a snack on a run that Eastern operated As a Bare Bones service. And they note that Premium service at higher prices is still available. But few dispute that a new travel Era shorn of some familiar perquisites is at hand. If you Only spend $69 on a ticket How can i spend $12.60 to teed you asked Thomas Plaskett senior vice president for marketing at american airlines. In act he said american recently calculated that by eliminating one Olive from each salad the airline could save $100,000 a year. An airline spokesman could not immediately say if the olives had been dropped. Airline official attribute the change to varied factors Many stemming from Steps taken in 1978, when the government began to Stop regulating air fares and routes. These Are among the factors they list expanding fare Ware slashed Many ticket prices filled planes and further crowded airports a particular annoyance to business travellers who can Seldom take advantage of the deliberately restricted lower fares. People express became a major Industry Force by instituting Low Cost flights with extra charges for food and baggage. Cost squeezes prompted airlines including Eastern to trim staff and pay which some Union leaders say has created morale problems. New airline route systems built on a Central connecting Point worsened congestion and baggage delays at those Points and they sharply reduced non Stop service to Many cities on the routes branching out like spokes from a Hub. Air transportation has become mass transportation said James o Donnell. Vice president of marketing for Continental airlines an aggressive fare Cutter. Calling the development revolutionary rather than evolutionary he recalled the Days when people dressed up Lor an air plane trip when some airports housed the most popular restaurant in town when transcontinental Tilers almost always found empty seats for stretching out and when flight attendants had Leisure to Chat with passengers. In those Days he said airlines courted customers with pillows Popcorn and  now. He said it s three other p s Price Price  Randy Smith general manager Tor marketing at people express which gets the credit or the blame for the Industry s Price cutting said for years the mystique and prices reserved air travel for a private club it was a restricted  the five year old Newark based Carrier he said transformed the Industry by Selling an unbundled product Low Larea for the Basic seat with supplementary charges Lor baggage handling food and beverages. He disdained the term no  it implies something is missing or less than you d expect he said. We Don t think our service is  nor did people express set lower service standards for the Industry he said adding no one is required to travel on people express. There Are other carriers Tor other  airline traffic figures document the trend. The 12 major carriers in the United states last year flew a record of 286 billion Revenue passenger Miles the number of paying passengers multiplied by the distance travelled. This was More than a 10 percent gain Over 1984, according to aviation Dally an Industry newsletter. Planes last year flew nearly 62 percent full More than two percentage Points above-1984. There were More seats crammed in As Well. According to Paskett of american a b-727-200 that carried 122 seats before deregulation now flies with 150 seats. And people express he said files the plan with up to 178 seats. U t w. J. H sup Enover font him boosted booking nationwide. That in allow up to a 45 it tent Cott and reliant