Free hot meals in Economy? Seriously?

FREE HOT MEALS: A thing of the past on most US airlines for all classes below business on most domestic routes. "In the good old days" when I first started flying in 1964, Braniff served free hot meals on the 45-minute flight between Wichita Falls and Dallas Love Field. As late as 1977, Braniff was still serving free hot meals in coach on one-hour 727 flights between DFW and Lubbock. (Notice the emphasis on "free").

Then came 1978, and the onset of airline "deregulation." Instead of the clubby, old-boy Civil Aeronautics Board regulating fares and routes as they had done since 1934, the airline business suddenly became a free-for-all where airlines could fly to any domestic destination they chose for any fare. The gloves were off. A number of carriers like Braniff overexpanded and failed (with a bit of a push from American Airlines.).

With carriers no longer protected from competition and fare wars, the industry began a "race to the bottom" in terms of free services, as airlines desperately cut costs in order to charge the lowest possible fares. Predictably, inflight services were among the first things to go, especially meal services.

At first, coach passengers noticed a distinct reduction in quantity and quality of their free meals. It wasn't long before free coach meals disappeared altogether, to be replaced by sandwiches and sodas for purchase. These meals weren't bad, but they were a far cry from 1960s glamor.

Today, just as income disparities in society continue to increase, so do service disparities continue to increase between Coach and First Class. Many airlines, especially in Europe and the Middle East, serve their First Class passengers elaborate multi-course meals on linens and fine china as they relax in their luxurious private "suites," while coach passengers with their 29-inch seat pitch struggle to get their knees out of the way so they can pull their tray tables down and eat the box lunches they purchased at the gate.

So what's a coach passenger to do? Fortunately, many airlines do allow passengers to bring on food they purchased at the fast-food outposts in the terminal (at double city prices). Personally, I would rather eat a Taco Bell burrito and nachos than an airline ham sandwich. But don't try to carry food through security. Not even a water bottle. This rule has been a boon to airport food vendors.

This is assuming you have any money left over after paying to store your Winnebago-sized wheelie bag in the overhead bin. Too bad it won't fit under the seat in front of you without knocking that person's legs into the next seat. What do you mean, you can't make a two-week trip using only a small wheelie? Flight attendants do it all the time. Gate agents are supposed to catch oversize carryons, but most just ignore them (as I did in my gate agent days) rather than risk a passenger's wrath.

I see little, if any, chance that coach customer service will improve in the future. There have even been discussions about offering "standing-room only" accommodations on shorter flights. That's right, your basic ticket only gives you standing room. For an actual seat, you will pay extra. I suppose they would provide "Top Gun"-type harnesses to hold you back against a wall if the seat belt sign came on. Good luck crawling over your "seatmates" to visit the pay-per-use lav. Bon appetit!