It's amazing that we complain about comfort and legroom on a 5 hour cross-country flight. Yet how far we've come - 150 years ago people spent months and risked their lives to make the same trip.
Very true that we complain a lot. I think the reasons we have ended up in such a state (complaining about the miracle that the last 100 years has brought) has a number of factors:
1. We always expect things to get "better". Those who recall the switch from an all propeller driven fleet to a virtually all jet fleet know what I'm talking about. The improvement in speed, comfort and reliability was dramatic. What in the past 40 or 50 years can compare with that transition beginning in the late 50s and more or less complete by the mid 60s. Can't really count the Concorde because of its limited routes.
2. Early competition to gain customers (and fight for customers) made air travel equivalent to a magic carpet ride - including the veiled genies feeding us peeled grapes and fine wines. Well, a bit of an exaggeration, but watch the movie "Catch Me If You Can" to get an idea of what it was like in the late 60s.
3. Now, primarily because of cost squeeze, seats and space have shrunk, service is hit and miss, food is bad and/or non-existent and reliability is spotty as well.
4. Realistically, we have entered an age where "everyone" can fly - not just rich people. It is the "bus" of the 2000s. Clearly a very "good" thing with some "bad" side-effects.
5. More specifically, the price for air travel is nominally not very different from the 1960s (quite often around $.10/mile back then and not so different today when you book it right.) So, something had to give. Our "enjoyment" of air travel is primarily what has suffered. For the most part, you can still get from A to B at 500 miles per hour, just like you could with the "new" jet fleet. Now, it's no fun, because it's not exclusive, luxurious, comfortable, "sexy", exotic, etc. etc.
All in all, I am glad we have our transportation system. I dread using it, though I still want to "be" other places from time to time. SO, 10 to 20 hours of discomfort and shear drudgery are not too high a price to pay to have the ability to "be" 5000 miles away from the starting point.
No, I didn't forget to mention airport security. I suppose we could argue about whether that is an "outside" factor, independent from the airline experience itself. True enough, it's a royal PIA and probably too expensive, not particularly effective (vs. the "let's roll" mentality which is what I believe has stopped hijacking) and it has virtually (and overnight) taken away more freedom(s) than any outside force (though, just my humble opinion, so YMMV).
