No longer a frequent flyer

Kishin Thadani shares his letter to Continental airlines:

December 11, 2010

RE: Your loyal customer (OnePass member ########) & the T.S.A.

HEAD OF CUSTOMER CARE

Continental Airlines, Inc.

900 Grand Plaza Drive NHCCR

Houston, TX 77067-4323

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to confide in you about a decision that I have made.  You see, I have decided to stop flying.  My last flight was in August 2010 with Continental Airlines and I do not have any intentions of flying again in the foreseeable future.  In fact, I recently changed my travel plans and I have decided to drive over 1,200 miles to attend my best friend's wedding in Florida rather than to hop on a direct three hour flight.  As I am sure that you are aware, Newark Airport (EWR) is a Continental Airlines hub and you have daily non-stop service to several airports in south Florida.  You may then be curious as to what would compel someone like me to forego the time convenience and cost effectiveness of a Continental Airlines flight and instead make such a person opt for an 18 hour long drive.

Well, allow me to expound on the reasoning behind my decision as well as that of others who share my feelings.

The outstanding reason for my decision can be attributed to the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration, or simply the TSA.  Specifically, it is the TSA's policies, procedures, and practices that are dissuading me from ever wanting to fly again.  Ever since the TSA introduced what they call "Advanced Imaging Technology" x-ray machines (a.k.a. the naked body scanners) in the airports, there has been a rightful outrage over their use and abuse. 

Dear Continental...

Paul Aubert forwards along his letter to Continental Airlines customer service. The response so far, according to Paul is: "I received basically a form letter response telling me my letter would be forwarded to more senior management. We shall see."

Dear Customer Service:

I am writing to let you know that I will no longer fly a US airline unless it is absolutely and utterly necessary as a last resort.

Over the last ten years, since the tragic events of 9/11, there is no longer any joy in flying.  I used to look forward to go to the airport, knowing that I would be flying. I remember how much fun it used to be to look out of the window and just to be on an airplane, flying somewhere distant and reaching that destination so quickly.  I used to take fun weekend trips, using your continental.com specials, all the time just because it was such a great deal and you could get somewhere so quickly.  I have not done this in years, though, because air travel is now such a burden.

As long as you permit the FAA and TSA (and goodness knows how many additional federal agencies) to control how you run your airline, your business will suffer and suffer badly.  It does not do for you to say that you have no control over what these agencies do.  If all of the major airlines stood their ground and refused to permit mindless government bureaucrats to run airline and airport security (and for that matter, to run air traffic control, which has also become a tremendous hindrance to a pleasant air travel experience), this madness could be curtailed.