Pretty good overview and introduction to modern air travel, including economic and regulatory factors which drive unpleasant trends. Not a lot of this is particularly new to avid readers of flyertalk, but it is well presented and great for less obsessive travelers. ( )

A consequence of moving far away from my family (and having had all my siblings do the same, we're all over the country) is having to fly every. single. time. I want to see them. Plus, if I want to go on vacation somewhere outside the frigid confines of the Midwest, well, I've pretty much gotta hop on an airplane.

I can still fondly remember waiting at the gate for my dad to come home from flights in the '90s. I loved watching my mom's purse go through the x-ray scanner, running to the gate, watching all the people come down the stairs, and finally pointing out my dad (the one guy not wearing a tie). I also remember flying and getting FULL meals on my trips from Albany to Orlando when we'd go to Disney World. In fact, when they switched over to giving us a sandwich in a bag, my family all looked at each other and said "that's kinda cheap, isn't it?" If only we could see what it's like to fly NOW.

Flying isn't fun. Actually, it's amazing. I love flying. I love it so much that I'm becoming a private pilot. There's nothing like taking off and becoming airborne and floating among and above the clouds. It's all the rest that sucks. Paying more and more for less and less. Having to get to the airport early only to have to stand in line after soul-breaking line. Having about 3 options for which airline to take, and they all suck somehow. Checked bags, overhead bags, trying to shove your backpack under your tiny little seat...

This book goes into detail about how we've gotten where we've gotten today. Unfortunately, the prognosis isn't good. I mean, I don't expect airlines to start giving things away for free again once they've figured out how to get us to part with our money. I always joke that one day, Spirit will have all the little oxygen masks come down and have people insert quarters if they want to keep breathing. So if you want a little reassurance that yes, flying does suck, and how it got that way, this book is for you. ( )

If you're looking for answers regarding why flying has become such a miserable experience in the past decade -- from the cramped seats to the endless litany of fees, from more intrusive security screening to the utterly impossible to navigate pricing system -- then Mark Gerchick's book is a good place to start. He writes in a friendly, direct manner, without too much technical jargon, and presents the viewpoints of multiple parties: the airlines, the passengers, and the regulators. Those who like to read Patrick Smith's "Ask the Pilot" column in Slate might also be interested in this book. ( )

As someone who, like so many people, is fed up with the realities of air travel these days, I was expecting, even hoping, that this book would be an angry exposé about the awfulness of the airline industry. But it's not, exactly. It's something quite a bit better: a thorough, calm, and informative work that explains and demystifies the good, the bad, and the ugly of US air travel, from how the airlines make their money to what the pilots actually do in the cockpit. I now feel like I actually understand why airlines have felt the need to adopt the current system, in which passengers are charged extra for everything from a checked bag to a meal to the privilege of skipping to the head of the line. (I still hate it. But I understand it better.) I have glimpsed the arcane secrets behind airline ticket pricing, including why it is that prices can easily go up on you if you spend an hour dithering about which flight to book. I have peeked into the inner sanctum of International First Class and developed whole new levels of resentment for the rich. And I have learned why it took a full decade just to enact a no-brainer rule about having to let passengers off the plane if they've been sitting for more than three hours on the tarmac. (Hint: it involves airlines being whiny crybabies about regulation.)

I've also learned that the best time to buy an airline ticket is on a Tuesday afternoon six weeks before your flight. If that advice is of any use to you, you're welcome. ( )

If you are a frequent flyer, you are well-acquainted with what an awful experience flying has become, that is if you're among the 99% of the masses who does not fly 1st class. I typically fly at least a couple of times of year so I'm familiar with the ridiculous security rituals, the cramped seats, the nickel and diming you have to endure with "ancillary fees," etc., but I still found plenty of what this industry insider has to say interesting and enlightening. About the only good news Gerchick has is that flying is more affordable for most people than it ever has been it will probably stay that way. The bad news is that all the other stuff that makes air travel miserable is not going away in the foreseeable future. ( )