What little of that fine airline tradition remains gets run over by a steamrolling beverage cart during the holidays.
Some airlines try to replace it with cheery attitudes, extra peanuts and short pants.
When I arrived in Sacramento this past holiday season, diverted by fog from our destination in Oakland, the new policy was clearly in effect. When we disembarked, hours late and looking for answers, we were met by a red-faced United representative and four armed sheriff's deputies. Not our responsibility. As for any little goodies an airline such as United might hand out to make us feel better about dumping us 85 miles from our destination, well, that wasn't his problem either. Ours wasn't the only flight diverted to Sacramento the weekend after Christmas.