The Chronicle star the Moss Point advertiser., 1961-09-01

is like calling Khrushcnev a
man Of broad interests. hgs
were literally so bad, in ira1iic
and tickeiing and maintenance
Of schedule, that ] ana Some
other evil-iempered people
with typewriters launcneo q
full-scale war on various
abuses.
What was basically wrong
with the airlines was n
they'd been living fat ana su-
percilious on wartime restrlc-
ton, when civilian flying IN
volved priorities ana seats
were at premium. When the
war stopped and the clViiians
fought and clawed for seat
space they kept right on play
ing the same old dont-you-
know-there's-a-war-o tune
One of the first bricks TO
smash the window OF SNUG
ness was hurled by me, ana
was fair drowned in logical
excuses for this delay and that
foul-up and this communica-
tons scramble.
But more hammers joined
the anvil chorus and the ar
lines finally took heed, revised
their techniques, and resumed
normal civilian attitude OF
competing for business instead
of sneeringly accepting 1t.
Which is why / say that I'm
getting fed up with the jets.
and their endless recital OF
fresh excuses for internal or
external ailments which Will
keep the bird grounded for as
much as a dozen hours OF un-
comfortable cliff-hanging sus-
pense at various airfields.
l have come to the point OF
automatically figuring IN a
thre or four-hour delay While
they tinker with the hydraul-
les or fiddle with the plumbing
and I suspect l amt lonesome.
/ would point out her that
jets are swift and they are sill
ent and very comfortable and
that they operate above the
whimsies of weather-once you
get the things off the deck, up
to cruising height and pointed
in the general direction of
home and mother.
But in the same breath / rise
to remark that a plane which
expends four hours circling to
use up fuel for a turn-back
landing; a plane which keeps
the passengers jailed inside on
the ground while the motor
doctors feel pulses and take
temperatures; plane which IS
half dozen hours late for de-
parture or arrival wastes just
as much human time as the old
piston jobs.
Well and good. If the plane
is late, it's obviously for cause.
If the machinery is sick, cure
it before you fly it. Fine and
dandy. But stop looking down
your nose at me as if to say,
But it's a jet, you know,"sas
if that made sitting around
nicotineless in the plane
pleasure, or either sweating or
freezing in those cheerless
mems rooms they call airports
a positive privilege.
You may also refrain from
pointing out that the decor is
pretty. and the food is fancy.
and that the reason the passen-
gers can't get out for a leg
stretch between Rome and Lis
mon. although you stop In Nice
and Barcelona. is because the
jet eats strip and the long
strips too far from the airport
to bother with the bus; even
though you might occasionally
be there a couple OF hours
cleaning the motors teeth.
Here is a truth: Nobody flleS
a plane to look at the murals
or eat the food or listen to the
Muzak. People fly planes to
get places fast, and they fly
jets because they are faster
than pistonS.
The food and service IS gen
orally not too good1on the big
trans-oceanic flights unless you
are portion to a select mini
mum which aystwice the fare
to fly first,class. Three-abreaSt