You have to begin somewhere. I will begin on New Years day, 1914. It took thirteen years until somebody matched the technological accomplishments of Wilbur and Orville Wright to the age old American pastime of trying to make a buck. On that January 1, Antony “Tony” Jannus piloted a Benoist XIV aircraft from the pier at St. Petersburg, Florida to downtown Tampa, Florida in what usually is regarded as the first scheduled airline flight. His passenger, St. Petersburg Mayor A.C. Pheil, paid upwards of $400 for the honor. It appears some in attendance were aware of the significance of the event, as the trip began and ended in front of large crowds and numerous reporters. The flight took 23 minutes, and probably did not include an inflightmovie, a beveragecart, nor an additional fee for checked baggage. The flight did not get stranded on the tarmac for nine hours, nor did the flight crew belong to a union. Yet Pheil paid over one half the average yearly wage of an American worker for the privilege. The equivalent today would be paying over $17000.00.
The fee for service is just one of the myriad of issues facing today’s aviation industry. The commerical carriers are upset they pay the bulk of the costs of the air traffic control system. The pilots of regionals are upset they are paid less than the guy flipping burgers. The general aviation industry which was once such a point of pride in this nation has been priced nearly to extinction. Counties and cities across the nation are eyeing prime real estate in their community occupied by an airport and see better uses. We shall seek to educate and inform, and hopefully occasionally enrage, or else nothing is being accomplished.
