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Full Upright And Locked Position
Mark Gerchick
Not-So-Comfortable Truths about Air Travel Today
W. W. Norton
July 2013
On Sale: June 24, 2013
352 pages
ISBN: 0393081109
EAN: 9780393081107
Kindle: B007Q6XL1Q
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
"Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight," our pilots
still intone. But who are they kidding? In
Full Upright and Locked Position, former FAA chief
counsel and senior aviation policy official Mark Gerchick
unravels the unseen forces and little-known facts that have
reshaped our air travel experience since September 11, 2001.
With wry humor and unique insight, Gerchick takes us
past the jargon, technicalities, and all-is-well platitudes
to expose the new normal of air travel: from the packed
planes and myriad hassles of everyday flying to the alchemy
of air fares, the airlines’ endless nickel-and-diming, and
the elusive hope of escape from steerage. We find out what
pilots do in the cockpit, what’s really worth worrying about
when it comes to airline safety, and why we get sick on
planes. Meanwhile, Gerchick ponders the jarring disconnect
between our quaint expectations of "service with a smile"
and the grim reality of cramped seats, no-free-lunch, and
"watch-yer-knees." With sympathy for both fliers and
airlines, Gerchick shows how the new
"business-all-business" airline industry has
finally learned to make money, even in the face of crushing
fuel costs, and get millions of travelers where they’re
going every day safely and quickly. From his singular
vantage point as former aviation regulator and policymaker,
Gerchick gives us a straightforward insider’s view of how
hard it is for government to improve the traveler’s lot by
explaining the vagaries of consumer protection rules as well
as the political realities and the economic forces at work.
While Gerchick offers reasons to hope for a better future in
air travel, he presents an unvarnished look at what we can
expect—good and bad—when we take to the skies. Some of it
will reassure you, some will make you cringe, but all will
open your eyes to what it means to fly today.
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