Attention All Passengers audiobook

I won this book through Goodreads “First Read” program and I would like to express my appreciation for having the opportunity to review it.It was a terrific read. A comprehensive review of the serious issues facing the US airline industry, the book does not pull any punches--it exposes the corrosive degradation of all aspects of the flying experience, from issues of customer service outsourcing, to the frustration felt from those infamous TSA pat downs. Now, to be fair, McGee’s tone sometimes reaches past normal journalistic objectivity and he expresses a disappointment that only an industry insider could articulate; however, his assertions are well supported and in the final analysis his anger seems quite justified. He makes a strong case that there are real problems affecting the general public here, with heavily invested players from governmental agencies and big business pursuing their own ends, often to the detriment of the consumer.One fascinating topic that I am glad that he covered dealt with the allowance of infants to fly without proper seat restraints; I was totally unaware that this problem even existed.I can not recommend this book more highly, the information is trenchantly explained and it is worthy of serious consideration.

I've flown a fair amount since 9-11. I've even flown with my elderly kitty, the one in my picture.My husband and I flew in early October 2011 - the tickets were cheap, cheap, cheap; as were my tickets to Paris and back in 2003. I was in Paris as the U.S. was bombing Baghdad, with the French people all very certain about how Bush had stolen the election and how sad that was for the American people. (Filipinos expressed the same in 2004. Maybe it was just "F" people.) Before anyone takes the time and energy to be offended by the French people's lack of respect for the U.S. president, recall that Americans at the time were so anti-French that a couple of Republican representatives to Congress declared that french fries and french toast in the House cafeteria should now be called freedom fries and freedom toast, a move widely copied across the country. The French disdain was limited to the U.S. president and our military actions in Iraq. The American disdain extended to all things French, including food. Anyway, back to Attention All Passengers. All that was simply to say that I've stood in the lines and experienced the seat in front of me being so close that it was in my lap in the recline position. I've never minded the security that followed 9-11. I've never had a bone to pick with the industry for packing passengers into planes or eliminating meals for domestic flights. I have had, however, a sneaking suspicion that they couldn't offer flights so cheap without cutting corners that shouldn't be cut. (Not that I didn't snap up those cheap flights. Ah, cognitive dissonance.)Who better to confirm the truth of unsafe cost-cutting than William McGee? He's a guy who use to edit Consumer Reports Travel Letter, a fellow who worked for years in flight operations management, is an FAA-certified dispatcher, and served in the Air Force. He's the lone consumer advocate on Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's advisory panel looking at solving vexing issues in the airline industry—a $1.2 trillion a year industry that is in spectacular, free-falling trouble. ("Free-falling trouble" is probably a tactless metaphor when discussing the airline industry. How about striking that and inserting "post-deregulation collapse.")Not only is he well-qualified and knowledgeable, McGee is a good writer.This review may make it sound as though this is a political book, and in our era of polarization maybe it is. McGee sees a government role in both the creation and solution to the issue.Whichever side you're on, Attention All Passengers is a book everyone who flies should be interested in. I received this book via the firstreads program and can enthusiastically recommend it.

I listened to the audio book and it's outstanding. I fly frequently and usually fly Delta Airlines and they are pretty good. I was once on a Delta flight or perhaps a Delta Connection flight from Salt Lake City to another location and there was frost on the wings of the plane and I saw the co-pilot looking at the frost on the wings through the exit row windows and talking with one of the flight attendants and I saw him hold up his hand and make a motion of money to the flight attendant to explain why they were not going to have the wings deiced before takeoff. I was astounded and concerned and luckily we took off without issue. If you travel for business or pleasure you need to read this book. I definitely recommend this book.

An eye opening look into the precarious nature of the flying public’s safety. Reading ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS will no doubt cause you to pause next time you head down a jetway to consider who has inspected the plane, where it was serviced, even what you’re wearing. You also might pay closer attention to the flight attendant’s safety talk instead of raising the volume on your headphones, closing your window shade, and curling up with your neck pillow. I look forward to future updates from this passenger advocate/author.

This is an expose of the current state of America's airlines. It scared me to death. All of the major carriers are outsourcing maintenance to other countries such as El Salvador and Singapore which are largely beyond the reach of Federal Aviation Administration's inspectors. Regional airlines such as Colgan Air are operating flights originating in smaller cities under the name of a major carrier partner. The major airlines accept no responsibility for the safety deficiencies of these regional carriers. In some cases, pilots are not properly trained. Salaries are as low as $15,000 per year. If you want to complain to an airline representative about any issue, good luck. The call centers are in India. Ticket offices are now non-existent. This book has had a profound effect on my life. I am traveling to California (from Virginia) tomorrow. On Amtrak.

A bit dry, but it's a good look at where the industry is today. I did question some of his statements about pollution and contrails; McGee states that carbon and NOx emissions in the upper atmosphere are worse than emissions on the surface. CO2 and NOx are soluble gasses, I see no obvious reason why they wouldn't quickly mix through the altitudes. I wish he'd explained this assertion, because (as a weather observer and former pilot weather briefer with a degree in chemistry) the assertion makes no sense to me. Also, he asserted that condensation trails ("contrails") and contrail-induced cirrus clouds contribute to global warming. In fact, high-altitude clouds reflect the sun's heat into space and reduce global warming.

Everyone who flies, ever, should read this book. Consumers need to be more informed about the insane practices that are now the status quo for the airlines. We should be much less enraged about $10 snack boxes and less legroom, and much more enraged by an ineffectual TSA and outsourced aircraft maintenance with no FAA oversight.One thing the author could have touched on more was the fact that many of the issues he talks about only affect us peon travelers. Corporate execs get to fly chartered, private jets that are outside of many of the policies he discusses. Nonetheless, I give this book 5 stars for so thoroughly exposing so much about commercial aviation that we, as passengers and citizens, should know.

Good. The author concludes: "I've come to see that the deepest problems facing the U.S. airline industry are the deepest problems facing the United States itself. These include the pervasive effects of corporate influence throughout all three branches of government; political gridlock; the ever-widening economic gap between corporate CEOs and rank-and-file workers; federal regulators failing to regulate the industries they are sworn to oversee; the wholesale outsourcing of decent jobs, particularly outside the United States; and a willful ignorance of how industry is affecting the environment."

"I've come to see that the deepest problems facing the U.S. airline industry are the deepest problems facing the United States itself." McGee, pg 307An easy and informative read, and the suggestions McGee makes at the end of the book seem actually feasible. The author has spent 25 years in the aviation industry and makes a very convincing case against airlines being allowed to value profits over passenger rights.

After reading McGee's thoughtful and illuminating expose, I'm thoroughly disgusted. Before I began, I predicted, correctly as it turns out, that I would be frustrated by commercial aviation industry by reading this book, but what I didn't anticipate is how ashamed I would be of the flagrant lack of

Good book; and amazing to see the issues / warnings in the book play out in real life (Asiana flight just landed short into SFO...) There are some real problems in the airline industry that need to get worked out quickly. William does a good job of bringing the issues to light, and explaining them clearly.

I read this book while flying on Air Canada. I'm glad I read it, and I think I have a better understanding of the airline industry as a result. It will definitely make me think about which flight tickets I am purchasing. I would like to know how AC compares to the U.S. airlines discussed in this book, since I fly the most on AC...

Very good read,with information only an insider can provide. Two items caught my attention, lack of enforcement by Government Regulators and outsourcing of aircraft maintenance. Corporate Culture in the U.S. and Canada have very close ties with State, Provincial, Federal Governments and until this changes the Wealthy will continue their upward climb with no regard or empathy for anyone else.

This book raised a lot of interesting issues. I fly quite frequently, but there were many topics about the airline industry that I haven't thought about. I probably shouldn't have read it while flying though.

Anybody who is planning to fly should read this book and then be careful how you travel. If you think the US government should work on the transportation policies, such as they are, this would also be a good place to start.

This book is stunning. If you work in aviation, it verified so many of the suspicions I've had. It's a must read.