As I sat next to a sleeping man on a hard plastic bench at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport this past week, I thought about how cattywampus a routine connection back to Columbus had turned out.
For an industry that had a net profit of $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2025 alone, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, we as consumers need to demand more from airline corporate powerhouses.
Air travel is a privilege in a world of rising costs and inflation, but increasingly, this privilege results in a bare minimum customer experience driven by over-efficiency and profit.
This past week, many flight cancellations were felt in the Midwest after more than one powerful storm system passed through, according to The Associated Press. As of March 17, over 1,100 U.S. flights were cancelled on Tuesday alone, with around 7,300 delayed.
I myself, alongside many other Bobcats, felt the effects of these storms, stuck in phone support queues, crowded airports and indefinite uncertainty as to when I could sleep on a mattress again.
Weather delays are common and out of the control of larger corporate companies and carriers; however, the key difference between sheer luck and bad practice comes with how airlines adapt to such changes.
Although I am no expert on airline travel, as a consumer, I think the high ticket price comes at a premium, and passenger comfort should be prioritized. Many passengers stuck in Chicago alone slept on floors, with no meals or hotel support.
Airlines have become so overly efficient that one wrench thrown in and the whole schedule is thrown off. For how expensive it is to fly by air travel in comparison to other methods of transportation, passengers should be taken care of, able to rest, be fed and have a stable place to stay if displaced.
By prioritizing profit over customers, efficiency is almost too efficient. Any small change or inevitable thing that does not go on schedule throws off a whole chain reaction of flights, connections and deadlines. Airlines should either provide more support for travelers or step away from rigorous schedules, which are doomed to fail.
In addition, with the increase in inflation and cost of living, travel processes overall are up compared to this time last year, according to NerdWallet. While general travel costs in the U.S. are up 3% in 2026 compared to 2025, airfare costs are up a whopping 7.1%.
Consumers and customers alike should expect more from airlines charging a pretty penny for premium travel. Especially when travelling with children, families and on the way to spring break or work trip alike, the lack of support for stranded travelers is concerning.
Likewise, post-COVID, digital support through phone lines or remote support has become normal. For emergencies like weather cancellations and airport overcrowding, airlines need to implement more in-person options for support.
While the increase in technological customer support saves money for airlines, passengers should be able to find a support agent in the airport they are passing through, as opposed to having to call into a phone line and be put on hold.
In my experience recently, by the time you were taken off hold, the problem was solved by yourself, or it was too late to actually comfortably fix and the perilous fate of poor travel had already been realized.
For example, I called United specifically to request to pick up my delayed baggage from the airport rather than having it delivered. I originally called, hoping to let someone know not to put it on a delivery truck before I could get there in about 40 minutes. After being put on hold for the length of the drive to the airport, I found the bag just in time when an agent on the phone answered.
I explained to her that I had my hand on the bag in the airport and had originally called for support 40 minutes prior, but would no longer need help. This is the kind of wild goose chase air travelers nationally are facing, despite paying high costs for tickets, fees and more.
Although airline stocks are shifting with multiple government shutdowns, tariffs, overseas conflicts and more, passenger flights are also a large factor.
Airline travel should be reliable, and in the event passengers get stuck, their carrier should be obligated to efficiently compensate them, making sure they are well rested and have adequate lodging over the cost of merely getting flights in and out of the gate.
Emily Stokes is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Have something to say? Email Emily at es542222@ohio.edu
