I Was Quite Surprised By Some Things On My American Airlines International 'Economy Class' Flight

And compared to other ways that one can spend one's time, flying is indeed often unpleasant and aggravating. Absent a need to get somewhere else, it's hard to imagine choosing to fly.

Among the common complaints about flying are lousy service, cramped seats, yucky food (if any), egregious add-on fees, frequent delays and cancellations, and a general impression that one is less a customer than a herd animal.

But!

If we airline customers have demonstrated anything over the past few decades it's that what we care about most is cost. Given the choice between paying more for better service, food, space, etc., or suffering and saving, today's flyers almost unanimously choose the latter.

So you can't blame airlines for cutting amenities. Especially when, even with these cuts, airlines still go bankrupt all the time--like American Airlines.

What's it really like to fly international "economy class" these days? And what's it like to fly on a bankrupt airline?

I always fly economy, unless someone else is footing the bill. And, yesterday, I flew American from Zurich to New York. So this was a good opportunity to step back and assess the experience.