I started to append this to the "we are 40th in line" thread on the DL board, but since it had been diverted to a discussion of consistent application of FA cabin rules I thought I'd start over in a broader forum.

I recall reading an article a couple of years ago that looked at the number of seats vs the number of planes on the NYC-Los Angeles flights in 1974(?) and at the time of the article. IIRC, there were as many seats going between the two cities in 1974 as there are today, but approximately 30% fewer airplanes. This was due to the use of 747's (Delta had 2, I think), L-1011's and DC-10's on the transcon runs. With changes to smaller mainline planes, compounded by the switch to RJ's, it's no wonder we have congestion on the ground.

The airlines justify the increased use of RJ's to customer demand for frequency. I'm curious - is there really a customer demand for frequency, or is this based on the airlines competitive need to have a matching flight anytime a competitor has one (i.e., Delta and AirTran flights leaving ATL for FLL 5-10 minutes apart). Personally, I don't really care if Delta has 5 flights or 8 on a route, so long as there are enough seats - I'm going to pick the one closest to the time I need to leave/get there. Are others more demanding on their schedules that they need hourly departures? Is frequency just, as a colleague of mine says, "a bad idea that stayed too long"?

Sorry if this is a bit disjointed, but I wonder if we've become captives to a system (frequent flights with smaller planes) that no one really wants. And if anyone can point me to the article I'm remembering, please help - I think I tore it out of the magazine and then lost it in a move.