Does all air travel suck, or is it just Delta?

I've been known to compare membership in an airline loyalty program to being a battered spouse. Like the battered spouse, you're positively giddy when things are good. He doesn't come home drunk (the flights are on time), he takes you out to a nice dinner (the food is a notch above edible), and sometimes you don't get the snot beaten out of you (you get the first class upgrade).

Then there are the bad days...like today:

I'm on a scheduled 13:18 departure from Richmond for Atlanta, with a scheduled departure from there for San Francisco at 16:40. With a scheduled arrival time in Atlanta of 15:00, there shouldn't be a problem. But, no, the flight doesn't leave Richmond until almost 14:15. Since flights board half an hour before scheduled departure, I just make it to the gate as the flight for SFO is boarding. Obviously, not enough time to even grab something to take on the plane with me. Not if I want to board in time to get an overhead bin for my carry-on baggage, anyway.

The flight for SFO departs on time, and within an hour a flight attendant tosses me my meal:


Having been ordered to enjoy! my meal, I figured I'd better get that bad boy opened up and start enjoy!ing.

Now, recall that my flight from Richmond to Atlanta was originally scheduled for 13:18. Recall also that one should be at the gate about half an hour prior to departure. That means I was at the gate at around 12:50. The last thing I'd had to eat was at around 9 in the morning. Since the time was now around 17:30 or so, I was pretty freakin' hungry. I was ready to tear into something good. To say that the following meal was something less than satisfying would be an understatement of criminal dimensions:


Yup...rosemary crackers (what the hell are rosemary crackers??), a shortbread round, some cheese-like spread and a box of raisins. Who the fuck eats raisins? Did I mention that the flight from ATL to SFO is five fucking hours??

OK...I realize you can't get a first class upgrade every time, and I realize that delays happen. But Delta's idea of a "meal" for a five hour flight in coach defies belief. Just tack another twenty bucks onto my airfare and give some real fucking food!! I don't care if it's a sandwich, just as long as it's not one of those stupid freakin' snak paks.

After eight years of flying Delta, I'm seriously considering switching to United.