Unfriendly Skies

by Captain X and Captain "X"

Book Overview

A commercial airline pilot with more than 20 years experience, reports through the author of this book, on the state of the airline industry in the wake of deregulation. He takes the reader behind the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385248245
• ISBN13: 9780385248242
• Release Date: April 1989
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An Engaging Read--Ignore the Cranky Reviewers

While Captain X certainly has a healthy ego, he's nowhere near the self-absorbed jerk you find described by some of the cranky reviewers here. I found this book totally engrossing from the get go. It maintains a loose, informal tone that is disarming and entertaining. Capt. X and his co-writer not only do a nice job of storytelling, they also effectively explain the ins-and-outs of the industry, taking you behind the scenes and inside the nerve centers of airports and control functions. It's a colorful but credible account, and I don't see why some revieweres here are so totally disparaging. Check it out--you likely won't be disappointed.

The unintended effects of deregulation in the airline bus.

As most of you know, the airline business was deregulated in the 1970s and 1980s. Capitalism provided us with cheap fares and an abundance of flights. In this book, Captain X fills people in on the unintended effects of deregulation. These effects would be such things as snarly passengers from the lower rungs of society, crowded planes, frills cut back, worn down aircraft to transport these passengers, and other items. Captain X also fills you in on the airline biz, and how it has changed so rapidly. This gives the reader the inside view of the business. Captain X has some great stories in this book. I read this book back in the early nineties, and I have read it again this week. Much of what he relates is still very valid, and I still found interest in this material. The last chapter on the future is not valid, so discard this chapter. A good read.

Quite Informative

This is an excellent book that describes in great detail how the airline industry operates. This book was published in 1989 and is still quite up to date. My only gripe about it was that there was nothing that talked about dispatchers, gate agants or any of the many others that are behind the scenes of an airline flight. However, the book will still give the traveler a more thorough understanding of the "ins" and "outs" of airline flying.

Well worth finding and reading (and keeping!).

I read this book years ago on the recommendation of an airline pilot who thinks he knew the author who remains annonymous! I rate this book a "must read" for it's timeless insight into all areas of the air traffic business. Read this and your air travels will be on your terms and with certainty. Exposes loopholes and pitfalls, and explains how the savvy flier can avoid them.

The truth revealed from behind the closed cockpit door

As a pilot, and a frequently-flying airline passenger, this book spoke to me from both sides of the cockpit door. The author makes revalation after compelling (and surprisingly, often entertaining) revelation about the world of deregulated airline transportation that the flying public knows nothing about. If you (or someone you love) flies on the airlines, then this is a must read. For an extra kick, read it on your next flight! It make the realism that much more intense. Note to the publisher: How about another printing of this rare one