If Air Travel Worked Like Health Care

I have to say, I didn't think I'll ever see airlines given as a positive example of great customer service in comparison with anything.

I'm not quite sure what the article is getting at - people on both sides of the issue agree that there are serious problems with the way health care is currently delivered in the US, and (for the most part) they agree on what those problems are. The disagreement comes, of course, with how the sides suggest fixing them.

I also don't buy the implied comparison with how "open" and organized the airline industry is. Sure, Expedia/Orbitz gives you decent visibility and aggregation of providers, but there's still a whole deeper level of ticket availabilities, pricing structures, and routing plans that are only available when you talk to someone who's job it is to know the system (a travel agent), and who you pay a commission to in order to get the best deal/service.

If you think travel agents are dead in the face of the Internet, it means one of two things - you don't go anywhere complex, or you haven't found a good one.