'The Automaton Age: The Airline Checkin Counter'

The paper towels in the rest room are made of Kleenex-like

substance, luggage is charged for, meals are a thing of the past, the

peanuts passed over for pretzels, free drinks even on international

flights a thing of the past and check-in clerks at the counter now are

replaced by kiosks on posts jammed together in a lobby. Welcome

to the New Automaton Age of Airline Travel where everything is done

for maximized profits (the customer be damned) and the human

experience is absolutely minimized! Your ratings, critiques and

observations are invited and most welcome. If you rate harshly, very

critically, or wish to make an observation, please submit a helpful

and constructive comment; please share your photographic

knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

And that is precisely what I did. Looked at it the first time, when all that struck me was the blank screens of the machines with the opening beneath (to scan tickets/boarding cards?). It appeared all very mechanical and contrasted with what I have been led to believe (that in the majority of instances, a human figure enhances the photo). It looked like the frontline of an army of robots advancing, aiming to take over human civilisation.

Then I read your description and looked at the photo again. It explained why there was no human element and I felt assured that my imagination was perhaps not running away. The screens now more resembled the eyes, devoid of any expression while the open mouths were hungry to chomp whatever emotion was found. Regards.

This is a metaphor for Big Business.

In an era of Big Busines, big profits, 'We got ours and we'll be damned if you're going to get any of it', surcharges for everything and no increase in service for anything, a charge in fact for everything but falling incomes and falling values for everything, this advancing army might as well be an army of robots eating wealth, all advancing on common man. 

Is there any real wonder why the Occupy Wall Street movement has not spread to cities around the US then around the globe as a protest against corporate megaliths and their insensitivity.

My tipping point came when I went yesterday to dry my hands on a paper towel in an airline rest room and found the paper towel facial-tissue-like and supposed the fraction of a penney saved resulted in a bonus for the executive who shaved that fraction of a cent.  I just had it.  That was the bottom for me.  A paper towel that doesn't work, falls apart, and on United Airlines at that, which once was geared to the customer. 

The new motto out to be 'the customer doesn't count! -- our bonuses are all that counts!' 

Corporations Might as well just dispense with the customer entirely.

Then charge a surcharge for the customer's not showing up!

You correctly did read my photo (and comment)

Watch out, the megalights are coming! 

In fact, they already are in your wallet, quickly eating your income, surcharge by surcharge by surcharge, and each time a surcharge gets accepted, someone gets a bonus for raising that surcharge.

We are 'in synch' I think, Samrat.

john

John (Crosley)

Those 'mouths' will read your ID, and also eat your credit cards, I think.

First you prove who you are, then if the automatons like you, they will spit out boarding passes, but in certain cases, I think you must also input your credit card number for ID in some cases to prove you bought your ticket) and in others for surcharges, for instance, to get an extra five inches of seating in your section or to sit in the front of the plane, as on certain airlines (I'm not certain about this particular airline, as it once served STEAKS on every flight, but no more, alas).

Those were the days . . . . .

john

John (Crosley)

I've worked directly on Wall Street (not about or of 'Wall Street' but directly 'on' Wall Street' in the securities industry as well as Wall Street West, Montgomery Street, San Francisco.

I've edited a business magazine which catered to corporate moguls and spoke to them every single day and as part of my job spoke often several times a week to the eventual mogul of moguls Sam Walton who often called me to discuss matters when he was just getting his start and his Wal-Mart was competing with K-mart which then was the giant in the field.

I'm for a level playing field with some government regulation, not complete laissez-fair economics. In other words, I believe unfettered capitalism is as bad as unfettered big government, which you so well depicted above with a wonderful photo.

Capitalists run wild has spoiled the world economy, and not without help from the Republicans AND the Democrats (Clinton laid back on repeal of Glass - Steagall which he shouldn't have done if he were smart enough and Alan Greenspan didn't put the brakes on 'irrational exuberance' which he saw, because he was too in love with being popular and his post as Christ in chief of the economy, until the house of cards collapsed in ways that were supposedly impossible.

Lack of controls left everything in a position where the previously though impossible became possible.

What we were taught in economics would never happen because we learned our economics lessons from the Great Depression, suddenly became possible again, as big capitalism coupled with Big Government which believed in 'hands off'.

Look at what it got us.

International Monetary Crisis.

If affected me greatly and I'd be surprised if it didn't affect you.

I'm no anarchist -- I believe in capitalism but with fetters -- common sense controls which do not now exist and were abandoned first a little under Clinton and later big-time under Bush who believed money knew best, no matter what it did.

Problem is money has no morality and rewarding the greedy is good to a point, but sometimes ignores the public interest, and rewards only itself.

That's why we had anti-trust laws, an inheritance tax and other engines to break up great concentrations of wealth which now are failing us.

Rich?   OK.

The new gilded age.

I have problems with that.

The middle class is being squeezed out, and that's the backbone of America.

It should be preserved

The present system should be modified to allow it to prosper once again.

That's far from anarchy.

It's the system I grew up under.

john

John (Crosley)

common sense controls which do not now exist and were abandoned first a little under Clinton and later big-time under Bush

John, would it not be fair to say that this trend started under Reagan, and continued under his successors?

In a word 'Yes!'

Reagan was the first of the modern big spenders despite Republican mantra.

He spent, spent, and spent like money was going out of style.

It took Clinton and prosperity to put things back together after he and Bush I got the deficit so badly out of wack, and then Bush II came along and did away with all regulation and after Clinton caved in on repeal of Glass-Steagall, possibly his worst failing as a President which one failing helped father the current financial crisis.

Spenders in chief:  Reagan and Bush II, despite Republican Mantra.

Obama has created more private jobs every year than before (despite drops in public jobs which the Republicans have spearheaded).

That's it in a nutshell.

Thanks for the help, Gerry.

john

John (Crosley)