Airline

Having watched every episode of this series, I have to express my thanks to both Southwest Airlines and A&E for the courage to allow the world to see the real world as it applies to airline operations in the 21st Century.

I have enjoyed the realism of the staff and crew of SWA in the production of this show, and, as a pilot who at one time was trying to fly with a major airline (with many friends in the industry) I have enjoyed the exploits, the conflicts, and the professionalism exhibited by the Flight Crews, Attendants, and Ground Operations Crew of SWA in the unappreciated execution of their daily duties, and also the stories of those passengers who show respect for these underpaid, overworked people who are attempting to combine safety, service and duty in this difficult age.

Also, I must compliment the ability of Southwest Airlines to show criticism to not only their clientele but also to their own staff, as this is the epitome of realistic television.

disclaimers: 1. I've worked in "customer service" type jobs all my life.

What happens when a passenger is refused boarding because he's drunk? How do they let a passenger know that he smells bad? Why can't someone "carry-on" an ice chest full of fresh chicken. If you've ever pondered these questions.. then something might be wrong with you. But that's OK! Because most of the general public has something wrong with them. This show can prove it, because they caught it on tape.

By hanging around the Southwest Airlines terminals, the crew of "Airline" has produced hours of interesting footage. You'll be amused at the things people try to take with them when they fly. You'll be angry at how some people treat others. But you'll laugh you're hind-end off a lot of the time.

This series should be mandatory viewing for everyone who enters an airport.

If Southwest believes for a moment that people would want to flock to their airline as a result of this show, then I believe that they're screwy!

The employees are sometimes so callous, so cold and occasionally so unprofessional that I am continuously aghast at their behaviour. They all need to take classes in empathy and human psychology.

Naturally, one does not view the non-incidents, but if I were to fly their airline, which is not likely, I would make DAMN sure that I wouldn't lose a bag, or drink a drink, or go to the bathroom.

On the other hand, I am constantly astounded at how stupid some passengers are. And how they ALWAYS blame the airline for THEIR stupidity.

Listen, BUM, if you're out having a smoke, or drinking at the bar or taking a nap, and you miss the announcement for boarding, or you drink too much and aren't allowed to fly, don't be a moron and blame the gate agent. Remember that YOU'RE the moron. Take credit for your stupidity, and catch the next flight!

AIRLINE is like a train wreck: horrifying and impossible to look away.

If you love Parking Wars and similar reality shows, you will love this. I love this type of show which is based on the frustrating situations that airline employees deal with during their shifts. Some of the travelers are ridiculous and others are sadly kinda right. Good clean fun!

Network: A&E; Genre: Reality/Documentary; Content Rating: TV-PG; Classification: Contemporary (Star range: 1 - 4)

Seasons Reviewed: Series (1+ seasons)

On paper 'Airline' might have seemed like a funny and interesting idea for a reality series. The boardroom at A&E probably brook out into applause when somebody proposed it. It's also a reasonable excuse to get a lot of mileage out of corny airplane puns for the show's promotion. We've all been there. Passengers on airplanes having to deal with crowds, delays, racing from one ridiculously far apart terminal to the next and, of course, a favorite living joke, snotty flight attendants. On the show cameras document the other side, going behind the scenes with the customer service, boarding and flight attendants of Houston based Southwest Airlines. Because the show's a documentary, on A&E and not another dating contest we're all supposed to look at it with a belief that it is automatically good. It's a nice attempt, but the show doesn't work in nearly every aspect.

The people in the show are often running frantically through the airport and the show (mistakenly, I think) wants to give that discombobulating sense to the viewers, bouncing frantically from each story. There is enough high-tension stress here to make NBC's occupational documentary 'The Restaurant' look like a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic. The problems the poor Southwest employees encounter range from so mundane to so realistically annoying we'd hate to deal with in real life so much it's hard to fathom watching it as entertainment for 30 minutes on TV. We see people missing their connections, people marooned in the terminal with lost tickets or heavy plane delays, passengers complaining so rudely over this stuff it is hard to imagine these people function in their everyday life, and a cavalcade of crazy people – walking around in short kilts, diapers and massive BO. The show opened its first scene in the first episode with the most entertaining bit in which a women blames her ticket trouble on all the white people behind the counter and in management who are trying to oppress her.

None of it is particularly funny and the show is slingshoting between the vignettes so quickly we aren't given a chance to be wrapped up in any of the personal drama. More concern is put into the show's presentation than allowing us to languish in a sense of actually being there. An ideal quality in a reality show. The regulars being documented might be interesting personally, but outside of following home a gay flight attendant who doesn't care what anyone thinks, the show is edited so heavily we never get to know them personally. Most curious, and distracting, is the inclusion of an omnipresent narrator telling us what we are seeing or about to see on the screen. If you really dig the flight service profession or your TV with a little trauma, than this is the place to be.

* ½