Gone are the days when most airlines flew their planes at only 60 or 70% of capacity, leaving plenty of room for standbys, non-revs, and discretionary upgrades. Nowadays, nearly all flights are routinely flown at 90% capacity and above, leaving very little room for those flying standby or those who misconnect, suffer a weather delay, et cetera. The only way to enjoy flying is to pick an airline alliance, fly it enough to earn status, and then use those status perks to make the journey bearable. I routinely fly a minimum of 50,000 miles every year and have done for nearly 12 years in a row now. It takes a considerable amount of planning, flexibility, and know-how, but if you're willing to devote the time and effort, the rewards are superb. But it is an obsession. If you don't have the time or the inclination to become obsessed and play the status game, you might as well just go Greyhound. The experience is about the same ;-D
