We asked for lower prices on tickets and got them via deregulation and debundling. Now we have “Greyhound in the air.” Careful what you wish for, you buy a basic ass ticket you’re going to get basic ass service. Guarantee if that kid was on a first class ticket they’d have figured it out. While 70% of this is on is the consumer, the other 30% is on the airlines. They are publicly traded and questing for quarterly results, so of course they are going to cut any corners they can to get there, including safety. That’s why all the major US carriers run their planes down to Guatemala for their regular maintenance. It’s kinda a miracle we haven’t had more major crashes in the US, but it’s a testament to our pilots’ skill and the product created by Boeing and Airbus. Unfortunately that’s rapidly declining as well. It will take a few hundred people dying in a crash, including kids, before Americans 1) get the politicians to legislate higher safety standards and 2) are willing to pay for it.