Like many students, I spent a fair amount of my spring break on a plane — a couple flights out and another couple back. Plane tickets, unlike most forms of travel, are the only time $500 goes pretty much nowhere. Well, actually it can buy you a seat in the back of coach being served by overworked stewards and stewardesses, but little more. This is merely a symptom of a deteriorating industry in throes of rapid change.

The worst thing is the cost problems will not get better. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the price of one way, domestic flights haven't changed 5 percent annually in over the past decade. Furthermore, there is no distinct trend — the fares continuously fluctuate in the mid-300s. While that is only domestic flights, the trend seems representative of the airline industry in general.

The news gets worse. Stephen Dubner of "Freakonomics" fame predicts costs will rise in the near future. One reason is the price of fuel continues to vary wildly due to unstable availability crude oil; however, demand has also dropped forcing companies such as Delta to mothball normal flight routes. This has left airlines with planes flying half-empty, staff becoming redundant and a business plan that has become obsolete in a rapidly changing business environment.

What is a rational customer to do? Nothing in the industry, the government, unions and irate shareholders currently control the interests of the various CEOs, CFOs and COOs. Admittedly, Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group (i.e. Virgin Atlantic), claims the customers are always first, but to be honest, when cutting costs, customer service is the first to go. Branson has the right mindset (along with most executives), but a dated infrastructure, along with ledgers redlining, is forcing companies to shed whatever they can in a panicked attempt at self-preservation.

Branson, however, is not all hot air. The Virgin Group's new branch Virgin America promises customized service, future Wi-Fi and even mood lighting in the lavatories along with increasingly lower prices. This of course is only possible because the airline is using a brand-new fleet that is fuel-efficient and a more tech-savvy business model. This is only possible with the massive amount of initial capital Virgin has at its disposal and the financial bravado Bronson is known for.

To put it bluntly, Branson's model is not panacea for an ailing industry. Delta, which, after recently acquiring Northwest Airlines, is the largest commercial carrier, cannot not follow the Virgin route. Not counting former NA aircraft, the company currently maintains a fleet of 443 crafts and has another 45 on order. To overhaul the vehicles with up-to-date electronics is simply infeasible, though newer models do of course have some advanced features. Delta, of course, is not alone. Many of the major traditional airlines (legacy carriers) have similar problems.

While one can hope for better accommodations, faster travel and cheaper prices, the future looks grim. Most major carriers find themselves unable to respond to the changing environment, cutting heavily into revenue and sometimes forcing the airlines to run at a loss. Customers should make their complaints to the airlines, clarifying the issues they have with air travel. These days, however, it is unlikely the companies can make the requisite changes to survive even if they wanted to.

—Thomas Shattuck is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Science.  He can be reached at thomas.w.shattuck@vanderbilt.edu.