Airline Customer Service

What is is about the airline industry that has spawned such bad customer service? Despite there being so many carriers, the fact is - as a whole - the airline industry has no effective competition. That means customer service for all carriers can fall to the lowest common denominator.

For example, though I love Jet Blue and Virgin Airlines, neither of those carriers goes everywhere I want/need. None of the carriers do. So I'm captive; unless I want to drive (which I choose to do in California and sometimes Nevada too), I don't have a choice but to fly the carriers that will take me to my destination.

USA Today has an active discussion carrying on: Flight Attendants Feel Wrath of Fliers, and Readers' Opinion.