Elise, You are so right. My wife and I just flew to Ecuador from Seattle, Alaska Air to LA and Avianca from LA to Quito. It's so much nicer to fly on a foreign carrier! Like you, I have been flying for decades and have come to dread what used to be rather glamorous. And about the cost. Our tickets from Seattle to Quito cost less for both my wife and myself than for me to fly solo from Seattle to Naknek. Don't even get me started on the TSA / INS / Customs hassles. As my working life draws to a close I will not be missing being treated like a problem rather than a customer on domestic flights. Avianca and other foreign carriers like LAN have shown it doesn't have to be like this. I used to be proud to say I flew Alaska Air. No longer.