We like to complain about travel, but we also want to travel very cheaply and not pay for many of the things we demand. IMO, we have the system most of us deserve. I am not that unhappy with travel. It is not fun and I don’t fit in most seats, but I am getting what I (or my employer) pays for. Well, maybe not. The USG, in its wisdom, pays about twice as much for a flight as I could get on the ordinary website and they get a lower class ticket in the bargain. I am told there are reasons for this beyond my immediate understanding and I have to accept my cognitive limitations. Evidently, they sometimes get good deals on flights I never take and so the overall system is okay. It is like judging the symphony when you just sit next to the drum. I am missing the sublime beauty of the total system harmony. They even have special webpages that manage to give you less convenient service at a higher price, something that private businesses just cannot match. USG webpages require special training.
That aside, I am have generally happy with Delta, which has the flight to DC via Atlanta. They cancelled my flight in January because of air storms, but got me quickly on a replacement and gave me lots of free miles. Travel has also improved with electronic tickets and internet. Some people recall a golden age of travel. I do not. Travel sucked more thirty years ago than it does today and it cost a lot more in inflation adjusted dollars.