Booking Flights Online--Arrrgh!

Why do airlines make booking flights online so incredibly aggravating? I've been trying to book a flight for the past few days--and as anyone who's used the major airlines' sites or one of the online travel agents--Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity--knows, it's a royal pain in the patootie. Every time I have to fly somewhere, I think, no wonder so many airlines are bankrupt--it's one of the least customer-oriented businesses on the planet.

Rants first:

• Online booking systems are incredibly slow--probably because they have to sift through Rube Goldberg-like pricing mechanisms.
• Prices change constantly, and unpredictably. A flight priced today might cost $300--tomorrow, $350--and the day after, $325. Or $425.
• Flying on Wednesday may cost less than flying Thursday--this week. Next week, it may be the other way around.
• Identical flight plans--same cities, same days, same carrier--can differ substantially in price, even if one plane is scheduled to leave just a few minutes later than another.
• Longer flights often cost less than shorter ones. So, on a longer one, even though the airline pays more for jet fuel, employees' hourly wages, and other expenses--you pay less. And you stay wedged in the seat for a couple hours longer.
• You'd think that you'd get the lowest price by booking flights far in advance, but no; apparently, the airlines can't plan that far in advance.
• All those frequent-flyer miles you have piled up? You can't use them, unless you want to fly three hours out of your way and spend another couple hours waiting for your connecting flight--the week after you'd like to fly. It's easy to earn miles; heck, I get them every time I buy groceries. Redeeming them? Forget about it.

I have found a couple of sites that help me play the airlines' games; if you have to fly, take a look at the following sites:
Sidestep.com, one of several online travel aggregators, searches many different sites, including Orbitz and those of many airlines, to show you schedules and prices. The advantage SideStep has over other sites is that you can filter results, so for example, you can check that you only want to see flights between 5 A.M. and 9 A.M. You can compare flights, too. Kayak.com has filters too, but I find SideStep's easier to use.

SeatGuru: I despise the airlines for making me squeeze into their steerage-class seats--especially when they're downwind of the lavatory. This site tells you how large the seats are on a particular airplane are, how much legroom you'll have, and other issues you may encounter with a particular seat. SeatGuru will also show you whether you're on the aisle or window--sometimes it isn't obvious by the seat numbers. You have to cross-reference with the airlines' sites to learn what kind of airplane is being used for a particular flight, though.

The Travel Insider is a site that gives tips on dealing with airlines and other travel industries. For example, it has an interesting article on air fare loopholes, another on airport parking, and one titled "What Happens if an Airplane's Engines All Fail?" And of course, I really like the site's Airline (Mis)!Management section, which covers the latest stupid moves made by the carriers.

I just wish the airlines would get a clue and figure out how to use the Internet to make booking travel easier. Making things simple, easy, and transparent ought to make for happier customers, and happier customers ought to make for profitable businesses. The MBA types running the airlines would probably say I just don't grasp the intricacies of running such a large, highly regulated, complicated business. Yeah, that's right--but neither do they.