Orlando and other hot spots are in high season and spring break will be here before you know it.

The travel season generates lots of negative publicity about how bad the travel industry treats us.

Older folks wistfully comment about the “good old days” when airlines treated customers better and travel wasn’t such a hassle.

But, what if these are the good old days?

Objective research indicates that what we’re experiencing now are the best of times, at least when compared to how things used to be.

Flying, for example has never been easier or more affordable, according to a recent USA Today article by John Waggoner.

Although the airline industry has made many improvements through the years, the big change was when the government deregulated the industry in 1978, which opened up competition.

Here are the facts about how much better things are compared to the “good old days:”

- In 1978, fliers paid about 27.9 cents a mile; they pay an average of 12.1 cents for each mile flown today.

- Until the 1970′s seat assignments were not available in advance.

- Flight attendants may have worn white gloves back in the day, but it used to take 14 hours and multiple stops to fly from New York to Barcelona.

-The Air Transport Association reports that in the period from 1965-69, there were 39 accidents involving fatalities on scheduled commercial flights operated by U.S. airlines.  In 2005-2009, there were six.

- Airports have become min-cities, filled with amenities such as high-end shopping, massage therapists, and cuisine from all over the world.

So why do  we think things are getting worse?

Memory, the media, and something called “group think” play a role.

Our brains tend to accentuate the positive and gloss over the negative when reviewing old memories.

The media–and gossip–for that matter, thrive on bad news and the act of stirring things up.   Now social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become a breeding ground for complaints rather than compliments.

Finally, people like to identify with other people who have problems.  Misery loves company and all that.

Maybe things aren’t so bad for right now.  Maybe we’re just that much more efficient at complaining.

What if these are the best of times?

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Michael Angelo Caruso is a communication consultant and accomplished author based in Royal Oak, Michigan.