The late 1990s were the best time ever for the airline industry. Seats were packed elbow-to-elbow and the airlines made more money than ever before. United Airlines, then the nation’s biggest carrier, saw its stock price jet to more than $125 a share. United’s biggest hub is in my hometown of Chicago. They go almost everywhere out of O’Hare Airport and their fares are usually among the lowest, so I fly them a lot. What I remember most about traveling in that prosperous era was the rudeness and arrogance of United employees.