The Wall Street Journal recently offered travelers some suggestions for enjoying their journeys by air in this new year. I much admire the story’s writer, Scott McCartney, who is a very good journalist, but I disagree with his sense of optimism about the airlines as well as some of his ideas. So with all respect due Mr. McCartney, please allow me a brief dissenting commentary.

First, I don’t see any reason for travelers to be optimistic about flying in 2014. Unless, of course, you fly hundreds of thousands of miles each year and fall into one of the airline’s premium categories, or you just have lots and lots of money to throw at the airlines for first-class seats. If that’s you, congratulations; 2014 will be another banner year. If you are, however, like the rest of us who fly only occasionally and then in steerage (coach) class, please remember my mantra: The airlines are not your friends.

The new year, I’m convinced, will bring us the following: higher fares, fewer flights, more crowded flights, tighter, more uncomfortable seating, more flight disruptions, less and worse food, more and higher fees, longer waits. On the plus side, there’s a better chance that the airlines won’t lose your checked baggage. Go ahead the pop the champagne cork over that one.

To be more specific about some of the Journal’s ideas — Mr. McCartney suggests you aim for elite status by flying with just one airline even if that means paying higher fares. If your flying is no more than a half dozen or so flights this year, however, you’ll wind up paying more without getting close to elite status. He also suggests making a totally unnecessary flight or two in order to reach elite. I’m not much on that idea either; you’re likely to pay more than anything you’d get.

He proposes passengers buy their food at airports locations rather than wait for something on board, and given the rising quality of those airport restaurants, that’s absolutely the right path to follow. He advocates paying for an airliner credit card to get the right to board early, a suggestion that isn’t awful, but consider the $100 annual fee against the fact that everybody else has one and boards at the same time you do.

Mr. McCartney suggests springing for the extra fee for getting more legroom on longer flights. It’s hard to argue with this, except to point out again that the airlines are doing everything possible to make coach (cheaper ticket) customers terribly uncomfortable and squeezed. They should be ashamed of extorting fees to purchase minimal levels of seating comfort.

New federal regulations now further limit the time pilots can spend in the cockpit without rests — which seems a good safety idea — but given the reduced number of planes now in the fleets and the reduced number of flights, the opportunities for delays are mounting. Add in the usual weather-related issues, whether snow or ice or rainstorms, and you have a year filled with potential problems. We’ve already seen one big one in the Midwest and Northeast, and the year is scarcely 10 days old.

Finally, lest I just sound grumpy, let me add that Mr. McCartney also has some splendid suggestions. Among them, avoid reclining your seat in coach — that’s just being a decent human being with respect for others in the same tight circumstances — and have sympathy for those passengers stuck in a middle seat (again, it could be you, so be kind).

Of course, my suggestion is take the train. Or bus. Or drive your own vehicle. Or bicycle. Or walk. Make flying your last resort if possible. And yes, I know you can’t get to many wonderful places around the globe without flying. I fly when I have to. But the more you can avoid and minimize it, the cheerier your trip is likely to be. And besides, if you believe flying is the best part of your trip, you probably seriously need another bag of peanuts.