Crazy Airfares!!

[Cheburashka]

If I go out I'm getting alcohol appetizers and the works or I'm not going out. What's the point. I can eat boring at home.

You can get drunk at home easily. Most Americans can't make a great Thai dish at home, though.

 

[DCLMP]

You left out the fries, but whatever. And if you're happy with it, why post the complaint about how expensive it was? My point was that isn't the norm. I go to Chick Fil A pretty regularly for convenience, and most people aren't getting shakes with their meals. You can get soda as part of a meal and it doesn't cost much more than water.

We used to get the same meals for a lot less. Do you not notice the inflation? What's the point of going out to eat if you have to skimp and not eat as you did a year ago. I've said like five times we don't go out frequently when we do it's a splurge for my kids. So you're saying I should just sacrifice and not buy my kids a shake.....shut up and quit complaining about inflation. I'm not getting your point at all. Should I take the bus and not complain about gas prices. I mean seriously.

 

[DCLMP]

You can get drunk at home easily. Most Americans can't make a great Thai dish at home, though.

I don't order a beer to get drunk, but thanks.

 

[tvguy]

Is he paying it off by working at one of those $25 per hour jobs?

Yup, and his wife works in a similar paying job. Just depends on your lifestyle, but $25 an hour can go a LONG ways.

 

[tvguy]

I'll take a hard pass. I can count on one hand the number of Fast food places I'll eat at and none of them value meals.

Chick Fil A has a value menu.....at least here.

 

[DCLMP]

Chick Fil A has a value menu.....at least here.

Maybe if I start eating at Chick fila every day I'll consider it. I think the whole point of the discussion is being lost on some of you. I'm glad this whole hyperinflation thing is working out for you. Twenty-five dollars an hour to flip burgers...yeah that's totally sustainable long term.

 

[tvguy]

Maybe if I start eating at Chick fila every day I'll consider it. I think the whole point of the discussion is being lost on some of you. I'm glad this whole hyperinflation thing is working out for you. Twenty-five dollars an hour to flip burgers...yeah that's totally sustainable long term.

Not saying it is sustainable long term, but it is the reality today.

 

[DCLMP]

Not saying it is sustainable long term, but it is the reality today.

Yes it's the reality today, but it's getting passed on to consumers and they are not going to put up with it for long. There are things in life you can live without and the guilty pleasure of fast food is one of them... and then what happens to those 25 dollar an- hour jobs?

 

[sam_gordon]

Chick Fil A has a value menu.....at least here.

What good are value menus if either A) You don't like what's on the menu or B) It's not enough to fill you up?

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes, we are. Nuggets (one 12 count, one 8 count), fries (one large, one medium) & water for 2 are under $15 including tax. Totally filling.

The shakes you're in the habit of buying are almost doubling the cost of your eating out.

According to this site: https://www.fastfoodmenuprices.com/chick-fil-a-prices/ (CFA is closed today so I can't look at their menu/prices)

12 count nugget combo is $8.68. I substitute a side salad for fries, so there's an upcharge of a couple of dollars. The shake is $3.18. So there's ~$14. Add tax and you're at $15. Sure, I could skip the shake, but it's not "almost doubling" my cost.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Exactly. The only place we can eat for under 40 anymore is In and Out. My other favs are Chipolte and Portillos those are both over 50/60 something. I love Five guys too, but they outpriced us years ago.

I just took 7 to Five Guys yesterday (tweens/teens/young adults - no kids meals here, either)...

6 Cheeseburgers, 1 Hamburger, 3 Large Fries (shared), ZERO drinks - $103.

My kids know this place is their special treat. They had cleaned and sealed my fence, so I was willing to pay them for the work they did...but Five Guys has priced itself into our "special occasion" place, now.

PS - And to be fair to Five Guys, this is b/c they are quality for fast food. But inflation is making them the price of what used to be sit downs...

 

[tvguy]

Yes it's the reality today, but it's getting passed on to consumers and they are not going to put up with it for long. There are things in life you can live without and the guilty pleasure of fast food is one of them... and then what happens to those 25 dollar an- hour jobs?

We will see. But in some states $25 is getting darn close to minimum wage.

 

[SirDuff]

I just took 7 to Five Guys yesterday (tweens/teens/young adults - no kids meals here, either)...

6 Cheeseburgers, 1 Hamburger, 3 Large Fries (shared), ZERO drinks - $103.

My kids know this place is their special treat. They had cleaned and sealed my fence, so I was willing to pay them for the work they did...but Five Guys has priced itself into our "special occasion" place, now.

PS - And to be fair to Five Guys, this is b/c they are quality for fast food. But inflation is making them the price of what used to be sit downs...

If you want to feel better, that would be over 180 USD here (not sure of the exact CHF to USD conversion right now).

 

[DCLMP]

I just took 7 to Five Guys yesterday (tweens/teens/young adults - no kids meals here, either)...

6 Cheeseburgers, 1 Hamburger, 3 Large Fries (shared), ZERO drinks - $103.

My kids know this place is their special treat. They had cleaned and sealed my fence, so I was willing to pay them for the work they did...but Five Guys has priced itself into our "special occasion" place, now.

PS - And to be fair to Five Guys, this is b/c they are quality for fast food. But inflation is making them the price of what used to be sit downs...

Were experiencing cost- push inflation and an increase in the money supply. It really is quite frightening.
My husband and I used to like to meet at el pollo loco once every couple of weeks. We liked it because it was cheap and semi healthy. Two chicken salads and 2 diet cokes for 17 dollars. It’s not great food, but it was a nice cheap place to grab a bite and talk. Now it’s 25 dollars so we haven’t gone in months. A dollar here and a dollar there all starts to add up.
It’s sad because dining out is much more than just food. Its a convenience, a chance to socialize and an indulgence. It’s also one of the first things people will cut back on in a recession.

 

[tvguy]

What good are value menus if either A) You don't like what's on the menu or B) It's not enough to fill you up?

Then go to a restaurant that has items you like. Pretty simple. I'm at a point in my life where smaller portions are more than enough, but you can always order two at the Value Menus prices.

 

[DCLMP]

We will see. But in some states $25 is getting darn close to minimum wage.

When people don’t eat out anymore those jobs are gone.

 

[tvguy]

When people don’t eat out anymore those jobs are gone.

If people don't eat out, correct. I was amazed at home many of my co-workers never ever cook at home. The trend could change, but not sure it will.

 

[sam_gordon]

Then go to a restaurant that has items you like. Pretty simple. I'm at a point in my life where smaller portions are more than enough, but you can always order two at the Value Menus prices.

Make up your mind. Are we supposed to get what we like or are we supposed to get cheap? While they're not mutually exclusive, they're not always in line with each other.

There's a famous phrase... good, fast, or cheap. Pick two.

 

[spiders]

When people don’t eat out anymore those jobs are gone.

People are still going to eat out. What is going to increase is the amount of kiosks. I will admit for Chick-fil-A, they have always been successful at acquiring top talent that actually enhances the experience. I’ve seen on multiple occasions CFA employees going out into the rain with umbrellas to meet people at their car. I admit that is going very much above and beyond. For the average McD employee, do they really need to pay them $25 to get the order wrong anyway?

—

Back to topic. Right now, demand for air travel remains strong at current prices so long as that continues then you can obviously expect higher pricing. I will also add that while airlines never pay list price for new airplanes, the list price of an A320 (which is a very common narrow body aircraft) is about $100 million dollars and it burns about 1,000 gallons of fuel per hour (also to add to that, even though it burns 1000 gallons, when they’re full, modern airplanes generally get about 120+ miles per gallon per seat). An airline isn’t something that you can just increase capacity on overnight. Sure there used planes but you don’t just go to Boeing or Airbus and say you want 5 new planes and you just show up and get them. Airlines plan these purchases years in advance.

Finding qualified crew — you hear things like 1500 minimum flight hours. Well, that may not sound like a lot but that takes quite a while to get 1500 and you’ll be qualified to go to a regional.

Unfortunately increasing capacity with little to zero notice isn’t very easy or really practical. Buckle up…if you want to fly this summer then you’re going to pay for it.

 

[Colleen27]

Based on past trends, this is on the early side for booking. But given the limited capacity most of the airlines are running, it is harder to play the waiting game than it used to be. We're going to Disney in Aug/Sept and prices right now are pretty close to double what I'm used to spending. There are also two airlines we've flown often that don't even have non-stops on that route any more (and with it being a 2.5 hour flight, I'm not interested in layovers!). Usually I find the best prices 6 to 8 weeks in advance, but now it feels like a gamble to hold off on booking that long.