Crazy Airfares!!

[xipotec]

It was a pulp Fiction reference. Jules, (Samuel L. Jackson who also does commercials for the card) eats Brett's big kahuna burger, drinks his drink, then then shoots him essentially denying him his last meal.

oh I get the reference. Ezekial.

Is there a real Big Kahuna burger?

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

oh I get the reference. Ezekial.

Is there a real Big Kahuna burger?

No. It was totally made up. They've had em in several other movies too. Although since, one place dressed itself up for Halloween as a Big Kahuna burger. Another place did it for April Fools, etc.


and several places have offered a big kahuna burger. But there was no big kahuna burger.

 

[DawnM]

My parents were upper middle class and I only flew a couple of times in the 70 and 80’s. Flying was a big deal. Families took road trips. My kids have been on a plane more times than I count. I’d say close to 50 times. They are 17 and 19.

I was fortunate enough to grow up overseas and did extensive travel by air throughout the 70s and 80s both domestically and internationally.

I recently found a receipt for a ticket from Seattle to Nairobi dated 1986, round trip. The airfare was $1,600. That was pretty standard back then, even though salaries were less than half of what they are now.

I also found a stub for a domestic flight from Chicago to Portland and back for $500 dated in the mid-80's

Compared to those days, airfare has been surprisingly cheap for a long time.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We booked flights to Cabo for early summer back in early January...before the war started. We got two round trip business seats for less than 2 grand...round trip. Bit of a splurge, but haven't traveled since 2019...and the travel fund is pretty flush these days. Same flights now...business, $5200. It's insane. We booked our Costa Rica trip for December right around that same period and got similar priced seats on United...haven't checked those recently, but I'm betting they're also way up there. Glad we booked when we did and got the splurges out of our system for now....because there's no way I'd pay $5,200 for the two of us RT to Cabo.

I wish I had booked my August flights from Virginia to California back in January when I was first looking. I had a covid travel credit that I had to use by the end of March. I thought I just had to book flights by 3/30. But I had to travel by 3/30, so I couldn’t use it for the August flights, which were around $520 each back then. We used the credit to go to Florida in March instead.

I’ve been flying to California to see family since 1985, and I usually pay around $350 or less (never more that $400). $520 was high! But waiting cost me big time. I ended up paying $748! Arrrgggg!!! $520 was a deal. Who knew?

 

[dvcgirl67]

I wish I had booked my August flights from Virginia to California back in January when I was first looking. I had a covid travel credit that I had to use by the end of March. I thought I just had to book flights by 3/30. But I had to travel by 3/30, so I couldn’t use it for the August flights, which were around $520 each back then. We used the credit to go to Florida in March instead.

I’ve been flying to California to see family since 1985, and I usually pay around $350 or less (never more that $400). $520 was high! But waiting cost me big time. I ended up paying $748! Arrrgggg!!! $520 was a deal. Who knew?

Yep, and while I know fuel prices are a big part of these higher fares, there is definitely "wage inflation" being built into the airline industry right now. The major airlines are having to offer big, big raises (I've seen as high as 17%)....to retain and attract pilots. And it's just going to keep prices inflated for the foreseeable future. I suppose a deep recession and some demand dropping off could help drop prices, but don't really want to wish for that either.

I'm looking forward to our upcoming trip this week, but dreading the travel part of it. I'm just hearing everything from 2-3 hour delays, to total cancellations...to getting stuck places for 1-3 days....to people getting covid on vacation, or right after returning. Still, we're going to give it a go.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I was fortunate enough to grow up overseas and did extensive travel by air throughout the 70s and 80s both domestically and internationally.

I recently found a receipt for a ticket from Seattle to Nairobi dated 1986, round trip. The airfare was $1,600. That was pretty standard back then, even though salaries were less than half of what they are now.

I also found a stub for a domestic flight from Chicago to Portland and back for $500 dated in the mid-80's

Compared to those days, airfare has been surprisingly cheap for a long time.

Deregulation had its upsides and downs!

 

[Upatnoon]

I read a story the other day that Delta offered passengers $10,000 in compensation to get volunteers on an overbooked flight.

When demand is so great for airline travel, there is no incentive for airlines to cut fares.

We shall see what happens after the summer travel season. If people reduce their travel habits, the airlines will have to reduce fares to keep their planes full.

If demand remains high, they will attempt to get more pilots and staff to offer more flights. If the supply of flights meets the demand for flights, prices should moderate at some level.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I read a story the other day that Delta offered passengers $10,000 in compensation to get volunteers on an overbooked flight.

When demand is so great for airline travel, there is no incentive for airlines to cut fares.

We shall see what happens after the summer travel season. If people reduce their travel habits, the airlines will have to reduce fares to keep their planes full.

If demand remains high, they will attempt to get more pilots and staff to offer more flights. If the supply of flights meets the demand for flights, prices should moderate at some level.

Yep, I mentioned that Delta story in another thread and apparently it was true. It also feels like a PR stunt of sorts to get a "good deed" done by an airline out there in an avalanche of stories about them stranding customers these days. We leave on Thursday for an eight day vacation, and booked it back in January....figuring it would be a busy time to travel as it normally is (we normally travel in shoulder seasons).....but that the airlines would mostly be back to normal. Obviously that's not even remotely true. Our flight is the first out to our destination that day...and has been cancelled about 1/3 of the time over the last twenty days. It's the first flight out, and the plane is coming from Charlotte to Newark the evening before. So either the Charlotte flight is being cancelled and the plane doesn't arrive, or there aren't pilots for the flight we're taking. Weather is almost never an issue. I've downloaded about 20 hours of entertainment on my iPad so far....beginning to think that might not cut it.

This is our first trip since the pandemic....we've booked and cancelled 3, the first cancelled by the pandemic itself, the other two due to older family members having health issues. We have a window where we can travel....so we're going for it. But it feels like a lot of other people may have booked cheaper flights several months back and are "getting one last one in" for awhile. I'm reading lots and lots more in the news about consumers beginning to cut back in major ways if they're lower quartile earners...to minor things for the middle/upper middle class.

Here's the good news though....for as bad as travel nightmares are here in the States....in Europe, it's much worse. They're cancelling way more flights and also have airport workers, flight attendants, rail operations striking. What a nightmare.

 

[mefordis]

Yep, I mentioned that Delta story in another thread and apparently it was true. It also feels like a PR stunt of sorts to get a "good deed" done by an airline out there in an avalanche of stories about them stranding customers these days. We leave on Thursday for an eight day vacation, and booked it back in January....figuring it would be a busy time to travel as it normally is (we normally travel in shoulder seasons).....but that the airlines would mostly be back to normal. Obviously that's not even remotely true. Our flight is the first out to our destination that day...and has been cancelled about 1/3 of the time over the last twenty days. It's the first flight out, and the plane is coming from Charlotte to Newark the evening before. So either the Charlotte flight is being cancelled and the plane doesn't arrive, or there aren't pilots for the flight we're taking. Weather is almost never an issue. I've downloaded about 20 hours of entertainment on my iPad so far....beginning to think that might not cut it.

This is our first trip since the pandemic....we've booked and cancelled 3, the first cancelled by the pandemic itself, the other two due to older family members having health issues. We have a window where we can travel....so we're going for it. But it feels like a lot of other people may have booked cheaper flights several months back and are "getting one last one in" for awhile. I'm reading lots and lots more in the news about consumers beginning to cut back in major ways if they're lower quartile earners...to minor things for the middle/upper middle class.

Here's the good news though....for as bad as travel nightmares are here in the States....in Europe, it's much worse. They're cancelling way more flights and also have airport workers, flight attendants, rail operations striking. What a nightmare.

We got very lucky with out fights to Italy. All 4 flights were on time. The only wrinkle was my daughter got randomly selected by TSA going there and I got randomly selected coming back.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

We got very lucky with out fights to Italy. All 4 flights were on time. The only wrinkle was my daughter got randomly selected by TSA going there and I got randomly selected coming back.

Make you wonder if “random “ is really random or if they are profiling

 

[mefordis]

Make you wonder if “random “ is really random or if they are profiling

I'm trying to figure out why they would do that. Now I'm paranoid. We fly today so I'll let you know if we are "randomly" selected again.

Edit: Nope. Nobody groped any of us this time!

 

[Robbie Cottam]

They do it because they need to “randomly” screen a minimum number of passengers each day.

You daughter most likely fell into the category of u likely to complain, unlike to have had anything (no paperwork)

Oddly enough, if customs or DEA is watching someone, they are almost guaranteed to be a “random” target ….. I mean selectee….

I used to get “random” selections all the time when I worked for an airline and traveled in personal clothing….

They knew if I complained my career could be over… so not very likely to complain….

One of the unions finally bought it he practice to TSA s attention and it finally atopped

 

[mefordis]

They do it because they need to “randomly” screen a minimum number of passengers each day.

You daughter most likely fell into the category of u likely to complain, unlike to have had anything (no paperwork)

Oddly enough, if customs or DEA is watching someone, they are almost guaranteed to be a “random” target ….. I mean selectee….

I used to get “random” selections all the time when I worked for an airline and traveled in personal clothing….

They knew if I complained my career could be over… so not very likely to complain….

One of the unions finally bought it he practice to TSA s attention and it finally atopped

I thought it was randomly selected by computer. You mean someone looks at you and decides you probably won't put up a fight so puts SSSS on your boarding pass to be patted down? That does not seem random to me.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I thought it was randomly selected by computer. You mean someone looks at you and decides you probably won't put up a fight so puts SSSS on your boarding pass to be patted down? That does not seem random to me.

I think the term is profiling

and yes the computer does pick some selectees …

or you go through the scratch and sniff machine and it lights up in an exposed area where where the agents can see you are not carrying thing …

but the “random” bag checks …. Or the in line checks ….

not so random

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I thought it was randomly selected by computer. You mean someone looks at you and decides you probably won't put up a fight so puts SSSS on your boarding pass to be patted down? That does not seem random to me.

Not to point out the obvious but if you have SSSS on your boarding pass they haven't even looked at you.