US Air Prices Are Insane

[jhaig]

For Sept, from upstate NY, from Elmira to MCO thru Philly - $587pp, with fees and taxes over $1800 for three people. Last year we paid $1050.

On the other hand, flying United Airlines out of Ithaca to MCO thru Newark - $326pp, total $1068.

That would be worth driving an extra 45 min to the airport in the morning

What gives with US Air? Less competition means no reason to lower prices I guess.

 

[DebbieB]

For Sept, from upstate NY, from Elmira to MCO thru Philly - $587pp, with fees and taxes over $1800 for three people. Last year we paid $1050.

On the other hand, flying United Airlines out of Ithaca to MCO thru Newark - $326pp, total $1068.

That would be worth driving an extra 45 min to the airport in the morning

What gives with US Air? Less competition means no reason to lower prices I guess.

Exactly.

It used to be Southwest and USAir competed on the PIT-PHL route. Roundtrips were around $119 for each. When SW pulled their flights, US shot up to over $500. For 300 miles!

 

[dis_guy]

Exactly.

It used to be Southwest and USAir competed on the PIT-PHL route. Roundtrips were around $119 for each. When SW pulled their flights, US shot up to over $500. For 300 miles!

I've given up trying to understand air fares. It makes no sense. Flying to MCO from way up here in Canada you can get return airfares on United for under $500 CAN. Sure, it's a "special fare" to get us northerners to go south in the winter, but each leg (much shorter flights) bought individually will cost way more even though they're only half as long. Like I said, I've given up.....

 

[jhaig]

Makes you wanna pull a Clark Griswold and drive for a week....

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Airfares have little to do with distance or fuel costs or any other logical metric. Airfares are based on maximizing the "yield" of each flight — essentially selling as many seats as possible on each flight at the highest prices the market will bear.

Sometimes that means completely ignoring the most price-senstive leisure passengers, if the airline thinks enough business travelers and less price-sensitive passengers will eventually fill most of the seats.

Sometimes it means offering and promoting deeply discounted fares, to avoid having empty seats.

US Airways (as the former USAir is currently called) has come a long way since it was Allegheny Airlines. The US Airways name is going away too, as US Airways combines with American Airlines which US Airways acquired when American was in Chapter 11.

 

[Brian Noble]

Makes you wanna pull a Clark Griswold and drive for a week....

Not all the way to Florida. My radius for a one-week trip is about eight hours driving (without stops), give or take.

 

[dis_guy]

Makes you wanna pull a Clark Griswold and drive for a week....

DW and I have talked about making the drive and seeing the countryside but until we're both retired, we have nowhere near the time needed to do it. It's something like 40 hours driving time from here to there...

For now flying's the only game in town for WDW trips.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Driving to Philly would be crazy, not sure about Binghamton, but I have had dirt cheap fares in October from AVP scranton/Wilkes Barre and ABE Allentown/Bethleham.
I mean highest was $77 and at one ticket it was $30.. Last trip round trip tickets were $62 and $65. We paid $80 for the luggage round trip.

I'm not sure AVP flies Allegiant in September, why the last two years they didn't I don't know, but maybe this year they will. The parking is inexpensive, it's a straight shot interstate driving, 2 hrs from Binghamton, if I recall.
Just a thought.

 

[jhaig]

We could take United out of Elmira but I don't want to go to Chicago first. US Air actually dropped slightly but prices are still near $500. Delta is a better choice right now at $369 round trip.