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I flew seven flight-sections last summer, for the first time in 15 years, and I thought things were pretty much the same as I remembered them.
Fares have gotten insanely low, and I don't know how airlines can afford to stay in business. I've have flights booked in February Bangkok to Darwin and Bangkok to Colombo, with fares about $100 each way, plus fees and taxes. And only $709 RT Houston to Bangkok. At those fares, how can I expect any kind of service at all?
Per hour of travel time, many flights are cheaper than Greyhound.
I flew seven flight-sections last summer, for the first time in 15 years, and I thought things were pretty much the same as I remembered them.
Fares have gotten insanely low, and I don't know how airlines can afford to stay in business. I've have flights booked in February Bangkok to Darwin and Bangkok to Colombo, with fares about $100 each way, plus fees and taxes. And only $709 RT Houston to Bangkok. At those fares, how can I expect any kind of service at all?
Per hour of travel time, many flights are cheaper than Greyhound.
fare is indeed very low nowadays, especially for those whose times is a bit flexible, or plans to take whatever great deal is out there.
But if you insist to visit Rome between June 29 to July 10, then of course it won't be cheap - and to answer your question, this is how airlines make profits, by charging high fare to passengers with absolutely no flexibility (business customers are the most important source of profit for example).
I doubt airlines make much of a profit from people like you and me.
Fares have gotten insanely low, and I don't know how airlines can afford to stay in business. I've have flights booked in February Bangkok to Darwin and Bangkok to Colombo, with fares about $100 each way, plus fees and taxes. And only $709 RT Houston to Bangkok. At those fares, how can I expect any kind of service at all?
Also those of us in noncompetitive airport areas subsidize y'all big time in that regard. Oit here in the realm where Delta has 75% of the flights in a 100 mile radius, I'm paying more than $709 for a simple round trip to Boston in April. (Granted special event weekend rate but still...)
I enjoy taking the train when I have time. But the fact of the matter is the train is slow, and can't take me everywhere I need to go. Plane travel might not be ideal.
I avoid SW whenever possible. I don't care for their cattle car approach. They are no longer the lowest price either.
Yeah, I flew Southwest this weekend to and from Vegas, and I won't fly them again (if possible). The flights went rather smoothly and the flight crews were very friendly, but it stops there. The other passengers while boarding on & off were terrible. People getting in our personal space, peering over our shoulders to get our boarding groups/numbers instead of saying 'excuse me' and just ASKING...then there was the girl who literally pushed my husband out of the way & announced she had to go to the bathroom...I've never encountered such rude S.O.B.'s in my life. Oh, and coming home somehow my husband and I got completely different boarding groups & numbers. He literally got on the plain half an hour before me. Luckily he was able to save me a seat, but I don't know if he could have if he was a nicer looking guy (he can be quite scary).
The seats were definitely smaller & it felt more squished.
The seats were definitely smaller & it felt more squished.
A Boeing 737 seat has been the same width for decades. The seat isn't getting smaller. You're getting wider.
For last minute business travel, I actually prefer Southwest. I don't have elite status on anybody this year and at least on Soutwest, you can throw $12.50 at the problem and know you'll have space in the overhead for your roll-aboard and an aisle seat. If you change flights, you don't get nailed with that outrageous change fee the corporate bean counter gripes about.
I loathe all the US carriers unless I have elite frequent flyer status on them. JetBlue is the best of the lot but I never fly them because everything from the west coast to Boston is a red eye and I refuse to sit in a coach seat during sleeping hours.
I drove to Montreal yesterday and did the Air Canada LAX flight rather than the Boston/Logan LAX flight. Air Canada is far better than any of the domestic carriers. The border crossing was funny... "Where are you going?" "I have a 6:30 LA flight." I don't think they hear that very often. The US customs guy asked how long I had been in Canada. "2 hours".
The last time I rode Amtrak was in 2003 from Tampa to Baltimore. It was 4 hours late (after a normal 26 hour schedule anyway), service was horrible and the people that rode it were barely a step up from a greyhound bus
IIRC, Southwest is one of many airlines that has moved to a 'slimline' seat in recent years. Same seat size/dimensions, but less padding in the name of making each seat lighter, and therefore leading to significant fuel cost savings over the course of the year for the company as a whole.
The size of your carryon suitcase is just about to be shortened and yours won't be acceptable. Greyhound is better than Amtrak because you can run to a store to get decent healthy food.
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