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I'm a business traveler. An 8PM flight isn't convenient. If you're a business traveler you don't want to be travelling that late at night unless you have to. CLT-ROC [I was on that path weekly for 5-6 months last year.] Meant: CLT-[PHL,EWR,IAD,LGA (screw that place),DCA,ATL,DTW]-ROC. Business travelers travel on early Monday morning, and come back in the afternoon of Thursday or early-ish Friday.
I used to travel every week and would usually travel on Sunday for Monday morning meetings. Arriving at 8pm wasn't a problem for me since meetings started early am on Mondays so traveling Monday morning wasn't an option. Anywhere on the east coast is generally short flight or 1 -2 hours max from Charlotte. Charlotte's geographic local is ideal for travel up and down the east coast from Miami to Maine.
I don't believe it's the job of the airlines to provide service for all people. If you can't afford it, you don't fly. You can take the train or Greyhound.
Airways has an occupancy rate of close to 90% across the entire airline, on a large airplane only a handful of tickets go unsold.
If you want to save money the cheapest flights are going to be in the wee morning hours out of the hubs, they are almost always empty (hub to outstation). After that first flight for the rest of the day the flights are going to be completely full most likely.
Fuel prices have tripled in the past decade, labor costs have decreased by close to 50%, there really is no room for cost cutting anymore. For once the airlines are actually squeaking by with a profit, IIRC the margin for Airways is around 1%. It's incredibly low.
Yeah, unfortunately you do have a point. I mean, remember Skybus? It was awesome! Right up to the point where it went bankrupt. There's just way too much overhead for airlines and really no way to cut it without skimping on safety...definitely not an option there.
I think they should repeal the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Flying was much more pleasant before that went into effect and we didn't have all this hub and spoke high price nonsense in places like Charlotte.
I'll have to find the article, but 20 years ago (ish) the cost of an average coach ticket was around $2k in todays money.
Quite a bit less nowadays, just look what people complain about in this thread. It's all relative...
The basic crux of the article was while flying was "glamorous" back then for sure, it was an upper class activity. The average family drove to their destination. Very few people relative to the US population partook in it.
Interesting. However people lived differently back 20, 40, 60 years ago. Back in the day, you were born and probably died all within a radius of 300 miles.
Personally, I don't have a problem making a connection or driving to a different airport to get a lower fare, assuming we're talking a significant monetary difference. With several airports within a 2 hour radius (plus RDU a little further), you have several options to look at if you're really concerned about price. In the past few months I think I've flown out of all three of Greensboro, Greenville-Spartanburg, and Columbia in addition to CLT.
Assuming the layover isn't ridiculously long, you're really only losing a couple hours. You do save time with easier parking (when I go to GSO the parking shuttle is usually waiting for me as soon as I close the trunk) and shorter security lines. Although if we're still talking costs, CLT does have the cheapest parking I believe.
Yes, there is a risk of your connection getting delayed, but you also have the risk of your regular flight getting delayed anyway, and they will get you to your final destination. As far as the whole "they'll cancel your ticket if you skip your first flight" thing, one time I actually had booked a flight out of GSP and the flight to CLT got delayed before I even made it to the airport, so I called up to have the ticket re-issued and just drove back to CLT. I'm assuming they will only do that if the flight is delayed though.
Plus, if you fly a fair amount, you will get the segment credit towards frequent flyer status. I think I am going to get one this year, and probably wouldn't have if I didn't make added connections to save money. And I believe if you do have status, you'll get a 500 mile minimum for every flight, even those 20 minute flights from GSO to CLT.
Plus, if you fly a fair amount, you will get the segment credit towards frequent flyer status. I think I am going to get one this year, and probably wouldn't have if I didn't make added connections to save money. And I believe if you do have status, you'll get a 500 mile minimum for every flight, even those 20 minute flights from GSO to CLT.
The only reason why you've gotten away with checking in at CLT during a delayed flight is that you can make changes, and possibly get a refund, for schedule changes. Things go out the window when the schedule changes. You can move your return date as well, without a change fee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Aristotle
I used to travel every week and would usually travel on Sunday for Monday morning meetings. Arriving at 8pm wasn't a problem for me since meetings started early am on Mondays so traveling Monday morning wasn't an option. Anywhere on the east coast is generally short flight or 1 -2 hours max from Charlotte. Charlotte's geographic local is ideal for travel up and down the east coast from Miami to Maine.
Going to ROC from CLT at 8PM means you're going to be wheels down in ROC about 10.30ish (if you're lucky).. out of the airport by 11:45PM. Flying out on sunday nights is rough. You, as a business traveller, shouldn't do that. Thats just rediculous. It takes 7+ hrs with a connection to get anywhere in New England. By the time you drive from your home, park, security, fly, connect, fly again, get a car, and get close to the business.
I'll have to find the article, but 20 years ago (ish) the cost of an average coach ticket was around $2k in todays money.
Quite a bit less nowadays, just look what people complain about in this thread. It's all relative...
The basic crux of the article was while flying was "glamorous" back then for sure, it was an upper class activity. The average family drove to their destination. Very few people relative to the US population partook in it.
When you add in all the fees, fines if you change flights, fees for things that used to be free, I'm thinking the this isn't the case. Ted Kennedy & Jimmy Carter wanted the great unwashed masses to be able to fly and it's resulted in bankrupted airlines, much less choice, and turned flying into a miserable experience.
Flying in the early 1980s was cheaper and easier out of CLT when Piedmont (USA) had to compete against Eastern Airlines for almost every flight. I preferred Eastern as they flew better planes. An airline ticket back then was like currency. You could take it to ANY airline and get a seat without question, fines, or hassle. The airlines had to compete on service. Today, if you tried that, you get laughed at by surly employees.
The only reason why you've gotten away with checking in at CLT during a delayed flight is that you can make changes, and possibly get a refund, for schedule changes. Things go out the window when the schedule changes. You can move your return date as well, without a change fee.
I figured that was the case about the change (and said that in my post).
I did get a refund as well, which is kinda funny since the only reason I booked GSP-CLT-wherever was because that was cheaper than CLT-wherever.
When you add in all the fees, fines if you change flights, fees for things that used to be free, I'm thinking the this isn't the case. Ted Kennedy & Jimmy Carter wanted the great unwashed masses to be able to fly and it's resulted in bankrupted airlines, much less choice, and turned flying into a miserable experience.
Flying in the early 1980s was cheaper and easier out of CLT when Piedmont (USA) had to compete against Eastern Airlines for almost every flight. I preferred Eastern as they flew better planes. An airline ticket back then was like currency. You could take it to ANY airline and get a seat without question, fines, or hassle. The airlines had to compete on service. Today, if you tried that, you get laughed at by surly employees.
I'm sorry you don't pay anywhere near $1500 in additional fees & fines ($500 ticket nowadays was $2k back in the day).
And that is IF you change flights. It's $200 for domestic flights.
Eastern went bankrupt and Piedmont merged into US Air. Your story just points out the cold hard facts - airlines have enough trouble competing for business even with no competition, let alone with multiple competitors hacking away at each other in the name of market share.
Going to ROC from CLT at 8PM means you're going to be wheels down in ROC about 10.30ish (if you're lucky).. out of the airport by 11:45PM. Flying out on sunday nights is rough. You, as a business traveller, shouldn't do that. Thats just rediculous. It takes 7+ hrs with a connection to get anywhere in New England. By the time you drive from your home, park, security, fly, connect, fly again, get a car, and get close to the business.
CLT-ROC 7:54 dept in the gate at 9:35pm US Airways flt 1900
1:15 to get bags (if any) and get a car? You're joking right?
Maybe 30 mins.
This is a great example of the flexibility and time savings air travel allows and why it may be worth the cost to travel direct. One can have a full productive day at work or spend your Sunday at home and then leave at a normal time to travel and still get in at a reasonable time.
Contrast that with, like you said, leaving your house at say noon to travel to Raleigh, to get on a plane back to Charlotte to connect, for what maybe $150? And do that twice? A full days pay at work gone to paying an employee to drive instead of doing work, that is already worth more than the cost savings right there. If you are traveling on a weekend you are essentially valuing your weekend day at $75. Hardly worth it IMO. And as a business traveler you don't even pay.
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