Skip to main content

Tagged With "airline tickets"

Reply

Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline

Travel Rob ·
I was just reading a Chris Elliott piece on when people get so fed up with air travel they stop flying altogether. He interviewed a man who owned a travel company, Spencer Carlson and the positive airline example he gave was Norwegian. So it seems like my good experience is the norm with them. Here is this link: http://www.seattletimes.com/li...-to-take-it-anymore/
Reply

Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline

PortMoresby ·
I can live indefinitely with 2 sets of clothes, 1 to wear & 1 to wash, 1 extra pair of shoes, all in a day pack. I wouldn't necessarily WANT to do it, but I could, rather than stop flying if, say, the airlines reduced baggage limits to 10 pounds altogether. It's the same old story, I figure, if for any reason, you can't or won't travel (time, money, fed up, whatever), you just don't want to enough. One excuse is as good as another. Good to hear about Norwegian. I repeated the exercise...
Reply

Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline

PortMoresby ·
Continuing my search for an economical way to use my miles and avoid absurd fees, I tried a combination of 2 one-way flights, one with miles, one on Norwegian. One way on Norwegian is as low as $286. If I avoid using BA with points, flights on AA to Paris are 20,000 miles (before May 15th) plus a $5 fee (excellent!) but with a stupid schedule, 3 flights and 2 days to get there. And 1 possibility available. All the rest are BA flights, $326 in fees + 20,000 miles. Next thought, why is AA...
Reply

Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline

Paul Heymont ·
The AA-BA mashup is tricky, yes, but not as devious as it may seem. Between New York and Paris, for instance, AA has only two non-stops a day; BA has a half-dozen (or more, including Open Skies). And, BA has many seats LON-PAR, so availability is greater. A similar situation exists on this side of the ocean, where BA feeds many AA domestic flights. It's sometimes possible to get around better if you don't mind one stop...we've used AA to Madrid paired with Iberia to Paris (Iberia's charges...
Reply

Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline

PortMoresby ·
Call it whatever you like, but I seem to have missed your point. But, no matter, MY point was simply that I see no excuse for charging astonishingly different prices for the same product, transportation from point A to point B, on partner airlines ostensibly selling the same thing.
Comment

Re: No more TGV: France says 'Oui' to new name

inOui ·
Why would they want to name it something that sounds like "boredom, difficulty, tedium, obstacle?" I don't get it. Seems strange. Or were they going more for, "Je m'ennui de toi" so I'm going to hop on a fast train! Also reminds me of, "Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane Ain't got time to take a fast train. Lonely days are gone, I'm a-goin' home My baby, just-a wrote me a letter" In any event, still not getting it for the TGV's new name. I know the pronunciations are a bit different but reminds...
Comment

Re: Museum Island, Berlin (Where Gumbo was #271)

GarryRF ·
An amazing collection of sculpture. Worth a few days exploring the Museums alone. Fly Liverpool to Berlin with Ryanair return ticket for a 2 day trip. £105. Serious thoughts ......
Comment

Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!

DrFumblefinger ·
I'm not sure if "mandating" certain seat sizes would do anything but raise prices, but it might be nice if they introduced a simple grading system. "A" for business/first class, "F" for the sardine can seating in the most cramped airlines. If I was less than 5 ft tall and weighed less than 100 lbs the current seating system would work fine for me. For most folks it's much too crowded, especially on long flights. All the worse if you have to have your bag under the seat in front of you. Let's...
Comment

Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!

Paul Heymont ·
I'm not sure it's the case that mandating a decent space would raise fares...in the past, we've certainly seen that fares have a resistance point, and airlines have backed down from increases at times. Also worth noting that fares seem largely based on competition rather than actual expense involved; that's why it's often cheaper to fly NY to LA than NY to Kansas City! And, as Chris Elliott points out, having people fighting over seat space has led to expensive consequences, too...
Comment

Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!

DrFumblefinger ·
The trouble with a mandate is that it has deadlines and airlines who fly to the US would have to go through an expensive seat replacement program. That cost is one we share, or that puts the airlines in the red and in jeopardy. Makes sense to pressure them to improve, but that's just my opinion. But I do like the idea of "grading" seats. Helps me know what I'm buying. For example, Canadian airlines definitely have larger seats that American carriers. I'll preferentially fly Air Canada to...
Comment

Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!

GarryRF ·
This debate seems to accept that the profit margins of Trans-Atlantic Flights are squeezed by costs outside the carriers control. The only solution they have is squeeze more seats in to control income. Last month I paid £759 ($1245) for 1 seat UK to Philadelphia - Return - with an American Airline. 7 hours in the sky. Each way. My £759 will also get me a flight to the Caribbean from the UK. 10 hours in the sky. 14 nights in a hotel. Food and drink included. And flight back. The Caribbean...
Comment

Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop

DrFumblefinger ·
I think I'm seeing better ticket prices than I have for several years now, so I'm not sure if this is completely true. But it could just represent a biased sampling (Canada, more than US flights).
Comment

Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop

Paul Heymont ·
Overall, for U.S. airlines, the trend is up; last month all the majors went along with a $2 average increase on almost all fares. Those fares, of course, are subject to competitive discounting on specific flights or routes; Alaska and Delta have been battling over the Seattle market all year, for example, affecting prices on those routes.
Comment

Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop

Travel Rob ·
With Airline consolidation the last few years and some budget airlines changing their image and prices, there doesn't seem to be that downword pressure for most prices in the US
Comment

Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop

GarryRF ·
The cost of an Airline Ticket has little to do with the cost of a barrel of oil. That's why I can fly to Sydney Australia for the same price as I can to New York. That's 3500 miles to New York or 10,500 miles to Sydney. Same price. It's solely based on the principle of how much juice you can squeeze from an orange.
Comment

Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop

Paul Heymont ·
While it's true that competition and cupidity rather than cost are the basis of pricing, fuel does factor in: when fuel is high, the airlines add surcharges, and when fuel costs drop, they seldom remove them!
Comment

Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop

GarryRF ·
Airlines and many other companies are determined to squeeze the public to the last drop of juice. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_fixing_cases and see that there's no honour amongst thieves. Steal from one man and its theft. Steal from a thousand and its Corporate Policy.
Comment

Re: What if the exit row weren't a row?

PortMoresby ·
Maybe the overhead bins have, as they say, been binned. Back to the days when it was considered a luxury to let someone else handle one's luggage. I still think it is.
Comment

Re: What if the exit row weren't a row?

DrFumblefinger ·
I think that seating arrangement would work well in zero gravity. Think of the PanAm space cruises in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Unless planes will be designed in a flying saucer shape, I can't envision what the Europeans are planning.
Comment

Re: Seat Wars break out in the air...

Travel Rob ·
The Daily Telegraph conducted a poll after the first 2 incidents on "Should Reclining Seats be Banned" and 70% of the respondents said yes. The lack of leg space is a big issue and I hope airlines enact more reasonable legroom space for coach. If the reported stories are true though, some passengers weren't acting mature or reasonable at all and really should face stiff penalties for their actions http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tra...seats-be-banned.html
Comment

Re: Seat Wars break out in the air...

DrFumblefinger ·
I think on short domestic flights (let's say 3 hours or less), we could do away with the reclining seats. For longer duration flights, more legroom would be a great addition and keep the reclining seats. But I can't see the airlines going this route. Space is so tight I can't even see the screen of my netbook if the traveler in front of me reclines their seat.
Comment

Re: Scotland's vote may help ax high flying tax

GarryRF ·
UK Air passenger duty for under 12's will be abolished from May 2015. Under 16's will have to wait until 2016.
Comment

Re: Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?

PortMoresby ·
Looking at the picture, it appears to me that the business class option is a far cry from the direction upper class has been going of late, more and more comfort. Does this mean it will be more comfortable than currently is the case for economy passengers or less comfortable for business class? Maybe the arc has peaked for upper class comfort and this indicates the start of a slide down the other side.
Comment

Re: Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?

DrFumblefinger ·
I would presume the wider seat arrangement would more likely be "Economy Plus" rather than business class. Say two large people buying a 3 row seat and the third seat would get squeeze down by the wider adjustment of the above. International business class nowadays is almost universally lie flat bed seats. To not have these would mean a loss of this lucrative market for the airlines.
Comment

Re: Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?

PortMoresby ·
Maybe the trend will be to 3, rather than 4 classes, with econ+ going by the wayside and the flat bed option called first. Who knows. Business started out looking something like econ+ does now. Four options seems like about 1 too many to me.
Comment

Re: Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?

Paul Heymont ·
Keep in mind that the picture is the patent model...tricked out with real upholstery it may look very different. Other than fitting big people better, I think this may mainly be used on smaller airliners that fly as one- or two-class, as British Air does on a lot of European flights....business class there is pretty much just empty middle. This would allow flexibility. Be my guess...
Comment

Re: Dismaland - the new 'post-apocalyptic' bemusement park in England

Travel Rob ·
Mac can fill us in in better, but I remember reading that the ticket was only 3 pounds. Since Disney is over $100, it's a steal. I still think whether Disney can win or lose a lawsuit is not the question. It's whether Disney would get worse publicity going after them vs just leaving them alone. In 2010 , The Simpsons got a lot of credit for letting Banksy do their opening. Even though he poked fun at the Simpsons outsourcing and treatment of foreign workers
Comment

Re: AA gets its first Dreamliner

DrFumblefinger ·
I like the image of Boeing handing over a set of keys to AA executives for a jumbo jet. I'm glad to see more of these planes come in to service and hope within the next year or so to have the opportunity to fly one.
Comment

Re: AA gets its first Dreamliner

Travel Rob ·
I'm flying on a 787 late May!Glad to see AA starting to get theirs!
Comment

Re: AA gets its first Dreamliner

Paul Heymont ·
Looking forward to a 787 blog from you, Rob! That should be fun.
Comment

Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday

PortMoresby ·
All my miles in one pile this morning, enough to go anywhere, and I still can't decide, a truly terrible problem.
Comment

Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday

Paul Heymont ·
Yes, the transfer seems to have gone very smoothly...too bad, in a way; I was hoping for an accidental bonus as I once got from Delta (which added an extra zero, back in 1999).
Comment

Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday

DrFumblefinger ·
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: All my miles in one pile this morning, enough to go anywhere, and I still can't decide, a truly terrible problem. But an enviable problem, PM. If it's the worst thing you have to deal with this week, you're having a pretty fine week.
Comment

Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday

PortMoresby ·
I'm always aware, DrF, I've lived a charmed life (for a commoner).
Comment

Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday

DrFumblefinger ·
Now I'm really confused. I just learned from your POD yesterday that you were a princess pretending to be a commoner....
Comment

Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday

PortMoresby ·
No, DrF, you read it wrong. A commoner with delusions.
Comment

Re: Delta makes its 20-minute bag guarantee permanent

DrFumblefinger ·
Nice to hear of something positive for consumers. As you know Alaska Airlines sparked this, as they've done this for at least a decade. But less waiting for a bag is a positive thing for travelers and I applaud them for doing so.
Comment

Re: Family kicked off flight

Paul Heymont ·
The most interesting part of the article, to me, was the identification of which language each of the people quoted was speaking...and apparently their words were not falling on deaf ears. Except for the tone-deaf parents (and I'm not usually a parent-basher) who apparently allowed their 3-year-old to decide what rules apply. They should have turned their attention to buckling the child in, and not to arguing with the flight attendant. Perhaps, like the anti-vaccination crowd, they think...
Comment

Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees

DrFumblefinger ·
What I dislike are when fees are not used for what they're charged for. If airport improvement fees really are used to fix up and improve airports, I think most consumers are fine with that. But when they just get put into the general revenues of a city's cash pool, that bugs most of us. What a find far more unreasonable than this are the fees to change or cancel a flight. Often they approach or exceed the value of a ticket. That's really gouging the consumer.
Comment

Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees

Paul Heymont ·
The other fees that especially bother me are the ones you never see in tickets, because they come out the back door. Compare airport car rental prices with off-airport of the same brand; compare the price of gum or candy at the airport or a neighborhood store. That’s airport revenue, too, either through a direct charge (car) or super-high-rents (newsstand)
Comment

Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees

DrFumblefinger ·
Good points, PHeymont. I have noticed the extremely high fees imposed by airport car rentals. Sometimes these exceed the cost of the car rental itself.
Comment

Re: As scheduled Cuba service nears, charter operators face unknown future

Travel Rob ·
With a few exceptions, the charter prices for Americans were really expensive. So for those companies, the gravy train is over.
Comment

Re: As scheduled Cuba service nears, charter operators face unknown future

GarryRF ·
On leaving Cuba last year our flight home to the UK was delayed. We had to wait on the plane for 4 hours. The airport had run out of Jet Fuel A1. So a fuel tanker was dispatched to fetch some. I do hope the US embargo stops before I go again. I'm not fighting American Airlines for the last drop of Jet Fuel !!
Comment

Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes

GarryRF ·
Thomas Cook charter flight Paul. I think they give 31" per seat. (Says on my ticket) So I've gone for the extra space.
Comment

Re: Airline scheduling: Hurry up and wait, or run like crazy?

Marilyn Jones ·
Excellent and informative article!!
Comment

Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am

PortMoresby ·
Make that the '70s - no 747s in the '50s.
Comment

Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am

Paul Heymont ·
Thanks! Editing error now repaired!
Comment

Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am

Travel Rob ·
We get some great Twitter responses to our articles. @ nichtvermietbar asks of this one: " including smoking?"
Comment

Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am

Paul Heymont ·
A good question, and it is mentioned on the site: that part is up-to-date, and no smoking is allowed.
Comment

Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am

DrFumblefinger ·
Perhaps they will compromise and allow e-cigarettes. Smoking without the tobacco smoke.
×
×
×
×