Airline prices: Terrible, or really terrible?

[Arthur Digby Stamp]

Long story short, I've been planning on visiting a buddy of mine whose stationed in Pearl Harbor for awhile now, but since he doesn't know his orders until a little while in advance, I haven't been able to buy a ticket. A couple months ago, I was checking on prices to fly from Seattle to Honolulu in September, and it was about $200.

Just the other day, I wrote him an e-mail, an mentioned my wanting to come over there. On a whim, I checked out airline prices for the same time period today, and it's now at $650, minimum. I was shocked. Just to make sure that it wasn't because I had waited a couple months to buy it, I just checked prices to go there in April of 2009, and came to find out that it was still $600.

Dammit. I realize the price of oil is going up and all, but this really grinds my gears. $200 was reasonable, but I can't justify spending $700 on a plane ticket.

[acressl]

Completely unreasonable. Flying is now just a pipe dream for working stiffs. Wanna come home for Christmas? Tough, you beggars. Flying has sucked ass since 9/11 anyways. I understand the concern but no one appreciates having to arrive at the terminal hours in advance to be screened, screened then screened again. LOL at homeland security though as I was able to get through with a larger than regulation tube of toothpaste.

[Mac]

Yep, and now (i think) American Airlines is charging $15 to check a bag. Thats going to make flying a totaly nightmare. You're going to have people doing EVERYTHING they can to get as many bags as possible to fit in the small overhead compartments, under their seats, and even on their lap. People will fight with the flight crews over being told "You have to check that" It's going to be an additional headache.

[Rockhound]

You people are unbelievable. So, flying from Seattle to Hawaii for $200 is reasonable? No, it's a freaking bargain. Do you have any idea what is costs an airline per flight? No, then I suggest you shut your cake hole. Flying from Seattle to Honolulu is about 2,700 miles. Drive that far and tell me how much you spend. It's dealing with chuckleheads like this is the reason why I got out of the airline business. You want to fly 2,700 miles in roughly 6 hours yet you want to pay nothing for it. Where people got the idea that flying is somekind of a right and why airlines, who are losing money hand over fist, are not allowed to turn a profit boggles my mind. You can't drive 600 miles without spending $200 on gas yet you want an airline to fly you 2,700 miles on a multi-million dollar plane complete with crew, checking your bags, and I suppose you want them to feed you as well for $200. Unbelievable. Oh, and I suppose you want to fly peak season as well.

I love the complaint about flying home for Christmas. I suppose you want to fly for free at Thanksgiving as well. This mentality is idiocy. You don't like the plane fares, walk.

[Mac]

May 31, 2008 7:40:12 GMT -5 Rockhound said:

You people are unbelievable. So, flying from Seattle to Hawaii for $200 is reasonable? No, it's a freaking bargain. Do you have any idea what is costs an airline per flight? No, then I suggest you shut your cake hole. Flying from Seattle to Honolulu is about 2,700 miles. Drive that far and tell me how much you spend. It's dealing with chuckleheads like this is the reason why I got out of the airline business. You want to fly 2,700 miles in roughly 6 hours yet you want to pay nothing for it. Where people got the idea that flying is somekind of a right and why airlines, who are losing money hand over fist, are not allowed to turn a profit boggles my mind. You can't drive 600 miles without spending $200 on gas yet you want an airline to fly you 2,700 miles on a multi-million dollar plane complete with crew, checking your bags, and I suppose you want them to feed you as well for $200. Unbelievable. Oh, and I suppose you want to fly peak season as well.

I love the complaint about flying home for Christmas. I suppose you want to fly for free at Thanksgiving as well. This mentality is idiocy. You don't like the plane fares, walk.

I have no problem paying what is asked. I'm flying to Disney $99 each way, and yes its a bargain. My complaint lies more with the actual people who fly more than the airlines. I don't think I've ever been mistreated at an airport, or on a plane. But when you get 100+ people in a tight, enclosed area and factor in about 10% are probably a-holes, it makes the experience less enjoyable.

[Lucha Lee Tour 2009 [SOLD OUT]]

I can fly to France for 1 cent. Just sayin'

[Deleted]

They did a comparison on the three main ways of travel from Chicago to New York.

Flying: $400 round-trip.
Driving: $270 round trip. (For gas and vehicle maintenance on the vehicle)
Train: $180 round-trip.

[Rockhound]

May 31, 2008 8:05:41 GMT -5 @sandman said:

They did a comparison on the three main ways of travel from Chicago to New York.

Flying: $400 round-trip.
Driving: $270 round trip. (For gas and vehicle maintenance on the vehicle)
Train: $180 round-trip.

Actually I found fares between Ny and Chicago for $278+taxes and fees. And you get there in 2 hours as opposed to 2 days. Oh, and did "they" also research how much it costs for that plane to fly? Probably not. Look, truth be told, if you want to fly cheap, you have to be flexible and sometimes a little lucky. Where I live, I can get fares to Florida for $9 each way. Of course there are restrictions. Trouble is, people want to fly for $9 to Hawaii with no restrictions. After 9/11, my favorite line when someone wasn't satisfied with the fare, they would say, "I thought you people needed money?" And I would respond, "Oh, yeah, and giving seats away free would solve that problem." Passengers are douches plain and simple. They want to fly from NY to Sydney, Austrailia for $200 and want to be treated like royalty. Believe me, if you ever went to work for an airline, your perspective would change dramatically. Just watch Airline and you'll see what I mean.

[acressl]

Unbelievable? I'm not looking to go from Seattle to Hawaii. Obviously deals can be found if you dig sometimes but on the whole the prices climb and they climb and they climb. True of all things, but when $200 jumps to $400 playing the flight game becomes a hassle. I'm not looking to be treated like royalty. I don't even need peanuts. I'm looking for a reasonable transportation fare and preferrably a chair.

[teamjd]

don't forget peanuts and pretzels have been cut from coach in some airlines because they're costing too much.

[Rockhound]

May 31, 2008 8:41:04 GMT -5 @acressl said:

Unbelievable? I'm not looking to go from Seattle to Hawaii. Obviously deals can be found if you dig sometimes but on the whole the prices climb and they climb and they climb. True of all things, but when $200 jumps to $400 playing the flight game becomes a hassle. I'm not looking to be treated like royalty. I don't even need peanuts. I'm looking for a reasonable transportation fare and preferrably a chair.

If you want we can go back to before deregulation when airfares were in the $500/$600 range for a coach ticket from NY to Chicago. This was during the 70's.

[acressl]

May 31, 2008 9:01:46 GMT -5 Rockhound said:

May 31, 2008 8:41:04 GMT -5 @acressl said:

Unbelievable? I'm not looking to go from Seattle to Hawaii. Obviously deals can be found if you dig sometimes but on the whole the prices climb and they climb and they climb. True of all things, but when $200 jumps to $400 playing the flight game becomes a hassle. I'm not looking to be treated like royalty. I don't even need peanuts. I'm looking for a reasonable transportation fare and preferrably a chair.

If you want we can go back to before deregulation when airfares were in the $500/$600 range for a coach ticket from NY to Chicago. This was during the 70's.

Well I suppose I'll take these modern prices then. Maybe flying is just outside of my class range. I'm a peasant.

[DiBiase is Good]

I paid about £400 (about $800) when I used to fly to Houston every 3 months or so. I think that was perfectly reasonable for a 5000 mile 10 hour flight.
The cheapest airline was nearly always British Airways who are considered one of the world's premier airlines. I flew with them every time and their service was nothing short of excellent.
The one time I complained (and it wasn't actually a complaint, more a suggestion) was when UK airports stopped people taking water on board. I suggested that although this was completely beyond their control they could possibly have supplied passengers with a bottle of water when they reach the gate as other airlines were doing. I got sent £30 of vouchers to use on the flight shop.
I'm not a particularly rich person but I will happily pay a bit more for a flight if they deliver great service every time. Especially on a 10 hour flight.

['Foretold' Joker]

May 31, 2008 7:12:07 GMT -5 @acressl said:

Completely unreasonable. Flying is now just a pipe dream for working stiffs. Wanna come home for Christmas? Tough, you beggars. Flying has sucked ass since 9/11 anyways. I understand the concern but no one appreciates having to arrive at the terminal hours in advance to be screened, screened then screened again. LOL at homeland security though as I was able to get through with a larger than regulation tube of toothpaste.

This has been the norm in England since flying was invented.

[acressl]

May 31, 2008 9:51:34 GMT -5 'Foretold' Joker said:

May 31, 2008 7:12:07 GMT -5 @acressl said:

Completely unreasonable. Flying is now just a pipe dream for working stiffs. Wanna come home for Christmas? Tough, you beggars. Flying has sucked ass since 9/11 anyways. I understand the concern but no one appreciates having to arrive at the terminal hours in advance to be screened, screened then screened again. LOL at homeland security though as I was able to get through with a larger than regulation tube of toothpaste.

This has been the norm in England since flying was invented.

What all the precautionary whatnot? I did not know that. I've never been abroad unless you count Canada.

['Foretold' Joker]

May 31, 2008 9:54:32 GMT -5 @acressl said:

May 31, 2008 9:51:34 GMT -5 'Foretold' Joker said:

This has been the norm in England since flying was invented.

What all the precautionary whatnot? I did not know that. I've never been abroad unless you count Canada.

Check in for as long as I can remember has always taken at least a a couple of hours in British airports.

[DiBiase is Good]

May 31, 2008 9:58:04 GMT -5 'Foretold' Joker said:

May 31, 2008 9:54:32 GMT -5 @acressl said:

What all the precautionary whatnot? I did not know that. I've never been abroad unless you count Canada.

Check in for as long as I can remember has always taken at least a a couple of hours in British airports.

A couple of hours?
With one exception, the longest I've waited was about 15 minutes. It's really quick these days.

[Mr. Emoticon Man, TF Fan]

Personally, I haven't had a problem with airlines or their prices, nor have I noticed that big a change in waiting time since 9/11. At the end of the day, even if you have to wait for hours in a terminal you're still getting to where you're going much faster than if you drove there, so what's the problem? Just bring a book if standing in line makes you antsy.

[Rockhound]

It's easier now as well. The last 2 times I flew to Vegas, I checked in the night before(as long as you have an electronic ticket). This way I got to the airport, checked our bags at the curb, and went on my merry way. Total time from bag check to gate: 30 minutes tops and this was Labor Day weekend. Same with the return, I always check in at the curb because it's faster. Paying the extra $5 to do so was a bargain.

[Dick Foley]

Honestly, the US is so behind the ball when it comes to mass transit that we are doomed for a huge collapse in the next decade or so.

Flying should not be for trips less than 500 miles but, because the American society has to have everything done immediately and we have yet to build up a decent regional high speed rail network, the only choice for most commuters is to fly. This must change soon or our airports and highways will be very clogged with traffic and the price for fuel will be outrageous.

What the US needs is a network of regional based high speed rail networks that are supported by smaller commuter rail networks. The average American would only have to drive 25 to 30 miles to board a train to take them to a destination 400 to 500 miles away. It may take a few hours longer than a plane but, our society needs to slow down anyways. Also, if our new rail network could be fueled with electricity from nuclear power plants we could eliminate a great deal of the pollution generated by planes and cars.

Save airplane travel for cross-country or overseas flights, thus lowering the overhead of the airlines which would make airline travel cheaper.