AIRFARE PRICES

[matthewlawrence26]

I don't think airfare is going down any time sooner. You can blame that on the fuel price. And I don't think that even if the fuel will decrease, airfare will cost lesser. There's one way that the fare price is going and it's up.

[kyshel]

Eos Air is now gone--declared bankruptcy and ceased operations. Frontier is still operating at this point, under protection. Alitalia's woes apparently stem from frequent losses incurred at their Malpensa airport (Milan). They would have been engulfed at least partially by Air France, had the president of Italy not injected them temporarily with gov $ (he's from Milan) but predictions are that Alitalia won't last long and AF will be back with open arms and wallets.

[omegaet]

bonniejoy03...also noticed you will need to start carrying your own peanuts or preferred snack aboard USAir...no more littlebags of goodies in coach!

[bonniejoy03]

Just flew in at midnight on USAir and received the free pretzels! WEO...do you think they will become collectors items? We also had two checked through bags each with the usair rules ready to be displayed but no one asked! One suitcase was even 43.8 pounds! Our flights on USAIR were perfect this time. We flew through Charlotte and I really believe that makes a huge difference. Great service, ontime flights, etc. They keep pulling me back in! I don't think I'll ever be able to break away! We also enjoyed our aisle seats in the very front of the plane without paying the extra money.

[Mountie]

These guys just keep jacking the fares, adding feesand reducing flights. It's just another conspiracy. This mess is killing my business travel budget and I'm debating about bookingleisure travel as well, at least any trips involving air travel!

[CMDAVILACLI]

Amen, Mountie!



I have not beencontributing tothe community boards for more than a month as I've been on the road most of the time for business over the past two months (yuck!). My airfares were outrageous going US Coast to Coast, costing more than double what they normally cost... and to add insult to injury, I've been charged $25.00 extra for my 2nd suitcase (which is an art portfolio), missed connections because of mechanical failures, been seated next to a guy who took up 2/3'rds of my seat on a 5 hour journey, and gone deaf because of crying babies seated behind me!



With all these joys, I am thinking seriously about my future air travel. It is just getting too costly and stressful!



cmdavilacli

[omegaet]

bonniejoy03....it is "fun" going back and reading some of these posts....look what four short, short months have brought us in the area of AIRFARE PRICES. Can't wait to see how the remainder of the year plays out!

[lhbrown]

Hi bonniejoy and O,
Here might be some good news for some, check out this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/tr...20Sales&st=cse
I noticed the time to book is short or has passed, but there might still be some good info and sites in this article.

"Airfares on Sale Now, So Act Fast Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

American Airlines has been offering some low fares to the Caribbean.


By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Published: July 29, 2008

AIRFARES may be escalating at an alarming rate, with more increases expected later in the year, but in recent weeks some airlines have actually begun to reduce rates on certain routes in an attempt to bolster demand.

American Airlines and its regional affiliate, American Eagle, have been offering some surprisingly low fares to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Mexico and Bermuda in a sale that ends on Thursday. The deals, which are good for travel between Sept. 2 and Dec. 10, include round-trip tickets as low as $152 from Miami to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; $178 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Kingston, Jamaica; and $246 from New York to Bermuda, not including taxes and fees.

On Monday, JetBlue announced its annual fall sale, with one-way fares as low as $79 between Austin, Tex., and Fort Lauderdale; $109 between Boston and Chicago; and $169 between Long Beach, Calif., and Washington. Most of the sales, though, are out of Kennedy Airport in New York, including one-way fares from $149 to Denver; $155 to Cancn; $59 to Charlotte, N.C.; and $159 to Las Vegas.

Also, just last week, Air France extended the book-by date of a late-summer and early-fall sale to Europe to Aug. 5. Round-trip fares include New York to Paris from $628, Philadelphia to Madrid from $706 and Boston to Prague from $720, including fuel surcharges, but not taxes and security fees.

The best bargains tend to be found midweek and come with restrictions. Americans sale doesnt include the Thanksgiving holiday period, Nov. 22 to 30, for example, and it requires a two-day minimum stay. Air France is limiting its deals to departures between Sept. 1 and Oct. 29 with a Saturday night stay requirement. The JetBlue deals require a seven-day advance purchase and must be booked by Aug. 6. Travel to the Northeast and Florida must take place between Sept. 3 and Dec. 17, while travel to the Caribbean, Mexico and Western states must be between Aug. 11 and Nov. 1. Although these may not be rock-bottom deals, the sales are significantly better than some of the lofty prices travelers have been facing this summer. They also may be a signal that consumers have reached a limit in terms of how much theyre willing to pay in price hikes.

I think the writings on the wall that the economy is pretty soft. said Tom Parsons, chief executive of Bestfares.com, a discount travel Web site that tracks airfare changes. And travel is a very discretionary item.

Despite capacity cuts, Mr. Parsons said he expected to see more deals to leisure destinations like the Caribbean, Mexico and Florida after Aug. 15, when children begin to go back to school and family travel starts to wane. As we go into the fall, he said, airlines will be begging for people to get on the planes. He is especially keeping his eye on Southwest Airlines, which he says hasnt had a systemwide sale since Memorial Day weekend and is ready for one.

Dont expect to see deals over the holidays, though. Airfares are already double what were paying between holidays, Mr. Parsons said."

[shygirl724]

Keepinig an eye out and running trips on multiple sites lets you catch great pricing posted for short periods. Currently from Seattle to Oakland is just $97 round trip. Seattle to Paris via AA is just $564 with taxes and fees if completed by the 3rd week of May. This is half off the normal "discounted" price I have been seeing.Message Edited by shygirl724 on 03-04-2009 11:30 PM

[bonniejoy03]

Hi S. Lucky you. I have been watching East Coast to San Juan for about 4 months and the price has not moved one penny!! ( I think they are waiting for me to buy my ticket before they lower the price. That seems to happen often!) Wonder if it is the market. The seating capacity has only changed slightly in that time frame.