The Pain of the Plane
So I normally don't mix this blog with my job, but I'm making an exception in this case. Unless you were living in a cave, you could not help but notice the big announcement made by American Airlines yesterday, part of its efforts to remain financially viable in a world of $130 a barrel oil.
I won't bore you with the minute details (you can read that here in the Dallas Morning News), but the big thing is that you will now pay $15 to check bag number one. Most airlines now charge $25 for the 2nd bag, but American is the first to charge for bag one. And knowing the industry like I do, the rest of the airlines will follow within the next few weeks. And American has raised fees on everything from pets to phone reservations to unaccompanied minors.
I saw a bunch of travelers whining -- yes, I said whining -- about the extra fees. Well I say too bad -- suck it up. Airline fares are actually 46% lower now -- when you adjust for inflation -- than they were when the industry deregulated in 1978. Planes have been flying bargain palaces, and eventually the piper had to be paid. I'm not saying that the airlines haven't caused their own problems, because they have.
But no one in their wildest dreams ever thought oil would reach $130 a barrel, and there are some in the industry saying it may reach $200. Fuel has now exceeded labor as an airline's biggest cost. You have to buy fuel, so something else has to give. Passengers have been refusing to pay higher fares, so the money comes from things like fees to use live human beings to buy tickets, extra bag charges, paying for food aboard flights and lots of fees.
But soon, the airlines may get their wish for higher fares. Every major airline has announced capacity cuts, which means less aircraft, which means less flights. Less flights means more demand, which means higher fares. This is before the completion of the announced merger of Delta and United, and rumors continue to fly about other mergers, including United and US Airways. So I'd go ahead and book your travel now, while the fares are still pretty reasonable. And if you're planning travel after September, you better hope the airline is still flying to your city.
And now to the weight part of our program. Last week was great, but this week, I crashed down to earth, gaining 4 lbs. Boo! But I know what happened - I dropped off my regular exercise, I didn't journal my food, and I may have had some foods (lasagna, Philly Cheese steak, french fries) that may have not been my best choice. But the good news is I've still lost 30 lbs, and I didn't climb back into the 220s. So I'm back on the wagon, heavier, but wiser.
I won't bore you with the minute details (you can read that here in the Dallas Morning News), but the big thing is that you will now pay $15 to check bag number one. Most airlines now charge $25 for the 2nd bag, but American is the first to charge for bag one. And knowing the industry like I do, the rest of the airlines will follow within the next few weeks. And American has raised fees on everything from pets to phone reservations to unaccompanied minors.
I saw a bunch of travelers whining -- yes, I said whining -- about the extra fees. Well I say too bad -- suck it up. Airline fares are actually 46% lower now -- when you adjust for inflation -- than they were when the industry deregulated in 1978. Planes have been flying bargain palaces, and eventually the piper had to be paid. I'm not saying that the airlines haven't caused their own problems, because they have.
But no one in their wildest dreams ever thought oil would reach $130 a barrel, and there are some in the industry saying it may reach $200. Fuel has now exceeded labor as an airline's biggest cost. You have to buy fuel, so something else has to give. Passengers have been refusing to pay higher fares, so the money comes from things like fees to use live human beings to buy tickets, extra bag charges, paying for food aboard flights and lots of fees.
But soon, the airlines may get their wish for higher fares. Every major airline has announced capacity cuts, which means less aircraft, which means less flights. Less flights means more demand, which means higher fares. This is before the completion of the announced merger of Delta and United, and rumors continue to fly about other mergers, including United and US Airways. So I'd go ahead and book your travel now, while the fares are still pretty reasonable. And if you're planning travel after September, you better hope the airline is still flying to your city.
And now to the weight part of our program. Last week was great, but this week, I crashed down to earth, gaining 4 lbs. Boo! But I know what happened - I dropped off my regular exercise, I didn't journal my food, and I may have had some foods (lasagna, Philly Cheese steak, french fries) that may have not been my best choice. But the good news is I've still lost 30 lbs, and I didn't climb back into the 220s. So I'm back on the wagon, heavier, but wiser.
posted by Benet @ 9:31 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home