Comments on: Holiday travel forecasts: “Cautious optimism” — or billion-dollar bloodbath?

By: SpotLight

SpotLight — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:46:21 +0000

@Justin “The airline can give tax payers a call back when we get our 700 Billion and 1 Billion Dollar bailouts courtesy of Former President Bush and Current President Obama”

Don’t leave out the real perpetrators of the giveaways – the democrat controlled congress.

Spending your money like it was theirs since 2006!

By: Aravind

Aravind — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:05:05 +0000

@Chris…It was $99 one-way from MDW-LAS….which wrt the gas prices during Apr-June was a good deal….yh I do agree that a $99 round trip is defntly unsustainable…

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:58:22 +0000

The airlines continue to screw us, with holiday surcharges, baggage fees & so on, then they wonder why travel is down? I wish I had an MBA, then maybe I could understand their approach.

PS: Fly Southwest – no outrageous fees!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:14:19 +0000

@Aravind – The reason airlines are having issues is that $99 round trip fares MDW-LAS are not sustainable. It costs more to fly one passenger from Chicago to Las Vegas & back!

By: David Z

David Z — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:08:25 +0000

Paging Ms. Sylvia Browne…

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:39:01 +0000

People can just as well pack up a large family and drive versus go bankrupt. Honestly, I absolutely hate flying and I don’t even have to worry about kids or the like. Between the airport security and the headache involved, I prefer to drive. Then again, like most, who has money to do anything now. This economy is in the toilets. The airline can give tax payers a call back when we get our 700 Billion and 1 Billion Dollar bailouts courtesy of Former President Bush and Current President Obama. I’ll take mine in the form of gold bullion. Otherwise, like most Americans right now, travel is the ABSOLUTE last thing on our minds. Something called a place to live and food on the table takes precedence. I am not sure who these guys “surveyed”, but I got a good feeling it wasn’t your average earner or those who are sitting outside the payrolls right now. I can tell you most people I know don’t have disposable income to waste.

Justin

By: Joe Farrell

Joe Farrell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:14:25 +0000

Charge too much – people will find alternative ways to travel.

When the airlines charge too much – people do not fly. When hotels charge too much – they stay with relatives over holidays. you have to understand that when I was kid in the 60′s – travel was big deal – and if you went to visit someone for the holidays you stayed with them. This whole hotel thing only really got going in the 80′s – before then you stayed with your relatives when you traveled at the holidays.

And if hotels decide a holiday surcharge, holiday housekeeping fee [I saw that one on a small hotel over Christmas so I canceled the res when I saw the confirmation - they immediately called and offered to pull it] or congestion fee or whatever they want to call it – people will just go back to their old ways. Staying with the relatives may require the consumption of additional adult beverages, but – hey – thats how my family got through the holidays in the 60′s and 70′s!

By: Aravind

Aravind — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:45:30 +0000

I guess the airline industry is shooting itself in the foot by jacking up airfares like crazy….a ticket from MDW-Vegas which used to go @ 99 during Apr-June now is about 220…a 100% appreciation during holiday season…no wonder everyones making a loss….