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Another reason to hate the airlines.

Gotta love the USA, whenever there is a business opportunity, by God we are there!
 
Well, it's not like people are trapped. They can always walk, but I suggest walking around 50 mph or so just to be safe. Put up a sail on a skateboard. With 180 mph winds, you can made good time. Might want an anchor for that bit, there. I suggest an anvil.
 
Anyone who has ever shopped for airline tickets online knows that there is already a gigantic range of prices for non-first-class fares from one place to another, even among a single airline's flights. I can go online right now and find flights to Phoenix on a major airline (Delta) for Friday the 8th, ranging from $199 to $750. The $199 flight leaves at 5:30 pm and the $750 flight leaves at noon, both are nonstop. ERMAHGERD!!! One of those flights is almost FOUR TIMES the price of the other one!!! They're gouging everyone!!! 1111111

I'm going to guess that all the cheaper flights sold out in the time it took El Complaino in this story to get back online and search for a flight for his daughter's friend the next day, so the only seats left were on that $1,000 flight. It's not like everyone else didn't have the same idea as he did to get out of Florida. Also of note is that he bought his daughter's ticket on Monday, and found only the expensive ticket available the next morning after the voluntary evacuation of Marco Island was announced. There was likely a surge of ticket buyers that morning and two things happened: the cheap fares were bought up, and the algorithms in The airlines' software ratcheted prices up after sensing the increase in demand.
 
Critter7r said:
Anyone who has ever shopped for airline tickets online knows that there is already a gigantic range of prices for non-first-class fares from one place to another, even among a single airline's flights. I can go online right now and find flights to Phoenix on a major airline (Delta) for Friday the 8th, ranging from $199 to $750. The $199 flight leaves at 5:30 pm and the $750 flight leaves at noon, both are nonstop. ERMAHGERD!!! One of those flights is almost FOUR TIMES the price of the other one!!! They're gouging everyone!!! 1111111

I'm going to guess that all the cheaper flights sold out in the time it took El Complaino in this story to get back online and search for a flight for his daughter's friend the next day, so the only seats left were on that $1,000 flight. It's not like everyone else didn't have the same idea as he did to get out of Florida. Also of note is that he bought his daughter's ticket on Monday, and found only the expensive ticket available the next morning after the voluntary evacuation of Marco Island was announced. There was likely a surge of ticket buyers that morning and two things happened: the cheap fares were bought up, and the algorithms in The airlines' software ratcheted prices up after sensing the increase in demand.
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You would be wrong.

I’m seeing the direct hit on Florida. My daughter is down at the University of Miami, so I called her and said, ‘I’m going to bring you home. If worst comes to worst, we waste money, and you don’t come home, and this thing misses you, and everything is fine.’ I logged in last night and saw $159.20 to be exact. I said you know what; this ticket is so cheap, I’m just going to buy it.”

The next day, he went back to look for a ticket for his daughter’s roommate, who is also a close family friend’s daughter. Shocked at the price increase, he said he even made sure that he didn’t click first class by accident and he also verified that the flight had pretty much the same number of seats available compared to when he checked last night.
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Same flight.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
You would be wrong.


Same flight.
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No. Same itinerary. There's a difference.

Plugging in one's itinerary on Expedia doesn't mean that you're getting another ticket on that exact airplane. If that flight is sold out, it will automatically move you along to the next available flight.

So there's no way you could possibly know for sure from the information contained within that story that it was actually the "same flight".

Since the Marco Island evacuation was announced early Tuesday morning, and the story doesn't say what time on Tuesday El Complaino attempted to buy that 2nd ticket, it's possible, likely even, that his daughter's flight sold out and they pushed his itinerary along to the next available flight. Unfortunately, all the cheap flights were gone.
 
Critter7r said:
No. Same itinerary. There's a difference.

Plugging in one's itinerary on Expedia doesn't mean that you're getting another ticket on that exact airplane. If that flight is sold out, it will automatically move you along to the next available flight.

So there's no way you could possibly know for sure from the information contained within that story that it was actually the "same flight".

Since the Marco Island evacuation was announced early Tuesday morning, and the story doesn't say what time on Tuesday El Complaino attempted to buy that 2nd ticket, it's possible, likely even, that his daughter's flight sold out and they pushed his itinerary along to the next available flight. Unfortunately, all the cheap flights were gone.
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Read the OP link and you can clearly see how all of the airlines jacked their fares starting yesterday... which also happens to be about the same time computer models started agreeing that the storm would definitely be hitting Florida.

It is what it is.
 
I mean... otherwise the flights would sell out very quick. This makes sure those who absolutely NEED to get out by plane, do(like elderly/sick)... and those that can use other options, do.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Read the OP link and you can clearly see how all of the airlines jacked their fares starting yesterday... which also happens to be about the same time computer models started agreeing that the storm would definitely be hitting Florida.

It is what it is.
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Yes, it definitely is that.

I don't doubt that the flights' prices are rising due to whatever algorithms the airlines use to determine their pricing response to the increase in demand, however, I also don't doubt that all the cheap flights were snatched up quickly after the Marco Island evacuation suggestion, and knowledge of the increasing likelihood of Irma hitting Florida spread thru the state. All that's left are the "increased capacity" flights that the airlines are shoveling Florida's way to respond to that increased demand. Those are flights that wouldn't normally be available, and since those flights are being especially generated for this situation, it stands to reason that the airlines are incurring significant additional costs providing them.
 
Rexedgar said:
Gotta love the USA, whenever there is a business opportunity, by God we are there!
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This is what happens when the sadism really sets in....exploitation is just fine and dandy.
 
celticwar17 said:
I mean... otherwise the flights would sell out very quick. This makes sure those who absolutely NEED to get out by plane, do(like elderly/sick)... and those that can use other options, do.
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Because sending more seats either with bigger planes or more planes is out of the question right?

They could do that, but this is more profits for less work, so this is just fine and dandy!
 
Critter7r said:
Yes, it definitely is that.

I don't doubt that the flights' prices are rising due to whatever algorithms the airlines use to determine their pricing response to the increase in demand, however, I also don't doubt that all the cheap flights were snatched up quickly after the Marco Island evacuation suggestion, and knowledge of the increasing likelihood of Irma hitting Florida spread thru the state. All that's left are the "increased capacity" flights that the airlines are shoveling Florida's way to respond to that increased demand. Those are flights that wouldn't normally be available, and since those flights are being especially generated for this situation, it stands to reason that the airlines are incurring significant additional costs providing them.
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I'm about as strong of a supporter of capitalism as you will find but at the same time I will call out that which violates my moral compass. If the airlines are making a profit with their fares set the way they are then jacking them up because there is a hurricane coming is little more than preying on those in need. It's more bad PR for an industry that already suffers from too much bad PR.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/...ry-escape-hurricane-irmas-path-224013499.html

$1,300 for a seat that cost less than $200 on Monday. People helping people.:roll:
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That's surely a rip off...

But what some outfits have called the worst airline in the world, recently left a plane load of passengers sitting on the tarmac for over six hours, no refreshments, no air conditioning. It was so bad one of the passengers dialed 911, and police, ambulance and fire arrived to rescue the passengers from their ailine.


So many people have been screwed by Air Transat a hearing was called..

Agency demands answers from Air Transat over tarmac delays | Metro Ottawa

I flew with this airline 15 years ago to the Caribbean. We arrived 18 hours late.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Because sending more seats either with bigger planes or more planes is out of the question right?

They could do that, but this is more profits for less work, so this is just fine and dandy!
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I'm sure they already are, there are multiple airlines. They'll probably get as much planes down there as feasible.... but there would be traffic issues, fuel issues, make sure there are enough employees for full capacity...
it's more complicated than you think
 
celticwar17 said:
I'm sure they already are, there are multiple airlines. They'll probably get as much planes down there as feasible.... but there would be traffic issues, fuel issues, make sure there are enough employees for full capacity...
it's more complicated than you think
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I know pretty well how complicated it is, and given such things as needing to fly in employees and flying with too much fuel on the way in because the jet fuel is running out in the path of the hurricane increases costs and thus lowers profits, but see back when we were civilized and understood that we are all in this together and had compassion for others this was considered the right thing to do.

I also point out that recently Airline Profits have been at or near all time highs, it is not like the airlines are hurting.
 
celticwar17 said:
I'm sure they already are, there are multiple airlines. They'll probably get as much planes down there as feasible.... but there would be traffic issues, fuel issues, make sure there are enough employees for full capacity...
it's more complicated than you think
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I hear you, but complexity =\= cost. still going to use the same amount of fuel, same amount of wear and tear on the plane, same amount pilot hours per flight.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
I know pretty well how complicated it is, and given such things as needing to fly in employees and flying with too much fuel on the way in increases costs and thus lowers profits, but see back when we were civilized and understood that we are all in this together and had compassion for others this was considered the right thing to do.

I also point out that recently Airline Profits have been at or near all time highs, it is not like the airlines are hurting.
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But, but....CAPITALISM! The market naturally adjusts, is never wrong, and will solve any problem!
 
KevinKohler said:
I hear you, but complexity =\= cost. still going to use the same amount of fuel, same amount of wear and tear on the plane, same amount pilot hours per flight.
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Except it does.

It's overtime for the crews (and additional crews) that are being sent there, because they're not just cancelling other flights and sending in those flight crews. And the planes may need to fly into FL preloaded with fuel instead of running on fumes when they get there (like they normally would to save weight), because of the possibility of scarce fuel. And the logistics of increasing the flight frequency has to be managed and overseen by more employees earning overtime, and there are additional gate fees for that increased traffic, etc, etc, etc. Increased ground crews at the airport to handle the additional flights and on and on.
 
KevinKohler said:
But, but....CAPITALISM! The market naturally adjusts, is never wrong, and will solve any problem!
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I think it sort of does in this case... There are more people who want to use flights than is available... and the market adjusts to this by raising the price and in turn, those that reeeally need a plane, can get one.... instead of a mob cram at the airport where you have thousands of people waiting to get an open seat and half the people don't end up getting one and are stranded at the airport because they could have spent their packing up and driving.

Is it perfect? No...but It's not nearly as big of a deal as most people are trying to make it out to be.
 
KevinKohler said:
But, but....CAPITALISM! The market naturally adjusts, is never wrong, and will solve any problem!
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Back when we did do capitalism it did work pretty well when the owners considered the workers and the community to be stake holders who's needs must be looked after.

What we do now is not capitalism though we call it that, because honesty is another thing we simply cant manage anymore.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Back when we did do capitalism it did work pretty well when the owners considered the workers and the community to be stake holders who's needs must be looked after.

What we do now is not capitalism though we call it that, because honesty is another thing we simply cant manage anymore.
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What would you call this style of Capitalism instead?

I don't recall any of that workers/community hippy talk when I learned about it.
 
WillyPete said:
What would you call this style of Capitalism instead?

I don't recall any of that workers/community hippy talk when I learned about it.
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I claimed clearly that we do not do capitalism now.

I dont have a name for what this is, where the success comes not from winning in the marketplace but from the ability to use wealth to corrupt Washington and then writing the rules such that allow them to suck up all the wealth after exploiting the vast majority of Americans, both the living and the yet to be born.

Treason Maybe.
 
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