Is terra killing the airline industry?

[Dr.Phool]

I know Saturdays and Tuesdays are slow flying days, but this is ridiculous.

We flew to St. Louis for a wedding on Saturday, and came back yesterday.

We originally weren't going to go, because the airfare was over $400 each round trip. Then about 6 weeks ago, I got an e-mail alert from Travelzoo, with a lot of $91 round trips from Tampa. St. Louis was one of them. We got non-stop flights on American.

The plane, an S-80, with 184 seats, in 38 rows, was less than 25% full. Everyone checked in early, and after boarding, we pushed back from the gate 20-25 minutes ahead of time. Nice.

On the return trip yesterday, the flight attendent told us that there were only 38 passengers on board, and we could feel free to change seats, and take an entire row if we liked. I immediately grabbed a row, raised the arm rests, and stretched out over 3 seats for a nap.

When we arrived, we proceeded directly to baggage claim, and all the passengers luggage was there on the carousel, and it wasn't turning.

They definitly lost money on our flights, if everyone (except first class) paid the same price we did. And our party had other people on other flights the same days.

[ixion]

1. no, the government is

with stupid things like TSA and the unPATRIOTic Act. :grr:

I used to really enjoy flying. I don't anymore, but not because of terrorists. It's because I don't like being treated like a terrorist when I am just flying along minding my own business. :grr:

[Dr.Phool]

4. That's what I mean.

Are people just getting fed up with being abused at airports?

I think so.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. These days I avodi flying

hell, we had to go to LA for a family function and we took the train... if you can... take the train... we paid 42 each way for business class and let me tell you... TRAIN.. did I say this enough already? why fly?

[MADem]

2. Maybe not....if the cargo hold was full NT

[DURHAM D]

3. I have been on 8 flights between 8/3 and 8/21 and every one of

them was full. I was flying up and down the east coast and also to the midwest.

However, after school starts probably a lot fewer travelers.

[havocmom]

5. Helping them destroy the unions

Figure airlines will be back, smaller, and serving the rich.
The rest of us are steerage.

[Junkdrawer]

12. The prosperous middle class thing is sooo 50s/60s....

Time to get with the program: a tiny upper crust and the rest scrambling for the crumbs by courting favor.

BTW: Ignore those fish wives in the corner knitting....

[havocmom]

15. Middle management is SO in for a surprise

The Lords of Fatbush won't need much more than a drummer to keep the slaves rowing together.

[ComerPerro]

6. Bush's legacy could include

the demise of the US airline industry and automotive industry

[cspanlovr]

8. Yes, we'll be a much less mobile society. Is that the plan?

[ComerPerro]

13. that's one of the few things I actually chalk up to

old-fashioned incompetence

[dipsydoodle]

7. Was already like that here in the UK

and not even terra related. Sometimes there are flights for £ 2 from England into France. I have no rational explanation for that.

[WhiteTara]

9. Is it terra or pompous little TSA workers?

THey love their power. I broke my foot not long ago and had to have a wheel chair to and fro. I was wheeled through and they found OMG MAKEUP?!?!?!?!!! I had put the little bag in the wrong bag on leaving my mom's house and there was the criminal content (I mailed it back home) On the second entrance to through security I was then practically cavity searched by some woman who was told to "swab the boot" which by the way she never did. But the woman in front of me was about 85, obviously a cancer survivor and the fat white woman running the area has her up out of her wheel chair lifting her wig!!!! I think that is why people are not flying.

But the upside is that there is less atmospheric damage done with fewer planes. I wish they would bring back the trains. But wow, unless you can sit up for any number of days straight, talk about expensive.

[Protagoras]

10. Been on 8 flights in 3 weeks and for the first time in years

there were many visible open seats. But that wasn't the part that was most interesting. What really made the case was the discussions going on around the plane, between passengers and even with some of the security people and gate agents.

People are pissed. They know it's rediculous. They resent it. They know it's political.

I was in Chicago and heard the airport announcement that the TSA had raised the terra alert level yadda yadda yadd and actually saw people raising their fingers into the air at the announcement...and watched others rolling their eyes and then heard "Bullshit" muttered. An hour later the CNN screen in the terminal spewed that story about the plane that was rerouted to amsterdamn because of some unidentified terra threat and I heard "That shit won't happen after the election".

That's a lot of discontent in the atmosphere...

And of course there was no terra on that airline. The whole story was BS...and the feces just gets higher and deeper. But it was pretty evident to me that people are becoming less passive, less scared, and a lot more pissed off.

That means they're biting back, fighting back, and as I heard from a number of people, flying much less or only when absolutely necessary because it just isn't worth it.

[liberal N proud]

14. It is all about November

All the current terra plots are designed to bolster the need for security and then they will paint the Democratic candidate as weak on National Security once again.

It is amazing that this all started days after Lieberman lost in the primary and then Dickwad Cheney told America that Joe's loss made America less safe.

[radfringe]

16. I'm not a big flyer

on the average it's one trip per year out to Minneapolis to visit family, maybe a 2nd time during the year for a vacation

enny-whoo, this year we went to CA for vacation from 6/30 - 7/9... long story there, but suffice to say security was a royal pain in the butt from going through the machines, to getting "redlined" for "extra security" because we changed flights after our original flight was canceled by the airline at the last freaking minute -- and oh yeah -- there was also a "lockdown" at one airport for about 15 minutes

this was all before the GREAT LIQUID BOMB on the plane pile of crap scare

told my partner - "NEW RULE: We DON'T FLY DURING AN ELECTION YEAR"

I am suppose to go see my family at some point in the next couple of months - it's a 20 hour drive, but at least I can have a soda in the car