As you know, I fly a lot. I must admit I used to really like it but now that isn’t the case. I view it as it comes with the territory–just part of the job.
A few months ago we had a family vacation and rented a house on the west coast of Florida. My sister and brother-in-law were supposed to fly in and arrive twenty minutes after we did. Well, five hours later they were still nowhere to be found. When they showed up, they told us the story about their delays in Houston that resulted in a fun day of travel…Not! Of course I said, "You went from Boston to Houston to Pensacola Florida? You have to be kidding!" They further explained that it was one of the only ways to get here and frankly the price was right. Under my breath I said I will never do that.
The reality is, I was wrong. LB and AB were right. Traveling with stops is probably the way of the future for most of us. Since I have always lived in a hub city for airlines, that has never been a problem. But with fewer flights these days (most airlines have 8-12% fewer flights than over the summer), and airlines struggling to show a profit, they will be forced to charge more for flights–and frankly in some situations, a lot more.
Because of this, for the first time in years I am looking at flights that have one stop if it is significant savings and in some ways it can be. As a business traveler, if I need to do this it will mean more time out of the office and a much greater potential for delays…especially since you are taking twice as many flights.
- Are you looking at one-stop flights?
- Have you noticed price increases on your flights?
- Are you flying less than you did a year ago?
I look forward to reading your comments.
Bob Graham says:
Living in St Louis, flights with a change of planes at a major hub are a way of life. The number of direct flights to other airports is limited. I don’t mind it and even prefer it in some situations: I’d rather connect in Chicago and/or Pittsburgh than fly a puddle jumper directly to Hartford. I’d rather take a connecting flight at 9:00 AM than have a direct departure at 6:00 AM. I’d consider one-stop flights as an option, but I haven’t found any that suit my needs or travel schedule.
Laurie says:
Imaging my delight to see those words “you were right”…
It’s not easy traveling these days, I feel like I am forever traveling backwards to get back home!
Jeffrey Lorber says:
So far the Chicago to Atlanta commute that I take every other week is holding pretty steady at $200 non-stop. I think traveling between the bigger cites will be OK – the price of fuel is going down – but I will do anything to avoid stops – even pay more, or drive an extra hour to fly out of Midway, because you haven’t really lived until you have had a ten hour layover in Bumfuck, Arkansas (Can I say that? I guess I did.) (or Memphis, or St. Louis, or Charlotte, etc.)
Beverly says:
OMG–just having scheduled some family travel over the holidays, you’ve touched on a sore spot. We live in DC Metro, and some would fly us north to NYC to get to FL. Flying with 2 6yos, lots of plane time is not a savory option!
Then, (and I know, I’m about to digress!) booking on Spirit (whose flights are actually pretty smooth–good service at the airport, on-time, etc.) nickel-and-dimed me to the point I was ready to burst (finding out that if I don’t ‘buy’ my seat selection before the flight, my 6yo’s may need to sit next to total strangers. Not a good deal for the strangers! But certainly not ‘safe’ either.) Unlike American, for instance, they pop this incremental charge on me AFTER I’ve escrowed my first born and non-refundably booked the tix. I don’t care next to whom I sit, but I’m just not comfortable not being in sight of my kids in the sardine can.
Yes, I digress. In answer to your question, for business, it’s added time and hassle, but I’d deal, and look for ways to do more electronic meeting–video conferencing, web-meeting, etc. For personal, there are LOTS of reasons not to fly unless you absolutely have to.
Sheryl Cronin says:
Having the pleasure of taking 30 plus hours to get back from Australia a month ago due to flight delays, I absolutely agree with the painful flight realities that exist today. Fortunately out of Atlanta, there a many choices for direct flights for business travel, but I still would prefer to drive if possible especially with my family travel. Business travel is a necessary evil unfortunately.
Karen Dawson says:
With all the cutbacks by the airlines, travel is going to get worse and less convenient. But where you can fly non-stop Merrill, you have to; your time is too valuable to be sitting in airports because of delays. The quality of your life has to come in to play here. That being said, when you have to take a connection, explore every option. I would never recommend putting a client on a routing from Boston to Houston to Pensacola. There has to be better options through CLT, ATL, DCA, PHL…somewhere along the East coast. The trouble with booking online today, is that it doesn’t give you the options of other routings that are possible. My advice would be to find a really good travel agent who gets to know you and your travel needs, knows the routes well, and knows where/how to find the alternatives.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Karen,
That is probably great advice. As things get a little more expensive and challenging travel agents will once again be very important in consumers lives.
Appreciate the comments.
Merrill