High oil prices vs diving vacation

[scubamickey]

Well, I haven't seen any baggage changes on the airlines that I normally choose to fly (Alaska and American) and I purchase my tickets to the Caribbean at least 7 months out. I used Fare Compare and YAPTA to purchase the best airfare based on trends. By doing this and not waiting until 3 months out, I am saving over $300 on tickets to St Kitts for this June.

Second thing I do for vacations is to go on liveaboards. The fuel surcharge is a flat $150 so no last minute surprises.

Of course, what makes it easier for us, especially since we have to travel from Alaska, is that I use airline miles to get first class tickets to Miami. So that's a bunch of money that I don't have to spend. I would recommend to everyone that if they don't already have a credit card that gives you 1 for 1 miles for every dollar purchased, to look into it. I out everything on the credit card and I get thousands of miles just for day to day purchases.

There's always a way to make those annual vacations happen if you really want it badly enough

 

[novicediver]

Paying your fair share is paying what it really costs for that airline ticket instead of moaning about the surcharges.

 

[AXL72]

....For a family of 4 that's almost $600 more right off the bat.

Duh...just don't take the family. That is a savings of $232*4 - 373 = $555 right off the bat


j/k....How are things?

 

[AXL72]

I really don't feel sorry for any of you. You are whining about your next dive vacation while others are just struggling to make rent or have enough gas to get to work. Reality is that the economy is in an unstable period and some of you are just going to have to suck it up. Airlines are failing because costs are high and yet travelers still want 200 dollar fares. Now it is time for you to pay your fair share.

dood, let's split the price for a jar of grey poupon

 

[novicediver]

I am just saying that if you can afford a thousand dollars plus for gear, an extra hundred dollars on airfare won't kill you. Heavy bags and extra bags equal fuel. High fuel costs equals high operating costs. Low airfare and high operating costs means airlines going out of business. If you pay a few dollars more now, then maybe those lower cost airlines will remain in business and keep the legacy carriers from having a monopoly. If that monopoly does occur, your airfares will skyrocket as opposed to the meager jump right now.

 

[AXL72]

BUYING PAINT FROM A HARDWARE STORE
==================================

Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?

Clerk: We have regular quality for $12 a gallon and premium for $18. How
many gallons would you like?

Customer: Five gallons of regular quality, please.

Clerk: Great. That will be $60 plus tax.


BUYING PAINT FROM AN AIRLINE
============================

Customer: Hi, how much is your paint?

Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends.

Customer: Depends on what?

Clerk: Actually, a lot of things.

Customer: How about giving me an average price?

Clerk: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a gallon, and
we have 150 different prices up to $200 a gallon.

Customer: What's the difference in the paint?

Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.

Customer: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.

Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to
use it?

Customer: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.

Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.

Customer: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9 version?

Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to
start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at
least Sunday.

Customer: You've got to be kidding!

Clerk: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course, I'll have to check to see
if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.

Customer: What do you mean check to see if you can sell it to me? You have
shelves full of that stuff; I can see it right there.

Clerk: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It may be
the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of gallons on any given
weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went to $12.

Customer: You mean the price went up while we were talking!

Clerk: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a
day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint
yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen
again, I would suggest that you get on with your purchase. How many gallons
do you want?

Customer: I don't know exactly. Maybe five gallons. Maybe I should buy six
gallons just to make sure I have enough.

Clerk: Oh, no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then don't
use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the
paint you already have.

Customer: What?

Clerk: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen,
bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the
bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.

Customer: But what does it matter to you whether I use all the paint? I
already paid you for it!

Clerk: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it is. We
make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you
don't, it just causes us all sorts of problems.

Customer: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don't
keep painting until after Saturday night!

Clerk: Yes, sir, it will.

Customer: Well, that does it! I'm going somewhere else to buy my paint.

Clerk: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. Thanks
for painting with our airline.

 

[driftwood]

Don't know about other parts of the world, but you get a GREAT exchange rate for your dollar here on Bonaire. For every $1.00 you get 1.78 florin.... This keeps the prices stable here on Bonaire for the Americans.

I have talked with two shop owners in Austin who have pulled back on trips to Bonaire due to price increases for 2009. Tough for a weak dollar to compete with a strong Euro and a tough sell for a LDS to their costumers. Bonaire needs to start looking to Europe to fill the rooms on the island. The diving on Bonaire is GREAT. The cost is high and getting VERY high.

For me and my wife, we are going to Mexico this year, saving $1000 in airfare alone over traveling to Bonaire and not having to deal with the terrible air service that is forced on its guests to get there. Over the whole week, Mexico is over $2500 less and we are staying in better rooms with much more to do topside.

 

[vladimir]

Paying your fair share is paying what it really costs for that airline ticket instead of moaning about the surcharges.

Can't I just look at the airline's price for a ticket and then decide whether or not I want to pay it? And let the airline worry about covering its costs? Because that's what I do with everything else I buy.

I am just saying that if you can afford a thousand dollars plus for gear, an extra hundred dollars on airfare won't kill you. Heavy bags and extra bags equal fuel. High fuel costs equals high operating costs. Low airfare and high operating costs means airlines going out of business. If you pay a few dollars more now, then maybe those lower cost airlines will remain in business and keep the legacy carriers from having a monopoly. If that monopoly does occur, your airfares will skyrocket as opposed to the meager jump right now.

Do you work for a lower cost airline by any chance?

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I think the cost of heating oil is what has stung us the most. That up tick alone just about offset a dive trip for one compared to a couple of years ago. The gasoline prices meanwhile added to the belt tightening.

Pete

I never thought I would see the day when I was GLAD I have electric heat. It's always been an expensive way to heat the house, my $600 electric bill each February made me long for other methods before but over the course of a winter it's now the inexpensive way to heat. THAT'S scary. I've been seeing ads on tv encouraging people to switch from natural gas to electric heat. I remember when my friends used to pay 1/4 of what I did each winter, not any more. Luckily my electric only costs about $60/month in the summer even with the air conditioner on so my average bill is $200/month for the electric.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[shoturtle]

I have talked with two shop owners in Austin who have pulled back on trips to Bonaire due to price increases for 2009. Tough for a weak dollar to compete with a strong Euro and a tough sell for a LDS to their costumers. Bonaire needs to start looking to Europe to fill the rooms on the island. The diving on Bonaire is GREAT. The cost is high and getting VERY high.

For me and my wife, we are going to Mexico this year, saving $1000 in airfare alone over traveling to Bonaire and not having to deal with the terrible air service that is forced on its guests to get there. Over the whole week, Mexico is over $2500 less and we are staying in better rooms with much more to do topside.

Go dive in Thailand and other parts of South East Asia, diving is cheaper, and there is plenty to do topside. exchange rate is pretty good. hotels are reasonable if you know where to look, and food is way cheap and pretty good compair to the Crib. That is why so many European go there.