Outrageous Airfare - Dive Resorts Must React

[diverrex]

I also don't like airfares going up. But I don't see how that can be called gouging. The airlines have barely made any money for years. We've been lucky the last 20 years on airline prices. I suspect the current level of pricing will be more typical for the next 20 years + typical inflation increases.

 

[Wolfie]

I fell in love with cayman while I crashed at an expats pad and got $99 round trips back in the mid 90's from Detroit. Now ny to gcm is 750 plus if you can get a seat. On the standard sat to sat route it,s 1500 for a ticket without a seat. Ok I played the angles in the 90's but 1500 and not even giving you a seat is highway criminal.

 

[diverrex]

I fell in love with cayman while I crashed at an expats pad and got $99 round trips back in the mid 90's from Detroit. Now ny to gcm is 750 plus if you can get a seat. On the standard sat to sat route it,s 1500 for a ticket without a seat. Ok I played the angles in the 90's but 1500 and not even giving you a seat is highway criminal.

I have no idea why I am defending the airlines but I just did a quick search picking a random Sat to Sat in June for flights from NY to Grand Cayman and United has connecting flights at $470 and Cayman Airways has direct flights at $512. That seems fairly reasonable to me. If it was possible to drive there it would cost you more in gas money.

 

[jlevine]

The airline business is brutal. They have to deal with fuel prices, federal taxes, local taxes, foreign government fees, etc. The last time I looked at the receipt of my ticket and saw all the add-ons, I was stunned. Nearly half the ticket was taxes and fees.

 

[ferris213]

...and then the implication of the words "Global Recession" sink in...

+1

Expensive airfares on my international diving holidays...? There's nothing like having first world problems eh?

 

[vladimir]

The airline industry has been ultra-competitive and only marginally profitable for decades. It's good to hear that American carriers have finally figured out not to sell flights for less than they cost. The airline's obligations are to its shareholders, to turn a profit, and to its paying customers, to deliver the service they paid for. It has no obligation to the people who would like to travel but can't afford a ticket.

---------- Post added April 6th, 2012 at 06:55 PM ----------

Sounds like you need a little local diving, like Flower Gardens, Florida Keys, North Carolina, Guaymas MX, etc. Puerto Rico is still $200 airfare from most of the east coast. Our stewardess just found $200 airfare to PR from Denver. Maybe the worn out destinations like Cozumel and Bonaire are expensive, but there are still very affordable airfares to the Caribbean.

I'll take those "worn-out" destinations—even at the higher cost—over Puerto Rico or the Keys every time.

 

[ajtoady]

The "Big" name airlines have been gouging for years. They learned to charge whatever the market will bear. I will check numerous origins and destinations. I don't mind driving an extra hour to save a few hundred. As far as the online booking sites, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. I have found they all suck when it comes to real booking. Flights with 3 stops, two days worth of travel and such. US Air, Delta, AA, are airlines that I try to avoid for reasons such as: overbooked, overpriced, lousy on-time arrivals, and the crappiest customer service on the planet. The last time I checked I could fly round trip to COZ from Ottawa for about $350 US taxes included with one stop. That was about 1 month ago. So go figure.

 

[vladimir]

The "Big" name airlines have been gouging for years. They learned to charge whatever the market will bear.

Why would they charge anything less than what the market will bear? As for gouging, the real question is why they persisted in selling seats below cost for so many years:

United Continental Historical Earnings Per Share

Dec. 31, 2011 -0.17 Sept. 30, 2011 1.69 June 30, 2011 1.39 March 31, 2011 -0.65 Dec. 31, 2010 -1.47 Sept. 30, 2010 1.75 June 30, 2010 1.29 March 31, 2010 -0.49 Dec. 31, 2009 -1.48 Sept. 30, 2009 -0.39 June 30, 2009 0.19 March 31, 2009 -2.64 Dec. 31, 2008 -10.25 Sept. 30, 2008 -6.22 June 30, 2008 -21.57 March 31, 2008 -4.55 Dec. 31, 2007 -0.07 Sept. 30, 2007 2.21 June 30, 2007 1.83

 

[supergaijin]

I bet the Dive Centers can afford to shave off a few dollars to combat the evil greed of airline companies

 

[Mark Derail]

Probably subsidized by the Mexican tourism board, to attract more vacationers.

At 350$ is that with Air Canada?

The "Big" name airlines have been gouging for years. They learned to charge whatever the market will bear. I will check numerous origins and destinations. I don't mind driving an extra hour to save a few hundred. As far as the online booking sites, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. I have found they all suck when it comes to real booking. Flights with 3 stops, two days worth of travel and such. US Air, Delta, AA, are airlines that I try to avoid for reasons such as: overbooked, overpriced, lousy on-time arrivals, and the crappiest customer service on the planet. The last time I checked I could fly round trip to COZ from Ottawa for about $350 US taxes included with one stop. That was about 1 month ago. So go figure.