Outrageous Airfare - Dive Resorts Must React

[-hh]

Unfortunately, it also comes down to the question of what routes have competition versus not ... that's why a 700 mile flight is going for $500 on UA right now, whereas its $1000 for an 8,000 mile flight ... it boils down to there being more competition on the NJ to Hong Kong route than for NJ to Tennessee.

The other part of this same question is that those small Caribbean islands can also be hiding some revenue for themselves in the ticket prices. For example, on my current Cayman ticket:

U.S. Customs User Fee:	5.50
U.S. Immigration User Fee:	7.00
U.S. APHIS User Fee:	5.00
U.S. Federal Transportation Tax:	33.40
September 11th Security Fee:	2.50
Cayman Islands Terminal Fee:	1.25
Cayman Islands Departure Tax:	25.00
Cayman Islands Passenger Service Charge:	15.90
Cayman Islands Security Tax:	10.00
U.S. Passenger Facility Charge:	4.50

So while the US Feds take $57.90 in taxes, there's another $52.15 going to the Cayman government too. For the old-timers who remember having to hand over $20 at the check-in counter on your Cayman departure, that fee didn't "go away" ... it simply got hidden in your ticket price.


-hh

 

[mathauck0814]

Wow....

I'd be willing to bet that airlines spend fewer than 24 hours (as a company, over the course of a year) even wondering about the "scuba diving vacation" business that they get. Airlines care about business passengers who pay full fare and buy premium tickets. They care about freight that they carry and they begrudgingly deeply discount economy class seats that they forecast they can't sell otherwise.

If you can't afford the trip that's fine. Everyone has their limits. Your energy is probably better spent doing what ever it takes to earn more money than attempting to rally a grassroots movement of dive operators in the third world to pressure the airline industry.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Thank goodness we have the Florida Keys!!

 

[Doc]

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

Yes, that has worked quite well on the Bay Islands of Honduras.

 

[Kksmama]

Please comment if you have similar experiences with the airlines.

I had a bunch of Citi Thank-you points, and found that using them to book airfare was a terrific deal! I found a $334 roundtrip airfare from Tampa to Curacao on American Airlines in May, but the points cost is only 25,500 - so more like $255 (you can use dollar/point combination). And we each get one free suitcase, and one free carry-on!

Lots of work to sort out the various deals, but worth it! Good luck!

 

[Rhone Man]

Truth is, it is much worse than the OP suggests. It is bad when the airlines hike their airfares. But what is far, far worse is when they decide they cannot run the route profitably at all, and so they close it down.

American Airlines (the main carrier in and out of the BVI) has announced they will close down the BVI route from April of next year. And that means, unless we can find alternative carriers, or pay them blackmail money, our tourist industry is absolutely screwed.

 

[mathauck0814]

Truth is, it is much worse than the OP suggests. It is bad when the airlines hike their airfares. But what is far, far worse is when they decide they cannot run the route profitably at all, and so they close it down.

American Airlines (the main carrier in and out of the BVI) has announced they will close down the BVI route from April of next year. And that means, unless we can find alternative carriers, or pay them blackmail money, our tourist industry is absolutely screwed.

Perhaps you'd benefit from looking at it from American Airlines' point of view? Maybe the BVI haven't done enough to engender the type of customers that have the means to pay full fare for tickets and go as frequently as is required for them to profitably run a route there?

The airlines are in the business of earnings per share at the direction of their stock holders. They're not in the business of subsidizing a tourism industry in far flung places.

 

[Shasta_man]

He could look at it that way, but it wouldn't be a benefit. The airlines are in the business of making themselves money and the stock holders sometimes make money too.

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

I have been doing dive trips since 1990 , this is the first year my flight will exceed lodging , diving and food for cost .
When I first started travelling air fare would run around 25% of the trip cost , now it is about 55 % of my total cost .
Makes it hard to play for sure .

 

[Rhone Man]

Perhaps you'd benefit from looking at it from American Airlines' point of view? Maybe the BVI haven't done enough to engender the type of customers that have the means to pay full fare for tickets and go as frequently as is required for them to profitably run a route there?

The airlines are in the business of earnings per share at the direction of their stock holders. They're not in the business of subsidizing a tourism industry in far flung places.

I have plenty of sympathy for American Airlines. Can't say I'd do any different if I was on the board looking at the numbers.

But I am afraid for what it will mean for the region.