Airfares are rising faster than the price of a barrel of oil.

I have not shopped for air prices lately but a conference that I would like to attend got me on the computer late last week checking out airfares. There were multiple dates and locations for these meetings so I checked a few different city pairs and dates. I was shocked at some of the prices that were being quoted for fall and winter travel.

You can fly round trip from Columbus OH to the heart of Europe cheaper than you can to Quebec City, Canada. During my fare search last Friday (1 Aug 08) Las Vegas and New Orleans quotes were off the chart and way out of line for my travel budget for this conference.

Last summer I paid $140.00 to fly nonstop from Columbus to Boston. Discounted advance purchase fares this summer or fall to Beantown were at least doubled. Then add in all of the a la carte charges (bags, pre-assigned seats, etc) and the fare has soared through the roof. The downsizing of flight schedules will and have impacted fares but not enough to justify 200% increases in some markets.

Sure increased fuel and operating costs for the carriers means higher airfares but some of the fare spikes seemed outrageous. Are the airlines trying to copy the large oil companies’ business models and increase their corporate earning and profits accordingly?

As far as air fares are concerned there may be some price relief coming soon. How soon I’m not sure but historically the airlines sharply raise prices then watch their passenger loads plummet. After they run their sophisticated computerized revenue model programs then pour over the spreadsheets and at long last take look at the empty seats in their cabins. After these steps we should see a fare correction with prices dropping.

Gazing into the Travel Professor’s crystal ball I do see ticket prices falling but I do not see a roll back of the add on pricing. Paying for the extras that the flying public took for granted as complimentary are here to stay. Sorry gang but there’s no free lunch or Coke on the legacy carriers these days.

Got travel questions or issues? Contact thetravelprofessor@gmail.com.