Finding more room on an airplane

Having just flown myself and talking to people who are traveling, I know how crowded the flights are this summer. It is also discussed a lot in the industry and newsmedia. In addition to long delays and lost baggage, travelers are being packed in like sardines. All of my flights in the last six months have had every seat occupied. What to do? There are some strategies air customers can use to make themselves more comfortable. Use a less-traveled route or less common air carrier. This article explains these approaches.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/travel/15prac.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fA%2fAirlines%20and%20Airplanes

Travel Trends

I just read an article discussing the travel industry so far this year. The analysis comes from a magazine called Travel Industry Indicators. It says that travel demand is up slightly, with the gains in business travel outpacing the leisure sector. It says that domestic trip volume through May is just 0.6% above a year ago. The strongest domestic growth is in the major business centers on the East Coast. Leisure travel growth continues to lag behind business travel. International air traffic through May is 3.9% above a year ago, with inbound foreign arrivals significantly stronger than outbound traffic, up 8.3%. Outbound overseas travel by Americans is being hurt by the inability of first-time foreign travelers to obtain passports. The delays in processing US passports have affected trips to the Caribbean and Mexico. Indicators are that the rest of 2007 will continue the same trends.

Travel Trends

I just read an article discussing the travel industry so far this year. The analysis comes from a magazine called Travel Industry Indicators. It says that travel demand is up slightly, with the gains in business travel outpacing the leisure sector. It says that domestic trip volume through May is just 0.6% above a year ago. The strongest domestic growth is in the major business centers on the East Coast. Leisure travel growth continues to lag behind business travel. International air traffic through May is 3.9% above a year ago, with inbound foreign arrivals significantly stronger than outbound traffic, up 8.3%. Outbound overseas travel by Americans is being hurt by the inability of first-time foreign travelers to obtain passports. The delays in processing US passports have affected trips to the Caribbean and Mexico. Indicators are that the rest of 2007 will continue the same trends.

Travel Trends

I just read an article discussing the travel industry so far this year. The analysis comes from a magazine called Travel Industry Indicators. It says that travel demand is up slightly, with the gains in business travel outpacing the leisure sector. It says that domestic trip volume through May is just 0.6% above a year ago. The strongest domestic growth is in the major business centers on the East Coast. Leisure travel growth continues to lag behind business travel. International air traffic through May is 3.9% above a year ago, with inbound foreign arrivals significantly stronger than outbound traffic, up 8.3%. Outbound overseas travel by Americans is being hurt by the inability of first-time foreign travelers to obtain passports. The delays in processing US passports have affected trips to the Caribbean and Mexico. Indicators are that the rest of 2007 will continue the same trends.

Travel Trends

I just read an article discussing the travel industry so far this year. The analysis comes from a magazine called Travel Industry Indicators. It says that travel demand is up slightly, with the gains in business travel outpacing the leisure sector. It says that domestic trip volume through May is just 0.6% above a year ago. The strongest domestic growth is in the major business centers on the East Coast. Leisure travel growth continues to lag behind business travel. International air traffic through May is 3.9% above a year ago, with inbound foreign arrivals significantly stronger than outbound traffic, up 8.3%. Outbound overseas travel by Americans is being hurt by the inability of first-time foreign travelers to obtain passports. The delays in processing US passports have affected trips to the Caribbean and Mexico. Indicators are that the rest of 2007 will continue the same trends.

How the system works

This is a rough summer for travel. There is no doubt about it. However, dire predictions about people getting fed up with high costs and inconvenience don’t seem to be accurate. Despite soaring gas prices, people took to the roads for the Independence Day weekend. Even with delays and lost luggage, the number of people flying increases.

To understand the causes of travel difficulties, I read a lot of articles. This one discusses that the problems at JFK in New York are impacting travel at other airports as well. It does a good job of explaining the different factors that result in delays in the system.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-07-09-jfk-cover_N.htm

Real Experience Air Delays

I keep reading dire predictions on travel sites about the difficulties with air travel this summer. Delays and the incidence of lost luggage are up, but after traveling myself, and talking to friends, it seems that things are as bad as they say.

I just got back from flying to California to spend a long weekend with my mother. I got to the airport two hours before my 9:30 am flight and needed most of the time I had allotted to get through security. I wasn’t allowed to use curbside checking and had to get my boarding pass at the gate. After they tagged the luggage, though, I had to haul it across the terminal to an area for luggage. I stood in line for 15 minutes before they closed that location and sent me down long corridors to another station where I stood in another 15 minute line. When I finally got to the front they asked me if I had firearms or film and took the bag to put in a pile. I really can’t imagine why that couldn’t have been done at the gate. Then the line for security snaked around the terminal and took 40 more minutes. Once I got through security, my flight was delayed an hour, the gate was changed, and it was delayed again for another hour. Every seat was filled and 15 people on standby were turned away.

Coming home my flight was delayed two hours (although there were no lines in security and I used curb-side check-in.) Once we landed we sat in the plane for 50 minutes on the tarmac waiting for a gate. Then the luggage took 40 minutes to get to the carousel . It didn’t get lost though. I did talk to a sales rep who travels every week out of San Antonio, and he said his luggage has been lost three times since January (once when he was on a non-stop flight! For some reason, after they landed, they transferred his bags to another plane.) He was telling me how difficult it is to go on a sales call when you don’t have a clean shirt.

If you plan to fly, my advice is to be patient with the process. It’s a bear.