Why We Fly!

Keeping up with Disney news is tough, but someone has to do it.  So when I was reading an article from wdwinfo.com about whether or not to drive overnight to Orlando—click here to read the article—a smile started to spread over my face and ended up with laughing out loud.  What was making me giggle?  The thought of US driving to Orlando!  I wanted to rename the article—why we fly to Orlando (or anywhere else for that matter).

I get it; the idea of driving to see the mouse.  More flexibility and ideally less cost.  A drive allows for stopping at various sights along the way, possibly seeing family if they, too, are in the vicinity, bringing your own food, even pets can join the fun.  So, yes, I understand the reasons behind choosing to drive.

From where we live, the drive to Orlando is about 20 hours.  I’ve done it once, as a passenger when I was 11.  And, yes, we piled into the car either late at night or early in the morning.  There are only a few things I remember from that trip:  stopping for gas somewhere in Georgia where my brother hit the switch on the gas pump that wiped out the total for the sale before we paid, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at Howard Johnson’s where we stayed, and having to strategically use the tickets in my ticket booklet at the Magic Kingdom—the only park open in the mid-seventies.

Flash forward to me as an adult and licensed driver.  I’ve driven long distances either by myself or with a passenger such as to Houston to see family—a 17 hour jaunt. 

Then, I got married.  The husband is a good passenger when he is watching movies with the boy in the backseat of our van or sleeping.  But he’s not the best at navigating new terrain and can get lost trying to find familiar places in the rain.  Yes, there are GPS systems and we have one, but he also gets nervous driving on highways and freeways, even though he’ll say, “just get me to the highway” thinking that he can then just drive forward and not have to think or consider anything.  Basically, either I have to drive or navigate while he drives, which either way keeps me engaged for whatever the duration of our trip.  And, since I have to be engaged, I might as well drive.

Our longest car trip to date is 8 hours—to Branson.  Our limit, or should I say mine, is about 3 ½ to 4 hours which is great as that takes in several airports within that diameter. 

So, we fly.  We tell people that we fly so we can stay married.  There are several elements of truth in that statement.  Less driving means less fatigue, less arguing, less resentment and more enjoyment for all of us. 

Being a family of three, the cost of flying is less than larger families.  We also fit nicely in a row of 3 seats across on an airplane; no dividing up the family into multiple rows.  Our pets stay home, so no worries there.  And, we still bring our own food along with us to cut down costs and provide tastier options.  As far as time and flexibility goes, given that we have multiple airports to choose from, we’ve done very well finding flights that meet our timeline needs.

The husband has gotten very adept at navigating airports, luggage, and airport security.  One of my favorite stories was when he stayed behind to get our gate checked roller bags at the jet way as the plane was too small for the bags to fit in the overhead bins.  We were at Chicago O’Hare Airport in December and the boy and I moved along to use the restroom and then wait for the husband near the gate.  It took longer than I expected, but sure enough, there he came with the three red Mickey bags in tow.  Seems that the workers unloading the plane decided to take a break after delivering 2 of our 3 bags.  The workers told the husband that there were no more bags.  The husband directed them to check again as he knows and saw the third bag being loaded onto the plane.  He must have been quite forceful as the third bag was with him.  He told me that he was more scared of telling me about the missing bag than of the workers unloading the plane.  Maybe he is ready for a long drive!

Purchasing Airfare--And Getting The Best Deal

Flying on our last trip

What cost us $660 when we bought it and is now $1,404?  No, not stock in Apple.  Airfare!  When we planned our upcoming trip and purchased airfare, round trip tickets for nonstop flights were $220 per person or $110 per “leg” of the trip.  If we were to purchase those exact same tickets today, the cost would be $468 per person or more than $700 more!

Buying airfare can be tricky.  And, even after dozens of flights, I still find myself double guessing and not trusting my instincts.  Very seldom though, have my instincts been wrong.  Here are some things we have learned about purchasing airfare:

• It helps to know what a “good price” is for air, just like you would know what a good price is on any other purchase such as an appliance or something at the grocery store.  Message boards can help you as well traveled folks often post their “good deals.”
• Let technology help you, along with a great travel agent.  We use Kayak and Airfare Watchdog to keep track of flight prices for us, setting notifications for weekly updates if we are a ways away from our trip and then changing them to daily when we are considering making a purchase.  Remember that Kayak.com does search major carriers, but discount carriers such as Southwest and Allegiant are not featured on their site, so you have to go to those airline web-sites directly.  (Southwest’s DING app can help though)
• Major carriers release dates 335 days prior to flying while discount carriers release flights 6-9 months ahead.  So best deals can be found within that 6-9 month window typically as major carriers will adjust their prices when the discount carriers release theirs if they are in a competing market.
• A caution to the previous bullet—the fares for discount carriers may not be the best when they are first released.  They know folks are waiting for them and the prices can be higher the first week or so of released fares—waiting may get you savings.  A caveat to this is around the holidays or other peak travel times.  For example, newly released flights for a Saturday before a holiday could be sold out before the price gets reduced.
• If your travel dates are flexible, week-day flights are typically less than week-ends.  Play with your dates to find the best air deal.
• Airfares are typically less when shopping on a Tuesday or Wednesday.  True.  It has to do with when airlines check the status of their flights and reconfigure rates, publicize them, etc.  So when you are tempted to book that getaway on a Friday, stop yourself and check the following Tuesday.  Patience may pay off!
• You don’t have to book a round trip.  Flyers can purchase “legs” of their trips using different carriers for the best deals.  For example, if United had the best flight times and prices for the outgoing leg of a trip but Southwest had the best return times and flight fares, then take advantage and purchase separately.

When we made our airfare purchase for our upcoming trip, we only purchased one “leg” of the trip. . . the outbound flight.  The price was right, we had the money, and we were willing to make the gamble about the return flight.  The husband was nervous for a while thinking we might have to hitchhike home.  Sure enough, our gamble paid off, as flight prices for the return flight went down and we pounced.  It was a relief.

Purchasing airfare is a major portion of any trip budget and it can be nerve racking to find and pounce on the best deal.  I work in tandem with our travel agent; both of us checking to find a great price and flight times and dates that work the best.  But when you get a great deal, you know it!

Airlines Impose Seat Assignment Fees

The Associated Press released an article yesterday about airlines adding or increasing fees for seat assignments on flights possibly forcing family vacationers to be separated during flights.  Click here to read the article.

The premise is that airlines want to cater to their “bread and butter” or frequent fliers so to speak.  The airlines will hold back blocks of seats and offer them at an increased charge or to the frequent fliers.  Passengers who refuse to pay the fee for an assigned seat or don’t know they need to pay a fee may separated from their traveling party throughout the plane.

We have a frequent flier account with multiple airlines and the boy has racked up enough miles to keep us in magazine subscriptions.  We have yet to be burdened by the extra fees for seat assignments.  And, as a family of 3 we most likely have an advantage over larger families.  Yet, I’m having difficulty swallowing this concept.

As the article states, the airlines can only take this so far.  The tipping point may be when frequent fliers are having to supervise children who are separated from their parents during flights.  Maybe the article needs to be re-titled “Airlines Offer Free Babysitting or Child Care During Flights.”  I’m envisioning an episode of Modern Family where the children are scattered in seats throughout the plane and annoying the passengers who paid extra for their assigned seats or the frequent fliers in the aisle or window seats.  At what point will those folks want their money back when they offer to give up a pre-paid premium seat to a parent who has been separated from their child? 

I also envision a David Kelley written episode of Harry’s Law in which something happens to a child who is seated away from their parents and the parents decide to sue the airline.

Though I write this tongue in cheek, I know that some parents will be just fine with their child sitting somewhere else on an airplane and it will be up to the flight attendants and passengers to work it out.  Those who have pre-paid for a specific seat most likely will not want to move without some form of compensation.  Either that or be seated next to an unaccompanied minor. 

When we were at the airport waiting for our flight home from our last trip, there was a television show being broadcast that was about saving money.  I remember it was a man who was hosting, but I don’t remember the name of the show.  He pointed out to the airlines, that instead of spending money to refit planes with larger overhead bin compartments, that it would be more cost effective to stop charging for checked bags.  Hmm. . . What a concept!  And, while the airlines haven’t bought into the logic yet, maybe they will eventually see the error of their ways with customer complaints with the new fees for seats policy.

We Are Now THAT Family

Growing up, my family took a handful of vacations by car.  I can recall driving from the Midwest to Pennsylvania one summer and Florida—to go to Walt Disney World, another summer.  Some trips were just a few hours away such as Kansas City, St. Louis, or Chicago.  While I only can recall bits of the memory, I’m told I flew with my uncle to New Jersey to visit cousins when I was 4.  It wasn’t until I reached high school that I flew again and haven’t stopped flying since!

On one of those high school flights, I noticed a family—mom, dad, small children. . . boys I think—dressed neatly and comfortably.  They seemed like such a cohesive unit from an onlooker’s perspective.  I remember wanting to be like that when I grew up.  I wanted a family like that; a family that traveled together..  That memory has stuck with me for a long time;  for years.  That mental picture hanging on the memory walls guiding goals and wishes, so clear I could tell you which side of the plane the family was sitting on.

Well, on the flight home from our last trip, it dawned on me.  We are THAT family. 

It first hit me when we boarded our nonstop flight after a delay at the gate that included changing planes due to an electrical problem.  No problem.  The plane got exchanged and we boarded soon thereafter.  Then, once loaded, the plane backed away from the gate, only to return minutes later with an announcement that there were still problems.  The feeling on the plane changed from one of expectancy to one of anxiety.  Cell phones were being powered on and not-so-hushed conversations were taking place throughout the aircraft.  Except our row, well, at least our side of the row. 

We were fine.  The husband had a worried tone and I reminded him that we had everything we needed right there.  I then whipped out one of the two tubs of snacks from our bag, put down the tray table, and proceeded to enjoy the happenings of both passengers and crew.  The boy was immersed in a handheld game.  He was aware of the situation and I like to think that my calm handling of the situation helped him to relax.  Truly, we did have everything we needed;  each other. 

There was no one we needed to contact about picking us up at the airport.  We were flying home on a Saturday and didn’t have to be at work until Mohday, so there wasn’t a time crunch.  Our pets were being taken care of and the weather was spring like both in Orlando and at home.  Our luggage was checked.  We had necessary items with us on the plane.  No worries.

We did eventually take off and we’re an hour late reaching our final destination.  What troubled me the most was thinking of the passengers waiting at the airport for the plane that would take them to Orlando.  Their vacations were going to be delayed!

Yet the whole experience brought back the memories of the flight with that family that I so wanted to be like and I was able to have that realization that my family, the three of us, are now THAT family!

Airlines Have 3 Weeks to Meet Truth In Advertising Regulation

Airlines have until January 24, 2012, to advertise airfares that include all government fees and taxes.  Some airlines are already adhering to this regulation, which was part of a dozen passenger protections that the Transportation Department proposed in 2010 and adopted last spring.  Currently, airlines can advertise a low price with an asterisk or footnote with fine print indicating additional fees and taxes.

Is this why consumers are seeing and feeling an increase in airfare?  When all airlines come on board by January 24 what effect will it have on airfare prices?

Our favorite airline, AirTran, has been adhering to this regulation for some time.  I can’t tell you exactly when, but when I find an on-line price and multiply it by three, that is the cost of our airfare.  No surprises when I hit the “next” button or “submit” or “There is only one seat left at this price” messages—this one I see when checking fares for Allegiant.

Because consumers will be able to compare equally—fare to fare—with this new regulation, airfare may actually decline. . . at least for a bit.  Airlines, who already compete viciously for passengers, may feel the need to lower published fares, at least initially so that consumers don’t get sticker shock.

Fees and taxes can add on to the price of airfare.  Passengers taking flights with stops pay fees each time they land or take off at an airport.  Taking a trip outside the country?  Your return flight may cost you more due to taxes and fees for returning to the United States.  Even certain countries have special fees when you leave them via air—The Bahamas is an example of this type of fee.  Now we know why we see specials for money off flights or free companion airfare or complimentary days of stay with a certain length of package.  Flying into Nassau—not bad.  Flying out—expensive!

I’m sensing that my Kayak and Southwest Airlines apps on the iPad will require updating come January 24, as all airlines adjust to the new regulation—that they have had almost 9 months to get ready for.  They are down to 3 weeks!