Travel right now: FAIR WARNING!

[ivinsfan]

Maybe a little hijacking as the flight fiasco is calming down through increased pricing.

Maybe people are proactively cancelling or postponing.. I would guess most summer/early falls trips were planned some time ago so pricing would be that much of a factor yet.. It's a welcome development no matter the cause..

 

[explanade]

I seem to be getting more emails from airlines lately for fall bookings, fall destinations.

Same with car rental companies.

Prices were sky high or else I would have booked one more trip for July.

As it is I'm leaving in a little over a week to Italy.

But maybe the airlines see flights falling off too much from the summer?

 

[NW-Bound]

Too bad my passport isn't up to date.

If you are talking about North Korea, perhaps your lack of passport would not bother them.

Same as a r**** hotel, you go in, but you do not come out.

 

[gayl]

Wow!! 31k flights cut


https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/american-airlines-flights-cut-november/index.html

 

[Koolau]

Wow!! 31k flights cut


https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/american-airlines-flights-cut-november/index.html

Bad as this is, at least it's in November so you're not at the airport without a paddle. By November, folks can realign their travel plans.

It's showing up at an airport 100 miles from home - only to find that your flight is canceled - that can be anything from highly inconvenient to downright tragic. YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

Wow!! 31k flights cut


https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/american-airlines-flights-cut-november/index.html

Whoa! 31,000 flights cut, just in the month of November, just one airline.

This begs the question: "How many flights does AA make total?"

Answer: 6,700 flights/day. This works out to 201,000 flights/month. That's a lot of flights.

Next question: "How many flights total in the US?"

Answer: average of 45,000 flights/day. 16,405,000 flights/year.

One more: "How many flights in the world?"

Answer: more than 40 million flights/year pre-Covid.

 

[Koolau]

Whoa! 31,000 flights cut, just in the month of November, just one airline.

This begs the question: "How many flights does AA make total?"

Answer: 6,700 flights/day. This works out to 201,000 flights/month. That's a lot of flights.

So about 15% of flights cut. I suppose the big question is WHICH flights? Are they the long flights or do they include the commuter flights for the most part? YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

So about 15% of flights cut. I suppose the big question is WHICH flights? Are they the long flights or do they include the commuter flights for the most part? YMMV

I dunno and do not care, once I made it through the upcoming Sep-Oct European trip.

Just bit the bullet and booked hotels for the first 5 days of the long trip, and if my flight gets cancelled, these 5 days will be all I lose. Oh, and $95 cancellation fee for the $1900 car rental too.

 

[gayl]

So about 15% of flights cut. I suppose the big question is WHICH flights? Are they the long flights or do they include the commuter flights for the most part? YMMV

15% is a substantial cut.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I just decided to not stay home for all of September. I've been watching cruise prices and found a good price on a 10-day NCL cruise out of Southampton in early September. I'm traveling solo. They have reduced the fare for solo travelers so a basic inside cabin is now $899+taxes/fees. I am upgrading myself to a balcony cabin with their package of perks (unlimited drinks, a couple free meals at specialty restaurants, some internet and some shore excursion credits) for less than $2500 total.

Airfare is the killer, but I found Economy Plus seating on American Airlines for $2750. Not too bad for such short notice. I'm flying round trip from London Heathrow (fingers crossed) but the cruise ends in Amsterdam. So I think I'm going to book the EuroStar train from Amsterdam back to London to make it more interesting.

Now to plan what I'm going to do in the 8 port stops! That's almost as much fun as the cruise itself. Suggestions are welcome. I've already been in some of the ports. But many are new.

Ports:
Southampton - embarkation port
Portland, England
Cork, Ireland
Dublin (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Kirkwall, Scotland
Invergordon, Scotland
Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Scotland
Zeebrugge, Belgium
Amsterdam - disembarking port

 

[Souschef]

Airfare is the killer, but I found Economy Plus seating on American Airlines for $2750. Not too bad for such short notice. I'm flying round trip from London Heathrow (fingers crossed) but the cruise ends in Amsterdam. So I think I'm going to book the EuroStar train from Amsterdam back to London to make it more interesting.

That is a good move. As bad as LHR is, the Amsterdam airport is a complete disaster

 

[tulak]

15% is a substantial cut.

15% is substantial, but why? The article really doesn’t say, which in my mind makes it borderline clickbait.

From the article:

Last week, CNN reported that American is cutting 2% of its flights in September and October.

If this is because of staffing issues, then how are they managing only a 2% reduction in September and October?

I suspect AA is reducing flights in November because of reduced demand. The article makes it sounds much worse.

 

[tulak]

That is a good move. As bad as LHR is, the Amsterdam airport is a complete disaster

Interesting that Amsterdam is a complete disaster. I flew through there Monday and it seemed fine to me. My flight arrived early and the following flight left on time.

Having flown through AMS often, I didn’t feel like this time was any different than previous trips. Maybe I got lucky?

And I flew through LHR last month with no issues. Security line was long - about an hour - but besides being busy, everything went smoothly. Maybe I got lucky again?

I should probably stop traveling now to avoid tempting fate? [emoji2]

Or I suspect that travel problems have been blown a bit out of proportion…

 

[Sojourner]

Or I suspect that travel problems have been blown a bit out of proportion…

OP here. Despite what you seem to be suggesting by the statement above, I know from first hand experience—as well as from various news articles, etc.—that travel problems have been a real and widespread issue this summer. There is no doubt in my mind that Summer 2022 is very different from Summer 2019 in terms of flight cancellations/delays, personnel shortages, and rental car availability. A quick Google search on "flight cancellations 2022" turns up dozens of articles reporting historic numbers of cancellations throughout the spring and summer. The fact that this thread is 25 pages long (and still going strong after two months) is a pretty good indication that something real and substantial is happening.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

15% is substantial, but why? The article really doesn’t say, which in my mind makes it borderline clickbait.

From the article:



If this is because of staffing issues, then how are they managing only a 2% reduction in September and October?

I suspect AA is reducing flights in November because of reduced demand. The article makes it sounds much worse.

It's not clickbait. Obviously, there are a LOT of variables that are contributing but talking to a couple of former flyer buddies that now fly for AA, it's a pre-emptive move by management because of some actions the pilots group are taking, all related to contract negotiations. This is compounded by the hiring pipeline and the slow slog to get new hires trained and "on the line." Management is NOT going to talk about labor contract issues...it's not in their SOP...and this goes for DAL as well.

 

[Koolau]

Or I suspect that travel problems have been blown a bit out of proportion…

Yes, it's blown out of proportion until YOUR intermediate flight is cancelled just after you arrive at an airport in the middle of nowhere.

 

[athena53]

Or I suspect that travel problems have been blown a bit out of proportion…

I'm thinking maybe the airlines are managing it better, with cancellations in advance rather than last-minute and many people either staying away from discretionary air travel (look at how many here have said that) and some of us mitigating risks by not checking bags and scheduling longer connections.

I was patting myself on the back for booking a tour that's all ground transportation once you get to Tirana (starting point) and then no flights till I go home from Ljublana- but our transit from Albania to Dubrovnik by bus yesterday took 10 hours including our stop for lunch! Our two border crossings were relatively smooth but we went through some beautiful shore towns with awful traffic.

Just like NJ.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I may have mentioned it before, but my Dad (who was a former airline pilot) often remarked, "If you have time to spare, go by air!" and I find this to be very true.

Thankfully, we have the ability to be VERY flexible in our travels. Of course, I am retired, DW w*rks at her leisure and we don't have kids to deal with. Yes, the interruptions can be frustrating, but after 22 years in the Air Force trying to move airplanes around the world and learning very early on to accept that not all things can be controlled, it doesn't bother me as much as it maybe should.

 

[explanade]

I think situation may have eased somewhat since last month.

I've been getting more emails from airlines trying to get me to book for the fall.

Also emails from rental car brokers as well.

So I happened to check my rental for next week in Italy and the prices now are hundreds of dollars less, almost up to 50% less, than what I paid a couple of months ago.

I canceled my old booking and rebooked at lower price.

 

[tulak]

I agree that the airlines are managing it better now. Unfortunately they got themselves into a bad situation which was painful to fix. As I’ve mentioned, I’m proactively giving myself more time, limiting flights, and so far it’s worked out fine.

So sure, when I see statements that Amsterdam is a disaster, well, that wasn’t my experience having flown through there the other day. Same for LHR.

Athena, sorry to hear about the 10 hour bus ride. Hopefully you were able to enjoy the views!

 

[athena53]

Athena, sorry to hear about the 10 hour bus ride. Hopefully you were able to enjoy the views!

Oh, absolutely! We knew that was the estimate from the beginning and the views from the place where we stopped for lunch were just breathtaking- it included a view of this resort, where Tito, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor have stayed.

https://www.aman.com/resorts/aman-sveti-stefan

One of our fellow travelers was a retired bartender and the guide brought margarita ingredients. We had freshly-shaken margaritas an hour or so after lunch. (The driver did not imbibe.) It was nap time after that! It was only 4 of us plus guide and driver in a private mini-bus, not mass transportation.

 

[tulak]

That’s awesome. The views look great!

And here I was envisioning you packed on a huge tourist bus for 10 hours.

Sounds like you planned your trip well!

 

[Gremlin]

Oh, absolutely! We knew that was the estimate from the beginning and the views from the place where we stopped for lunch were just breathtaking- it included a view of this resort, where Tito, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor have stayed.

https://www.aman.com/resorts/aman-sveti-stefan

One of our fellow travelers was a retired bartender and the guide brought margarita ingredients. We had freshly-shaken margaritas an hour or so after lunch. (The driver did not imbibe.) It was nap time after that! It was only 4 of us plus guide and driver in a private mini-bus, not mass transportation.

Beautiful views and margaritas made by a pro. Sounds like perfection to me!

 

[Chuckanut]

That is a good move. As bad as LHR is, the Amsterdam airport is a complete disaster

What's happening at Schipol is very sad. I have always admired the Dutch for the way such a small country can find and take advantage of economic opportunities. Schipol has been my airport of choice for over a decade when flying into Europe and then changing planes. Its a reasonable 8 hour flight non-stop from the local west coast airport near me. But, my last flight in or out of there was in 2019.

But, it seems as though they have been totally overwhelmed. Victims of their own success? I don't know.

 

[skyking1]

Thank you for the heads up, we had traveled through there the first time we came to Europe and it was great. After this debacle with British Airways, I was thinking of coming back through Amsterdam.