Brad Plummer discusses how the cost of an airline ticket has dropped since around the time of deregulation. The chart there raises all sorts of questions for me, two being…
- How much of the drop can be attributed to the fact that folks are now largely bypassing travel agents and booking themselves over the Internet? That sure makes it easier to shop for a cheaper fare. I get e-mails every day from this airline or that ticket broker telling me I can fly from Shreveport to Anchorage next Tuesday for nine dollars if I'm willing to leave at 4 AM. We never had those kinds of offers back when I booked with Brenda the Travel Agent.
- How much of the drop is due to airlines just plain losing money? I mean, most industries could charge a lot less for whatever they offer if they were willing to lose a billion a year.
I find air travel a much less pleasant experience these days compared to, say, in the eighties. Flights are packed. Delays are common. The plane you get on often doesn't seem to have been cleaned much if at all since its previous journey. Most of all, it's the reduced service. If something's wrong, there's usually not anyone around interested in helping you. And all of this is above and beyond anything relating to heightened security. I remember when you used to be able to just go to the airport, get on a plane and go somewhere.