in the 50s the airline industry like the telephone was strictly regulated...#1 reason why rates were so high for long distance & all seat classes
..now with deregulation you get great rates but have to do your homework cause the government isn't
....scary times for airlilne corporate decisions whose bottom line is the only line that matters
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Check out flights out of Seattle.
Last fall, I flew to Florida and out of Toronto, the taxes alone were more than the entire round trip flight including taxes, out of Detroit.
Granted, I live mid-way between Toronto and Detroit so it wasn't too hard for me to choose, eh?
I always buy tickets on my Visa card jb and can claim on the 'purchase protection' it provides. No money lost, just hassle to get it credited and of course I will have to find new flights.
One of the problems of course is that many of the LCCs use a business plan which sees seat prices rise as the departure date gets closer. The exact opposite of the 'last-minute' pricing that many people are used to. They do this in order to help cash flow. If they have people's money several months ahead of time then obviously they are making interest on that money until they have to spend it on fuel on the day the people fly so to speak.
If you are planning a trip that has a specific date (awedding or graduation to attend for example) that method works fine for the consumer. You get a lower price by booking sooner. But it also leaves you more open to what has happened with Zoom than booking at the last minute would. Last minute on another carrier might be as cheap or cheaper but of course there is no guarantee of you finding what you want at the last minute. Then you either miss the event you planned to attend or you pay a higher price. So there is no easy answer.
What this failure of Zoom does in terms of the topic of this post is simply provide more evidence of how things are changing. There are several other airlines no doubt on the verge of going bust and some of them are big names in the airline industry, it isn't just the little guys that are hurting. Alitalia just filled for bankruptcy protection as well.
Less airlines, more expensive fuel, higher priced tickets = less people flying.
