USVI-On-Line

islandgirl wrote:wonder if the airfares get so high that no one can afford it anymore..that what scares me.

Well, there's always the "hitch hike to Florida and take a tramp steamer from there" option!

UA started charging $25 per bag after the 1st bag, each way. AA is charging $15/bag for all bags up to a certain limit is ridigulous. Espspecially after an unannounced sale they had last week. $258 r.t. DEN/MIA for next February. We noticed several small charters starting charging for all checked bags last year. With AA the, pretty much, sole carrier to the Carribean, it will hurt.
When fuel prices go as high as they are... then travel also has to go up. Let's face it, the cost of trucked and shipped items to stores has gone up.

hmmmmmmm well we thought of driving down to florida and then catch a flight to stt but the flights from there are high too. or maybe sail all the way down. i know just MOVE to stj..that solves everything. ya hoooo

personally i feel for the airlines, we push beg and demand them to keep prices low. Its to the point that something like 30-40perent of their flights operate at a loss! I guess american is figuring that people would rather see cheaper ticket prices w/higher associated fees, than higher prices and more amenities! they've got us pegged! We'll bitch and moan about crappy sandwiches for 8dollars and 60 dollars to pack our luggage, but hey, at least the fare was cheap. "how could i pass up a deal like $250/rt to STT!!!"

This is what I posted on another forum and I wouldn't be surprised if the airlines stoop to this level in the years to come.

Saw something in our local paper today that said airlines may have to resort to charging for carry ons too.

I can see it now....for the airlines to work in the years to come. No checked baggage, one carry on ONLY big enough to hold a toothbrush, toothpaste and deoderant. They will be selling "space", no seats in the luggage department in the belly of the planes. Everyone will be responsbile for making sure you pee before you get on the plane, because bathrooms will not be available once you get on. Then, when exiting the plane, you will have to take your chances and jump to the ground. To further save money, there will be no flight attendants and only one pilot. Food or drinks/water will not be available (bathroom situations). To further lighten the load and save fuel, all passengers will be required to wear ONLY bathing suits and the paper booties you can get at any medical store.

If anyone else has any other suggestions, I'm sure the airlines would LOVE to know.

Thanks to all the oil companies.

"I want to wear flip flops for the rest of my life!"

This one is so hard cause I can see both sides of the fence. My hubby is a pilot and the airlines are getting smacked in the rear for gas. Jet fuel costs even more than our regular gas so to figure out if you have 250 people on a plane that is using thousands of dollars of fuel, where are they supposed tog et the money from. Then again, I to like to only pay 300 bucks to hop dow to the islands. I am not sure what the answer could be.....although I have an inside source that says there will be an alternative fuel revealed at the end of the year.....and becuase of this the oil companies are trying to make as much profit as they can until this time. Not sure if true, but we will see.

As far as the baggage fee, I guess they are trying to make us pay for the increase with little fees rather than just bump the fares up by $100. But I agree with others, someone needs to patrol the size and number of carry ons. It has gotten way out of hand, especially if you are in the last zone to board on Usairways.

Hmm, maybe it just means I need to permanently move to the islands to save money!

Freezing in Pennsylvania!

We're coming down at the end of June - after the first bag fee starts. I just checked AA's site and it looks like we will not have to pay the fee this trip since I purchased our tickets last October. Maybe this will apply to some of you too.


"The following customers will not be charged a service fee to check a bag provided the bag is within the weight allowance:

* For the first checked bag, customers who buy a ticket before June 15, 2008, or who fly before June 15, 2008
* For the second checked bag, customers who purchased a ticket before May 12, 2008"

There were more exceptions listed: http://www.aa.com/apps/netSAAver/ViewPr ... ionContent

The free ride is over. Saw an article recently that showed that adjusted for inflation, a gallon of gas in US is only about 25% higher than it was in the 1920s, so we have been enjoying low prices here for a long time.
Also, until late 2007, the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements had not been adjusted in over 30 years AND up until 2004 these standards excluded SUVs. Stir in increasing demand from developing countries, plus Big Oil protecting their profits, environmental restrictions, etc. etc. and you have the perfect storm.

jmq wrote:The free ride is over. Saw an article recently that showed that adjusted for inflation, a gallon of gas in US is only about 25% higher than it was in the 1920s, so we have been enjoying low prices here for a long time.
Also, until late 2007, the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements had not been adjusted in over 30 years AND up until 2004 these standards excluded SUVs. Stir in increasing demand from developing countries, plus Big Oil protecting their profits, environmental restrictions, etc. etc. and you have the perfect storm.

Free ride? I must say....when I paid $.33 a gallon for gas in the 60's and 70's and now I pay upwards of $4.00 a gallon....that would appear to be more than a 25% hike. That would be a few hundred percent hike.

Plus, why does everyone think that the Oil Companies are "protecting" their profits.....protecting my rear end, they are making much, much bigger profits than they ever did! At our expense, i might add.

Besides, we live in the most modern, developed country in the world, why shouldn't we enjoy less expensive energy costs? Why can't we come up with an alternative fuel that is plentiful and cheaper? Oh yeah, the oil industry wouldn't stand for it, that's why.....

Off the soap box......

-Bert

When we first started flying to the Caribbean in the mid-90's I clearly remember paying anywhere from $600 - $800 RT from DCA/BWI to STT. The past few years have been very kind (expense-wise) to the air traveler but it seems the explosion in oil prices has overcome the competition factor in pushing the prices skyward. Our 3 remaining trips to St. John this year were booked months ago and we paid between $203 and $258 RT. We just started looking at flights for next April and yesterday on US Airways we could have booked for $298. Today it's $708. Yikes... I hope this doesn't reach the point where none of us can afford to fly to the Caribbean anymore (or at least not as often). But we're all being squeezed by gas prices and everything else that's going up because of gas prices. Only if a majority of folks in this country finally decide that enough is enough and they make a serious effort to minimize their gas consumption can we expect anything to change. This is indeed, a soap box provoking subject...

Hey Bert
Hey don’t shoot the messenger! You have a point. Indeed the cited source states “The results are dramatically different if only post-1970 data are used…”

However, I was comparing it to the “previous inflation adjusted record” cited below:
“Prices near $100 (2007 US dollars) are equal to the inflation adjusted maximum of 1980, which was $95–100 per barrel in mid 2007 dollars. Certainly by the spring of 2008 this previous inflation adjusted record had been exceeded. In terms of refined petroleum products, one then has to go right back to the 1920s to find similar prices in real terms.”

The source is Financial Trend Forecaster. Google it if you must.

Also, I didn’t mean “protecting their profits” in a good way! (would it have helped if I had originally put it in quotes?)

OK enuff of this crap. I should know better.

Back to your normally scheduled programming.

Should I rent a jeep in “St. Johns” or St. Thomas???

Better go electric

CariBert wrote:Just a thought here.....does anyone think to blame the Oil Industry instead of the airlines? While we are paying out the wazoo for traveling, the Oil Companies are BOASTING record profits! Not just regular profits, no, RECORD profits. Most of those guys own their own planes, what do they care if Joe American can afford to go anywhere or not?

It's just a little upsetting to see a few make huge gains and profits at the expense of so many....

Like I said, just a thought......

-Bert

you are both wrong!

Blame the Government! Several recent administrations have been grooming Americans to consider the government weak, and inept at handling crisis. So that when the s**t hits the fan we don't go looking to them for answers that would be difficult for them to provide. Government could slap the Oil and Airline industries in the face HARD. But they continue to sit on idle hands, why?
Well, in my opinion it's a lot easier to maintain your senate seat when you are building bridges, and not taking on the most powerful lobbyists in America. We've bailed out both industries w/our tax-payer dollars and thus have a lot to hold over there heads....Just imagine if we hadn't bailed out AA and Delta and allowed the freemarket to do it's thing and spawn a newer more flexible airline. Or if the Oil companies had to reimburse the Military (i.e. taxpayers) for the defense it provides the oil shipping lanes out of the middle east. They would be shaking in there boots!!! Maybe the tides are changing, but we're not out of the storm yet.

p.s. just be glad you aren't paying a carbon excise tax on gas....easily $6-8/gal