There was a time, Katy Nastro says, when it seemed more glamorous.
Even the food was better on planes, joked the travel expert and
spokesperson for Going.com.
"It's all relative, of course. I mean, back in the day, you could even
smoke in an airplane,” she said with a laugh. “But we are definitely in a
golden age of flying.
"Years ago, there wasn't the availability of flights like we have
today," Nastro continued. "There weren't any low-cost carriers. You
had just one price for flights. It wasn’t for everybody.”
But things have changed.
For example, Nastro said she just came across a $153 round-trip flight
from New York to Puerto Rico.
“$75 each way to technically go international?” she said. “We are
definitely living in a golden age of cheap flights.”
High demand, the proliferation of choices and the x-factor of low-cost
carriers have made this an ideal time to fly, even if it isn't appreciated as
much.
Navigating the airport and getting on a plane can sometimes seem like a
cattle call when boarding is announced, but still.
“The widespread availability of cheap flights is because of
competition,” Nastro said. “And that’s the first thing people think about when
they hear of any type of airline consolidation or merger.”
There are two potential mergers on the table right now. One is JetBlue
and Spirit, and the Department of Justice has been reticent to grant any
approval because of what it believes is a lack of competition. The DOJ feels
that airfares would go up if the two airlines merged.
The other potential merger is between Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska
Airlines.
“The demand is there,” Nastro said. “That’s why you see airlines trying
to meet that with robust summer schedules. But it’s a delicate balancing act.
Airlines have to be careful because if they raise the prices, then nobody is
going to be buying flights."
"You saw some of that this past summer," she continued.
"It appeared that everybody went over to Europe, but some people chose not
to travel to Europe or travel in general because airfares were up. The airline
have to be careful not to alienate their customers.”
So far, however, the airlines have been able to recognize the
difference.
And that’s why, even though there are times when it may not seem like
it, we are back in the Golden Age of air travel.
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