Lower Fuel Prices

[johng]

Since the price of crude has dropped considerably in the past month (as low as $55 USD per barrel) what can we do as individuals / or as a class action to force Airlines to pass on the savings to the consumers (US) instead of huge windfalls for share holders??? For years every time the price in crude went up there was a new / another surcharge of some sort that we were charged.

Yes I know from time to time there are some good deals to JA (and other destinations) but for the most part it is expensive to travel. There must be something we can do??? Just askin!!!

[BR Mon]

The only class action is to stop flying..They own the business and can charge whatever the competitors will allow them to. Most airlines have been in the red for many years and several are no longer in business. They are having a good year but not cash rich.. Just about every airline except South West has had a recent re-organization. I worked for an airline for 40 years. We bought fuel 6 months to a year in advance. My company is not feeling a windfall right now as they are burning fuel bought on the market almost a year ago. Nothing wrong with a good ole fare war which might be coming in the months to come. Companies will compete for market share in the good times and many times it by reducing yields (lower fares) to gain market...It is market driven...A bit of irony is that my Tickets this year to Mobay were the lowest fare I have paid in 15 or so years.

[Chris B]

The fuel the airlines use today was contracted a while ago. It's a crap shoot for them to lock in their best price for continuing operations.

[rjonsun]

If you think the airlines are stickin' it to us, the best thing is to buy their stock and ride the wave of higher stock price plus dividend. Just don't forget that eventually that wave will crash.
Regards,
Bob

[Chris B]

True dat, rjonsun... True dat...

[johng]

rjonsun and Chris B

Guess you guys are right!!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-1...s-margins.html

It would be great if airfares come down even more = more jobs for Jamaicans if more people can afford to travel

[negrilsand]

Friends, you have been, for a long time, buying airline seats at below the actual cost to the airlines. For a few hundred dollars one can fly in safety and comfort from the cold climes to an island such as Jamaica. Now airlines are making a profit and may be able, after many years, to buy new and better airplanes and provide better facilities for your comfort. But the public is crying for cheaper fares! The airline employees lost their jobs and pensions. The ones employed no longer enjoy the salaries that they once had. Now salaries are being improved but even the prestigious jobs such as pilots have do not match what other professionals earn. Air travel is one of the great bargains that we can enjoy. No place on the globe is that far away and at a price that most of us can manage if we really want to. Recline that seat-not so far as to hit my knees-and enjoy the flight.

[Chris B]

Negrilsand...

As much as I try, I can't bring myself to shed a tear for an industry that treats its flying customers worse than they treat their cargo. Believe me, without the slim regulations they operate under, the airlines would manage their safety protocols as another input to their bottom line, subject to the bell curve driven calculations for every other input, including labor.

And those bigger planes? Never happen. Lighter, smaller planes, with us packed in like sardines, will continue to provide a more competitive and profitable model. Even if they did go large, don't expect room and comfort... just much more of the same. Bigger planes are for longer hauls.

Not being critical of your optimism... just trying to rein it in a tad... 😁

[booger]

Negrilsand...

As much as I try, I can't bring myself to shed a tear for an industry that treats its flying customers worse than they treat their cargo. Believe me, without the slim regulations they operate under, the airlines would manage their safety protocols as another input to their bottom line, subject to the bell curve driven calculations for every other input, including labor.



And those bigger planes? Never happen. Lighter, smaller planes, with us packed in like sardines, will continue to provide a more competitive and profitable model. Even if they did go large, don't expect room and comfort... just much more of the same. Bigger planes are for longer hauls.

Not being critical of your optimism... just trying to rein it in a tad... 

Chris,
You do have the option to purchase a seat with more legroom. As stated, I personally have not seen airfare this cheap in a LONG time. In fact, I was just looking at airfare from LAX to London, and it is roughly the same price I paid in 1991. Until teleportation goes mainstream, flying will continue to be the cheapest most convenient way to travel.

[Lola]

Chris B, negrilsand wrote "new and better", not bigger.

I don't understand the complaints either, I find flying very convenient and usually quite reasonable (if not, check Business/First Class offerings for comparison, with their benefits). Pay around the same as early 2000's.

Passing along a random comment made by an older gentleman while we were filling our gas tanks in Wisc, "A long time ago someone told me First Class is usually only about 25% more..." Especially when flying short notice, I add.