If the 1990 film, Home Alone, taught us anything about travelling during the holiday season, it was that the holiday season is a hectic anomaly in the fabric of nation-wide transportation. Planes are packed, roads are rushing with the bustle of busy cars and the chaotic nature of all of this can put a lot of stress on a person’s mindset. So much so, that you might forget something as important as your child. Well, maybe not that extreme, but it could and has happened before. Why is it that traveling during that sweet spot between thanksgiving and new years is so harsh on those participating?
One school of thought is the sheer weight of the activity. Airlines, who thrive during the holiday travel season, know their traffic is going to increase and capitalize on this realization. They raise ticket prices and over-book flights, knowing that families of travelers will yield to their demands. After all, they have to if they want to be home for Christmas. In an article by the LA Times last week, it was reported that 23.2 million Americans will fly in the 12 days surrounding Thanksgiving. While this average is down some 2% since last year, that is a significant number of bodies filling those flights. In fact, it is expected that because of this, cheap ticket prices during this time period have become as mythical and non-existent as a unicorn riding a rainbow. For those still looking to book a flight during the Thanksgiving period, don’t expect anything affordable.
As it sounds, the airlines should be raking in profits. Unfortunately for them, however, the article went on to claim that airlines only make 1 cent out of every $1 they earn in profit. It is a trying time for the airline industry. With gas prices continuing to climb and many airlines already in the red, it’s no wonder people have to pay more to fly during the busy season. While people inherit a sour taste for the price tag attached to a flight across the continental U.S., anything less might see another bankrupt airline or bail out from the government. For now, the industry is stable. Wobbling and writhing like a wounded animal, but alive and breathing none the less.
Tyler Baker; OSM Writer
( Source : LA Times )
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