Domestic Airline Fares

[CoElkHunter]

So, my wife wants to see Miranda Lambert in concert in Las Vegas in September. Get this, the round trip airfare quoted on Southwest is $538 from Colorado Springs to Vegas! It was $99 not too long ago. Outrageous! I'm not feeling to bad now for the cost of my airfare to RSA.

 

[375Fox]

I fly the same route for work last 3 years. Typically about $550-$700 round trip, most recent ticket I purchased was $1100.

 

[375Fox]

Joe Biden’s grand plan to bring fuel prices down is more ethanol, not more US steel or manufacturing ability combined with more drilling access, so I think prices are going to remain high for foreseeable future.

 

[JimP]

Did you check the fares out of Denver?

Regional airports will stick it to you more often than not not. That's why I'll drive to Denver instead of flying out of my local airport even when they have direct flights to where I am going.

 

[fourfive8]

Yep, pent up travel demand is really starting to show now in domestic fares! Last August, after throwing in the towel on Africa for two years straight, I decided go domestic. Got RT tickets to Anchorage for $275! Had such a good time last year decided to repeat this year. RT tickets purchased a month ago to ANC for this August were back to about long standing "normal" of $650-700. In addition to the pent up demand, I wouldn't doubt air fares may continue to go up because of rapidly increasing fuel and labor costs- ugh.

 

[Newboomer]

Booked a RT Reno to Portland, Me. the other day. The outgoing went fine but while I was getting the return I got a notice on my screen that the flights had just gone up 10 bucks---while I was still booking.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I know. Haven't checked yet, but even for another $150 cheaper, they're thinking about driving and splitting the fuel costs. Vegas is an easy one full day drive from here.

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

Allegiant air goes to Vegas from grand junction for about 150 round trip. But can only flyon Mondays and Fridays. And I think only may through September.
Lately all destinations have been the same price or cheaper from grand junction as apposed to Denver to just about anywhere.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Allegiant air goes to Vegas from grand junction for about 150 round trip. But can only flyon Mondays and Fridays. And I think only may through September.
Lately all destinations have been the same price or cheaper from grand junction as apposed to Denver to just about anywhere.

Thanks, I'll tell my wife about the Allegiant fares, but the lowest she found last night was the $538, but probably not for a return flight on a Monday.

 

[Philip Glass]

Did you check the fares out of Denver?

Regional airports will stick it to you more often than not not. That's why I'll drive to Denver instead of flying out of my local airport even when they have direct flights to where I am going.

Jim that is very true. I have only AA from San Angelo(SJT)-DFW and that regional jet flight is routinely $400rt unless discounted with a connection. A 35 minute flight!
I can drive to Midland (MAF) and do at times to have more options.

 

[Challer]

Joe Biden’s grand plan to bring fuel prices down is more ethanol, not more US steel or manufacturing ability combined with more drilling access, so I think prices are going to remain high for foreseeable future.

Ethanol is a farm subsidy play, sold as an energy play. It consumes more energy than it produces and vast amounts of water

 

[crs]

No one wants to go to Detroit?
The RT flights are CHEAP!
My grandson flew down to Dallas recently just to play in an amateur hockey tournament and his team paid for the tickets.
Just another example of supply and demand economics.

 

[YancyW]

Wife and I are going to Breck at the end of the month. Flights were about 50% more than normal and rental car is at least double the normal price. Booked a large SUV for a trip to Maine this summer, it is over 2k for a week going out of Boston. Truly crazy.

 

[JimP]

The biggest thing that I hate when flying out of regional airports is the risk of you return flight being canceled. 99% of my flights would go through Denver and then on to my final destination. Coming home during the off season (I live in a ski area 30 miles west of Vail) quite a few flights from Denver would be canceled due to low passenger count. They would stick you on a bus for that 2 1/2 hour ride back to my home airport.

After that happened a couple of times I just started driving to Denver.

 

[YancyW]

The biggest thing that I hate when flying out of regional airports is the risk of you return flight being canceled. 99% of my flights would go through Denver and then on to my final destination. Coming home during the off season (I live in a ski area 30 miles west of Vail) quite a few flights from Denver would be canceled due to low passenger count. They would stick you on a bus for that 2 1/2 hour ride back to my home airport.

After that happened a couple of times I just started driving to Denver.

This is me also. I have a smaller airport in my town, but the rate of flights canceled is just crazy.

A couple weeks ago, it took my wife nearly 30 hours to get home from Miami. I ended up having to drive to Kansas City to get her.

 

[JimP]

That's one thing that I didn't mention, if there are only a couple of you that will ride the bus you are stuck at a airport until the next available flight.

Fun Fun...

 

[Philip Glass]

This is me also. I have a smaller airport in my town, but the rate of flights canceled is just crazy.

A couple weeks ago, it took my wife nearly 30 hours to get home from Miami. I ended up having to drive to Kansas City to get her.

We always hold our breath if we are on the late AA flight from DFW-SJT. It gets cancelled regularly. Looks like due to schedule changes I’ll be on it (10:30PM) on my return from RSA safari.

 

[NE 7x57]

I've flown quite a bit in the last couple months. Volume is way up and the planes are full to the point of overbooked. Then of course when one of the airlines has an issue and has to cancel a bunch of flights or there's a weather issue the entire system is screwed for a couple days. It was more fun flying during COVID when most people were staying home

 

[Woodcarver]

Did you check the fares out of Denver?

Regional airports will stick it to you more often than not not. That's why I'll drive to Denver instead of flying out of my local airport even when they have direct flights to where I am going.

It used to be significantly cheaper to fly out of DIA rather than the Springs, but for some months now, everything I've been looking at has been either close to the same or noticeably cheaper out of the Springs. Two weeks ago I had to fly to Rapid City. The DIA option was $170 more than leaving from the Springs, stopping at DIA and then on.
Even for the flight that is a bit more to fly out of here, I will pay that premium (to a point) to NOT have to drive the 2hrs each way, pay a higher parking fee, and deal with the size/inconvenience of DIA. My sister lives in Conifer. She has actually booked several flights out of the springs because it's so much easier an airport to deal with.

 

[fourfive8]

Absolutely true. I’ve learned to weigh the simple ticket cost against things like basic driving costs, time and stress of driving in weather and heavy traffic, parking, odds of delayed flights causing chain reaction missed flights, etc. And sometimes, since I’m retired, I can choose flight schedules where my time is not money, with longer lay-overs allowing for minimal stress while at the same costing less… if lucky