Just when you thought Christmas holiday travel couldn’t be any more painful, the travel industry is about to take it up a notch.This year there’s a perfect storm brewing; less capacity, fewer flights and higher fares.
“That’s a triple whammy that nobody wants to be involved in, especially over Thanksgiving.” Said Peter Greenberg, the “Today Show Travel Editor”.
It all means one thing - you can expect holiday travel to be absolutely brutal this year.
In recent months, the airlines have been hit hard with rising fuel costs. United Airlines has said that up to a staggering 70% of the ticket price goes to pay for fuel.
What the airlines are dealing with right now is unprecedented. Jim May of the “Air Transport Association has said, “This is the most difficult economic blow the industry has ever faced. It surpasses the impact of 9-11.”
Unfortunately the people who are most affected by this entire mess are You and I.
Christmas is by far the busiest travel season. Everyone wants to be “Home for Christmas.”
In a normal year finding a flight you want, at a price you want, can be challenging. But now the airlines are scaling back on the number of flights as well as the number of seats available.
According to industry insiders, approximately 1/3 or our nations 100 busiest airports will lose at least 10% of their domestic service. These include major hubs in cities like Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Cleveland, Chicago, and Houston. Many smaller airports may lose service altogether.
On top of that, airfare hikes of 20% or more will be common according to the “Air Transport Association.”
So not only will you pay through the nose just to book a flight, there may not be any flights to book. There certainly won’t be enough seats to go around. It’s simple supply and demand and I think it’s safe to assume it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
This year, if you don’t plan ahead and book early, you could be spending the holidays at home. Capacity cuts and increased costs are only going to mean one thing… somebody’s going to be left out in the cold.
It will be like musical chairs. Where will you be when the music stops?
Will you be sitting at home drinking warm eggnog or will you be sitting in a 737 at 25,000 feet?
There are so many people who are worried about getting home that planes are filling up fast. Travel agents and tour operators are already seeing a significant number of people booking early.
What can you do?
If you’re planning on doing any holiday traveling this year, you simply must start making plans now. Don’t Delay. The sooner you make arrangements, the better.
If you don’t…you’ll be singing - “I won’t be home for Christmas!”
