As airlines reduce fall flights, passengers are making cuts of their own
At any other time of the year, the “A” concourse at Orlando International Airport would be packed with passengers returning from their Disney vacations. But this isn’t any other time of the year. It’s September — the best time of the year to fly.
I’m at Gate 111, waiting for my flight to leave for Boston, and I’m wondering where all of the people are. Answer: there are no people.
September is typically the third-slowest month — after January and February — for flying. This year, I’m willing to bet it will be the slowest month. Maybe the slowest September since 2001.
Airlines are busy making capacity cuts, but it seems passengers are busy making cuts of their own, too. As a result, the airport terminals look like — and I want to be careful not to overstate this — ghost towns.
It’s a beautiful thing from an air traveler’s perspective. Who wants to stand in a long line at the gate? Who wants to be crammed into a plane?
Yeah, neither do it.
The big question is: Where does all of this end? Do airlines make even more cuts, a la Midwest, until they don’t exist, for all intents and purposes? Do they pull back and discount their seats, hoping passengers return?
Either way, it’s going to be an interesting fall.
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4 Responses to “As airlines reduce fall flights, passengers are making cuts of their own”
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Yes, flying home from seeing the Mouse on Wednesday was a beautiful thing. We used the option at Disney to have them handle our checked luggage, and we used their Magical Express bus option. We got to the airport about 1.75 hours before our 11:16 AM flight and walked straight up to security and were through in about 5 minutes, most of which was OUR time getting our electronics out, taking shoes off, etc.
I was able to snag an E-Saver for the weekend on US Airways, complete with my complimentary elite upgrade within a few hours of booking. The flights were wide open! You are right, September is great!
I just returned from a trip to Austin (via Atlanta connection on Delta). I was on 4 planes that had numerous empty seats. Getting through security was a snap. One of the Delta people said that once kids are back in school, September is a lonely month.
As the airlines strive to make it more difficult and expensive to fly they will eventually have to realize; most of us fly by choice. The public will only be kicked for so long and at that point we just say “enough” ! Sure, I’ll miss the excitment of exploring some far away place, but I also realize that there is much to see and enjoy right here at home. Even with the price of fuel my old motor home is much nicer to travel in that some shoe box plane that I get stuffed into. So let the airlines cut back on flights, charge us for water, force us to change planes 2 or 3 times cause direct flights don’t fit into their corperate plans. WE DO NOT have to fly, it’s our choice. even business travel will soon be cut back more and more as the internet will make conferences and meetings a thing of the past. So go ahead big airlines, price yourself out of business, screw us when you can, but just remember, we don’t need you as much as you need us !