by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 22, 2011 | Industry News |
Looking through a few articles tonight on the topic of fares and their projection for 2012, it looks like we already know who will be the most affected. Based on a recent study conducted by American Express, business fares are projected to surge 3 to 7% during 2012. American Express categorizes business fares as tickets that are purchased within 2 weeks of the travel date. On a brighter note, the same survey expects the leisure traveler to face fare increases that will range from 0.5% to 5%. Typically the “leisure traveler” will book tickets well ahead of their travel dates, thereby benefiting from advanced purchase discounts normally given by airliners.
Another issue that will play a significant role with fares is the ever diminishing availability of seats. Airlines have been cutting capacity this year and the trend will continue into 2012. As airlines remove seats, two things are sure to happen. First, the price for existing seats will rise as I stated earlier due to lack of supply. The second issue will be that tickets will be purchased far more in advance since people will start to plan their trips earlier. For the typical business traveler, this becomes a double edged, lose-lose scenario. Not only will you have to pay more for your seat, you will now have to potentially plan business travel far more in advance and have stiffer competition from casual travelers.
Traditionally business travelers don’t know their schedules more than one or two weeks in advance so it has been customary to book tickets that are close to their travel dates. An option of course is to buy a refundable ticket, but there’s a substantial premium that needs to be paid to have the ability to get a refund. Of course, the option exists to cancel the refundable fare and buy a lower priced ticket if you find one closer to the travel date, but who will have time to manage that process? Those that live out of their suitcases won’t have the time or desire to stalk fares, and corporations (in my opinion) probably will not want to add staff to their travel departments to make sure fares are optimized for its traveling army.
As I read various pieces on the topic, the feeling that I am getting is that businesses will take a long hard look at how they handle corporate travel for the coming year. Many in the interviews I read are considering raising the bar for who is eligible for air travel, or requiring greater justification and approval to board a plane for a business trip. Many business leaders suggested that this will force an overhaul in travel policies for their employees. To me its just more work and distraction for a business who is already facing challenges in an anemic economy. I’m curious about what you think. I would love to hear from business travelers and what you see happening with your business travel policies for 2012.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 22, 2011 | Airlines, Industry News |
Star Alliance member US Airways today announced the addition of SkyWest to its regional partnerships.
Starting December 16, SkyWest will initially operate 6 flights out of Phoenix (PHX). By the Spring of 2012, plans call for SkyWest to serve 19 destinations with 49 flights from Phoenix. SkyWest will apparently be replacing Mesa Airlines as the regional partner for the area.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 22, 2011 | Trip Reports |
I wanted to thank everyone again for your great ideas on how I can spend my day in Hong Kong coming up next week. There are still 2 days left for you to make your suggestions and enter the contest. For those of you reading about this contest for the first time, here is a LINK that will take you to the original post. In all, I have received 33 unique ideas. Once the contest deadline passes this Wednesday (Nov 23) at Midnight, I’ll spend a couple of days reviewing the ideas and decide which 3 will be added to my itinerary. To the winners, I will return with a Hong Kong Souvenir for each (I’ll email the winners to get some souvenir ideas from you). As part of choosing the winners, I have to consider things such as time commitment, logistics, etc. when coming up with the winning suggestions. So far, here is what has been submitted:
1. Catch A Horse Race and a Cocktail
2. Macau Style Noodle Shop
3. Lan Kwai Fong
4. HK Times Square —-Being an authentic New Yorker, this may allow for an interesting comparison
5. Central Business District
6. Soccer Game @ HK University
7. Tram / Harbour Cruise
8. 1/2 Day Trip to Macau (would need to polish up on Black Jack skills)
9. Visit Old Fort a Macau for Portugese influenced Chinese Food
10. Hop the border into the People’s Republic of China for an afternoon (Get a 3 day Visa in order to do it. That would look nice in my passport…..)
11. Peak Tram UP the hill, Bus Ride down. Potential to take the world’s longest escalator trip.
12. Symphony of Lights in the Evening. Be on the ferry crossing the harbor during the show…….
13. Siberian Vodka Room
14. Noodle and Dry Seafood Shops at Sheung Wan/Kennedy Town
15. Visit TST for the day, and night views of HK Harbour
16. Go to NP360 and visit Giant Buddha
17. Fortune read at Wong Tai Sheen and visit Buddhist Temple
18. Cha Chaan Tan (HK style food stall)
19. Night Markets in Mong Kok
20. Roasted Chestnuts From Street Vendors
21. “EGGIES” – this has peaked my curiosity…
22. Eat at various Dai Pai Dongs
23. Wing Wah Noodle Restaurant
24. Junk Ride (Duk Ling) in Harbour
25. Nature Walk by Peak
26. Buy Chinese Porcelain for Mrs. LufthansaFlyer
27. Afternoon Tea at Peninsula Hotel
28. Attempt to walk through Computer Arcade and not get lost.
29. Walk around Central (Admiralty) Area
30. Chungking Mansions
31. Massage Trip to Shenzhen
32. Go see Chinese Pink Dolphins
33. Tim Ho Wan – Michelin rated Dim Sum Restaurant
34. Beggars Chicken and Peking Duck at Peking Garden (in Pacific Place)
35. Wonton Noodles at Tsim Chai Kee 98 Wellington St
36. Snacks at any Tsui Wah
38. Take the tram through Wan Chai
39. Seafood on Lamma Island
40. Railroad Musuem
41. Hong Kong Disney
42. Dim Sum at Fook Lam Moon
43. Cheung Chau
So again, A BIG THANK YOU for the ideas. I would never have come up with so many options on my own, thanks for taking time out of your day to share your best ideas!
