Rick Seaney, co-founder of FareCompare.com - is a world-class air travel expert.
FareCompare.com presides over a kingdom of sophisticated software that searches out fares and destinations at a billion combinations per query - while keeping track of 500 airlines serving more than 270,000 markets around the globe.
And all of Rick's data is updated continuously - in real-time.
No wonder he's the media's go-to guy for all things air travel. He's got the answers. And he loves to share his knowledge.
That's why Rick and the team created FareCompare.com - to help everyone become an air travel expert, and get the best deals first -- every time they fly.
Do you think prices will go down in the next couple of months?
Bety,
There will still be some excellent sales, but they will only last a day or two. My thinking is that overall, prices will be on the rise. Please take a look at the post that highlights my most recent column for ABCNews.com and you’ll find more: http://rickseaney.com/2010/01/06/2010-air-travel-predictions-good-news-and-bad-news/
Hope this helps,
Rick
I just was on USAirways site and looked at some arrival and departure times, it seem that they pad the arrival time, there were a number of flights that had arrived 20-30 min ahead of schedule. Come on now, that can not be right
I hope they ban flying pets in cargo holds sometime soon. Lost bags are one thing–losing your pet is another.
Paul,
It’s becoming common for airlines to pad their flight times and sometimes that’s because weather comes into play (such as when strong winds buffet a plane and slow it down), but yes, the main benefit seems to be keeping those on-time stats up.
Look at it this way: it’s always a nice surprise to arrive a little early!
Rick
SN,
You do have a point, and there are airlines that will allow pets in the cabin but not in cargo (such as Southwest).
However, in some cases I have to wonder how much of the responsibility (if any) falls on the owners of the pets: were their animals healthy? Should the animals have been flying at all due to age or ailments? No, I do not mean to blame the victim, but my dog-loving editor believes that often the greatest kindness you can do an animal, is to leave it at home.
Rick
I’ve always wondered if the folks who had the emergency landing in the Hudson River ever got their baggage back. What happens in those kinds of situations?
Rona,
Some of those Hudson passengers did get some of their valuables back, though understandably, not everything could be recovered; see the story on our sister-blog here: http://standarduprightposition.com/2009/05/18/survivors-of-the-miracle-on-the-hudson-get-some-belongings-back/
Also, the airline gave the passengers immediate checks for clothing and incidentals, followed by much larger checks later on (though there were some insurance disputes): http://rickseaney.com/2009/06/12/miracle-survivors-say-airline-insurer-not-paying-all-their-losses/
Glad you asked.
Rick