A couple of weeks ago, a bunch State Government Attorneys General (38 of them!) petitioned Congress to allow them to punish the airlines for their bad behavior. On the surface, this looks like a good idea, and it likely has overwhelming political appeal.
I’m not sure it will make any difference.
The airlines in the United States were deregulated in the late 1970s, and it’s been a bit of free-for-all ever since. It is tempting to believe that tightening regulation will improve the insult that air travel has become.
However, consider the fact that the Europeans (and just about every other advanced economy), has far more stringent airline regulations than we have, and they are struggling too.
Closer to home, Canada (with whom we exchange more air traffic than anyone) has strong consumer protection regulation for airline customers, and their two largest carriers (Air Canada and Westjet), both had performance records WORSE than American, Delta and United at the peak of the summer’s air travel woes.
I am not opposed to better regulation… I’m simply stating that people will be disappointed if they think that alone will remedy all that ails the industry.
So, what do we do?
In the longer term, we should seriously examine the regulatory framework for air travel. We should also pressure the airlines to tell us how they are going to self-correct out of the current mess. We also need to give the labor market time to return to normal (we are still recovering from the pandemic in this regard). For domestic and Canadian travel, we should also encourage much better train service. Compared to what the Europeans are doing on the rails, North America is second-rate and third world.
In the short term, we’re going to have to put up with frequent schedule changes, lost luggage, and flight delays. Here’s my attempt at an Airline Survival Guide (to be used until further notice):
Expect Problems – and be pleasantly surprised when it goes well. I’m a bit baffled by people who have been surprised by their air-related disasters in the past few months. This is a well-known problem, and you are not exempt. For the record, your favorite airline is statistically just as bad as the airline you hate.
Build in Buffers – Get to the airport early and take a book to read if you end up in a long line. If you’re boarding a ship, go at least one day early. The relatively small price of a hotel will save you a lot of stress.
Get TSA Pre-Check, Global Entry, or Nexus – Ideally you would have this already, because there are delays to getting these right now. If you leave the country once a year, then one of these programs is worth it.
Pack Light – ideally go with carry-on luggage only. Wear your most bulky clothes, and pack light clothes that you can easily wash while you’re away.
Ship Your Luggage – if you’re unable to pack light, there are awesome services that will ship your bags to your destination (or to a cruise ship).
Consider Premium Economy or Business Class – the extra space on the plane is nice, but when you pay more, you also get priority service at airport check-in, screening, and lounge access if you take a delay. It will cost more, but for some people the value is definitely there.
Get a Hotel and Wait for the Airline to Sort it out if things go horribly wrong. If you booked flights through a cruise line, call the cruise line while you’re standing in the airline’s queue, so you can hedge your bets.
Use an Electronic Kiosk or Airline App for rescheduling flights when you’re in transit. For example, we were flying through Frankfurt in the summer and our plane arrived late enough that we missed the connection. Rather than stand in Lufthansa’s line-up (that was 20 deep), we punched our reservation code into one of their self-serve kiosks, and it spat out 2 new boarding passes for the next flight to our destination. People don’t like to hear this, but often the best course of action when you miss a plane is to do nothing and simply wait for the airline to reschedule your flight.
Have Trip Interruption Insurance – if you lose a bag, or if you have to overnight unexpectedly, it nice to have someone else pay for. You can chase the airline to compensate you, but don’t count on getting much action in any timely fashion.
Use Air Tags – half the problem when your bags go missing is not having any idea where they are. Apple Air Tags can allow you to direct the airline as to where to look for your bags (ie: look downstairs at THIS airport, OR please get someone at my home airport to put my bags on the next plane). Ideally the airline would already know this (but they often don’t).
Don’t be a Jackass. Airline employees are at their limit – there’s not enough of them, and ones that do show up are overworked. Be mad at their bosses if you want, but the best way to make sure you’ll get NO discretionary effort is to be nasty to the front-line employees.
Bob and I have flown 6 times so far this year (twice domestically and four times internationally), and we haven’t yet lost any bags, and only had one significant flight delay. There is some luck involved here, but statistically airline on-time departure performance is above 80%. This is still horrible, but it does mean you have a 4 out of 5 chance of getting to where you’re supposed to be on time.
The only thing I know for sure is that this is NOT a problem that will be solved quickly – so plan accordingly.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
People have been asking about things coming up in the next few months, for here’s a few ideas if you want to travel in a specific month:
NOVEMBER 2022
Douro River (Portugal/Spain) with Uniworld
- 7-nights round-trip from Porto. Extensions to Lisbon available.
- Get the urban experience of Porto; visit the wine making regions in the Douro Valley; check out local archeological sites; explore medieval castles.
- $4549 per person. Includes transfers, choices of shore excursions in every port, open bar, gratuities, and wifi on the ship.
DECEMBER 2022
Holidays on the Mississippi River with American Queen Voyages
- 7-nights between New Orleans and Memphis. Package includes pre-cruise hotel night, and flights from most major gateways
- Visit Helena, Vicksburg, Natchez, St. Francisville, Baton Rouge & the Nottoway Plantation.
- $3098 per person for a veranda room. Includes all taxes & fees, round-trip air, shore excursions in every port, open bar, and wifi on the ship.
JANUARY 2023
Antarctic Explorer with Viking Expedition
- 13-days from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Includes flights from the US.
- $14,995 per person. Includes all taxes & fees, air, transfers, landing/shore excursion at each port, beer/wine with meals, speciality dining, kayaks, zodiacs, expedition gear.
FEBRUARY 2023
Carnivale in Rio with Azamara
- 15-nights round-trip from Buenos Aires. This allows you to visit Rio during Carnivale and stay on board a ship instead of a pricey hotel. It’s also easier to fly in and out of Buenos Aires.
- Visit Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Sao Paulo, Ilhabela (Brazil), Parati (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (3 days), Punta del Este (Uruguay)
- Prices from $2599 per person (window), or $3999 pp (veranda)
- Includes open bar, gratuities, some shore events, and wifi on the ship.
MARCH 2023
Panama Canal and South America with Viking
- 18-days from Fort Lauderdale to Santiago, Chile
- Visit Cozumel, Colon, Panama Canal (full transit), Manta (Ecuador), Lima, Iquique (Chile)
- Prices start at $9995 per person. Includes round-trip flights, all taxes & fees, transfers, shore excursion in every port, open bar, and wifi on the ship.
Caribbean with Oceania
- 10-days round-trip Miami
- Visit Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, Dominica, St. Vincent, St. Kitts,
- Prices start at $3199 per person (window) and $3599 pp (veranda).
APRIL 2023
Great Lakes and Niagara with Viking
- 7-nights between Toronto and Milwaukee
- Visit Niagara Falls, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena (MI), Mackinac Island
- $5995 per person. Includes all taxes/fees, air, transfers, open bar, an excursion in every port, wifi on the ship.
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
