Not flying anymore, and could care less if the airlines industry goes bust. Tired of them overbooking aircraft and finding myself wondering if I'll make the plane I made RESERVATIONS on, a month in advance! Delta certainly lost my business.
If you're thinking of flying to grandma's for Thanksgiving dinner, you better book early, experts say.
Not only have airlines cut back on the number of flights nationwide, but they're also raising prices and packing customers into seats, according to local travel agents.
"What's happened is they have done away with a lot of the flights so the planes go out full," said Judy Reville, a spokeswoman for AAA of Augusta. "We would suggest people buy their flights early and get their seats assigned because if they wait, they may not be able to go."
Diane Johnston, the marketing director for Augusta Regional Airport, said Delta has been adding flights to the area in the past few months but the airport's two carriers, Delta subsidiary Atlantic Southeast and US Airways, typically cut that number on Thanksgiving Day.
"The day of the holiday they almost always fly a very reduced schedule," she said.
Domestic flights by major airlines are expected to drop sharply this Thanksgiving season -- almost 3,000 fewer a day compared with last year, according to an analysis published in USA Today . There will be 2.6 million fewer seats on nonstop domestic flights from Nov. 20 through Nov. 30, the study showed. At Morris Travel in Augusta, senior travel consultant Margaret Centers said she has already seen the effect of fewer flights.
She said people need to be flexible when deciding the dates and times they fly. With Thanksgiving five weeks away, many are already having trouble getting the flights they want, she said.
"If you want to make flight arrangements for Thanksgiving, you really need to do them before Labor Day to get the best fares and the best availability," she said. "Sunday flights are going to be very busy already."
Travelers should also avoid Wednesday flights because they also tend to be very busy, Ms. Centers said.
"If you can spread out your time and go early in the week, or say come back Saturday or Monday, it's probably better," she said.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Not flying anymore, and could care less if the airlines industry goes bust. Tired of them overbooking aircraft and finding myself wondering if I'll make the plane I made RESERVATIONS on, a month in advance! Delta certainly lost my business.
I am with you on that hemi !
I recently had a very smooth and economical trip from Columbia to LaGuardia and return. No problems. The lesson -- AGS wasted a lot of money building a fancy and unneeded terminal that did nothing but increase the cost to the airlines (read passengers) operating there. Therefore, AGS became less competitive and the incentive to use other airports increased. A would use AGS, but it just can't compete. This is another brilliant move by Augusta's rulers. Augustans -- you're truly getting the government you deserve.
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