Explain this (AA) horse****

EdFred said:
ORD is the most economical, except it's a $120 landing fee, and $120 PER NIGHT parking fee, if I fly in there with the Comanche.
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Not to undermine your frustration, I agree that the situation is insane.

This is slightly off-topic, but if you are thinking about flying in consider Schaumburg, its a $40 Uber ride from ORD, or a cheaper but frustrating public transit connection (I do not understand cities that have rail transit and regional airports, but the rail transit does not directly connect to the regional airports).

But, it sounds like flying first class the whole way is the best move. I am guessing this is a "Skiplag" style fare issue, where booking GRR to ORD is more expensive than booking GRR through ORD to another destination, and you are getting hit by that when you separate out your initial leg.
 
I totally understand hating Chicago traffic. If you want to GA to Chicago to start this trip, pick an airport west of O'Hare (3CK, 06C). Traffic in the burbs is typically much better, even during rush hour. I live 10 minutes due north of 06C and I can get to the drop-off zone at ORD in 25 minutes.
 
And Ed, if and when are you doing this Chicago thing, we'll do a POA meetup for you guys. There is no better way to start to a honeymoon than a bunch of Chicago POA dudes sending you off (probably with a hangover).
 
kaiser said:
I totally understand hating Chicago traffic. If you want to GA to Chicago to start this trip, pick an airport west of O'Hare (3CK, 06C). Traffic in the burbs is typically much better, even during rush hour. I live 10 minutes due north of 06C and I can get to the drop-off zone at ORD in 25 minutes.
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Slightly off subject but the wife has never been to Chicago and I haven't been in years. Was thinking about flying her up there and landing at 06C. I noticed there was a transit line practically at the FBO. I'm having second thoughts about using it though since we will be staying in the Loop and I hate the thought of dragging luggage between trains and then to the hotel when we get downtown. Sounds like Uber is the way to go?
 
masloki said:
And Ed, if and when are you doing this Chicago thing, we'll do a POA meetup for you guys. There is no better way to start to a honeymoon than a bunch of Chicago POA dudes sending you off (probably with a hangover).
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LOL. We'll be staying at the Hilton in ORD.
 
I think for staying in the loop KGYY or KMDW are the recommendations. 06C may be on par though. There really isn't a great field, anymore, for GA and downtown.
 
MarkH said:
Not to undermine your frustration, I agree that the situation is insane.

This is slightly off-topic, but if you are thinking about flying in consider Schaumburg, its a $40 Uber ride from ORD, or a cheaper but frustrating public transit connection (I do not understand cities that have rail transit and regional airports, but the rail transit does not directly connect to the regional airports).

But, it sounds like flying first class the whole way is the best move. I am guessing this is a "Skiplag" style fare issue, where booking GRR to ORD is more expensive than booking GRR through ORD to another destination, and you are getting hit by that when you separate out your initial leg.
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What was weird is its 300 for the leg from GRR first class, but 5700 if the leg is coach. :eek:
 
EdFred said:
*checks thread title*

Nope, doesn't say "thinking about..." or "where should we..."
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I think we should have a poll so the POA can vote on what venue you are to use.

As far as the wedding vows POA creation contest, the key rules are that they must be in ATC syntax and grammar.

Of course, the POA suggestions for the wedding night will need the admin to restrict to users who are 18+. Again, proper pattern procedures and nomenclature are required. Kind of gives "downwind, base, and final" all new meanings.
 
WDD said:
I think we should have a poll so the POA can vote on what venue you are to use.

As far as the wedding vows POA creation contest, the key rules are that they must be in ATC syntax and grammar.

Of course, the POA suggestions for the wedding night will need the admin to restrict to users who are 18+. Again, proper pattern procedures and nomenclature are required. Kind of gives "downwind, base, and final" all new meanings.
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Bonus points if he audibly makes his position reports while rounding the pattern.
 
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EdFred said:
What was weird is its 300 for the leg from GRR first class, but 5700 if the leg is coach. :eek:
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This pricing model is so insane that Lufthansa, United and Southwest sued a booking site that takes advantage of it (the airlines have lost so far). It's so common that the site (skiplagged.com) was created to sell the $1300 ticket to people who would then "miss" their connecting flight to save money on the trip from GRR to ORD.

The lawsuits:
https://www.godsavethepoints.com/skiplagging-hidden-city-legal-battle/
https://viewfromthewing.com/southwest-is-now-suing-skiplagged-over-hidden-city-ticketing/
https://money.cnn.com/2015/05/01/investing/united-airlines-lawsuit-skiplagged/index.html


An explanation of how customers can use it: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/skiplagged-flights-guide
 
EdFred said:
What was weird is its 300 for the leg from GRR first class, but 5700 if the leg is coach. :eek:
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Sounds like they’re sold out of seats in coach.. yeah pricing models for airline seats is weird.


Archer Jack said:
Slightly off subject but the wife has never been to Chicago and I haven't been in years. Was thinking about flying her up there and landing at 06C. I noticed there was a transit line practically at the FBO. I'm having second thoughts about using it though since we will be staying in the Loop and I hate the thought of dragging luggage between trains and then to the hotel when we get downtown. Sounds like Uber is the way to go?
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The transit line is good, especially during commuting hours (M-F AM inbound, M-F PM outbound). Gets you right to Union Station. But it would not be the shortest walk from the airport - 30 minutes probably.


masloki said:
I think for staying in the loop KGYY or KMDW are the recommendations. 06C may be on par though. There really isn't a great field, anymore, for GA and downtown.
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I’m totally sold on MDW if you are ok with expensive parking.

I didn’t mention it since Ed didn’t price Southwest as a part of his trip.
 
kaiser said:
Sounds like they’re sold out of seats in coach.. yeah pricing models for airline seats is weird.



The transit line is good, especially during commuting hours (M-F AM inbound, M-F PM outbound). Gets you right to Union Station. But it would not be the shortest walk from the airport - 30 minutes probably.



I’m totally sold on MDW if you are ok with expensive parking.

I didn’t mention it since Ed didn’t price Southwest as a part of his trip.
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Southwest won't let me book out that far. Trip is in May.

We are currently accepting air reservations through April 10, 2023.
On October 27, 2022 we will open our schedule for sale through July 10, 2023.
This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.
 
kaiser said:
Sounds like they’re sold out of seats in coach.. yeah pricing models for airline seats is weird.
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That may very well be the issue. Try booking it a day earlier or later.

One time we needed to go BWI - ATL on a certain weekend. So we tried to book and got stupid rates (like $2000) for coach. After talking a bit, the agent said, "Hold On" and came back with, "I can book you first class for $500 round trip."

When we arrived the airport, we realized we had forgotten that it was Easter weekend.
 
They had seats in coach on all legs.
They had first class seats on all legs.

After selecting the seats in Coach for the first leg, the First class price for the remainder of the flight went from $1304 to $67xx
 
EdFred said:
They had seats in coach on all legs.
They had first class seats on all legs.

After selecting the seats in Coach for the first leg, the First class price for the remainder of the flight went from $1304 to $67xx
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One thought is that the open seats are committed to a travel agency (Travelocity, Expedia, etc), and the difference in price includes penalties (and a touch of ROI) for "taking those seats back".
 
kaiser said:
One thought is that the open seats are committed to a travel agency (Travelocity, Expedia, etc), and the difference in price includes penalties (and a touch of ROI) for "taking those seats back".
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It's weird, I could book the whole trip in coach for like 800, I could book the whole trip in first class for 1300. Mix them and it goes to 6700.
 
I saw a news report about booking flights, it said the sweet spot is about 8 to 12 weeks before the flight, that's when the prices can lower, unless the flight is already sold out, then you are ****ed.
 
PaulS said:
I saw a news report about booking flights, it said the sweet spot is about 8 to 12 weeks before the flight, that's when the prices can lower, unless the flight is already sold out, then you are ****ed.
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Yeah, not gonna drop what we did on the resort, and then hope there are still tickets available. As it was, there were rooms unavailable in certain types.
 
Imagine yourself flying to Jamaica on a nice Citation. You pick the airport, time of departure, and drive your car to plane side. Standard stock of snacks/drinks, but can add your personal requests. Your schedule. No fights on plane. No nonsense.

All hypothetical, not soliciting here of course.

445A2818-7EA4-4CC0-83FC-F9C342618920.jpeg
 
Imagine someone else paying for it since we don't have the money you do.
 
kaiser said:
Sounds like they’re sold out of seats in coach.. yeah pricing models for airline seats is weird.
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I doubt they're sold out this far in advance. More likely, it's too far in the future for the fares to be competitive.

The pricing models make sense on a macro-level, but there are often instances like this where they don't on the micro-level.

Computers run the yield management system and set, and adjust, fares. When you create a combination that isn't very common, like combining economy and first class, you can get some weird results. I don't think the yield management systems are working at that level of detail. Different fares are being combined in a relatively uncommon way and the result isn't always something that makes sense when compared to more common fares.
 
EdFred said:
Nah. People have what people have. Some more than others, some less.
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PaulS said:
Where is the thumbs down button.
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The insane thing is that people actually do gofundmes for stuff like vacations and fancier flights and things of that nature. I don't understand that line of thought at all.
 
SkyChaser said:
The insane thing is that people actually do gofundmes for stuff like vacations and fancier flights and things of that nature. I don't understand that line of thought at all.
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One friend and his wife were pretty lame and said for their wedding presents just give them cash so they could pay for the honeymoon.
 
I have no issue with people creating a Go Fund Me for whatever purpose.

But I do have to wonder about anyone who gives them money for many of these reasons.

Maybe I ought to start a Go Fund Me for upgrades to my Mooney. :D
 
MarkH said:
I do not understand cities that have rail transit and regional airports, but the rail transit does not directly connect to the regional airports.
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Insanely enough, the airport authorities are often afraid of losing parking revenue from those who would take the train.

The LAX Airport Authority fought a planned light rail connection for years due to a perceived loss of parking revenue.

They hosed themselves into a terrible airport traffic situation over time where passengers were searching for any airport but LAX, and are now conceding and planning for a future connection.
 
texasclouds said:
I’m the pilot, they pay me to fly it. Honestly, I don’t know actual cost but probably only 2x first class on an airliner.
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If you can get me from Michigan to Jamaica and back on a private jet for $5,200 sign me up. we're only paying 26
 
While I use Kayak, Google Flights etc for one stop fare shopping, I NEVER book with them. Dealing with the airlines when something goes TU is bad enough but inserting a third party is suicide.

Enjoy the Honeymoon we will plan for you while we are at Rough River next Apr. Anything you currently have planned will be overcome by events. What could go wrong?

Cheers
 
SkyChaser said:
The insane thing is that people actually do gofundmes for stuff like vacations and fancier flights and things of that nature. I don't understand that line of thought at all.
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They probably figure there's a sucker born every minute.
 
“Men are so simple of mind, and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.”

- Niccolò Machiavelli
 
flyingron said:
I'll never understand airfares. Years ago I needed to go IAD-CLT because I had to be there the next morning to meet someone at NC26 and the weather was iffy. Best fare was $1300 which was a bit rediculous. So I try, IAD-GSO (Greensboro is about an hour and a half away, whereas CLT at the time was about an hour). $300... and I have to make the connection in CLT.
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Reminds of the college days. SBN-PIT always was $200-1200 more than SBN-PIT-MGW to fly the same exact US Airways regional flight on the SBN-PIT leg. Saved the old man over 90 minutes of driving, saved $200, and got more segments. And of course, US Airways is now American so that ties back to the OP.
 
Airfares make no sense. I once paid $310 one way from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Las Vegas and the flight from Las Vegas one way to Reno was also $310.
 
Who said anything about a gofundme here?!

Nauga,
who has more than a hammer
 
I did BWI to CVG a number of times years ago. It was much cheaper to fly to DAY, via CVG. My cousin was in college in Dayton, so I would fly there, have dinner with him, drive the 45 minutes or so to Cincy and reverse and still saved money
 
EdFred said:
If you can get me from Michigan to Jamaica and back on a private jet for $5,200 sign me up. we're only paying 26
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That flight is probably closer to $25k. Two ways to still make it work:

1. Find empty legs. But you’ll be even more restricted by schedule than with the airline.

2. Find two other couples who also want to go from Michigan to Jamaica and split the cost with them. Six people on a Citation is still better than first class on an airliner.
 
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