Professor Mark J. Perry's Blog for Economics and Finance
UK TELEGRAPH -- The low-cost airline Ryanair would charge passengers less on "bar stools" with seat belts around their waists. Michael O'Leary, the chief executive, has already held talks with US plane manufacturer Boeing about designing an aircraft with standing room.
Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the School of Management at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan. Perry holds two graduate degrees in economics (M.A. and Ph.D.) from George Mason University near Washington, D.C. In addition, he holds an MBA degree in finance from the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. In addition to a faculty appointment at the University of Michigan-Flint, Perry is also a visiting scholar at The American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.
13 Comments:
I'm still baffled as to why european residents can fly so cheaply b/t countries...am I mistaken, or can they get across the continent for pennies? Not that flying across the states is ungodly expensive, but not *as* cheap.
Btw...bring on the bar stools! So long as they sell some cheap beer too. :)
"I'm still baffled as to why european residents can fly so cheaply b/t countries"...
Hmmm, Shawn as one who uses air transport a lot (33+ years as an airline employee) now a days its actually cheaper for me on many occassions to pay the going fare (both domestically and in Europe but it can change hourly and of course daily) than take the airline employee discount choice that I also have...
I don't think the EU subsidizes air transport like they did a few years ago...
I haven't really seen that big of a disparity in prices with regards to distance when one compares Europe to the US...
London to Rome is just shy of 900 miles and the pricing is pretty good...
Consider how many different countries one flies with that route...
Yet Chicago to Los Angles is almost twice as far and one is still in the same country and the air fare prices I think are a bit cheaper as of last November...
For a 45-60 minute flight around Europe? Why not!
In many countries people pile on top of trains and busses. On the old ocean liners people rode in "steerage". This isn't surprising from countries which place a lower value on human life and comfort than we do.
As for domestic air, unless you have to fly on short notice airfare is pretty cheap.
To me, the First Class fare is incredibly expensive. Who but a multi-millionaire would pay 7-10 times as much to fly first class on a 2 hour flight?
hell i would ride in a dog cage in the cargo hold for a 50% discount.
Careful what you wish for ExtremeHobo!
To me, the First Class fare is incredibly expensive. Who but a multi-millionaire would pay 7-10 times as much to fly first class on a 2 hour flight?
I've done that for a domestic LAS-DFW flight to cap off a long vacation. Thank goodness for upgrades.
Unfortunately, it might be at least 2011 before I even see those places again; thank the "anti-citizen" economy for that.
Robert,
Not many people in first class (domestic) pay the stated first class fare. Instead they buy an economy ticket and upgrade (either auto for free with certain fare classes or shortly before flight for a small fee). I fly continental from abq - rdu frequently in first class. The fee is usually $50 for me and it's worth it.
It pays to join the frequent flyer clubs. It just so happens that continental is a good deal in my market.
It also pays to join an airline's lounge. Certain credit cards will let you in as well. The travel experience is infinitely better and the alcohol is free.
I wouldn't fly ryanair. It's sometimes cheaper than 'regular' airlines but because of all the 'extra' charges a regular airline is usually competitive.
All the talk of additional charges for the obese, then the lavatory use charges, and now the bar stool charges appears to be free advertising and little more for ryanair. They brought out the first two ideas recently - at different times - before shooting them down.
I'm surprised they don't make it standing only, no bar stool, but put in some sort of support board behind the passenger that the passenger then straps into (harness). It would seem to be safe and take up even less room than a bar stool.
If you want to complain to ryanair be prepared to PAY to do it (I did this once, incredibly irritating). They actually charge you to call their complaints line (it's something like 1 euro a minute). It'd be fine if it was a cost issue (talking to an employee) but the problem is they don't do web based complaints. In the end they don't care anyway.
The other thing against Ryanair is that they fly to out of the way airports. It's one way they are able to offer low fares so you have to add in the time cost, transit cost, etc. Also if they cancel the flight, which they often do, you'll end up in the middle of nowhere paying for a hotel (no accommodations, no food vouchers, etc).
The aircraft is a modern miracle of *zip right along*, but the airport is a city dump of inefficiency, profit taking, corruption, and rip-off. Would plane be safer if passengers had small expensive snack on the ground before take off, small buffet at the starting gate where plane docks? Another more fattening buffet at destination sounds delicious.
Snack in flight adds more unsafe weight to plane, more toilet weight, more flight attendants blocking the aisle with their fat aging butter dishes. Use that butter money for fire-proof seat-backs or upgrade black-box. First transcontinental flights had bunk beds for snooze. Why they don't let us stretch out today? Why they deleted that? Something about the low caste clientèle? I could guess that may be a problem.
And why airport doesn't have endless runway for takeoff, endless landing strip that never runs straight into a gully? Circular runway never brings us to *point of no return* plus provides multiple entry points for least wind-shear? US Navy tried that once in Nevada during the 40's as I remember reading about it. And when Metro-Rail all the way to Dulles? With apologies to Boeing, efficiency on the ground gobbles up much less resources than hopping up the expensive plane?
Good Luck
!
"Unfortunately, it might be at least 2011 before I even see those places again; thank the "anti-citizen" economy for that"...
Make sure you thank your fellow philosophical travelers in the House and the White House for your reasons to whine...
> Make sure you thank your fellow philosophical travelers in the House and the White House for your reasons to whine...
Seth blames Bush for that, though.
Me, I blame men endlessly whining on having an abnormally small penis.
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