My parents recently purchased an east coast US to SYD (Sydney Australia) fare for about $1300 round

When I talk to travelers who are making plans this autumn, I hear about dramatic, unexpected bargains. Connect the dots with what I m hearing from travel companies, who are telling me that some rates will be on par with last year s record-low prices, and you might reasonably conclude that things are about to get interesting.
And then there s this: The feeling that the worst is yet to come. Know what I m talking business hotels in florence about? It s like the pit in your stomach right after the first drop on the rollercoaster, that premonition that you re about to go freefalling off a precipice. I don t know why I feel that way, other than the fact that the pundits have been talking about a double-dip recession for the last few weeks.
It wasn t supposed to happen like this. Airfares, car rental rates, cruise prices and hotel rates should be recovering from their record lows in 2010. And for a while, it looked as if that was happening. business hotels in florence But one ash cloud, an oil spill and a wobbly recovery later, room rates are basically on a par with last summer s record low rates and air fares, which are up slightly now, are already business hotels in florence starting to head south for the fall in selected markets.
Exceptions? Yes, they exist. Car rental rates are rising across the board — at least for now — says Jonathan Weinberg, business hotels in florence who founded a site called AutoSlash. We re tracking prices for hundreds of upcoming reservations over the next six months or so, we the general trend we are seeing is that they are rising — sometimes substantially.
Same thing for cruise prices. I heard from several cruise travel business hotels in florence agents who say there are no bargains to be had this fall. (Priceline ran a few numbers and begged to differ; it found several late-fall Caribbean cruises starting at $399 for seven days, which is ridiculously cheap.)
With a stronger dollar, Europe has become more of a bargain in 2010, including this summer. Remove most of the tourists, and the deals multiply. Candi Kruse, who works for a software company in Emmaus, Pa., says the deals in Bavaria, where she s headed this fall, are phenomenal. She found hotel rates for under $100 a night in September, roughly half what they were during the summer. I d definitely encourage people to think about traveling [to Europe] in the fall, she told me.
These aren t the best of times for amusement parks, whether it s the mom-and-pop arcade on the boardwalk or the destination theme park. Fall is typically a slow time, and with the rest of the travel industry looking at a possible downturn, some parks are already getting aggressive with their pricing. Lynn Cuda found a 50 percent-off rate at Disney s Animal Kingdom Lodge, one of her favorite properties. (She says her rates were limited to Florida residents only.) Cuda, a nurse, lives in nearby Jacksonville, Fla. It s a very appealing rate, she says. Without a doubt.
I almost fell out of my chair, says Steven Scholnick, a software engineer from Pittsburgh. He was trying to find a low rate for a resort hotel near the Strip, and did he ever. The MGM Grand was practically giving away rooms for as little business hotels in florence as $55 a night. And not just any room: His quarters were in the Grand Tower, larger than the average business hotels in florence Las Vegas room, according to the property s description. Plus, they were around the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a phenomenal deal, he says.
Look closely at the price quotes, because they may be a lot better than they first appear. Rates at the swanky Breakers resort in Palm Beach start at around $400 a night at this time of year. But Phyllis Cheung, an entrepreneur who lives in San Diego, found a deal for just about half that — around $249 a night — but it included kids meals, activities, unlimited tennis, continental breakfast and valet parking. Those kinds of perks are not typically included, she says. No, they aren t. And certainly not at a place like The Breakers. Like some of the other Florida resorts, they re not waiting for summer to end. According to their site, these rates are already available, and the deals continue into fall.
For example, some airfares to Europe are outrageous. That s because airlines are playing that game they always play with us at this time of year, which is to keep the prices high until they start to panic.
Kirsten Dial, a former college classmate who now lives in Los Angeles, told me about her plans to visit her sister and her fiance in London this fall. The fares are currently an outrageous $1,200 in economy class. To say I was shocked at the flight prices is an understatement, she told me.
I can t imagine them staying that high, so to anyone who sees a fare that s completely unaffordable, I recommend a site like Yapta, which lets you track the price and buy when the time is right. Also, check out Bing Travel, which actually business hotels in florence projects the direction the fares will go. (It recommends waiting, although prices have already come down by about $200 for fall flights).
Add Hawai i to that list. There are some incredible deals out there right now. I just got a 4 day/3 night hotel + rental car package at a nice if not overwhelming resort in Kona for $400 at the end of October. Airfare is also as cheap as I ve ever seen it, with all-in prices of $550 or less from DFW.
AZ Road Warrior is right! Just got back from 15-day auto tour of Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. Euro was at 126 when we went in and 1.30 when we left. Prices business hotels in florence have dropped but still high (socialized country with ungodly high taxes!). Hotel rates (Hilton) were down considerably, and we reaped the good market forces.
Not sure what the heck Kirsten is looking at, but there are fares below $600 R/T from LAX-LHR in October. Of course, there are almost $400 in taxes and fees added to that, but that is normal for any fare going in and out of Heathrow.
September: Average Fare (all taxes and fees included) was $ 1,058.38 (direct flights from LAX to LHR) with $ 946 (BMI) being the lowest and $ 1,113 (Virgin Atlantic) being the highest. Fares (all taxes and fees included) for SOME of the flights with ONE-stop were: $ 947 (Delta); $ 952 (CO); $ 954 (UA); $ 961 (US); $ 961 (AA).
I don t think that $ 1,200 for an economy class seat from LAX to LHR is outrageous. The flight miles from LAX to LHR is approximately 10,912 miles (5,456 miles one way). At $ 1,200, you are talking business hotels in florence about a cost of $ 0.11 (11 cents) per mile. For the last quarter, United Airlines made a profit of $ 0.01 (1 cent) per passenger mile. It is a probably unfair comparison (since you can t drive to London from LAX as well as it will be comparing apples to oranges) but it does cost more than 11 cents per mile to operate a car.
I am sure that some airlines will reduce their fares from LAX to LHR if they have inventory to minimize their losses on these flights. However, it amazes me how some people wants low fares with an onboard buffet; silverware; business hotels in florence chinaware; double the number of FAs; call centers located in the US; seats with extra legroom; check 10 bags for free; no waiting in lines at the airport; etc. and they are expecting business hotels in florence the airlines to turn a profit.
My parents recently purchased an east coast US to SYD (Sydney Australia) business hotels in florence fare for about $1300 round trip including all taxes and fees. That s right around where the prices for discount economy have been for the past several years (ever since the number business hotels in florence of airlines in the nonstop business hotels in florence LAX-SYD market went from two to four). Since Europe is a whole lot closer than Australia, and has even more competition, you d think the Europe fares ought to be lower
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