FYI-

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24963160/

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

OK,,, so Southwest is the only airline making money because they bought fuel at a fixed price a while back, and it turned out to be a VERY smart move. I wonder if the airlines would be in as bad a shape if Souwest wasn't kicking their butts on price right now,,, they just can't compete,,, or has ridership simply fallen off that much ?

__________________
95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Ridership has not fallen off. Every flight is jam packed like a Tokyo subway...

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Well, the "upside" may be that only business flyers will continue to fill seats. People that know how to get through security, without checked luggage and fewer crying babies on board . . . and their noisy kids.

I never did like flying -- I have this active imagination that pictures me falling a long long way, only to make a little hole in the earth or the sea. But it's been really bad lately, with having to get to the crowded airport hours before your flight, submitting to these unreasonable searches of everything on your person by officious idiots, and then sitting crammed in a tin tube for hours with (likely as not) screaming children. All for extortionate prices and with next to no service. Before you know it the airlines are going to start weighing *you* and charging by the pound (which wouldn't be bad, if they'd make it a pleasant experience otherwise!).

If you can drive there in one day, and your car gets even halfway decent mileage, skip the plane or take a train. Two days and it still might be no more expensive than flying. Three, and I guess you'll just have to climb aboard the bedraggled bird with the tin-plated tail.
.

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

Not all of them. A colleague just returned from LA to Phoenix where there were 11, eleven, passengers on the plane.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

There is a lot more to their success than just their fuel costs.

__________________
1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Me neither.

__________________
1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Full because they have grounded half the planes ?

__________________
95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

I dunno what airline that would have been. I flew from San Diego to Phoenix about a month ago on US Air. Plane was packed, although it was a relatively small plane (Airbus 320, I think).

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Southwest I believe. 737.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Rumor has it that Virgin America is considering picking up some of the traffic to Hawaii, left after Aloha Air and ATA went under . . . Fly Virgin to get lei'd on Maui?

Virgin America is the first U.S. airline with mood lighting and all seats on the plane have touchscreen LCDs.

There are 3000 MP3s onboard every flight to listen to.

You can plug in to 110v power at every seat.

You can order fresh food & cocktails, when you want it, from the touchscreen at your seat. They are a "cashless airline." Place your order, swipe your card, and you’re done.

Red, the in-flight entertainment system, has over 25 pay-per-view Hollywood movies on demand.

viva video conferencing!

__________________
Showing up every day isn't enough. There are a lot of guys who show up every day who shouldn't have showed up at all. - James Caan

I just heard this a few days ago- they actually are working off a long-term contract for Jet-A that they locked in when oil was for something like $50/barrel. If I had known that when I flew them 2 weeks ago I would have been worried that their supplier had been mixing it with water

__________________
80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

Continental Airlines, has just announced a 3000 employee cut and dropping of some routes. The CEO and top staff, will forego their salaries for the rest of the year!

Very Serious!

Happy Landings...Paul

__________________
SONNY was right...Nobody Cares.
Calogero, from the movie, "A BRONX TALE."