Thursday, April 14, 2005

Surely you jest!

No. They're not. All Neil Morgan, writing his column for www.voiceofsandiego.com (or .org, I forget), wanted to do was get home to San Diego from LA. That's 120 miles. So he's looking at plane fares:

"Here are today's fare listings:
American Airlines, Los Angeles to San Diego: $237; by American Eagle: $230.20. (What great mind thought up the twenty cents?)

Alaska Airlines, Los Angeles to San Diego: $232.

United Airlines, Los Angeles to San Diego: $237.

I'm not saying this similarity constitutes illegal collusion to fix fares, mind you, just market adjustments. I'm only looking for a 120-mile ride down the coast to home.


There are other opportunities, of course:
America West offers a Los Angeles-San Diego service via Phoenix, with a one hour, 44 minute layover in Phoenix, at $105.


The really smashing bargain on this little route, for those with a yen to see more of California, is an American Eagle flight from Los Angeles to San Diego via San Jose with only an 81-minute layover in San Jose, at $118.40. Total elapsed time: 4 hours, 42 minutes."

I'm thinking, Neil, it's cheaper to rent a car. Probably cheaper to get on Amtrak. Definitely cheaper to hitch-hike, but not advised. On the other hand, flying United for $237 is a bit less than $2.00 a mile. What's that? About $31 worth of gas? At $2.65 per gallon. Oh, hell. Math was never my strong suit. :))) Let's just say that driving is expensive too.
Wrap...

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