Freeform Friday 19DEC
Random observations from around the airline (and adjacent) world
For all you who are pretending to work this time of year, here are a few nuggets to take with you into the weekend.
Al, why are tickets so expensive over Christmas?
I get asked this question at least once a year by a friend or family member.1 This answer is a simple one: because they can be.
There are few things less understood by the average consumer/traveler than how airlines price flights. Most lay people still have no idea that each flight is priced to maximize revenue. They seem to think that airlines have no idea when Christmas is . . . or the Super Bowl . . . or that giant orthodontist convention your brother-in-law goes to every year.2
Newsflash! The very smart people in pricing and revenue management at every airline know exactly when everything is happening. They will charge you accordingly. There are no Miracles on Google Flights this (or any) Christmas season.3
Flying for the Sake of Flying
Tis’ the season of the mileage run.
What’s a “mileage run” you ask?
A mileage run is when a traveling professional abandons his or her family in late December to get enough points to make the next tier of elite status. You can see on message boards like Flyertalk how user “VAFlyer2784” got to Silver/Gold/Frankincense/Myrrh status by flying RIC-ATL-CDG-MSP-LGA-RIC over the course of a weekend instead of going to his kid’s basketball tournament.4 That status will allow VAflyer2784 to barely miss out on business class upgrades to Europe next summer instead just missing out.
And, before you ask, I did shamefully go on a mileage run once. I was just short of United 1K status and went to Honolulu for a night.
Did I feel weird about it? Yes.
Did I get over it with a plate of fried pork chops at the Side Street Inn? Hell, yes.
The truth is, the mileage run is increasingly obsolete as every airline moves to dollars spent as the main qualifier for status. I do send kudos to American, because a couple weeks ago they essentially said, “Let’s make this easier. Just write us a check.”
Christmas at the Airport in the Movies
I don't fly through Terminal 3 at O’Hare as much as I used to, but every time I do, I can’t help but think of the iconic scene in Home Alone when Kevin’s family is running down the main concourse to catch their flight to Paris.5 6
Die Hard 2 is the second best Die Hard Christmas movie. It features an absolutely preposterous plot about a terrorist takeover of Dulles Airport. Yet, what always stuck out to me was John McLane using a Pacific Bell payphone in an early scene (because he was actually at LAX).7
But, Al, what about the amazing last scene at Heathrow in Love Actually?
Didn’t see it.
Have a nice weekend.
Notes
Anyone who has ever worked at an airline is extremely familiar with this phenomenon - that question is usually followed by a plea for a discount
AI is making this even more effective and controversial
To be fair, there is the chance that prices will get better close to the departure date if flights have excess inventory, but most people don't have that kind of flexibility
“VAflyer2784” is a totally made-up username, but itineraries like this one are very real
“Champagne, please! It’s free isn’t it?”
This is super next level airline nerd stuff, but I also always appreciated that the exterior b-roll shot of the plane was correct (an AA DC-10) — usually the filmmakers have no idea and use stock footage of a 1970’s Pan Am 747 or something else completely inaccurate
I am very used to seeing various locations in my hometown standing in for other locations in the US and world, with LAX making very frequent appearances