I can't think of anyone who enjoys flying scheduled
anymore, First class, Business class is not what it once way touted to be,
there are levels of Business class now. The "Economy" class is now in
levels, and don't expect any improvement if you pay for a "better
Economy" class level, the "improvement" is minimal.
This means, we in the 21st century
are going back to the original concept of travel as a "luxury." Now airlines are "ripping out
seats" to provide a "better" flying experience. And that means more $$$ per seat to make up
for the lack of density.
Very soon you can expect plane travel to
include a "carbon tax."
The need for the travel industry to promote a
cheaper leisure travel will be greater with the regular price of scheduled
airlines going up to the level of "travel is a luxury." Especially
since "business travel" is expected to slow considerably for the
foreseeable future, for a number of reasons.
Mid-sized and larger businesses are finding
"digital" meetings are an improvement when it comes to meeting in person,
the company promoting the digital meeting can control the "message"
so much better to a larger segment of the market. The expense of sending lower management
employees to more than one client, which involves longer term hotel
reservations and car rentals, are more things that are not cost effective.
If the modern history of travel is any
predictor, then we can expect to have another plane travel
"breakthrough."
What is it?
I remember fondly the era of "charter
flights" chartered by leisure travel companies, the charter was always to
a specific international destination, or a specific part of the USA where
certain kinds of weather can be expected, skiing, for instance, or fun on the
beach. These charter flights always
included hotels, and it was up to the traveler to schedule a pickup service, or
take local means of service to get to the hotel.
The price was good and it was easy to book without any problems, if the charter company was a member of USTOA, the United States Travel Association, guaranteed a repayment in case the charter company went into bankruptcy.
If you book a tour with a Tour Operator that is recommended by your friend or travel agent, make sure that company is a member of USTOA, this same Travel Industry Association still offers a guarantee repayment if the company member goes bankrupt.
In this 21st century of pandemic, the savvy leisure travelers who were once Business travelers have continued to belong to their favorite airline's Frequent Flier programs, especially if you live in a community where a major airline still flies into, like Buffalo, N.Y. for instance, then traveling in the USA can be always with an upgrade, and if the airlines are pulling up seats, we can say these Frequent Flier members are enjoying luxury travel for less $$.
The hotel industry will undergo another change
too, but that's a subject for another travel for less $$$ blog.
