OFF AGAIN HEADING SOUTH

Off again! Left the warm east central coast of Florida and flew north to Atlanta. I am shocked. With all the media and news talking heads spouting gloom and doom about the economy, one would never know it. The airports in Jacksonville and Atlanta are slammed! In the Sky Clubs, it is almost impossible to find a chair to sit in.

People are traveling and doing it well. There are people going all over the world and all over the USA. Money does not seem to be an object. Or perhaps they are getting their travel in before the airfares go up yet again this year. I read the other day that airfares in the US have been raised at least 7 times and that compared to a year ago at this time, airfares are more than $150 more expensive. Just heard that another $10 increase is planned for next week.

It is odd...this trip to Chilean Patagonia is costing me about $2000.00. Yes I know...everyone thinks that we travel consultants travel for free(??????). Big....big....misnomer! I remember several years ago flying to Chile cost less than $1000.00. What has happened?

I'll tell you that "taxes" have happened. My flight to Chile without taxes was about $900.00.
Plug in the taxes and it is more than double that. A friend was flying to London the other day.
The base fare of her ticket was $424.00 and the taxes were $597.00...more than the ticket price.

No wonder the airlines are screaming.....they aren't making the money. Your friendly government is! When is all of this going to stop.

The next time you purchase an airline ticket....just notice the price of the ticket and then look at the taxes. You will be shocked.

So maybe everyone is getting their travel going before everything in life goes to pay for all the people who don't work for a living.

Oh welll....I am like the rest of these folks here in the airports of the US. I am off to Chile and some great new hotels in Patagonia and I for one, am going to forget about it for now.
I am flying south to enjoy the wonderful scenery and beauty of Chile.