[ckleng]

Current tactics by aircarriers put the chance of getting to destination at high risk. Aircarriers appear to be using the management technique of 1) fewer planes, 2) overbooking and 3) multiple hubs to maximize passenger miles and profits.

I would advise all passengers to; 1) avoid traveling on Holidays, 2) Avoid destinations that are having events, most major US cities, 3) Short duration Trips less than a week, 4) Medical emergencies or funerals for loved ones and 5) Any event that if missed would cause pain and suffering of others who want to see you in person.

In my case the airline could not get me to destination for a 3 day weekend until the last full day (Sat) and evening at that before the need to return to origin (Sun).

What triggered this was a late plane out of Tampa which caused me to not be able to get my connection flight out of the hub in NY Thursday evening. The airlines stated they may be able to get me out the next day on standby but the chances were slim. due to full flights and hub connection unknowns They could however gaurantee a Saturday am flight through not one stop but 3 hubs and arrive in the early evening.

This broken hub connection caused me to miss a Friday business meeting at the destination and to forfeit the Hotel deposit/fee ($800 + dollars) for Quarter Fest in New Orleans. However I did manage after a 35 minute discussion with the prime carrier of the Star Alliance to get a refund for the flight. But He was sure I could get on the late plane and make the connection. If I had proceded with his direction I would land at 7:35pm and the connection would take off at 7:25pm. Now I'm an engineer and the only way to make up the 10 minutes would be to travel at military fighter at say a speed of 600 ++mph. So a 1 & 1/2 hour flight may only take me 35 to 45 minutes which is a lot faster than the typical 300 mph. Both the travel agent (AMX) and I were able to finally convince him that physics is physics and the time could not be made up.

Another twist to this flight was that Star Alliance had me flying USAir, Delta, and United. And I had to change terminals in New York. SO I would have had to leave and re-enter security...if this was the caes I would need a really fast plane were talking 1000 + mph to make that connection.

Of note the Travel agent (AMX) was very helpful in that she spoke the same English as the Carrier folks. Both were offshore in India. I was able to get a flight refund to be given back in 45 days...are they getting float on this. Hey they had already taken my money before the trip.

So bottom line is that carriers are running 1) minimal planes, 2) overbooking, and 3) lots of connections. Danger here is traveling on a network that tight and with the chance that it fails then the collateral damage is high...i.e I can't get to my destination and I encur lots of other expenses that will not be reimbursed. Should have gotten the travel insurance.

But hey the good news is that USAir is no longer charging $1.00 for coffee..yes its free...life is good.

Air Travel is a miserable experience and appears to be getting worse.