Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Here I am!

I have so much fun reading other people's blogs that I decided to start one of my own. It is such a fun way to stay in touch with friends and family. Hurray!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Fuel Prices! Yikes!

Well since I'm all about Jetblue nowadays I thought you might be interested in some information I've learned regarding the price of fuel. Every time the price of a barrel of oil goes up $1 it costs Jetblue an additional 12 million dollars per day to fly their aircraft around the nation. It is no wonder that we have seen so many airlines shutdown and stop service, abandoning their employees and customers. In just the last 2 months I have seen 5 airlines go out of business: ATA, Skybus, EOS, Midwest Express, and another one I can't remember the name of at this moment. Oh, ya it Aloha! All of which blame their fate on the price of fuel.
It is going to be very interesting to see who else goes under in the next few months as fuel costs continue to rise. I assure you that there will be more!!!!! Hardly any airlines have any money left in the bank, and will only be left with the options of bankruptcy or closure. Bankruptcy means government support for years, which equals tax dollars. Luckily for me Jetblue still has money in the bank.
I admit that I am very worried about the price of fuel! The CEO's of the oil companies sat in front of a congressional committee this week and said the 400% price increases over the last few years are entirely due to supply and demand. There will be no relief in site!
So next time you hear in the media or newspaper about airlines gauging their customers by raising prices/fees or charging fees for a second checked bag think about why they are doing it. They are desparate. There is no way to make a profit right now if they don't. More bags or heavier bags make the aircraft heavier, which in turn means the aircraft will need more fuel to get to its destination. So airlines are raising and adding fees, especially dealing with luggage, to try and balance the cost of the fuel required to get them to their destination.
Okay, I'm getting down off my soapbox!