When it Comes to Air Travel, the Early Bird Gets ... Shafted?

Travel Blog  •  Elyse Franko  •  07.03.08 | 11:00 AM ET

If you’ve already purchased tickets for flights after Labor Day, you might want to call up your airline and make sure your plane will still be taking off. In their mad rush to cut back on flights, some airlines have already put some customers’ long-term travel plans in jeopardy.

Airlines are altering their fall flight schedules and offering alternatives that will cause many early bookers to miss their connecting flights or arrive in their destinations much later than intended.

Yet, in another twist, the Chicago Tribune reports that flight cuts will make it difficult to get seats during Thanksgiving and Christmas and urges travelers to book their holiday tickets as soon as possible.

Related on World Hum:
* Should We Blame the Government for Our Poor Air Travel System?
* R.I.P. Ted

Tags: Air Travel, News and Briefs

Elyse Franko is a Long Island native, a graduate of the American University School of Communication in Washington, D.C., and a former World Hum intern. During her time at university, she wrote and edited for several campus publications and fostered her love for traveling by spending time abroad in Istanbul, Turkey, and Berlin, Germany. She currently works as a teaching assistant in Vienna, Austria.


3 Comments for When it Comes to Air Travel, the Early Bird Gets ... Shafted?

Ling 07.05.08 | 4:58 AM ET

Let me see if I get this correct. If you book early, your flight may not exist on the traveling date, and if you fail to book early, you won’t be getting a seat. Can someone please develop a software which will tell you exactly when you need to book a ticket?

gordon w jetton 07.06.08 | 4:10 PM ET

well, I think it is time to get back to the trains!

Elyse 07.07.08 | 1:30 AM ET

Yes, Ling, I think you’ve got it right. I think the airline industry profits most from the suspense and mystery that engulfs it: people have gotten bored with the thrill that comes from losing all their luggage and now want the presence of their seat to remain a mystery until flight date. Major adrenaline rush right there.

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