Post-terrorists: Furcon travel problems
I was lucky to make my ConiFur flight reservations on Tuesday, the day of the terrorist attack. I talked with my travel agent again today (Wednesday), and he is advising people to allow 2 1/2 hours to get through the new airport security in effect by mid-October. He also expects all airlines to announce considerable fare increases soon; it's the public who will pay for the increased security. If you plan to fly to ConiFur, MidWest Furfest, FURther Confusion, or anyplace else, it will probably be to your financial advantage to book your tickets as soon as possible. Check with your own travel agents for a second opinion. AMTRAK and Greyhound may see a surge in business.
Mwalimu adds: While we have not yet resumed posting normal material in the newsfeed, this one is somewhat related to the terrorist activity, and somewhat urgent as well. In case anyone is wondering, we do have a few submissions on hold that will be posted eventually.
About the author
Fred Patten — read stories — contact (login required)a retired former librarian from North Hollywood, California, interested in general anthropomorphics
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Flayrah will begin posting news again tommorrow, and over the weekend. We thank the members of fandom for their patience, and encourage supporting in any way you can the Red Cross, the survivors of the many New York policemen and firefighters who lost their lives in rescue attempts, and the many, many (too many) victims of this horrible tragedy.
-Aureth
Flayrah.com Editor-in-Chief
On second thought I will drive the 1000 miles to Conifur rather than go thru LAX.
Commenting on the subject directly...I've heard from a few analysts (yes, i've succumbed to watching the talking heads, at night), that airlines may actually have to drop fares and take a huge financial hit, in order to lure passengers back to air travel. There is evidently past precedent for this sort of fare structure.The TWA flight 800 aftermath was brought up...evidently many airlines lowered fares after that to keep passengers willing to fly.
If that's true, expect a string of airline bankruptcies. They were already having trouble staying in the black -- and some of their money-saving techniques relied on 'turning around' flights quickly, which will now be impossible.
I don't quite believe the analyst who recently said 'air traffic is no longer for the masses,' but it's definately going to change quite a bit. For one thing, with the two hour delays on each end, it's no longer more convenient to fly than to drive for trips in the 300 mile range.
If Amtrak has any sense at all (which they probably don't -- too bureaucratic) they'll take advantage of this.
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