Skies look good from the road

[question everything]

Skies look good from the road

By Trebor Banstetter
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE

May 2, 2006

FORT WORTH, Texas – Travelers might want to do one last thing before they pack up the car for the annual road trip this summer: Check airfares.

With gas prices topping $3 per gallon, airline executives say they've seen a recent boost in fliers who otherwise would have driven, particularly on shorter routes with competition from discount airlines.

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If expensive gas sends more travelers to the airport instead of the highway, it would be a rare positive development for the airline industry, which has spent billions of additional dollars on jet fuel over the past few years thanks to high oil prices.

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To be sure, fares aren't as cheap as they were a year ago because rising jet fuel prices have spurred the airlines to increase prices several times in recent months. But on competitive routes, airline fares are still low enough to make motorists take a second look.

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For example, someone planning a round trip from Fort Worth to St. Louis could expect to spend about $150 on gas driving a vehicle that gets 26 miles per gallon on the highway, such as a 2005 Jeep Cherokee. A driver of a more economical car, such as a 2005 Toyota Camry, would see a gas bill of about $115, while a truck with a robust appetite for gas, like a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, would cost about $320 to drive to St. Louis and back. Meanwhile, American Airlines and Southwest are selling round-trip tickets to St. Louis for $98.

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Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060502/news_1b2fly.html

[Kiouni]

1. I have been

looking up air fare lately but the problem is that you can't beat the whinny kid on the air plane.

joking

[tyedyeto]

2. I looked into airfares back in early Feb for a trip this month

but when I was ready to book it in mid-March, the price had nearly doubled to $750. Guess what? I'm driving.

[SoCalDem]

3. For us old folks, not in a hurry, car travel is better

We can stop when we want, have a smoke if we want..stop where we want if we see something interesting, and I'm not in a hurry to sit squished inside an aluminum tube with my knees pressed to my chest after having my undies scrutinized by Homeland security.:)

You young 'uns fly all you want, but until another free trip to Tahiti comes along, we'll take the Honda :)