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Airlines Reducing Capacities Means Higher Fares

Matthew — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:02:00 GMT

The airline industry has been going through one of its most difficult times since 9/11. The causes? Take your pick; the global recession, rising fuel prices, and the pandemic swine flu have all taken a huge toll on the number of air travelers. For instance, Delta has reported that the pandemic has already cost them as much as $125 to $150 million in revenue last quarter.

To help them cope with some of the mounting financial pressures airlines have already started to charge more for incidentals such as food and drinks on their flights. Some have even considered charging travelers for using the lavatory! Airlines would like to raise their fares, but they cannot until they first reduce their carrying capacities by slashing routes or providing fewer seats by flying smaller planes. Some airlines have already started to make their cuts. This year American Airlines has already cut its capacity by 7.5% while Delta has cut its capacity by 10%. Continental Airlines and U.S. Airways are expected to follow suit soon as well. One thing you can be sure of that the next time you travel by air to New York City, Miami, Kansas City, wherever, it could cost you a lot more.

How can you cope? Well to start with you can shop around. If you know the dates you’ll be traveling in the future book your flight as soon as you can before the rates go up. You can also look at other alternatives such as taking a bus, train or driving yourself if the destination isn’t too far away.

Businesses are already using some of the above measures and are looking into other alternatives to reduce their air travel budgets. Fortunately, technology has done a lot to help them accomplish this goal. One of the most popular technologies more and more businesses are starting to embrace is video teleconferencing. Airlines may find that some of their revenue may not come back when the recession is over if businesses find more efficient, fiscally responsible means to operate.

Unfortunately, it has been one of the hardest decades for the airline industry and it doesn’t look like it is going to get any better in the near future.

The Hotel Stay You Don't Want

Matthew — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:14:00 GMT

The price isn't that expensive, charges range from $30 to $60 a night; however, these aren't your usual hotel rooms with the nice comfy bed, turn down service and private bathroom. Instead you'll typically get an 8x8 concrete room, no privacy and a bunk bed to share with someone you'd probably rather not.

What kind of hotel is this you might ask? Well the answer is it isn’t. In the tough economic conditions many state and local governments are facing, some jailers are informing their tenants that they have to "pay to stay". This is just one of many creative ways government agencies are looking to pass the costs of doing business onto taxpayers. However, unlike many reforms, this particular practice has a large approval rating as it goes after individuals that society already looks down upon.

Taxpayers have been angry for years about the costs associated with housing inmates, which can easily run upward of $100/night per inmate. After seeing some success in curbing their deficits, jailers aren't just stopping at charging for a nightly visit. In some cases, jails have begun charging double or triple what they were just a year ago for medical and other unessential items, like cigarettes and chocolate.

There is some debate about how much prisons could really collect or the legality of the fees they are charging. Officials disagree and praise the practice as another deterrent. Their belief is that if people know that time isn't the only price they'll have to pay perhaps some will think twice before committing the crime.

For more information about hotels you’d like to stay at, visit http://www.tripcents.com

Family Friendly Surfing

Matthew — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:36:00 GMT

You may have noticed on TripCents home page the new "Labeled with ICRA" link. If your'e not familiar with ICRA it is an abbreviation for the Internet Content Rating Association. This association is a international, non-profit group of internet leaders that have a common goal for developing a safer internet, especially for parents of young children.

The ICRA does not monitor websites nor do they rate internet content. Sites participating in their program fill out a questionnaire where they are asked which elements are absent or present on their websites. The ICRA believes that self-regulation is a key element in creating a safe environment for internet users. After filling out the questionnaire, a process the ICRA refers to as labeling, a file is generated which is then linked to the content on your domain. Users may then use filtering software to grant or deny access to websites based on the information in the label.

If you were to check our site label you would see the following: http://www.tripcents.com/ is labelled

No nudity
No sexual material
No violence
No potentially offensive language
No potentially harmful activities
User-generated content such as chat rooms and message boards (moderated)
This material appears in a news context

The label declares that it was issued on 2009-5-12

Labels file is in ICRAchecked database.

As you can see TripCents has no adult or otherwise offensive material. And, unlike many other hotel reservation sites, our reviews are monitored by real people who scrutinize each review for violations of our strict family friendly rules. For an example of how our reviews appear see Branson MO Hotels.

Branson Air Show

Matthew — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:09:00 GMT

This weekend was the opening weekend for the Branson Airport and they put on an air show that rivaled any I had ever seen. Overall there were an estimated 70,000+ that saw the show over the three day period, 25,000 people alone on Saturday.

Many people interested in visiting Branson, MO were surprised to find out the nearest airport to Branson was over 50 away in Springfield, MO.   Last year almost 90 percent of Branson's visitors traveled there by car. Entreprenuers recognized the need and seized the opportunity to build the United States first privately funded airport. Usually airports are owned by cities or other government entities and have a certain amount of red tape that go along with their construction and operation. By eliminating the buearacracy it allowed the Branson Airport to be built in a record 22 months. It also left the owners free to make their own deals for service from strategic cities for specific periods.

The airport is located a few miles off Highway 65 south of Branson (actually in Hollister, MO).   The road to the Branson Airport is very pleasant and has some amazing views of the Ozark Mountains, but it took some show attenders over 2 hours to make the bus trip from the remote parking locations to the show. The terminal itself is like none I had ever seen. It had a top-of-the-line ski lodge feel and was decorated in rock and tall posts.

I had seen air shows in previous years at Whiteman Airforce Base located near Knob Noster, MO, but to me, the First Annual Branson Airport Show had much more to offer.   In addition to military and civilian aircraft on display, there was also a large, mobile, America's Army Virtual Exhibit. Although I never got the chance to go into the exhibit as the line was a couple of hundred people long all day, people I talked to enjoyed it and said it was worth the wait. The show itself consisted of all kinds of aircraft including the USAF Thunderbirds, US Army Golden Knights, A-10 East Demo Team, F-18 Hornet, Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, Manfred Radius, Patty Wagstaff, John Klatt (Air National Guard) C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules, B-17, B-25, P-51 Mustang, Sea Fury, P-47 and a F-15 Eagle. If they would have had a Harrier or a SR-71, it would have been truly complete. I'm definitely looking forward to next year's show!

Welcome to the TripCents Blog!

Matthew — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:40:00 GMT

Welcome to the TripCents blog! In today's economy its more important than ever for individuals and companies to watch expenses and we are glad to do our part in helping people save money on their accommodations.

TripCents has been helping thousands of people find discounted hotel and motel rates since 2006! We’re really excited about the official launch of our new website design. We hope that you'll find the new site easy to use. We are constantly striving to improve the site as well as maintaining concise, up-to-date information to aid travelers when making their lodging decisions so please keep the feedback coming! We look forward to becoming a more visible part of the travel industry landscape and helping you find the right hotel to meet your needs!