Monday Musings

Just a few random thoughts and news notes from over the weekend...

• If the Redskins don't get a pass rush, they might end the season 6 - 10.


• I have a small rant. I will admit up front I am a bit of a lead-footed driver, and I've written about that before, more than once. But why is it when motorists drive past speed cameras, they slow down below the speed limit? It drives me insane. People who are tooling along at 40 in a 35 mile-an-hour zone will slow down to 25, when they'd be perfectly fine if they had just stayed at 40. The law in Montgomery County states that the camera will be triggered only for drivers going 10 or more miles over the speed limit. As these cameras mature, you have to wonder how effective they are. Everyone knows where the cameras are, so one-block stretches of roadway are being protected. Beyond that - not so much.


• I filled up my minivan for 30 dollars yesterday at the Costco in Frederick, where the price for regular for $1.89 a gallon. I've been trying to remember the last time I paid this little for gas, and I just can't. I know this is a really bad indicator for the economy, but at the moment I just don't care. I can't wait to fill my Civic for less than 20 bucks! You can't help but wonder what shape the US auto industry would be in if this plunge had happened a year ago instead of now... But then again, if this had happened a year ago, a whole lot of things about the economy - and perhaps the outcome of the election - would have been different.

Finally - A video for you that harkens back to the days when jet fuel was cheap, but jet travel was not. A time before baggage fees and sardine class seating - when people would wear their Sunday best on planes, instead of their pajamas. It's Pan Am - 1958!

We Need A Little Christmas Now!

Let's summarize our current economy, shall we?

• The dollar has dropped to an all-time low.
• Oil prices are near an all-time high.
• The value of our homes continues to fall.
• The unemployment rate is rising.
• Our banks are starting to fold.
• Gas is four bucks a gallon - if you're lucky.
• The airline industry is getting set to collapse.

It all makes this scene from It's A Wonderful Life seem very real, doesn't it?

Thank goodness - in another 10 days it'll be "Christmas in July"... and Lord knows we all need a little Christmas now (and that includes YOU, Randy Bernstein)!!!

I May Never Fly Again!

These are desperate times for the nation's airlines. With one exception (Southwest), they are all losing money, and are looking for ways to save their asses even as jet fuel prices are rising out of control. US Airways now says it will start removing entertainment systems (i.e. - the video players that show movies) from most of it's planes... a move that will reduce travel weight by 500 pounds and save the airline 10 million dollars a year.

Sounds pretty desperate to me. And as if I needed even more proof, I received this letter from Hawaiian Airlines, which has joined with every other US Carrier to urge consumers to get Congress to hold the line on rising fuel prices! Here's the letter:

An Open letter to All Airline Customers:

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers.

Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.

Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.

Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.

The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem.

We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.

I don't honestly know whether the airlines are in genuine crisis, or whether they are just trying to save their companies' stock prices, but either way, it's going to cost me much more as a consumer to fly anywhere. As someone who has come to enjoy 140 dollar flights to Orlando and 250 dollar flights to L.A., this is a bitter pill to swallow.

Not that I can afford to swallow anything any longer... If these hard times continue for airlines, the once-unthinkable notion that they'll start charging passengers by the pound to travel could, in fact, become reality!

So Much For The Friendly Skies!

American Airlines is soon going to charge you 15 bucks to check a bag on its flights, and you can expect other major carriers - the Deltas and Uniteds of the world - to follow suit. I wonder what will be next... Will we be advised to carry spare change so we can use the coin-operated oxygen dispenser should emergencies arise? Pay toilets, perhaps?

As much as I would like to blame American for doing this, I really can't. The rising oil prices are hitting the airlines just as hard as everyone else. I do wish they would just go ahead and raise ticket prices instead, or institute an inclusive "travel fee" - say, 30 bucks a ticket - that would cover meals, luggage, seat selection, etc.

Charging a fee to check ALL bags is going to make the already over-crowded overhead bin space even more scarce, causing flight delays and grumpier passengers onboard. These are big deals when you're already asking people to shove themselves inside what amounts to be a human sardine can!

I think part of the reason that Americans are disillusioned with air travel in general is that we were rediculously spoiled when commercial flight was introduced to the masses. Hot meals served in flight... complimentary drinks... free movies. Did Greyhound offer any of that stuff? No! And after all - air travel is essentially the same thing as bus travel. It's transportation. Period.

There may have been a time when airlines needed to drop fares and market their flights as luxurious in order to get the masses on board. But what we've seen over the past decade is that Americans have been hooked, and revenue now rules the roost. (Actually, revenue always ruled the roost, but we were to busy enjoying our warmed over lasagna and drinking our free Coke to notice!)