$225.54 fare becomes $601.64

While pricing a Chicago to London flight in April the base fare grew almost $400.00. Courtesy of Air Canada here are the details below. Oh and what is with the fuel surcharge of $225.00? Aren't we experiencing a five year low in oil prices? Passenger Type		Adult
Base Fare		241.97
Departing Flight - Tourist discount options - available only for Air Canada operated flights (including Jazz)
No Aeroplan Miles		-12.30
Returning Flight - Tourist discount options - available only for Air Canada operated flights (including Jazz)
No Aeroplan Miles		-12.30
Fuel Surcharge YQ		225.54
Taxes, Fees and Charges
Canada Airport Improvement Fee SQ		13.12
U.S.A Transportation Tax US		31.00
U.S Agriculture Fee XA		5.04
U.S Passenger Facility Charge XF		4.53
U.S. Federal Customs Fee YC		5.54
U.K. Passenger Service Charge UB		29.46
Canada Goods and Services Tax (GST/HST #10009-2287) XG		0.66
U.K. Air Passenger Duty GB		59.82
September 11 Security Fee AY		2.52
U.S.A Immigration User Fee XY		7.05
Total airfare and taxes before options (per passenger)		601.64
Number Of Passengers		1
Converted Total - US dollars - for information only		$601.64
Grand Total - Canadian dollars		$733.46

Happy Holidays to all our friends

St Louis Casino Day Trips

A day trip to the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles is a great idea. It is a perfect way of getting away and beating the winter blues. Currently we are sponsoring three trips scheduled for January and February 2009.



Also we added reviews to all of the St. Louis area casinos. First up, Harrahs. And frankly we don't mix words about it. Our entry is titled, "Harrahs St louis....where old slot machines go to retire."

Check out our website planetravelonline.com for more information.

Ginger Creek Foundation Charitable Cruise Blog

We recently started a new blog dedicated to the April 26, 2009 charitable cruise with proceeds benefiting the Ginger Creek Foundation. Click on headline for a look.


Cruising for charity is a great way for non profit organizations to raise money to further their activities.

From our website planetravelonline.com

Why Use a Cruise to Raise Funds For Your Organization?

A BenefitCruise is a new & novel approach to raising funds.

A BenefitCruise enables your group or organization to raise substantial charity money.

A BenefitCruise takes less time and effort to organize than a traditional fund-raiser.

A BenefitCruise work is done by Planet Travel - booking reservations, answering questions, setting up
special requests, accepting payments to delivering documents.

A BenefitCruise offers activities for all age groups and interests - from Kid Camps for ages 2-17 to sports, gaming, special lectures and seminars, watching first run movies or just relaxing pool side.

A BenefitCruise participant enjoys a vacation yet feels great about supporting a worthwhile cause.

A BenefitCruise can bring more community recognition to your organization and charity.

A BenefitCruise gives you access to potential new contributors since friends and families tend to vacation together.

A BenefitCruise can earn free trips to be used by special VIP guest, raffled or auctioned off to create more charity dollars that add to your total Fund-raising.

A BenefitCruise will be featured on all of Planet Travels' web sites as an open invitation for others to join your cruise.

"The cheapest coach fares on many routes are half the price of a few months ago...."

From the USA Today: "The weak economy may be bringing sky-high airfares down to earth.

With passenger demand for flights dropping, many airlines in recent weeks have instituted fare sales, and competitors have matched the lower prices."

Included is a chart of some popular routes and the now plunging airfares.

As one comment notes:

"Well, well, well...so ticket demand is going down...maybe those a**-holes running the airlines will finally figure out that screwing their customers over time and time again with bag fees, pillow fees and other "add-on" garbage fees is starting to come around and bite them in the butt."

Lots of cruise bargains through end of the year

"Though other areas of travel - casino gambling, transatlantic flights - may have taken a bigger hit from the current economic slowdown, there's no doubt that cruises have also been heavily affected. The drop in cruise bookings has been so pronounced that cruise discounting today is more frequent than in recent memory. Not only the popularly priced lines (like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC), but the more elegant lines one step up (like Holland America, Princess, Celebrity) have begun discounting their rates with a vengeance."


From Arthur Frommer's November 2, 2008 syndicated column.

Cruising is good living. Our most relaxing vacations have always been cruising. Prices are better than we have seen in six years. Planning a vacation next year? Looking for real value?
Consider a cruise.

A great place to shop for cruise deals is our web site www.planetravelonline.com.

One final question about airline fees

From the Consumerists comments about the Greg Dean United gouging fees story:

"Ironic part, though, these airlines keep installing idiotic and pointless fees in an effort to make more money, and yet they constantly fail to be profitable. You would think that with this kind of gouging, they could make money flying the damn planes.

Which begs the questions, where does all this fee money go? It doesn't go to the pilots, stewardesses or mechanics, who have had their pay slashed to ribbons in the past few decades. It doesn't go to the planes, which are old and usually in bad repair. It doesn't go to the gas, which is cheap. It doesn't go to the stockholders, because the stock is shit. I wonder what happens to it all."

Airlines as a whole have only made money in two years since 2002. The business model old or new just doesn't seem to working.