I have everything figured out (maybe)

So I was reading yesterday that the airline industry is about to change for the worse (that is if you are a consumer). There will soon be higher prices for aisle and window seats. It will cost $1 for a can of Coke, and you will be charged for all of your luggage. Sounds terrible, right? I agree.

Here's the deal. The airline industry has decided that they want to stop losing money. That sounds reasonable, but I really don't want to help them make money either. I think that $200 is a good price for a person to pay to fly from the Midwest to Florida. I don't think that the $400 ticket that is on the way is in any way appropriate. I recently had a friend get his flight to Hawaii canceled because the airline went out of business while he was in the air. He then had to pay $2,400 for a new ticket on a different airline to get to Hawaii. He had to get there to conduct business. Flying has become a very accessible mode of transportation for Americans, and that is all about to change.

Please allow me to Rube Goldberg us through this process.

• Oil is expensive for lots of political reasons.

• Therefore jet fuel prices are high

• Therefore airlines profit margins shrink

• Therefore some airlines go out of business

• Therefore other airlines have less competition

• Therefore they raise prices

• Therefore less people fly

• Therefore less people vacation

• Therefore people are more stressed

• And tourist destination cities lose money

• Therefore businesses in those cities lose money

• Therefore they lay off their already stressed out workers

• Therefore people have less money to live on

• Therefore they don't even drive due to high gas prices

• Therefore fuel demand decreases

• Therefore fuel prices fall

• Therefore jet fuel prices fall

• Therefore airline prices will fall

• Therefore people will be able to afford tickets

• Therefore airlines will have more flights

• Therefore they will hire more people

• BUT they will start losing money!

Okay, I don't have it figured out. Maybe you do. Let me know. askpete@petetheplanner.com