=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2008/06/29/TRM7118R11= .DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, June 29, 2008 (SF Chronicle) As airfares skyrocket, wallet-friendly options will keep you grounded Arthur Frommer This month has been one of the gloomiest in U.S. travel history. Everything has gone wrong. The dollar has plummeted in value, the cost of oil skyrocketed, and three major airlines - American, United and Continental - have all said they will be reducing flights by 10 to 15 percent, causing airfares to climb by amounts that I predict will be shocking. So what will you do about it? Seven solutions come to mind: 1. You will take alternative forms of transportation: On trips to nearby cities, you can seek to substitute less-expensive buses or trains for air travel, especially the new "cheap" buses ($10 to $25 each way) that travel the Eastern Seaboard and crisscross the Midwestern states to and from Chicago: Bolt Bus (owned by Greyhound), MegaBus (the British entrant), Fungwahbus (the pioneering, Chinese American company operating between one Chinatown and another in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va.), DC2NY.com (same routes) and Megabus in the Midwest (Megabus has ceased or will soon cease operating on the West Coast). To cities that aren't serviced by these remarkable cost-cutting godsends, you will take good old Greyhound. People who once turned up their noses at Greyhound will think again (the premier bus line is engaged in upgrading the quality of its terminals and vehicles). And in those instances where the train (Amtrak) is cheaper than air, you ought to consider taking Amtrak (as so many Americans are now doing). 2. You will "advance purchase" your air transportation. Though airfares will obviously climb, they will be a little cheaper if purchased long in advance. They will not be cheaper at the last moment, since more and more flights will go out totally full - and with big waiting lists, too. 3. You will give real thought to the use of cost-cutting, cheaper airlines. Because of its brilliant policy of hedging its purchases of fuel, Southwest Airlines will remain somewhat cheaper than the others throughout the year ahead. And though going to some of Southwest's chief hubs (Islip, Long Island; Providence, R.I.; Oakland) may seem a less-than-elegant thing to do, you will swallow your pride and make the trip. You will also look long and hard at Spirit Airlines and AirTran. 4. You will offset the higher cost of air transportation by lowering the price of lodgings at the destination. You will consider staying at a Comfort Inn. You will even (gulp!) consider booking a Motel 6. You will scan the Motel 6 Web site for properties identified as having an "interior corridor," meaning that it is a "new build." I once stayed at a brand-new, fresh and modern, $59-a-night Motel 6 near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and it was just as good as higher-category motels charging twice the price. 5. You will cut your air costs by using public transportation to the airport (there always is a public bus used by airport personnel and flight crews), and bringing sandwiches along to avoid ever having to buy one of those overpriced, tasteless snacks at an airport eatery or (heaven forbid) on the flight itself. 6. You will consider joining a hospitality club (like U.S. Servas or Evergreen) or a hospitality service like CouchSurfers.com or GlobalFreeloaders.com. Contrary to the common perception, those organizations are not limited to foreign destinations but have copious listings within the United States as well. You will consider using a vacation exchange club like HomeExchange.com, Intervac.com or others, to obtain a free-of-charge lodging at the U.S. (or Canadian) destination, swapped for use by someone else of your own home or apartment. 7. In doing all this, you will first swallow your pride, and then you wi= ll get angry, becoming politically active by working for the defeat of those several U.S. senators who have thwarted the development of an adequate and inexpensive U.S. system of rail transportation. You will retire those people so that we Americans can once again travel our beautiful country at an affordable cost. Arthur Frommer is a syndicated columnist. Prices and availability of discount packages are subject to change. To comment, go to sfgate.com/travel. --------------------------------------------------------= -------------- Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".