[money.cnn.com]

Yesterday, it was United, and before AA......get ready to pay to fly...

Oh my... doesn't look good...thank goodness I already booked my flights for Nov/Dec already. I just hope our plane will be flying at that time... If not, we may need to hop a cruise ship to get there since they don't seem to be affected by this crisis...they just keep building new ones.

Hey!

Local employment will possibly start declining shortly beginning with ARINDELL who staff the majority of counter jobs at PJIA.

Watch for this in the DH; it's inevitable!

BIGDEN

While they continue to build cruise ships we must remember that they are propelled by diesel electric and the ships electricity also comes from diesels so watch the price of cruises take an uphill spiral. I took a picture on the old SS Norway (SS France originally) that gave facts about the ship. It got about 33 feet to the gallon and used on avarage 400,000 gallons per week.At today's price for gas that's about 1 1/2 million dollars to fill up.There were 2500 guests on board that's about $640 for each passenger just for the diesel fuel.

The airlines are cutting back on flights to create a shortage of flights. Less flights more demand, more demand equals price increases.

I had the right to remain silent...but I didn't.

[burlingtonscwt.wordpress.com]

Higher prices for flying no question---and it will price some travelers right out--fewer tourists to SXM----because of diminishing seating capacity--and cost---so what does SXM do-----only trade off is to reduce room rates as an inducement----and with Continental cutting back as announced today??---(they will make the public the list of flights being cut probably on Friday)---I checked out Jetblue out of Boston- but it goes through JFK before on to SXM------and my wife is afraid of JFK-- as well as Newark-----and she can't stand Miami----I guess going South for a couple of weeks next winter or spring will mean a 30 minute drive to the Berkshire Mall in Lanesboro----chbpod

Not good if you own a timeshare

If this is a sign of things to come...I think it is only the beginning of hard times ahead.

The only article I found about Jet Blue scaling back is...

[www.forbes.com]

MarcG Wrote:
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> Not good if you own a timeshare

oKAY SO I haven't read everyone of the articles on the woes of paying or arranging for flying in the future.
what difference does higher price have to do with timeshares that makes it not good to own one rather than renting hotels or villas? You really lost. If the prices get so bad we cant buy or get tickets then we can trade to places closer to home where we can drive to. Wont be the carribbean but I'm not getting what that has to do with making owning a timeshare not good.

Not everyone has purchased with option to use other than in SXM......And i'm sure people didn't purchase a timeshare to drive 30 minutes from home to use...

Renting a hotel or villa, i can just stop going. Owning a timeshare in SXM, well, that limits the options. Still accountible for maintenance fees and cost of purchase

MarcG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not everyone has purchased with option to use
> other than in SXM......And i'm sure people didn't
> purchase a timeshare to drive 30 minutes from home
> to use...
>
> Renting a hotel or villa, i can just stop going.
> Owning a timeshare in SXM, well, that limits the
> options. Still accountible for maintenance fees
> and cost of purchase

clearly you know a lot more about it then I do then because I thought all time shares could be traded. Didn't know that you could only use it where you bought it. I wasn't talking about 30 minutes drive time but I wouldn't mind staying in Newport in the summer or the jersy shore and my time share will take me to both places with a couple hours drive so the good news is I still get to take a vacation. Id just rather use it in st martins. if it comes to that your right but I bought on resale cheap and pay under $800. for mainenance so its still a lot cheaper than renting in Newport or Jersy shore and neither is a bad place to vacation even if there not the island.

I was hoping MarcG would of explained what st martin time shares arent able to be traded. That would be good info for those of us still in the makret for more weeks.

I've never heard of timeshare in SXM the could not be traded, but that's not to say there are none. BUT my experience in attempting to get a trade in New England, or any of the Midatlantic States was unsuccessful, with 9 + months notice. There were a few available for times of the years that nobody wants to go or for places that get poor reviews. I had both RCI and II and different times was unsuccessful with both. I know there are folks that seem to make this work but for some reason (maybe lack of patience) it did not work for me.
BTW..I for one would not be disappointed to trade my extra studio week at Pelican for a week (in the summer) at the Jersey shore...but sadly it just isn't happening.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
bettenan from beautiful bucks county (pa)

I traded our studio at the pelican (that was banked, and I had to do something soon) for a 1 bedroom in Newport for August. Maybe I was just lucky? This was weeks, not points. I have better luck with points, but had to use or lose. Maybe the Jersey shore is more difficult.

I was not looking for the shore, then, I was looking more for New England. Like I said I know people do this and have good luck, I didn't...maybe I looked too early, who knows. I dropped my memberships in both, so I'm out of that game.
I have always wanted to go to Newport..what a nice trip (especially in Aug.)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
bettenan from beautiful bucks county (pa)

You also have to remember that sometimes there is very limited weeks to be traded-the Jersey shore for example has basically a 14 week season at best so people who generally buy there use their weeks-same with any resorts on the North East's shores.