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FareCompare.com CEO Rick Seaney on if rate hikes are on the way for passengers and potential airline mergers this year.
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Never -- the start planning your when he thirteen vacations and we got it covered with the latest air travel trends.
That could change the way you fly fare compared -- on CEO Rick -- joins me now with his predictions and Rick they're not all that -- the I gotta tell -- your first one -- price hikes thank you very much.
What are my -- you have we yeah I think you're gonna see the airlines try to raise prices about every two weeks this year as we saw -- to.
-- are you kidding.
-- parties -- united tried earlier unsuccessfully might I had unfortunately for airlines are probably -- -- -- bad about 300 or 400 on the sides.
So we're gonna see about six or seven hikes this year I think that's gonna raise prices about five or 6%.
About what we had -- a little bit more but the bottom line is prices are gonna be going up a little bit.
A lot of this is going to be the related to whether or not we see our fourth mega merger of the parent in the last four years I.
An aggressive designer items -- before you move on today that.
You're not say that you think air airfares are cheap.
Really.
Yeah I mean you know a lot of people are tried to say you know let's compared to inflation adjusted dollars from 1970 day.
If you can't afford your ticket it's not cheap and a lot of people are flying today literally tens of millions of passengers that flew five or six years ago aren't flying today.
And a lot of it is they just can't afford it so it's cheap may be if you look at inflation adjusted dollars but people just can't afford to fly today and that's.
One of the -- -- jealous right.
-- you get really interesting here about new bundled fee programs what have -- talking about.
Sure you know those fees we all love to hate bad she's changed -- fees.
So we're gonna see as airlines take those fees we -- to pay and many of us don't play bundle them together and then discount the men -- hopefully make them more palatable to us.
We'll have to see if that works out for airlines but.
You're gonna see these offered to you at the kiosk on mobile labs.
At the gate even sometimes you wonder on the plane so the closer you get to your departure time you may get these.
Extras a little bit cheaper so you -- as well wait and hold out if you can but the bottom line is we're gonna see a lot more fees and bundles of fees this year.
-- -- -- two things -- fine and you're seeing airing new planes and B there's going to be more small city cutbacks but I want you to elaborate on.
More merger mania because you say there could be another combination American -- US Airways tell me about that.
Yeah in fact.
I think we'll know in the next couple weeks Americans basically notified everybody everybody's waiting with bated breath on whether or not they're going to -- or not will probably have a good idea the next couple weeks.
I -- said this is about a 5050 shot six months ago I think it's probably more likely going to happen than not right now -- to -- based on.
The information I'm hearing from a variety of sources so the bottom line if they do merge your tickets are still good the loyalty programme will still.
-- probably better than the two combined so.
The big problem is is that that it takes another airline off the table.
While it might not affect prices early.
34 years down the road when these airlines might have competed they won't be around -- prices in general will be going up of the long haul.
Recent we're gonna have one airline and it's gonna cost an arm and a -- -- go anywhere.
-- thanks for coming on -- always a pleasure having you here thank you very thanks -- about.
