John Heimlich
John Heimlich
best case filled fuel higher money seats
We've got more seats that are filled and we're getting higher fares for them. That's your best case scenario. If (jet) fuel was at $40 a barrel, we could be minting money right now.
call cost count fourth grace quarter quite saving
When your second-highest cost plummets, that's huge. I call it the saving grace of the fourth quarter after the (federal assistance). But we're not quite as sanguine that we can count on that this year.
crazier expecting last
We're not expecting it to be much crazier than last summer.
recent saying time trends word
We're not saying things are hunky-dory. All we're saying is that some of the indicators we look at and some of the recent trends are promising, and that's the first time I've used that word in a long time.
fuel high
There's been an acceleration of capacity-cutting with high fuel prices.
business certainly hurt short travel
There's a lot of business travel in short haul. That certainly hurt us.
hole needed
This is one more thing we needed like a hole in the head.
surprised
I will be very surprised if there is not a proposal.
accept carriers domestic fuel high market painful passenger reality reflect unwilling
The painful reality for passenger carriers is that the domestic market has been unwilling to accept fares that reflect high fuel prices.
clearly sooner
Clearly the more we get the sooner the better.
problem serious
By then, we'd better have this problem rectified or we'll have a serious problem,
against consumers delays due economics factor fear head heavier legacy recovery security summer time
The consumers are saying, 'The only time I'm going to travel, I'm going to make it count,' ... While there's some legacy fear factor and some legacy hassle factors, I think it's economics that still rule. As we head into heavier summer travel, we'll be working against our own recovery with some of the delays due to new security measures.
capacity year
International capacity is up 5 percent, year over year.
bit broad choices last looks seats terms versus
In terms of the broad picture, it looks like there will be new choices and more seats going internationally versus last year. But things will be a little bit tighter domestically.