In recent weeks, Southwest Airlines, National Airlines and other smaller regional carriers began aggressively promoting even sharper fare cuts, in some cases by extending fare sales that were already under way before Sept. 11.
With its final vote on Wednesday to impose sharp transit fare increases and service cuts, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority pushed the debate over its $1.2 billion budget deficit squarely back to Albany, urging a weakened governor and fractious Senate to revive talks over a rescue package.
Two months ago, America West promoted sharp competitive fare-cutting on certain routes when it, too, announced a wide range of fares without Saturday night stays.
Sharp increases in fares are to be announced by the transport secretary, Alistair Darling, in the next few days.
Whereas last year Eurotunnel took on the ferries in a price war that cut fares in half, its two floating competitors Stena and P&O will probably get their wish of being allowed to merge, bringing a sharp rise in fares.
The sharp decline in fares in real terms means that the original reason for a RTW has largely evaporated, except for gap-year travellers (who are time-rich but cash-poor) or long-serving public-sector workers who find themselves surplus to government requirements, and temporarily at least, time-rich and cash-rich.
The protesters, mainly university students but also activists from leftist political parties, appear to be loosely tied to an organization called the Free Fare Movement, which advocates sharp decreases in public transportation fares or doing away with the fares and financing transit through tax increases.
(They"re more intent on getting us to question the fundamentals of a system dependent on citizens 'living and dying in debt.'" -- San Francisco Chronicle, July 7 , 2009 "....Combinesred and blue, truth and unreality, political commentary and incisive wit. The results are delicious. "Red State" is the ideal election fare - sharp and funny, with just enoiugh bite". --
Examiner.com, July 7 , 2008
One reason the banks fared relatively well is that, despite the sharp fall in bond prices, their customers didn't withdraw en masse from the market.
