5 ms·

Calling airline vouchers 'worthless to most people' is pretty stupid. The vast majority of the population would love to travel more and is constrained mainly by

by hueving 10y ago

Calling airline vouchers 'worthless to most people' is pretty stupid. The vast majority of the population would love to travel more and is constrained mainly by their budget. The proof of this is how Delta never seems to have problems and they constantly offer Delta dollars.

ManlyBread 10y ago
And then you have guys like me, who fly very rarely and only if no other options are available. Any voucher tied to flying is inherently worthless, because not only I've lost a lot of time but also the whole point of flying - being able to move quickly from one place to another - is defeated by the fact that I'm now stuck in the airport. To top that off, if this happened during a holiday it means I'm getting a bad deal anyway - if I'd want money I wouldn't take vacation days in the first place.
- hueving 10y ago
  Then you wouldn't accept the bid. That's the entire point of an auction system.
nommm-nommm 10y ago
Vast majority of the population wants to travel more but, of all things, the cost of a plane ticket is holding them back? No, this is not true. I travel for pleasure about once a year. I can travel more if I wanted to, finances don't hold me back, but once a year is enough for me. Traveling for vacation is usually pretty fun but at the same time just stressful enough that I wouldn't want to do it more than once a year. Airplane travel is really inconvenient. Plane tickets are just a small part of the cost of a vacation so a free ticket isn't magically going to make them afford extra travel. United isn't paying them for their hotel, rental car, and activities they are going to do when they go on this extra vacation. Even if you do make use of the vouchers, you better hope that United flies to that place you want to go and you have enough time off saved up at work and your schedule works out to use that voucher before it expires. I know you get a year but people have schedules and usually only have windows where it works out to take vacation. If you are a business traveler you better hope you actually like traveling for pleasure.
- hueving 10y ago
  You are very disconnected from a huge chunk of the US population. Traveling with a family of 4 to visit extended family on a popular period like Christmas or Thanksgiving (i.e. when typical middle class people get time off) will cost upwards of $2000 for a round trip flight a thousand miles away or so.
Arizhel 10y ago
Most of the US population doesn't get very much vacation time from their employer. The problem isn't the cost of airfare (which is a tiny portion of the cost of any vacation compared to hotel, meals, rental car, etc.), the problem is a lack of time.
- hueving 10y ago
  That's wrong. Most people get 2 days off every week. If you have a good priced airline voucher that means you can make a weekend trip to NYC, have dinner, see a Broadway show, spend the night and then fly back. Flying out a Friday night and returning Sunday is the most expensive component of a weekend trip like that.
  - Arizhel 10y ago
    Oh please. Traveling is tiring for most people, especially with TSA and the hectic mess that is airports, and the severe discomfort of modern airplace seating; I don't know many people who really want to fly somewhere on a Friday evening right after work (meaning you get to your hotel somewhere around midnight if you're lucky, and you have to skip dinner) and return on a Sunday (meaning you get home late, leaving you exhausted for work on Monday).
    - hueving 10y ago
      Oh please, cramped seats? Use the voucher for economy comfort or first class. Have dinner in the airport if it's that inconveniently timed. We went on weekend trips when I was little that involved driving for 4 hours each way. Most people aren't as pathetic as you are portraying.

by hueving 10y ago

ManlyBread 10y ago

And then you have guys like me, who fly very rarely and only if no other options are available. Any voucher tied to flying is inherently worthless, because not only I've lost a lot of time but also the whole point of flying - being able to move quickly from one place to another - is defeated by the fact that I'm now stuck in the airport. To top that off, if this happened during a holiday it means I'm getting a bad deal anyway - if I'd want money I wouldn't take vacation days in the first place.

hueving 10y ago
Then you wouldn't accept the bid. That's the entire point of an auction system.

nommm-nommm 10y ago

Vast majority of the population wants to travel more but, of all things, the cost of a plane ticket is holding them back? No, this is not true. I travel for pleasure about once a year. I can travel more if I wanted to, finances don't hold me back, but once a year is enough for me. Traveling for vacation is usually pretty fun but at the same time just stressful enough that I wouldn't want to do it more than once a year. Airplane travel is really inconvenient. Plane tickets are just a small part of the cost of a vacation so a free ticket isn't magically going to make them afford extra travel. United isn't paying them for their hotel, rental car, and activities they are going to do when they go on this extra vacation. Even if you do make use of the vouchers, you better hope that United flies to that place you want to go and you have enough time off saved up at work and your schedule works out to use that voucher before it expires. I know you get a year but people have schedules and usually only have windows where it works out to take vacation. If you are a business traveler you better hope you actually like traveling for pleasure.

hueving 10y ago
You are very disconnected from a huge chunk of the US population. Traveling with a family of 4 to visit extended family on a popular period like Christmas or Thanksgiving (i.e. when typical middle class people get time off) will cost upwards of $2000 for a round trip flight a thousand miles away or so.

Arizhel 10y ago

Most of the US population doesn't get very much vacation time from their employer. The problem isn't the cost of airfare (which is a tiny portion of the cost of any vacation compared to hotel, meals, rental car, etc.), the problem is a lack of time.

hueving 10y ago
That's wrong. Most people get 2 days off every week. If you have a good priced airline voucher that means you can make a weekend trip to NYC, have dinner, see a Broadway show, spend the night and then fly back. Flying out a Friday night and returning Sunday is the most expensive component of a weekend trip like that.
- Arizhel 10y ago
  Oh please. Traveling is tiring for most people, especially with TSA and the hectic mess that is airports, and the severe discomfort of modern airplace seating; I don't know many people who really want to fly somewhere on a Friday evening right after work (meaning you get to your hotel somewhere around midnight if you're lucky, and you have to skip dinner) and return on a Sunday (meaning you get home late, leaving you exhausted for work on Monday).
  - hueving 10y ago
    Oh please, cramped seats? Use the voucher for economy comfort or first class. Have dinner in the airport if it's that inconveniently timed. We went on weekend trips when I was little that involved driving for 4 hours each way. Most people aren't as pathetic as you are portraying.