Terrible weather=great air fares to Abaco

[gazeboman]

Here in Wisconsin I'm Looking at -40 degree chill factor tomorrow-depressing! To cheer me up I booked air to Abaco tonight-Surprise! YAT is having a special $79 one way fare. So for my wife & I the total fare with taxes was just over $400!! There & back for 2 for 400 & change!! Check it out-I think the special is for summer fares if booked by the end of December. Not going till July but we'll be there for 3 weeks, that might make tomorrow's weather a little less painfull!!

[Bakermanjr]

Pardon my not knowing, but what is YAT?

[BahamaAngie]

Yellow Air Taxi. But Gazeoboman that fare is from FL RT?

[gazeboman]

Originally Posted by BahamaAngie

Yellow Air Taxi. But Gazeoboman that fare is from FL RT?

From Ft Lauderdale to Marsh Harbor. Now if I could get that fare from Wisconsin I'd be there Weekends!!!

[ceb123]

OMGosh that is great. If I could get there for $400 R/T -- we'd be there 4-6x a year. We just paid $1600.00 from New Orleans. Granted it was for holiday travel. But I've never paid less than $1,000.00

[BahamaAngie]

Well, G.M. what will the total cost from WI be? That is how I determine our airfare. That is a good deal for Floridians but I am glad I read and reread your posting or I would have been big time disappointed. Our airfare for 2 is usually around $1200. I still think it is too high. Almost as much as going to HI. Quite honestly it is the main reason for no winter countdown in almost 16 years....darn.

[gazeboman]

Originally Posted by BahamaAngie

Well, G.M. what will the total cost from WI be?

I am playing a wait & book game as I feel air fares may drop after christmas. We fly from a regional airport (CWA) to either Minneapolis (MSP) or Detroit then to Ft Lauderdale. Those fares can go from $500 to $900. Right now I am waiting-anyone else think fares are going to drop after christmas????

[BahamaAngie]

I think they will definitely drop after Christmas. Peak usually are the holidays, President's week and spring break. During the week is usually cheaper also but then unless one owns their own place, you need to coordinate a rental with the airfare. It makes it a lot easier if you own. Oh well, missed out on that one!

[ceb123]

After seeing the YAT special - just for giggles - I tried to get to FLL. Still can't do it for less than $1000.00! I know the fares will drop after holidays though. In October we got to FLL for $500 R/T for 2 from our local airport in Gulfport MS.

[gazeboman]

Originally Posted by ceb123

After seeing the YAT special - just for giggles - I tried to get to FLL. Still can't do it for less than $1000.00! I know the fares will drop after holidays though. In October we got to FLL for $500 R/T for 2 from our local airport in Gulfport MS.

Right now it would cost me $995. However I got a little inside info that I believe is reliable saying that same fare will probably go for around 600-650 mid January. So I booked YAT now since their $79 special ends December 31 and will hope my info is right and book the rest in Jan. Hope my info is right and prices don't go UP Anyway my theory is grab specials now & hope prices on the rest of the trip go down!

[ceb123]

I called my travel agent who i rarely use any more since Al Gore invented the internet, and she gave me the same tid bit. Except in February - spring breakers take to the skies - an opportunity for the airlines to raise prices!

[BahamaAngie]

Good luck you two. Spring break should be March NOT Feb. she must mean President's week. The fares always go up then. I believe Easter is 4/4 so spring break should be March and April.

[turtleman]

Best fares from New England for Jan. - April are still in the $650 range, from Boston to Treasure. With AA, it's two legs; with SW, it's 3 legs. The times work great and it's possible to get to TCB by mid afternoon,with plenty of choices of early morning flights from NE.

[Patty&Rudi]

Interesting pricing!

I just checked costs for January from Canada's capital to Nassau and it is $149 each way. That's what my daughter and a friend paid this past February, too.

And just $80 each way from Nassau to MHH makes it pretty affordable!

[Myra]

Gotta say. The way this economy is going we are not booking with small carriers too much in advance.

[yellowpages]

With all the "horror" stories posted on the boards over the past year regarding canceled flights and no refunds from YAT...even though YAT posts on boards but has never responded to any of the "accusations"...I hope they get you there.

[ceb123]

So far they've gotten me there and back several times with no horror stories!! Only reason i'm not flying them this time was cost. Hoping the little guys can keep their heads up with the AA flights being less now.

[gazeboman]

Originally Posted by yellowpages

With all the "horror" stories posted on the boards over the past year regarding canceled flights and no refunds from YAT...even though YAT posts on boards but has never responded to any of the "accusations"...I hope they get you there.

I have had good service. A few people I personally know that had problems have told me that the problems were resolved. I think the issue with all the small carriers is that they all have delays, cancels etc. We read about some problems that YAT has had because YAT chooses to be more visible ie advertises here and posts here and believe they have answered some of the "accusers" here. From my personal experiences I can say that Beth and YAT in general seems to care more about their customers than some of the other small carriers I've dealt with.

[yellowpages]

I read both boards...as most know...and the complaints I saw on the other board I did not see answered. Perhaps I missed them there...as well as here. I've been wrong before...I think

[NateZQ]

We're an airline, advertiser, and we post here.

I must say that its a bit difficult to respond to criticism on a board without opening a pandora's box. We all *want* to get you from Point A to Point B on time, as we promised, and at a reasonable fare. The best time to judge any airline is when things DO go wrong - look at how the issues are resolved or treated.

I just pray that any of our glitches or mishaps are handled to the point the customer walks away satisfied, or at least taken care of... so they DON'T have to resort to posting on here.

[SamFamAustin]

Gosh, an airline is a recipe for broken hearts, and it is amazing that most perform so well. Think of it, you have an airplane, and airport, airport control, the air traffic, the weather, the government procedures and fees, an engine or two, and one small thing, even a seagull collision or wasps making a nest in an instrument, can make everything come to a screeching halt. If the pilot, remember you need one of those, cannot "poof" the barometer to calibrate the altimeter, well you're not going anywhere. GPS, here's a good one, if you can't get 2 to 10 satellites to tune in, well, try again some other time.

And for all that money, nobody is getting rich in the business, at least as I know. Fuel is moderately high and insurance is atrocious. Most aircraft are rented and the payments are sky high, literally. So let's be nice. These folks have a service. When told to go, they go, When told to stay on the ground, they stay. It's not like they're inventing stuff to ruin your ride or your vacation. -sammie

[0106]

Can I reserve on YAT with a credit card? Then if there is a problem I can have the credit card co. deal with it. How much "luggage" (fishing rods, snorkeling equip, cooler) can I take? Six of us are going in June; flight to FL is reasonable but that last flight MHI is killing us.

[gazeboman]

Originally Posted by 0106

Can I reserve on YAT with a credit card? Then if there is a problem I can have the credit card co. deal with it. How much "luggage" (fishing rods, snorkeling equip, cooler) can I take? Six of us are going in June; flight to FL is reasonable but that last flight MHI is killing us.

I always reserve with CC. For most problems like cancellations, loss of service etc. , I believe you are protected using a CC-if wrong someone please correct me. I don't remember of the amount of baggage but I think it is 50lbs.
Hope you enjoy Elbow Cay!!!

[Beth at Yellow Air Taxi]

Let's see what Dr. Ralph lets me post!

Yellow Air Taxi takes VISA, Mastercard, AMEX, and Discover.

40lbs free maximum baggage allowance. More info is available at http://www.flyyellowairtaxi.com/size.aspx

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by our fares!

Anyone can find out more about our company philosophy at
http://www.flyyellowairtaxi.com/whoweare.aspx

Or more about our community work with Every Child Counts (ECC), Abaco Wild Horses (Mimi), or Reef Relief at
http://www.flyyellowairtaxi.com/community.aspx

I only check the Forum periodically - sometimes I miss some issues that people have with us.

I wish that the thousands of people who have been happy with our service would write as often as the few who have been dissatisfied, but that would not be consistent with the laws of human nature.

I appreciate Sam's understanding that there are an amazing number of things that need to go RIGHT in order for an on time departure. We are very fortunate that we get it most of the time. When they do not, we work on the situation and come up with solutions. People do not always like those solutions and we work with them as much as we can.


Happy Holidays!

Beth

[cookie909]

Hi Beth,
Can you please respond to my several emails regarding my overdue refund?
Thank you.

[BahamaAngie]

We always book with Continental and we have had problems and it is okay because you need to be flexible. I prefer they are cautious. Better to be safe than sorry BUT the one thing I have found and not just us is the way the Continental personnel handle it at TC airport. One fellow in particular does NOT seem to know how to be personable. I have witnessed other flyers frustrated with him also! I would think you would get that personal touch with a smaller carrier.

[Beth at Yellow Air Taxi]

Good Morning Ms. Marshall!

As I promised last night, I have processed the refund for you and sent you a email confirmation.

I am very sorry for your initial inconvenience and for the delay in getting the refund to you.

Yours very truly,

Beth

[cookie909]

Thanks Beth!!!

[ddb]

My wife and I have been flying to TC and MHH with YAT since they started operations and I can't recall a single incident,outside of a few normal delays. Beth and the employees at both ends have always been helpful.

Yes the fares have gone up , but what hasn't? ( my salary?). The only disappointment I have is that YAT had to move from the JetCenter in FLL,that was a great waiting room!

DannyB.

[turtleman]

Just booked April trip for my daughter via AA @ $488 from BOS to TCB, with a non-stop leg through MIA. That fare is down $175 from a week ago.