Torontoist: Plane Ticket Prices Rising, TSX Likewise Rising, And Nothin's Safer Than Tasers!

iantri

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:06:38 -0500

That's absolutely right airline surchages -- the advertised price should be the price, period. In any other business if your costs go up, you have to raise your prices. In the airline industry, the prices never change, they just tack on surcharges at their whim.

TokyoTuds

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:24:11 -0500

Fuel surcharges have been added here in Japan for the past year or two. Airlines seem to feel that the surcharges will be temporary until jet fuel prices fall with the peace dividend in Iraq, and all .... if you can call 2 years temporary and Iraq peaceful. Cheers, Tuds

EricSmith

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:10:19 -0500

Although I have always known to look for it, I despise small print that mumbles "plus a million dollars" beneath a tempting headline price and product illustration (not exactly as illustrated). VIA Rail and Greyhound don't play games with their advertised prices to the same extent that the airlines do, which I do appreciate. Obviously, I'm one of those people who thinks that sales tax should be included on price tags.

Joe D

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:05:38 -0500

I think that's what Dowlingm is talking about. I totally agree: it's a lot easier booking fares on sites like Expedia, which roll all (mandatory!) fees and taxes into the price you see, than booking on Air Canada's site, where you have to proceed to start booking before you can see the total price.

Vincent Clement

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:15:44 -0500

Dowlingm: Are you proposing that the NavCan fee be included in the advertised fare? Your post is unclear.

dowlingm

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:46:18 -0500

Charges like fuel and navcan should be banned. The only fees allowed to be separated from the advertised fare are things customers have a real choice about choosing - i.e. without fuel or air traffic control a passenger doesn't get to fly at all. In the European Union airlines are having to shutdown their websites (Ryanair for 3 days) to comply with fare transparency demanded by the European Commission - we in Canada deserve similar fair dealing.

Marc Lostracco

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:21:53 -0500

Ah, the Royal York—once the tallest building in the Commonwealth. Taser International is also set to introduce peel-and-stick incapacitation patches. Hmm. I would love to see what goes on in their labs. Who/what do they test these things on? Dogs? Pigs? "Enemy combatant" renditions? I'm totally curious to know what a Taser feels like. On a voluntary basis, that is.

matty

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:39:11 -0500

Great picture.

Marc Lostracco

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:35:38 -0500

The 18,000 figure was my mistake when I was editing the entry and updating the figures. Fixed; apologies.

Gloria

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:13:08 -0500

Also, Christopher: Not sure where you might read that 18,000 are dead. Most papers I've read say 12,000 are confirmed dead, and at least 18,000 are still buried.

Gloria

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:12:05 -0500

@2: MariaPD, you can find an interactive map here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/12/world/05132008_CHINA_MAP.html

MariaPD

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:56:34 -0500

Amazing picture, congrats! Does anyone know where I can see a map of where the earthquake was in China? I'm not very familiar with the geography and I would be interested to know if it is anywhere near Beijing, you know, with the Olympics coming and all.

McKingford

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:29 -0500

Damn, I picked the wrong day to get into ALF futures.