Why Flying is So Expensive

Support Wendover Productions on Patreon: / wendover Productions
Flying is expensive, really expensive, but only kinda, and it's only partially the airlines' fault.
Big thank you to Real Engineering for the collab in this video. Make sure to check him out at / realengineering
Please consider sharing this video on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, or other websites.
Twitter: wendoverpro
Email: [e-mail]
Sources:
www.tsa.gov/for-industry/secu...
www.delta.com/content/www/en_U...
www.comluxaviation.com/resourc...
www.airbus.com/aircraftfamilie...
www.panynj.gov/airports/pdf/s...
www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/pi...
www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/fl...
Attributions:
a320 interior image courtesy of Airbus and used under fair use
a320 footage courtesy / @ruiplanespotter
Select footage courtesy of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: / @schiphol
Ticket Price Graph source Carpe Diem Blog
Select satellite imagery courtesy of Bing
Select footage provided by VideoBlocks LLC
Music provided Epidemic Sound
Select maps provided by OpenStreetMap
Select maps provided by Google Maps
Select visuals provided by Wikipedia Commons
Licenses available upon request
Licensed under Creative Commons 3.0 or fair use guidelines

[@shelvacu]

✓Interesting ✓Acurate & non-clickbait title ✓Appears to be well researched ✓Well paced ✓Good video.

[@drewway9599]

Are you a pilot of any level? This is a very inaccurate video

[@shelvacu]

+Jay Birdd i never claimed it was accurate. I said it had an accurate title (as in a title that accurately describes the contents) and that it *appears* to be well-researched. I am not a pilot and I did not attempt to verify anything in the video.

[@Horny_Fruit_Flies]

+Jay Birdd Could you elaborate?

[@alexanderreid3260]

+Jay Birdd - And what exactly would a pilot know about the cost of an airplane ticket? That doesn't make any sense pal. It's not hard information, it's food for thought.

[@drewway9599]

Alexander Reid A pilot has likely flown on a commercial flight before. Unrelated, but I do hold a Private Pilot's License.

[@grahamw2455]

Moment of silence for the pilots who spent hundreds of thousands on training just to get paid a little more then a flight attendant

[@Dani_1012]

I find that so unjust. The crew members need to be paid more

[@rachaeljuddx]

@@Dani_1012 Why? They are not flying the aircraft.

[@rangersmith4652]

@@rachaeljuddx Cabin crew are seen performing passenger service, but that's just a small part of their role. They are also charged with a host of safety-of-flight and emergency actions that most passengers either don't notice or, thankfully, never have to see.

[@rangersmith4652]

Most pilots make more than the quoted figure. The Captain of a major-airline long-haul jet generally makes over $200K, while the Captain of a short-haul budget carrier turboprop might start at around $50K. The difference is training, experience, and level of responsibility. The average gets driven by the fact that there a lot more short-haul pilots.

[@cheerbozz]

Graham W pilots needs to be paid more

[@SergiuszOlszewski]

USA: FAA's flat tax per ticket = $4 Europe: Ticket price = $4

[@Nezuko-rl8zr]

Sergiusz Olszewski the ticket prices in the eu are actually more expensive

[@turkrene]

Actually I just bought the ryanair flight from london to venice for 6€

[@CatholicWeeb]

Yay Cheap European Airlines!

[@ChromePalace]

Sergiusz Olszewski Eastern Europe is a hellhole compared to the US lol

[@FEATUREME]

@@Nezuko-rl8zr Then how come tickets can be as low as €1

[@cryptality701]

Reallifelore : Toyota Corolla Wendover Productions : Toyota Camry

[@thunder7650]

RealLifeLore: _triggered_

[@benhuang2773]

Now we need a KZbin channel that talks about the Toyota Yaris

[@chopperv1313]

Yeah. What's your point?

[@Not_Aran8276]

Aran8276: Toyota Vios (me)

[@Sam-cn5yd]

Bendover productions*

[@IRegretnothing74]

Just the effort in the math and research spent into this deserves my like...

[@stevenelief6784]

Excellent. KLM (Northwest) flew daily from AMS to MEM, deleted when NWA was bought. It was the only non-stop in Europe to Memphis, always full, and expensive. Pity.

[@MrBasinator]

"How to become a millionaire? Be a billionaire and start an airline."

[@ladhkay]

+MrBasinator or get married

[@MultiTrollNation]

+MrBasinator If the airline is successful you will make millions, if the airline fails, you'll go bankrupt an lose everything...

[@gamepool8517]

-richard Branson

[@limitedcat4641]

O

[@drgrey7026]

-Warren buffet probably

[@stepha9587]

US: Europe: *laughs in ryanair and easyjet*

[@dontsubscribeme9547]

No.. Laughs in kilometre... 😡😡

[@duffman18]

@HuckleB680 he has other videos where he focuses on budget airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair though. Go watch them

[@nytrex_yt7417]

duffman18 True

[@ChromePalace]

steph a USA: Laughs in Spirit, Allegiant, and Frontier.

[@ChromePalace]

steph a Plus America invented the plane while Europeans were busy fighting stupid wars against each other.

[@Ramy-cr9rl]

1:00 thats amazing, wow you sound so enthusiastic

[@yidy1]

One has to appreciate the many hours of research you invested for this video. Thank you!

[@CordVarty]

My ticket from Chicago to the Philippines was $488 round trip compared to $1400 for Detroit to the Philippines. Competition is nice 🙂

[@PixelBytesPixelArtist]

Well, that’s Detroit

[@GlowingSpamraam]

+darkness i can fly from copenhagen to paris for 10 euro on a budget flight lmao whatya doin americans

[@samuelrivera3534]

I cant never find a deal like that to the philippines. The bestb i did was $630

[@donvito204]

Fuck the Philippines

[@lawrencesantillan8918]

kill them all Wow thanks that's like one of the nicest comments I've heard. Like what did the Philippines ever even do to you?

[@aaronchandler2812]

Great video. Honestly, aircraft maintenance is generally overlooked by the majority of the public. As a technician, I love it when videos like these bring to light all that goes into a plane. Its a lot of work, a lot of knowledge and experience, and a lot of dedication and focus.

[@allnighter2011]

And it's the one area you don't wanna cut corners in

[@michoelpanzok7803]

There hasn’t been a video made by wendover productions that wasn’t Informative Interesting Helpful Hard work put into it THANK YOU

[@HanSolo-dh4rn]

Toyata Camry advertisement is obvious

[@Wendoverproductions]

+Henry Davies Man I wish they'd sponsor me. I just picked a popular, fuel efficient car

[@vandendriessched]

+Wendoverproductions Also your 47 times from NY to Cali is wrong. 317 gallons * 42 MPG highway =13314 miles. NY to LA = about 2800 miles. It equals 4.7 times from NY to LA

[@thementalist7767]

Getting my new RAV4 Hybrid now ;D

[@electricdreamer]

yep, the calculations are wrong.

[@saraymubasiri1600]

When you're buying a car you just ask the MPG you don't ask how many seats in it and what''s the MPG if you drive completely full all the time.

[@andresil8330]

*Man, if this video was a written document it would be pratically an end-of-graduation-course paper.* Really good job.

[@5710fpilot]

OMG! This just came up on autoplay... A young wendover intro! I remember these, your videos have come so far and still are just as informative as ever! Great work Sam!

[@berrauniverse]

My ticket from Sweden to Austria was 9$

[@peterschmidt7543]

Good price, good direction.

[@orppranator5230]

h0rsten What? That has got to be BS.

[@berrauniverse]

@@orppranator5230 haha its true! Just the right ticket at the right time.

[@tylerlackey1175]

Well yeah. Sweden is so god awful, I'd imagine the competition to get out is high. Price has gotta be low then Also reddit moment

[@griffithscott2318]

he sounds like a male version of tina from bobs burgers

[@Wendoverproductions]

+Griffith Scott You're like the third person to tell me that

[@RealEngineering]

+Wendoverproductions The question is, do you write fantasy romance stories about zombies?

[@merciv]

I can't unhear it oh my god

[@Einhander49]

that's a terrible show and you should feel bad for liking it

[@JQUIZ45]

tina is voiced by a male... lol

[@benwyatt7619]

USA needs to switch to metric system I have no idea how much a gallon is

[@benwyatt7619]

And lbs seriously

[@CatManUtdFC]

at least you don't have to deal with it every day. I'm studying engineering and looking up conversions for everything suuuuucks

[@games1004]

1 gal = 3.78541178 liter and 10 seconds on a web browser. :-P

[@CatManUtdFC]

Yes and when you are doing 10 plus conversions a day, 5 days a week 10 seconds really adds up.

[@dom2428]

oh, how many total seconds in a gallon then?

[@HugeRademaker]

In Europe flying is the cheapest way of travelling.

[@raidenstark315]

Not fair

[@beechface1]

5:36 the mechanics reply whenever I take my car in for anything.

[@thegamesource]

9/11 tax?? what a fucking scam!

[@AmerikanGrizzly]

+kylen1487 dont worry dude, rest assured when the FBI put them to the test, only 95% of weapons made it past!

[@rdablock]

We gonna have to slam another airplane to a building to make this ridiculous expense worth it

[@raysson1]

+kylen1487 The US could get rid of it and lower the security measures but as soon as the next terror attack on a plane/airport happens people are going to want to have it back anyway.

[@nightarrow7473]

+Gempowerment but does it really works?? look I don't know who has connections to the 9/11 but I think the US government itself has a big part in it, you can clearly see that they are having an economy itself from that TAX so called 9/11 TAX!!!

[@LeonardoVibes]

Are they $9.11 ?

[@pranavkadambi5959]

Thanks, i got all i need for starting an airline. Wish me good luck!

[@moniquejemmott-brown1801]

Pranav Kadambi good luck btw I'm flying free on your airline

[@pranavkadambi5959]

M JB I'll reserve a seat just for you!

[@jesusgonzalez6715]

Pranav Kadambi airlines are getting their butts kicked by high-speed rail all over the developed world.

[@eric1895]

LOL whats gonna call?

[@pranavkadambi5959]

WOW. You just ruined the mood here, Thank You

[@krissp8712]

8:04* shows "more efficient engine" Me: that's also the Trent 1000 with cracked compressor blades grounding a hundred dreamliners in 2019 🤔

[@lillyie]

check the date this was uploaded. 4 years before the 737 max was grounded

[@sezzysays4351]

Lunameliaるなめりあ ?? He was referring to the 787 Dreamliners.... not to 737 Max.

[@ReptarrBarr]

WAIT... 317 gallons of gas is 49 trips from NY to LA? That's 6.46 gallons of gas to drive from NY to LA? That's about 429 MPG? Seriously? Where do I buy this god-send camry?

[@user-ty6we2sp2m]

Kevin I want on eim the future if nothing is better

[@nevillec5252]

Kevin Yeah, I was wondering too. 2800 miles for 6.47 gallons is about 432 mpg. That's a helluva Toyota!

[@lakshyamongia3270]

You gotta trust him, its a camry.

[@AW-gj4ji]

Don’t forget to multiply the MPG by the number of passengers now we have 2145!!

[@kashyaptank9581]

What if he meant NY to DC?

[@LifeInspector]

Here's what I don't understand: How come cruises are so cheap? They have the many of the same costs as airlines (big company, crew costs, taxes), but 3 days on a cruise with unlimited food, entertainment, housing, and more, can cost the same as a 12-hour flight.

[@Wendoverproductions]

If you look up the economic principle of "economies of scale" that will answer this. More people=lower costs. Also, in a lot of cases the alcohol isn't included which makes up a lot of the cost

[@bristoled93]

Cruises are very expensive at least the ones I would like to go on (the largest ones), flying is much cheaper than the cruises.

[@cannack]

cruise ships are generally cheaper per person, exempot from ALOT of taxes, port costs are cheaper than landing fees in alot of cases, cruise ships also run on slimey fuel oil, airliners run on practically baby oil!

[@marcelokawas]

Cruise ships carry 1000+ people

[@zaklautner6741]

Cruise ship doesn't carry 154 people dude

[@Butter_bread_]

Flying from NZ to LA return just 5 years ago was $2200. Now it's $899 thanks to American Airlines, Qantas etc. we only had 1 air travel company until now.

[@turbopumped6490]

The title should be: Why flying in the US is so expensive...

[@mr.f2p552]

Canada: hold my beer

[@Vlad-De-Impalor]

Ha look up flying in Canada. USA is cheap

[@imluvinyourmum]

He’s talking about Europe’s $20 flights, basically need to get the plane back to a popular departure spot so they just fill the plane for cheap.

[@tylerlackey1175]

Reddit moment

[@Tuton25]

I'm going to Japan for $700, and I think thats pretty incredible. If I wanted to do that 100 years ago, I'd have to get to a city like Chicago by horse or car, then a train to San Francisco, then a trans-pacific boat to Japan, a trip that I assume would take a week or two on both sides of my trip. Now I drop some cash and can do it in half a day.

[@elijahmasquelier1238]

I never realized that operating an airplane was so expensive to the airline itself. Here I was thinking airlines were making like $100 per person for the $150 flight.

[@bbmikej]

+Elijah Masquelier The airline business is weird in that a 2.5% profit margin is considered good.

[@steprockmedia]

+Michael That sounds like a lousy ROI, considering the cost, regulation, and inherent complexity. I'd expect my $80 ticket to profit at least 20%

[@bbmikej]

+steprockmedia The airlines are incredibly deregulated compared to what they used to be. The government used to tell you what routes you could service and how much you could charge. that is why flying today is cheaper than it was back in the 60s and 70s.

[@Mbeluba]

Free market would not allow such a huge profit margin.

[@infiltr80r]

Delta is 11% net, American is 7% net, United is 8%. This is net, after taxes, fat salaries and bonuses for the board etc. Alaska operating profit margin is a whopping 23%! Where are these 2.5% profit margin airlines you talk about? Going through many non-US airlines, almost none had profit margins as high.

[@minecraft29890]

Can you please put Meters and Liters on the screen next?

[@luisrosales9349]

Giann1 a liter is about .28 gallons. So a 1/4 of a gallon. Hope it helps.

[@jasoncummings7052]

Thank you very much for this well researched info. Helps us to appreciate the multitude of departments that works behind the scene for the aviation industry. Much appreciated.

[@slay47808]

So glad you had that little bit about winglets! Very informative and helpful!

[@tunafishjoe]

The US should apply this competition concept to their health insurance!

[@idontknowum]

+Gordon Tendick #MakeAmericaGreatAgain

[@Drumsgoon]

+Gordon Tendick Yes!

[@tunafishjoe]

***** Just because it comes out of an idiots mouth doesn't mean it's wrong. This idea has been argued for decades. Trump is just a parrot.

[@USA____]

Go trump

[@HarionDafar]

+Aertraveller no, he is out of his mind.

[@loveisanopendoor5745]

1:00 "That's amazing" Me : You don't sound amazed...

[@bertg5294]

I, not me...

[@pug2858]

@@bertg5294 Me, not i...

[@bertg5294]

I say, not me say. go to school. idiot

[@pug2858]

@@bertg5294 jesus fucking christ man learn english lmao. And yes im 12th grade... I love when some people are too ignorant so they think that everything they say is correct. Or youre just trolling idk.

[@bertg5294]

no, I. idiot. I said. not me said. go back to school

[@clkhere434]

Best video I have watched this week. Thanks for solid content.

[@3unhy3]

what a neat little video perfect for all ages; love how you use visuals and esp music to really keep interest, change mood, and change up the pacing/rhythm of what otherwise would be a load of awesome information nonetheless

[@johnsmithbushdid911]

9/11 security fee. ayy lmao

[@TheSecondVersion]

The TSA is a joke.

[@luisrosales9349]

Vito C I wouldn't say a joke. They really do keep us safe but the 9/11 fee is bullshit. Its a fee to do what they're supposed to do anyway. But the TSA "Agents" are assholes.

[@daddyrabbit835]

They get us any way they can. We're still taking our damn shoes off.

[@isaiahdobesh5109]

LAD Fan name once the TSA stopped a major, credible threat

[@christianbro2]

It's shameful to pay $5, which is probably more expensive than the fuel, when you have to wait around an hour to go through security with the unfriendly staff and stupid rules. Other countries, like pretty much the rest of the world, have less intrusive and faster security at a probably lower cost, and they don't get planes hijacked either.

[@gantmj]

1.) Flying is cheap. 2.) Fuel is way too cheap. 3.) The small pay gap between flight attendants and pilots is insulting to pilots. 4.) Airports charging by the pound is a racket.

[@SidestickPilot]

Yup a flying waitress or waiter as well as a personal service makes $6 per hour less then the actual pilots. Makes sense...

[@11290lars]

Saying a flight attendant is just a flying waitress is like saying the pilots are just bus drivers.

[@SidestickPilot]

I'm saying that the skill level and experience differences in the two jobs are significant but the pay doesn't reflect that. Some first officers make less then flight attendants. That makes no sense.

[@11290lars]

Bailey Davis You're forgetting that the flight attendants are also schooled in crew management and safety procedures up to the EASA/FAA standards and honestly, all the pilots do these days is just set the end point and do the comms and the plane does the rest mostly.

[@SidestickPilot]

Not really. You're constantly monitoring the controls and you are not allowed to take your hands off the flight controls. Plus when an emergency happens the pilots are the ones that are tasked with all of the work load. Flight attendants aren't tasked with flight planning or controlling an aircraft with over a hundred human lives on board.

[@mario5554]

You make excellent explanatory materials dude, congratulations and thanks!

[@vinuv16]

what a brief explanation of the running expense of an aircraft. This channel is so genuine. A subscribing is worth it..

[@dolphinsfan31]

The aviation videos from Wendover Productions are always so detailed and interesting to watch.

[@amartin6255]

The videos are entertaining, but they would be a lot better if they had some semblance of accuracy.

[@Wizylt]

For European this is a weird topic. Flights are way cheaper here.

[@Wendoverproductions]

+Wizylt My original script included a section on how budget airlines are able to fly for so cheap but this video was long enough already. I might make a video in the future about that

[@RealEngineering]

+Wizylt Flights in Asia, especially with AirAsia, are even cheaper.

[@Wendoverproductions]

+Real Engineering Shouldn't you be asleep! Anyways I do the Edinburgh London flight a lot, about twice the distance of NYC to dc, and that's usually 10-20 pounds on ryanair. It'd unbelievable how much cheaper it is in the UK and Europe.

[@RealEngineering]

+Wendoverproductions Can't sleep! It's fantastic, Kuala Lumpur to Singapore is about the same cost with AirAsia. My return flights to Bangkok for this weekend were about 50-60 pounds.

[@johnnyconnors9991]

+Wizylt OK euroPEEn. you feel so special? youll never be better than usa.

[@za1pp]

*This guy is the best at these types of videos, congrats brother!*

[@yuhansungscoffee4565]

Love your videos. highly informative and easy to comprehend.

[@lesliedellow1533]

Peak time travel by train from where I live to London (about 150 miles) would cost me £205 return, or 68 pence per mile. Return air fare from London to New York (3,470 miles) would cost me £350 return, or 5 pence per mile. So if you think air fares are expensive, you should try train travel in Britain.

[@rbagel55]

+Leslie Dellow Really? So you are saying that it is more expensive to travel by rail than it is by air in Britain?

[@lesliedellow1533]

+rbagel55 Yep. I remember a few years ago, after the latest hike in rail fares, somebody on the television news saying that it would be cheaper for them to catch a plane down from the Midlands, to London, where they worked.

[@rbagel55]

Leslie Dellow That doesn't make sense. I wonder if the same is happening in France or Germany? Don't know-I'm an American from San Antonio TX and wish we had HS rail here, they talk how much cheaper it is over air fare. But I read you comment and I wonder why

[@lesliedellow1533]

+rbagel55 Twenrty or more years ago now, the railways in Britain were denationalised. But they still need large Government subsidies to keep them afloat, and, now that they have got shareholders, that subsidy effectively goes straight into shareholder's pockets. If they are not commercially viable, they should be nationalised, and Government money should be used infrastructure, and keeping the fares down - not for making shareholders rich. So far as I know, no other European country has followed our insane example.

[@rbagel55]

Leslie Dellow I don't think so. Several years ago, I did a trip to Europe, rode the TGV in France, the ICE in Gemany and Austria. Didn't quite make it to the UK, but I was told by another passenger that trains there don't travel the speeds they do in France, well because this person said that the UK lacks LGV or dedicated high speed rail, so speeds are limited to like 100 MPH. Well still better than here in the USA. Supposedly a bill has been passed to build 17500 miles of dedicated high speed rail, connecting all major US cities by 2030. Funny thing is I live in San Antonio TX, and I work out of town often, and I see nothing being built, no progress report available on the web. I understand that in countries like France is one of the reason for their affordable fare is the abundance of cheap electricity from nuclear power. Well the problem here is we haven't built any new nuclear power stations since the 70's due to the 3 mile Island incident. So I am wondering what the benifit of have such a system would be for us-that is having nothing but old polluting and somewhat expensive gas turbine and coal fired plants. Probably not much-carbon footprint would the same!

[@gurumage9555]

Educational and nice presentation, SUBSCRIBED!

[@EveryTipeOfVideo]

I just bought a Ryanair ticket for £17.36...

[@chargestone96]

yeah and they can easily go to 10, he listed buckets in taxes so thats the problem

[@benbielenberg853]

Id say the EU helps us achieve that

[@SweetCake8]

@Rusty Shackleford sounds alright to me

[@lukeisafluke]

brace for landing

[@xiongjing1885]

He has made a video about that. It is how budget airline works

[@garychristenson6370]

Very good video. Gives a well-rounded look at the many costs I had no idea about.

[@AdamUPNow]

That is one smooth collab mention you guys did.

[@Random_Tank]

I'm glad how you explained how flying isn't actually that expensive at the end of the video, and compared it to a car. It's actually cheaper AND FASTER for me to get a plane from London Heathrow to Manchester airport than it is to get a frikking train. Trains are expensive!

[@KunalKumar-cm3rj]

Such a comprehensive video. Never thought it would turn out like this.

[@brian7224]

Thank You for ONCE a no nonsense ad free INFORMATIVE video...I will subscribe right now !

[@thermochemicalmissile8181]

why are Britains train tickets to bloody expensive

[@brownriced]

+ThermoChemicalMissile tory cunts privatising everything that's why

[@thermochemicalmissile8181]

+RandomAsianGuy too right

[@spencerwilton8876]

+RandomAsianGuy Nationalised railways were a complete joke. You're probably too young to remember. Yes trains aren't great in this country, but they are a million times better than they were when I was growing up in the early 1980's. What you forget about the railways is we have one of the worlds oldest networks, costs are huge.

[@thermochemicalmissile8181]

+Spencer Wilton yeah but that was because it was so poorly funded not because it was national I mean look at Germany France and other European countries their rail is like 10 x better than ours

[@brownriced]

Spencer Wilton They may be better than before but we don't seem to be keeping up with the rest of the world! Even though England is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and everyone wants to come here.

[@TheCrimsonAtom]

Miles and Galloons, I can't understand anything but its big numbers so I guess its okay

[@kveeder3224]

So a gallon is bigger than a fluid ounce, and a mile is longer than seven American football feilds.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

@@kveeder3224 1 mile = 1760 yards. 7 American football fields = 700 yards, or 840 yards if you include end zones (which is then roughly the same as an international football pitch).

[@kveeder3224]

@@digitalfootballer9032 I was making a joke. A mile is *longer* than 7 football fields, which is true, but misleading. That's why I also just said "a gallon is larger than a fluid ounce" instead of "128 fluid ounces in a gallon".

[@unoriginal1086]

@@digitalfootballer9032 Yards aren't metric either!!!!

[@unoriginal1086]

He just didn't understand it, and you don't need to be mean about it.

[@jiminyhopkins]

6:14 shout out to the Holiday Inn Express in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida! Stayed there many times!

[@LUFCCitroen]

This video was so informative a real eye opener great work

[@oddballsok]

if fuel expenses is relatively low ( 1:15) how come you claim that the use of winglets 8:05 was the most important cost saver and ticket price reducer of all improvements ? My bet is that it is company efficiency (and competition) and scaling that has reduced the costs. More planes in the air (per day) is reduced costs, reduced maintenance, reduced taxes per passenger ... But if anything goes up, it is the taxes and overhead.

[@ypenburger]

+ODDBALL SOK exactly my thought

[@icekk007]

+ODDBALL SOK I think part of the answer is that the video assumes a 100% loaded plane. In practice, an airplane often is not full. Because of that, the fuel cost per passenger will increase.

[@noiserrr]

well so will all the other expenses as well? if anything, the fuel would actually get cheaper with less passengers as it wouldn't waste as much fuel where as all the other costs are pretty independent of the number of passengers.

[@noiserrr]

yeah exactly the reason is basically they've taken what they can from what the budget airlines are doing (charge for meals, duty free stuff, selfservice etc.) combined with lowering their profit margin. i guess it's only a matter of time before most non-budget airlines go out of business because there isn't room for much more improvement. lowering fuel costs, autonomous planes etc. obviously doesn't seem to cover more than 10% of the total cost. whereas budget airlines can keep expanding on the other 90%. also, tourists travel is going up and business travel is likely to go down eventually.

[@drtyprior]

The other option is to reach for the high-end market. Lie-down seats, rooms, full service bars, and lounges. You charge more for the luxury.

[@AviationNut]

Nice work man. Seems you really did your homework on this. I am definitely subscribing. Thanks for taking the time to research all this info.

[@brianworthington2050]

A very insightful presentation. Thank you.

[@spacemanjoe7074]

Thank you for having the courage for doing all of this math on KZbin: the place where all of the internet critics are.

[@HDAviationVideos]

Very interesting and informative! Thanks for sharing this video.

[@grannytorrelli2560]

But, can you explain why college is so expensive in the United States?

[@djkasdjkasdjdjdj]

+Granny Torrelli actually for the rest of the world, i wonder how where the expenses goes beside teachers, staff and chair & desks....................................

[@marlonmoncrieffe0728]

Granny Torrelli Government subsidies drive the rise of tuition

[@nizroz]

This channel is a gift to humanity. Thank You Wendover🙏🏻🌹

[@oceanwonders]

I'd also add that the airline may not pay cash for an airplane. Large corps usually finance capital expenditures with loans. So you'd have to add interest payments on those plane purchases as well.

[@macarows4014]

It would be very informative if you can make video about companies like WizzAir where we can get very cheap tickets.

[@Wendoverproductions]

+Ma Art May 24th, 2016, 10:30am gmt-4, this channel, it will appear ;)

[@macarows4014]

+Wendoverproductions Well, you just got new subscriber :)

[@ranirao6535]

I'm still a kid and from you I learn a lot of stuff. Thanks😊😊😊

[@smarteverything5832]

rani rao same

[@lytech777]

You are the best... always so informative

[@3ndru1]

Awesome!! Thank you so mocuh for such genius channel!!

[@barbadolid5170]

It is expensive in the USA. In the vast majority of Europe it is very affordable, being quite often cheaper than bus or car (and always a huge lot cheaper than train)

[@Ondrus21]

+Gonzalo del Moral What is and what is not expensive always depends on income.

[@SuperPSTutorials]

+Ondrus21 I recently travelled to north africa (morocco) and back from london for 50 bucks. So that's not really that much no matter how poor you are.

[@Ondrus21]

+SuperPSTutorials I live in the Czech Rep. My wage is little above 20,000 CZK which is around average here. Right now, one return ticket from Prague to Rome starts from 4,000 CZK (without baggage).

[@barbadolid5170]

+Ondrus21 true. I'm Spanish and wages aren't good here either, but if you live in France (minimum wage around 1500 euro) or Germany (no minimum but average is quite good) flying across Europe is quite cheap. And comparing how prices have evolved through the last 15 years, now it seems a bargain compared to what we had

[@Ondrus21]

+Gonzalo del Moral I don't know about Spain, but I can say the best times to live in the Czech Rep. were some time during the 1990s. Less unemployed people, better conditions at work, higher living standard (wages/prices ratio) and much better freedom. I would return in time.

[@drac124]

This channel is awesome! And flying is truly not expensive. Train trips are more expensive.

[@raysson1]

Train journeys are much more environmental-friendly over the same distance though. Also you have to take into account that in countries with a well-developed rail and train system (e.g. Germany) train journeys are actually cheaper than plane flights.

[@drac124]

+Gempowerment I can assure you they are not. I lived in Germany and train trips are very expensive. Planes are extremely cheap in europe. I love trains and when I made a trip to europe I had to go by plane because of the cost and the time. Imagine, if you live in the US and you pay 333 dollars to cross the entire country which is the size of europe. You can go about anywhere in europe with 100 euros by plane.

[@raysson1]

Douglas I currently live in Germany and train is usually cheaper, at least within the country (Berlin - Munich for example). Of course train journeys take longer but the ecological effect makes up for it imo

[@drac124]

+Gempowerment Trains are better than planes in everything. Comfort, facility to go in and out, not horrible smell like airports, look better, feel better and yes, its much better for environment. But they are expensive. If for you is different that is great. In my experience and also friends that I know, usually go by plane due to cost. Competition on air travel is a lot higher than trains as well.

[@lucianoradice5257]

+Douglas i love trains im travelling to Europe and im trying to replace the plane for the train, and i discovered its cheaper because although plane fees may be cheaper, you have to take two taxis from the city to the airport and from the airport to the city and taxis are not cheap at all. The train instead departures drom a station near the city center and arrives to a ststion near the city center, you save a lot of money in taxis or remises.

[@pauulthefair]

Thanks for KSP advice at the end!!!!

[@user-gw4mu3hl4r]

Amazing video!!!! It was very interesting and well explained.💪💪💪

[@SomeRandoooo]

Can't forget about how airlines get you there much quicker, whereas in a car, you might need to get a hotel or two depending on the distance you're driving.

[@UNNAM3D82]

Who ever said flying was expensive? It's usually by far the cheapest option to travel, at least longer distances.

[@MoonAttire]

without all things considered it at first glance looks very expensive!!!!

[@Petra44YT]

+PoisonHeadcrab It is. I routinely used to compare the prices of the train and the two airlines available for domestic flights. Now, I don't bother with the train any more and just book a flight.

[@johnrichards7847]

go from uk to usa then look at good hotel 2 week prices its adds up!

[@MoonLiteNite]

Same people who say the world is more danagerous and deadly than ever before

[@hmdoggie]

Great video. Nice breakdown of the operating cost of an airline.

[@michaelswhitcomb]

You did a crossover episode! Love both of your videos.

[@GoldenBeholden]

I find it mildly concerning that someone subscribed (because how else are you so early) just to dislike.

[@Matmamtmamtmamtmamtm]

You mean GPU rental. APU is part of the aircraft.

[@filiphaas2638]

Nice to see how your chanel has developed

[@MAXREZNIK]

1:45 idk where u got those tiny numbers, a first year first officer makes about that but the pilot in command with a few years of experience easily pulls about $200-$300 an hour in an airbus

[@antonybooth3293]

A 10 minute song and dance to say "Lack of competition".

[@mountnman3609]

+Antony Booth Actually, lack of competition was back in the days before deregulation. Though there were more airlines, they didn't have to compete by dropping prices. All prices were mandated by the government...and a lot more expensive than they are today.

[@crymetyme320]

I may have missed it, but I think you forgot the passenger facility charge (PFC) that airports collect from airlines. The PFC rate per passenger as of today is $4.50

[@sirboblightbulbmcdlix1796]

ur aviation vids are really great.

[@captkirk1us]

It's why we travel. It's fascinating, you meet so many people, experience so many observations, great food, breathtaking sites, etc

[@Ihdc1]

4:56 In my experience, large long haul planes are generally in in outwardly better shape than small short haul planes from a passenger's perspective. 747s and 777s are generally cleaner, and nicer looking inside than 737s, A320s, or smaller which tend (a lot of the time though not always) to have scuffed up or discolored interior panels, scratched up windows, leftover trash, or visible damage to the interior (seats, tray tables, et al) that they haven't gotten around to fixing. I feel like airlines generally take better care of their large widebodies vs their smaller narrowbodies.

[@rdoetjes]

I just flew across the atlantic. The two way flight cost me 860 dollars (I added luxury seats for another 300 dollars -- which is pure profit for the airline in comparison). The 860 dollars fly me 12000 kilometer. That is 0,072 cents a kilometer. That is far cheaper than my car or even public transport in the form of trains or busses can deliver. I think it's staggering how affordable flying is/has become. I often drive from Holland to The UK that costs me 1 tank of gas at say 56 dollars. It costs with a good deal 68 dollars on ferry costs. Then I have the wear on my car, the snacks you need to buy on the road (afterall door to door its 7-9 hours). So it will cost me easily 130 dollars/euros. A plane return ticket when booked in advance will cost me as low as 40 dollars. WIth airport taxes 80 dollars. And I am in London in around 3 hours (including waiting times and transfer times). What carriers do is amazing! And great value for money

[@regularflurfy8174]

+luke skywalker That's not what he's saying. He's just remarking at how cheap flying is now, compared to how much it was. He's not saying "oh, I could just drive my car across the ocean instead of flying", he's just using ground transportation for reference.

[@rdoetjes]

luke skywalker *facepalm* comprehensive reading is hard, hey?! It's just a reference showing how cheap air fair is compared to even driving. Even when I fly from Amsterdam to London (which I can totally drive and often do) flying is far cheaper. Even Amsterdam to Munich which we do a lot and there';s no need for a shuttle or a fairy and even then flying is cheaper. Which is insane! Seeing the overhead they have compared to just a car. Oh and Amsterdam New York by ship only takes 6 days!

[@rdoetjes]

+flurfmeister ah yeah the lovely autocorrect ;) then again it uses magical fairy dust to stay afloat ;)

[@CoolPizza07]

Why flying is so expensive. Ryanair: am I a joke to you?

[@kicapanmanis1060]

2016: Calls the other person Real Engineering. 2019: Calls the other person That Weird Irish Engineering Guy. 🤣 (it was during one of the Nebula promotions)

[@nils169]

Great Video. I always asked why flying is so cheap.

[@Kleavers]

You made a mistake. You can't drive cross country 49 times on 317 gallons of fuel. You must mean the total amount of fuel (6.400 gallons) that can be carried by the plane.

[@matthieuburnand6184]

Indeed, with 317 gallons the Camry could only do 4 New Yorks to LAs

[@fahaddddd4417]

Ur dumb that's what he meant

[@hikaru-live]

Addendum: other modes of transport also competes against airlines, especially high speed rail. It was norm to fly between Shanghai (SHA) and Beijing (PEK) for US$200 a few years ago, but since the opening of Beijing-Shanghai HSR and a US$90 economy class ticket price, airlines, even premium ones like China International or China Eastern, often have to fly this line at $50 or less to compete with the HSR.

[@metalmichew2]

I flew from Amsterdam to London for 35 euros while the train ride from my home town to amsterdam was 55 euros. Explain me that please and then call plane flghts expensive again?

[@Nyruami]

There are actually only very few seats on the plane sold at that rate, so you will only be able to get that price when you order your tickets way ahead. Airlines are using something called price discrimination to make their profits. While persons like you, who know way ahead that they want to go to a certain place, most times for vacation or something similar, are baited by extremely low fares, those who have to go somewhere on short notice, like almost all non-leisure travelers do, are paying as much as the airline can get out of them. Just check the travel portal of your choice for that Amsterdam - London trip and ask for a departure tomorrow, then you will see what the real price looks like. The cheapest flight I found was to be had at 335,- Euro, and that is already a bargain.

[@DinosaurVid]

How did you end up paying 55 Euro for a train ride in what is presumably the Netherlands? You can go to anywhere in NL for 25 Euro return if you know where to look, and even standard fare for Maastricht - Amsterdam, one of the longest possible travels, is around 25 per way. Unless you came from outside NL, but then I wonder how Schiphol ended up being your best option.

[@kingofwishfulthinking2490]

He actually made another video explaining that. And the answer is basically cutting costs everywhere, cutting back on staff training, mini sizing cabin comfort, and landing at airports far away from your original destination. So basically, you are paying to travel like cattle.

[@ICU306]

9/11 security fee? Scam.

[@DingoYabuki]

Agreed

[@jakolu]

Not sure exactly how TSA is funded but seems less unreasonable/unnecessary than some of the taxes/fees. Of course the TSA has its problems. And referring to the fee in terms of "9/11" is silly, because there isn't a lot of evidence suggesting that TSA would be effective at preventing a similar attack.

[@jungobango4815]

@@jakolu the goal is to aim the name of the tax to the taxpayer's feeling so that they don't question the tax and accept it. It's basicly marketing

[@Schrodj1]

I think you mixed up APU and GPU, +Wendoverproductions ! APU sits in the tail of the A/C, GPU sits on the ground!

[@togimathews8323]

APU doesn't always sit in the tail section..on the B 727 it's on the wing root

[@Schrodj1]

+Togi Mathews that aside, an apu is not a gpu!

[@tristanobrian356]

Great video. Thank you

[@adampeterson9664]

The song at the end, made me think. And make sure to come back for All Things NinTenDo! I mean WenDoVer!!

[@TheDylanJoyce]

Forget about my $1000 first class ticket... YOU my friend......had to put a LOT of work and research into making this video!

[@Shattered-Realm]

+Charles Randolph LOL you must have money to burn. First class you pay hundreds of dollars more if not more for a slightly more comfortable chair to sit in for about 6 hours and slightly better but still shitty airline food. For that price you can treat yourself to 5* restaurant and a day at spa or resort of some sort.

[@TheDylanJoyce]

want my ticket?

[@yellow6ird]

Think you may have forgot to include ATC & Flight Control coverage cost. Very interesting video no less.

[@MEOWMEOW-wz2ql]

There is just so much to running an airplane it is very fascinating.

[@coreyjordan2745]

This is so cool. Thank you so much for posting and displaying this topic. I love to travel. One of my goals in life is become an world traveler. Very educational video. again thanks .

[@valtercachinhama5331]

Very well explained!