The GLRF Blog

The American Airlines coach cabin is very quiet right now as the flight is about four hours into the 6-hour stretch across the Atlantic enroute to Brussels. No babies wailing, the snoring has stopped, and even the restless European that wander the aisles have settled in for a nap. Not me. It’s 19:59h LA time. I’m wide-awake reading several days of the Wall Street Journal and finally, in the last issue, in the last section some good news for rowers.

The WSJ Personal Journal feature ‘Airlines Slash Fares to Fill Up Empty Seats’ reports that airfares on some international routes have fallen to ‘24 month lows and are 40% lower than last June.’ This is great news for rowers all over the world who may have written off the World Outgames as too pricey what with the oil spikes of last summer and the sudden downturn in global economy. The article indicates some ‘flights between New York City and Amsterdam, Madrid, or Frankfurt are now under $400 on Continental.’ There is even hope for our talented bisweptual rowing brethren down under: ‘… tickets between Chicago and Sydney cost less than US$1,000, down from more than US$2,000.’ From there, it is a quick hop across the pond to Europe. The article also mentions a secret bargain I discovered last year: Dublin, Ireland. Check airfares between all points in the US to Dublin and you’ll be amazed at the deals. From there, you can jump on a low-fare carrier and as the Danes say, “Get your ass to Copenhagen.”

Ready for some icing to go with that sweet carrot cake? If you haven’t been paying attention to the world financial mess, the US dollar is finally getting some strength against the Euro, which means that a World Outgames registration this spring could be even cheaper than 12 months ago.

The GLRF Outgames Regatta page has a Travelocity fare checker box that can give you a quick look at airfares. Check it every week for the next month and you might just find a price too good to pass up.

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