I can't say that I am particularly disturbed by the news of the failure of Zoom Airlines. As I reported on this blog a few weeks ago, I flew with Zoom to the UK in July. I paid extra for their "Premium Economy" service and they let me down in several ways. When I wrote to them expressing my disappointment and seeking a refund of my advance seat selection fees (they took my money but didn't deliver the seats I booked) they ignored me. Now I understand why.
As one rather naive reader who clumsily attempted to spoof a Zoom Airlines email address commented - "what did you expect for such a bargain price?" Indeed.
Now, with Zoom gone, we may expect fares for travel across the pond to rise. Zoom blamed its demise on rising fuel prices, but oil is a commodity whose price can rise or fall and the price of a barrel of crude has softened lately. The transatlantic air routes are among the busiest in the world so competition may help to keep fares from escalating too wildly. And, who knows, other entrepreneurs may rise out of Zoom's ashes.
This blog will be watching the Canada/UK air transport competitors very closely in the future. In the meantime I wouldn't recommend booking too far in advance on any airline.
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