BooDog From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 253 posts, RR: 0 Posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3893 times:
I know that printed timetables are now "olden days" but why are so many airlines doing away with the PDF printable timetables? Virgin America has never had one. Hawaiian, US Airways, Allegiant and JetBlue have done away with theirs, you have to retrieve Southwest by city.
What's up with this? Why are these airlines choosing to do this?
richcandy From France, joined Aug 2001, 697 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3842 times:
Hi
I "guess" that its because people no longer use them. More and more people travel with smart-phones, iPads, laptops etc and as wifi is available in lots more places than it used to be, so its easier to just go the websites and get details from there.
Quokka From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 4 days ago) and read 3826 times:
I suspect that it may in part be to reduce costs by not duplicating information that is already search-able on the airline's website. Also, a lot of people do not necessarily book their flights through a particular airline's website, but through sites that collate fares from all the the various airlines.
Most PDF timetables that I have seen only show departures that are either non-stop or that have one connecting flight, but if your route involves two changes of aircraft you need to look up each sector separately. The online databases will do the search and come up with the options for you.
isitsafenow From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4984 posts, RR: 26 Reply 4, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 3565 times:
Now that they are no longer printed and plentiful, I wonder how much time should go by before timetables are worth anything?
Airliners shows usually have some for sale, but whats the real value to a collector?
scheds of the 40's......
50's......
60's.....
70's......
80's......
I wonder...............................
safe
If two people agree on EVERYTHING, then one isn't necessary.
rl757pvd From United States of America, joined Dec 1999, 4537 posts, RR: 13 Reply 5, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 3531 times:
Quoting isitsafenow (Reply 4): Now that they are no longer printed and plentiful, I wonder how much time should go by before timetables are worth anything?
I have about 300 plus from the 80's 90's and early 2000's. Its fun to go back and flip through them sometimes, its amazing to see how things change.
Experience is what you get when what you thought would work out didn't!
peanuts From Netherlands, joined Dec 2009, 1312 posts, RR: 4 Reply 6, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 3402 times:
The perfect timetable seems elusive, unfortunately.
Frequent fliers know full well how "their" carrier "operates". Why is it so difficult for carriers to post a PDF file on their site that just displays the non-stop only flights? No connections or continuing flight number (direct) type of garbage. Just the non-stops, from the hubs and p2p flights.
It would be a very thin timetable but it would also be the perfect timetable. You can page through it and set up your own routings and connections that way. Believe me: it works more efficient than any software on the planet!!! If you have "all the options" on the table so to speak, it's easier to plan your travel needs. Software does NOT give me all the options I need in order to evaluate before deciding. It only gives me the options airlines want me to see. It's not right...
NW's old timetable came closest to this. They still listed direct flights which is really not important since most of those involved a plane change anyway.
Still hoping and dreaming a major carrier (c'mon AA, DL, UA, WN !!!) will step up and just list only the non-stops, orderly, timetable style.
[Edited 2010-10-05 09:54:29]
Question Conventional Wisdom. While not all commonly held beliefs are wrong…all should be questioned.
isitsafenow From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4984 posts, RR: 26 Reply 7, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 3280 times:
Quoting peanuts (Reply 6): Still hoping and dreaming a major carrier (c'mon AA, DL, UA, WN !!!) will step up and just list only the non-stops, orderly, timetable style.
That would be a very small schedule. The hub and spoke system the carriers have today encourage the change of planes.
safe
If two people agree on EVERYTHING, then one isn't necessary.
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6208 posts, RR: 42 Reply 8, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 3255 times:
But the most important point of no timetables is this. What are 14 year old boys supposed to do at the airport these days ? That was one of the best parts of my youth (besides 14 year old girls that is).
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
We were lucky and blessed, so to speak. Generations after us have been robbed of this wonderful, usually self- discovered, favorite past time, while we were kids.
I'm telling you, an iPad doesnt't make life any simpler or more enjoyable...
Question Conventional Wisdom. While not all commonly held beliefs are wrong…all should be questioned.
kaitak From Ireland, joined Aug 1999, 11996 posts, RR: 36 Reply 10, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 3197 times:
Quoting rl757pvd (Reply 5): I have about 300 plus from the 80's 90's and early 2000's. Its fun to go back and flip through them sometimes, its amazing to see how things change.
Quoting peanuts (Reply 9): We were lucky and blessed, so to speak. Generations after us have been robbed of this wonderful, usually self- discovered, favorite past time, while we were kids.
Absolutely; agree 100% with you both; I have always had a fascination for airline timetables. It says a lot about an airline and its history and development; I have EI timetables going back years back (as you'd expect!) and it's amazing to see the development of the airline over the past 40 years or so, to see how it's developed and it's also fascinating if you're researching a particular route; for example; what kind of growth has a certain route seen, since (for example) it was flown by two Viscounts a week in 1965, to a daily A320 today.
The big problem about electronic timetables now is that they are transitory; that is, if you ask in (say) five years time about getting a 2010 timetable, you won't be able to do it, unless someone has actually printed it out (unlikely). Perhaps there will be a way to archive them on the Internet.
Personally, I hope that, sometime, it will be possible to see timetables from years past on the net, so - for example - I could look up and see what routes were operated by CX L1011s in 1980.
richcandy From France, joined Aug 2001, 697 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 3158 times:
Quoting rl757pvd (Reply 5): I have about 300 plus from the 80's 90's and early 2000's. Its fun to go back and flip through them sometimes, its amazing to see how things change.
Hi
Same here. I always find it pretty amazing to look at a route like LHR-AKL in a BA timetable from the early 80's and find that it had multiple stops on the way. Or that EI flew to ORD with a stop at BOS, or than in the 50's BA services to NYC departed LON in the evening and arrived in NYC the next day at breakfast time.
I also have a few hundred but I could never sell them
stlgph From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 8994 posts, RR: 27 Reply 12, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 3136 times:
Quoting peanuts (Reply 6): NW's old timetable came closest to this. They still listed direct flights which is really not important since most of those involved a plane change anyway.
at one point, US Airways would print out in the same format.
the hybrid AA/TWA timetable also printed out this way.
Eternal darkness we all should dread. It's hard to party when you're dead.
BooDog From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 253 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 3055 times:
Quoting peanuts (Reply 9): Generations after us have been robbed of this wonderful, usually self- discovered, favorite past time, while we were kids.
PDF timetables are the closest thing we have. I like having the "snapshot" of a carrier at a specific time. To have details about how routes, hubs, etc. evolve over time. There's nothing that we can "keep" anymore.
Quoting kaitak (Reply 10): Perhaps there will be a way to archive them on the Internet.
There used to be a WONDERFUL website called airlinetimetables.net. They archived PDF schedules from airlines all over the world on a monthly basis. But that site closed about a year ago. I don't know who owned it, or what happened to all their timetables.
PITrules From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 2714 posts, RR: 3 Reply 14, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 3041 times:
Quoting BooDog (Thread starter): I know that printed timetables are now "olden days" but why are so many airlines doing away with the PDF printable timetables?
Perhaps of interest is the major alliances still offer timetables in PDF form for PCs.
Quoting kaitak (Reply 10): Personally, I hope that, sometime, it will be possible to see timetables from years past on the net, so - for example - I could look up and see what routes were operated by CX L1011s in 1980.
Here are some good sites, some of which have complete timetables, some have cover images and routemaps
United_fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7176 posts, RR: 8 Reply 15, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 3018 times:
I have a few UA ones from 99-01 . They used to have a pile of them @ the airport.
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
Antoniemey From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 1509 posts, RR: 4 Reply 16, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 2940 times:
Quoting IMissPiedmont (Reply 8): But the most important point of no timetables is this. What are 14 year old boys supposed to do at the airport these days ?
They should do what I did... collect smart carts for quarters.
Of course, that's not as lucrative as it used to be... A: Smart Carte has employees in most airports that are a bit more diligent about getting those things back where they belong than they once were. B: you can't get any past security. I remember as a kid I'd find bunches of the things sitting down near the ends of concourses...
Quoting kaitak (Reply 10): The big problem about electronic timetables now is that they are transitory; that is, if you ask in (say) five years time about getting a 2010 timetable, you won't be able to do it, unless someone has actually printed it out (unlikely). Perhaps there will be a way to archive them on the Internet.
As long as they're "published" in PDF format there's likely to be someone that's saved it to their computer and forgotten about it (or deliberately archived it because they're geeky like us). That and the airline will likely maintain digital records for at least a few years.
Make something Idiot-proof, and the Universe will make a more inept idiot.
FRAspotter From United States of America, joined May 2004, 2316 posts, RR: 10 Reply 17, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 2896 times:
Up until quite recently LH would have book copies of their time tables on all of their aircraft (or at least long haul). Have they ceased this?
"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21679 posts, RR: 23 Reply 18, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2853 times:
Quoting FRAspotter (Reply 17): Up until quite recently LH would have book copies of their time tables on all of their aircraft (or at least long haul). Have they ceased this?
Eliminated earlier this year if not mistaken. I have a copy of what I think is their last printed timetable that expired at the end of March. It has 384 pages. There's also a smaller-format European timetable with 352 pages.That must have been a huge expense which they can now put to much better use. And it saves a lot of trees.
Any printed timetable is out of date before it's even distributed with the frequent changes being made. They just don't serve any purpose now with up-to-date information available on the Internet.
ODAFZ From Greece, joined Jul 2004, 351 posts, RR: 5 Reply 19, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 2708 times:
I have more than 2000 timetables from all around the world started the collection back in 1973.
Lovely items that when studied carefully gives you valuable information about history, economic development .
Beijing in the sixties? no western airlines, only a PK flight to Canton (Guangzhou) and much later an ET flight.
Tokyo direct ? no way ANC was the usual stop or MOW on the trans-Siberian, what about the multi-stops on their "silk road " route
Recall the " no local traffic rights is carried between ..... and.....", "subject to government approval", stopovers rights only allowed between ..... and....
and what about name changes Fort Lamy (Ndjamena now) went unto oblivion, Ho-Chi-Minh ville (ex Saigon), Mumbai, Chennai and Ciudad Trujillo ( Santo Domingo) and many others.
Any one of you remember that cities like Santa FE (SAF), Las Vegas (LVS), Roswell, Hobbs, Topeka were once served by CO.
Yes history transpires from these booklets and their disappearance in the name of technology and cost will be forever missed.
BooDog From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 253 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 2704 times:
Quoting Antoniemey (Reply 16): As long as they're "published" in PDF format there's likely to be someone that's saved it to their computer and forgotten about it (or deliberately archived it because they're geeky like us).
That's the problem. I'm a total timetable geek. Doesn't matter if it's paper or PDF. I want files that I can SAVE to capture that airline at that particular month. Wait. I don't want files, I NEED files. I need my drug, man.
I have fifty or so Jetblue PDF timetables. I need to keep my history going!!
CompensateMe From United States of America, joined Jan 2009, 870 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 2527 times:
Most colleges/universities no longer offer printable .PFD schedules. Few students were downloading them, getting their information from searchable databases instead - which makes it easier on the school to add, change or delete classes. If there's little demand for a product, it's going to disappear.
Quoting IMissPiedmont (Reply 8): But the most important point of no timetables is this. What are 14 year old boys supposed to do at the airport these days ? That was one of the best parts of my youth (besides 14 year old girls that is).
Just an FYI--all the other 14-year-old boys thought you were a dork.
cofannyc From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 205 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (2 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 2391 times:
[quote=BooDog,reply=0]I...US Airways...[has] done away with theirs.../quote]
For the record, I found the US Airways one in about 15 seconds at the bottom of this page:
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