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Veterans and neophytes alike need to be tough because they must face "the ground barrier." The ordeal begins when the passenger tries to telephone the reservations center. Either the line is busy or a recorded voice says reassuringly, "Your call is being automatically held..." And held and held. Waits of up to ten minutes are common and some are as much as 35 minutes. The volume of calls is up about 35% at most airlines, and each call lasts longer while the clerk figures out the lowest fare and plots the routes over which it is applied. One Eastern reservations clerk spent three hours on the phone with a couple, reckoning a 50-stop trip under the line's $302 to $323 fare that entitles a traveler to unlimited mileage—from Atlanta to Acapulco, from Seattle to San Juan—for 21 days. A new status symbol among businessmen is to know the unlisted reservations numbers that airlines have for VIP travelers. Laments Delta Air Lines President David Garrett: "We've got 18 different fares just between Atlanta and London, and they have all got to be explained in lengthy phone calls. We just can't keep up."
Some airlines offer as many as 90 fares and discount packages, and no one knows how many are in effect on all the lines. In general, however, the international cut-rate fares fall into two price categories. The first is budget, which requires buying a ticket three weeks in advance and checking with the airline a week in advance to find out the departure day. The price: $299 round trip New York-London, vs. $764 for regular economy class. Or, for the same price, the passenger can buy a ticket on the day of departure and "stand by," hoping for a seat. The peril: none may be available. The second is APEX (Advanced Purchase Excursion), which must be bought three or four weeks in advance. The price: $399. The advantage: a confirmed reservation. Domestically, there is an absolute plethora of fares. The Big Four—United, American, TWA and Eastern—all offer a Super Saver fare that cuts 30% to 50% off regular economy rates, but tickets must be bought 30 days in advance. Other lines offer similar savings under a variety of catchy names. Braniffs Small Potatoes, Texas International's Peanuts (25% to 50% off on certain flights), Continental's Chickenfeed (30% to 50% off on most flights). There are also loss-leader fares, which last only a few days or weeks. Braniff offered for four days a 7-11 stand-by excursion from Dallas to Las Vegas. One way was $11 first-class, $7 in economy.
Trips to and from the airport routinely take longer than the flight. At Los Angeles International, the only entry is a five-lane road so clogged that drivers sometimes spend at least 45 minutes inching toward the parking area, then another 15 to 30 minutes to find a space. At Chicago's O'Hare, the nation's busiest, backed-up traffic frequently extends for blocks; frantic travelers spring from boxed-in cabs and dash, bags in hand, for the terminal.