Stupid shit in Medellin

[QUOTE=ElPostino;2661261]I would think other way. Fares can go up to pay for acquisition cost and premium. More consolidation and more monopoly. Airlines in US are worst when it comes to squeezing every penny out of customers. With lame and disgusting service and facilities. Hope we have foreign airliens in domestic routes. Like foreign cars providing quality cars than local.[/QUOTE]ElPostino, it depends on how you do it. What I have seen is that consumers are savvy about fares but not as much else. I flew Viva from Miami to Medellin to Cartagena my last trip. I think the fare was $100 but my carry on cost $95 total ($60 to Cartagena, $35 to Miami with United) one way. Parking was $140 for six days away, and after that, I thought I have to do a better job of planning.

I will park off airport to save in the future and reserve in advance. With the bag fees, there is a United credit card with one year no annual fee and if you use it for your flight, you get one free bag.

With American, I used my miles to get gold status versus a flight and am glad I did. The free bags are worth doing that alone, but I am always in the first half to board, and I also get upgrades to business class domestically when there is an open seat which has been about half the time lately. Also, you get free bags when you use jetblue. My favorite flight to Cartagena is on Jet Blue from Fort Lauderdale.

It is a shame I paid cash for my bag because I just learned American Express Platinum will rebate you $200 on baggage fees if you use their card. I will use that with Spirit and Viva in the future. Amex also rebates you the $100 for Global Entry and TSA precheck. Those two items are almost worth the $695 annual fee, but when you toss in the access to airport lounges, that probably makes the card worth it to me.

The AMEX platinum puts you to gold status automatically with Marriott and Hilton gold and for $89 a year, you can get an IHG card that puts you in the platinum category for Intercontinental hotels and Holiday Inns (don't laugh on HI some places are pretty nice).

These perks have really made flying and staying in hotels cheaper and IMO much better.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2661283]Exactly. How much has the price of rent increased? How much has the price of a taxi ride increased?

I can tell you that for the last 14 years I have been paying $125 per month for my place in Thailand. For the last 14 years I have been paying $30 for a taxi from the Bangkok airport to my place an hour and a half away in Pattaya. Likewise, for the last 14 years I have been giving the chicks in Thailand $30 for all night.

If the price of other things are not going up, then why would the price of pussy, except for the bearing of outisde forces? If there was no internet for chicks to get money with minimal effort, and no foreigners coming in paying more because it is their money and they are on vacation, then the price of pussy in Colombia would have remained the same if the price of everything else remained the same.[/QUOTE]Wrong continent, wrong country. First thing, the exchange rate for the Thai Baht has been quite stable from 2008-2022, with a low of about 3137 and a high of around 3610. That's a maximum variation of about 15%. The Colombian peso had a low in 2008 of 1710 and has exceeded 4000 a maximum variation of about 140%. It's not surprising you pay the same in dollars in Thailand.

Using data from the US, in 2015 the median price for rent was $694. In 2020 the median price is $1104. Although prices in Medellin haven't risen quite as much. The price of food has gone up. The price of transportation and clothing has gone up. And the value of the dollar has gone up.

What that means is that mongers, at least from the US are spending less money for the same things, even if they are spending more pesos. Meanwhile, the Colombians are receiving the same amount or slightly more, but paying more for the same things.

The price of taxis has gone up quite a bit in Medellin. Although it varies, it increases around 8% per year. Metro and bus prices have also increased. I just looked up the apartment I was in in 2017. It went from 1. 6 million pesos to 2. 2 million, a 38% increase in 5 years. For a Colombian that's a big jump. For a gringo it went from $800 per month to $550 per month.

I repeat, if prices have gone up (they have) and the exchange rate has gone up (it has), then a price increase (in Medellin, which is in Colombia, not in Pattaya which is in Thailand) is expected and with the favorable exchange rates, you're still paying less.

[QUOTE=ElPostino;2661261]Airlines in US are worst when it comes to squeezing every penny out of customers. [/QUOTE]Not even close. Ryan Air? Pay to use the toilet? Pay for a glass of tap water? Hello?

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2660859]LOL. Are you trying to hint to us that Catwoman is your alter ego? What brought about this rant? I think you have the wrong person. For the 100th time, I am NOT anti-vax, I am pro-choice. I am not anti you fucking hookers without condoms, I am not anti you eating hookers out. My stance is that should be your choice.

I never said a vaccine should not have been tried. I said it should be left to the individual whether they wanted to receive it or not and things such as benefits or employment should not be held over their head for them choosing not to undergo said medical procedure. You are showing who is really coo coo for cocoa puffs around here.

LOL. Dude you are a funny mf!

Now I am going back to my vaccine board where we discuss hookers.[/QUOTE]I've asked this before and am still waiting for an answer. Nurses and doctors are required to get a flu shot every year, or they lose their job and benefits. Food service workers in many states are required to be certified free of infectious disease before they can be hired. Teachers require certifications. Even truck drivers are required to pass a physical at least every 2 years. Why hasn't anyone, who is speaking out now about vaccination requirements, been arguing about the loss of "choice" which is a part of many occupations? Why weren't you speaking out 20 years ago about all of the required vaccinations for members of the military?

Why only now speak out about 1 vaccine, when you haven't mentioned any of the other vaccine mandates, some which have been around for 50 years or more?

[QUOtTE=JjBee62;2661396]Name a 15 year period in history with negative or zero inflation every year. Since 1960 the US has had negative inflation once -0. 36% in 2009. In 2015 it was 0. 12%. From 1979-81 inflation rate was 11.25% 13.55% and 10.33%. [/QUOTE]So from 1921 to 1936 was a period when the average inflation rate was negative (although NOT every year).

[QUOTE=RamDavidson84;2661326]No competition leads to higher prices, not less competition. Spirit / Frontier will only make up 5% of the American market, still plenty of competition they will have to compete against, usually with more routes and cheaper fairs. I am not an airline expert, but that would be my best guess. I certainly wouldn't mind more flights to Caribbean, Mexico, and Colombia.[/QUOTE]But Frontier has no flights to Colombia. While there is some overlap, I doubt it will result in cheaper flights. In markets where they competed, they will likely reduce the number of flights to keep prices high.

You said you bought a fake vax card. I was with some chaps yesterday, who bought their triple vax cards / QRs for see $300. They have travelled widely on them. I didn't push it further. I would be very slow to use same lest I got caught and end up in the Bangkok Hilton or bunking with the MS-13 crew. How much did yours cost?

I am unsure if I will ever push this further. There is, however, one thing, very important to me, that would make me take the plunge and the fake pass.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2661223]As other posters have mentioned before....[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=JjBee62;2661643]I've asked this before and am still waiting for an answer. Nurses and doctors are required to get a flu shot every year, or they lose their job and benefits. Food service workers in many states are required to be certified free of infectious disease before they can be hired. Teachers require certifications. Even truck drivers are required to pass a physical at least every 2 years. Why hasn't anyone, who is speaking out now about vaccination requirements, been arguing about the loss of "choice" which is a part of many occupations? Why weren't you speaking out 20 years ago about all of the required vaccinations for members of the military?

Why only now speak out about 1 vaccine, when you haven't mentioned any of the other vaccine mandates, some which have been around for 50 years or more?[/QUOTE]Because he's a horse's ass. No more complicated explanation is needed.

[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2661717]You said you bought a fake vax card.[/QUOTE]I never said that.

[QUOTE=JjBee62;2661643]Why only now speak out about 1 vaccine, when you haven't mentioned any of the other vaccine mandates, some which have been around for 50 years or more?[/QUOTE]Because this 1 "vaccine" did not work for you, but all the other ones did.

However, I guess you can technically say it worked for this woman. It made sure that she will never get Covid.

The autopsy report lists Evans cause of death as anaphylaxis due to COVID-19 vaccination.

[url]https://www.live5news.com/2022/02/10/autopsy-confirms-kansas-woman-died-allergic-reaction-covid-19-vaccine/[/url]

[QUOTE=Villainy;2661649][QUOtTE=JjBee62;2661396]Name a 15 year period in history with negative or zero inflation every year. Since 1960 the US has had negative inflation once -0. 36% in 2009. In 2015 it was 0. 12%. From 1979-81 inflation rate was 11.25% 13.55% and 10.33%. [/QUOTE]So from 1921 to 1936 was a period when the average inflation rate was negative (although NOT every year).[/QUOTE]The Carter Years. Worse than excessive inflation and recession.

The best EX-president this country has ever had. And one of the worst in office.

[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2661717]Fake Vax Cards[/QUOTE]Which one is more acceptable in your opinion? A person that has not been vaccinated and is only travelling when not infected or a person that has been vaccinated and travels on plans while infected?

[QUOTE=Nounce;2661845]Which one is more acceptable in your opinion? A person that has not been vaccinated and is only travelling when not infected or a person that has been vaccinated and travels on plans while infected?[/QUOTE]And is impossible to answer. Have you not been paying attention? The methodology and the data are corrupted beyond the point of usability.

[QUOTE=Nounce;2661845]Which one is more acceptable in your opinion? A person that has not been vaccinated and is only travelling when not infected or a person that has been vaccinated and travels on plans while infected?[/QUOTE]I don't call the shots on that so no point me getting on a moral hypothetical high horse. I am not taking any clot shot and I a m much more socially responsible than the lot dumping their masks everywhere.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2661822].[/QUOTE]My mistake. I thought you said you had a fake cert. Makes no difference to me except in so far as I plan my own moves.

[QUOTE=Osteoknot;2661833]So from 1921 to 1936 was a period when the average inflation rate was negative (although NOT every year). The Carter Years. ...The best EX-president this country has ever had. And one of the worst in office.[/QUOTE]I agree that Carter has turned out to be a true people's champion. A man of great integrity. Shame he didn't do as well when he was in power.

Inflation is really only damaging if wages do not keep up with it. But even then it is destabilising.