For me what I was aware of but hadn’t put together with my own business needs, is how the airline industry problems are impacting travel. Sure, I’ve seen and been caught in delays,

and have learned to expect that middle seat in a three-seat row to be filled on most all flights. But, I’ve always been able to get a flight to and from a location I want to reach on the day I want to travel.

Maybe I’ve been lucky before, but not so this week. I’m attending the NY State’s 1st Annual Technology Sector MWBE Jumpstart Event, in Albany on Thursday, and decided I’d rather fly up and back on the same day instead of driving both ways.

The flight was a last minute decision – I had planned to drive, but then decided it was more important to me at the moment to save time than it is to save money, so I got on the Internet in search of a roundtrip ticket. I had counted on flying on SouthWest Airlines, since I like flying from Islip MacArthur airport – it saves a trip to the city. But that wasn’t to be. There was only one flight home from Albany at the end of the business day, and it was sold out.

Unfortunately nothing much other than SouthWest airlines flies out of Islip MacArthur these days. And, if the cab drivers at the airport who complain about lack of passengers are right, even SouthWest has reduced the number of flights it schedules out of that airport.

I checked flights from LaGuardia to Albany, but most of those went to Albany, NY by way of Chicago or Detroit, making the total travel time as long or longer than it would take to drive.

So, I’m driving. But it makes me wonder if airplane seats are going to be in increasingly short supply. And if people planning to go on vacation or attend conferences will have to book seats many months in advance to be able to reach their destination on the date they prefer.