Invest in force-fields?

January 27, 2011 Leave a comment

Almost a segue from my previous post recapping 2010 travel, I’ve had my fair share of travel delays, storms, turbulence, and general weather related travel nonsensories.  Sure there are delays due to mechanical failures, ridiculous passengers and general airline incompetence, but the bulk of the delays I’ve encountered have been weather related.

I’m actually currently sitting at Chicago O’Hare, on a cold tile floor hoarding a power outlet, watching as my original 6:15AM flight get postpone to 8:00AM, then to 10:30AM, and then finally canceled due to a snowstorm on the eastern seaboard.

So here’s a whacky concept, taken directly from the pages of Roddenbury’s Star Trek, force-fields – aka the deflectors/shields that protect the Starship Enterprise.

NASA, NSA, FBI, CIA, AA, DELTA, UNITED, JETBLUE, Twitter, Facebook, Mcdonald’s even – should invest in force-fields.

Pros:

  • No travel disruptions due to weather, planes can fly through turbulent airspace without any issue, ever
  • No mid-air travel crashes/collisions – and if there were, it would be like two balls bouncing off one another – and keep on going
  • Clean aircraft – or at least you have to wash them less
  • Companies can develop enhancements to force-fields, I am sure some airline will want be-dazzled ones
  • Opportunity to develop personal ones … imagine no more car accidents, clumsy-folk accident rates in emergency rooms will dramatically decrease
  • Bubble-boy augments his high-profile-ness

Cons:

  • Have to build stronger, more potent weapons to get through the force-fields
  • People who we dont want to have them will end up … having them
  • More Twitter traffic, bashing force-fields
  • Bubble-boy loses his high-profile-ness

I hope someone from NSA & NASA are reading, especially the ones who are frequent fliers.  Get on it!

Filed under rants, technology, travel Tagged with , , , , , ,

2010 travel recap …

January 23, 2011 Leave a comment

First flight of 2010 was on the 5th of January, westbound to Los Angeles.  Little did I realize, that would set the tone for 2010.  I didn’t realize that the first flight of the year would cause a ripple effect for the rest of the year, traveling almost every week, and multiple times a week.  I circled the US and hit almost all of our major Weber Shandwick hubs. LA. Chicago. Dallas. Seattle. Washington DC. Minneapolis. Baltimore. And countless trips to NY. This didn’t even include trips to clients in other cities. I became a permanent employee of Delta Airlines…

Most who know me, asked if I was able to catch Up In The Air w/George Clooney.  I actually didn’t catch this movie until very late in 2010, and I understood why. It’s not glamorous, far from it. It was tiring. Airline employees begin to recognize you. You see the same people week in and week out at the airport. You go into auto-pilot week after week.

Stats? A lot of them, I like looking at the stats involved with my travel …

  • Over 248,000 frequent flyer miles awarded on Delta Airlines
  • Over 125,00 actual flight miles on Delta Airlines
  • Over 65,000 miles flown on American Airlines
  • Over 100 flight segments
  • A 4-inch thick stack of hotel room cards sitting in my desk drawer
  • A love for Hilton and Starwood hotels only
  • Zero, yes, zero missed flights, even with the fly-by-the-seat timing

I went to Evansville, IN a few times, I slept at Detroit International Airport, I saw a woman eat corn on the cob at the gate area, I went to Coca Cola world in Atlanta, and the nice hotel manager at the DoubleTree Metropolitan Hotel in NY gave me a large tin of cookies for me to enjoy at my second home.

I was exhausted. I’ve learned to fall asleep as soon as I hit my seat on the airplane and stay asleep until the 10,000 foot bell; yes there’s a 10,000 foot bell that signifies A-OK electronics use on every flight.

It’s important – it’s imperative – that my colleagues and cronies learn how to work the frequent-flyer programs. Pick one, maybe two airlines only. Same for hotels, and use them religiously. I know everyone knows this, but it’s astonishing how many of my colleagues don’t follow this rule. Complain. Once you’ve got status on anything, airline, hotel, car rental agency – complain when things aren’t right.  These loyalty programs thrive on business travelers and they will do anything to make sure you’re happy, so make sure you’re happy! You’re paying large sums of money, they should be up to making sure the service is perfect.

Lastly, I only went to Southern Utah for vacation. Going to need to change that ratio in 2011. But take a guess, 2011 started with a flight on January 4th.

So if anyone is looking for me, find me on 4sq, or just call the Delta hotline. :)

Filed under random thoughts, rants, travel

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