In-Flight Diva Antics: A Traveler’s Rant
by Tony
OK, not sure if you all read the article about Whitney Houston going Diva on a Delta flight, but it caught my attention as silly things like this do. I guess she didn’t want to buckle up, which I found to be a rather strange Diva action. We’ve all been on flights where we’ve see normal people go a little Diva. It can be little things like the guy who wants his coat hung immediately because he can’t bear to hold it for another second, the guy who refuses to share the armrest, or the Entitled boarding line crasher, who had me fired up on my recent cross-country journey. Or how about my favorite… the dude who refuses to pull his pants up to a respectable level, and who just happens to be traveling with the girlfriend whose skirt looks more like a belt (and yes, I will admit had she been traveling alone she would not have made this list 
.
They say Whitney’s sober, so maybe her Buckle Rebellion is how she gets her “living on the edge” thrills these days. Speaking of living on the edge, our old flight attendant friend Steven Slater just burst back onto the scene. He was sentenced to one year of probation for his Diva-like “spectacular exit” down the emergency chute, beer-in-hand, before “scampering home.” Slater became a national sensation for his behavior and a hero to downtrodden workers everywhere who have fantasized about quitting in a blaze of uhhh… glory.
What’s next? Pilots who fall asleep? Air traffic controllers who watch movies instead of planes? Oh right, those have already happened. I mean, come on people, let’s just get it together. Passengers, quiet down, buckle up and put on some pants. Flight attendants, pilots and controllers, keep your eye on the ball and make sure we get where we’re going without too much drama.
I’m headed to San Antonio next week to give what I hope will be an inspiring talk on technology at the CTD Conference. A flight attendant from the Miracle on the Hudson is keynoting at the same event, and it made me think “If that crew could keep its head on straight, can’t the rest of us?”
Hotel Peeves: A Charged iPhone or a Quiet Night? Gimme Power
by Becky
I don’t claim to be any more authoritative on hotel quality than any of my fellow weary business travellers, but I do know this: My number one hotel complaint is about power. Specifically, iPhone power.
It’s such a simple, easy thing, and yet my unscientific personal study of hundreds of hotels suggests that only 1 in 10 or so gets it right. Put an outlet next to the bed. Preferably at table level, close to the headboard. Not at the unseen end of a melange of lamp and clock cords that lead to a mystery spot somewhere deep behind the bed along the floor. Not on the other side of the room. Put it near my pillow, so my woefully short iPhone charger can reach it while I drift off to sleep playing Sudoku and so I can check my email first thing in the morning after I wake up to the sound of iPhone crickets on the only alarm I trust to be set correctly when I travel. This, hotels, is not hard to do.
Now, I admit, perhaps I am alone in this demand. Earlier this week USA Today reported that noise is the number one complaint from hotel guests, beating out even smelly rooms and rude staff. Crowne Plaza has snore patrols in some of its British properties now! (Good thing my Dad is prone to domestic travel only.) Sure, I’ve heard a snore or two, but man, do I love a charged iPhone.
So fess up, Carrying On readers. What’s your biggest hotel pet peeve? (And remember, if you’re the one who never hears your hotel neighbor snoring, well, consider the old joke, “My mom tells me there’s an idiot on every bus…. but I ride busses all the time and I never see one…”)
Angry Birds and Overworked Travel Managers
by Tony
These days, everyone is looking to save some dough, even more than usual – and travel managers are no exception. We wanted to pin down exactly how critical cutting spending is to these guys, so at the recent GBTA conference in Denver – while I was enjoying the delights of the Mile-High City – Rearden took to the people with a survey to get to the bottom of this. And guess what? We found that 60 percent of travel managers said trimming costs for their companies is priority Numero Uno.
The challenge for these folks, however, is what to put on the chopping block. And they’re facing a tough choice – 42 percent of those surveyed believe the best strategy is to reduce non-essential travel. But when that’s not an option, others are focused on cutting specific travel categories like meals, entertainment or ground transportation. So now we’ve got fewer business travelers taking to the golf course (or in my case, the bowling alley), more that are eating less and many who are apparently walking to their business meetings. But we’re all still in a crunch to save.
With the pressure to make the most out of the minimal, travel managers are taking on more and more responsibilities. More than 65 percent surveyed said their roles have expanded this year; nearly 30 percent said they’re now managing other procurement categories – like shipping, office supplies or relocation; and 24 percent reported having the added responsibility of expense management. Talk about taking the romance out of travel.
“But Tony D.!,” you say. “With more work and less money, what’s a travel manager to do?!?”
I am glad you asked, as we at Carrying On love to speak our minds. We have an answer for you – and it’s in the palm of your hand. That’s right folks – it’s time to go mobile. Mobile technology is a cost effective way to navigate the complex business of managing travel in today’s world. The most effective applications for managers will integrate with a company’s managed travel platform, make compliance with travel policies a priority, and will also serve the needs of the traveler – while curing many-a-headache for the weary travel manager!
So what’s the wait, people? Sixty-three percent of folks we surveyed believe that mobile tech would help their organizations reach their managed travel goals – like improving compliance and reducing spend. But they also said that they haven’t fully implemented mobile platforms in their organizations yet. In fact, only 25 percent of travel managers said that smart phones and travel apps were actively improving the travel functions of their organizations. Seriously folks, let’s get on the stick. It’s time to go mobile.
Managers need to take a hard look at the tools they are already using, and consider implementing ones that allow them to take advantage of their companies’ hard earned travel rewards and discounts, while matching the personal preferences and needs of employees on the road. Smart phones are for more than just Angry Birds, they are also for Overworked Travel Managers.
This Thursday, October 6th, my colleague Song Huang and I will be leading a GBTA webinar that will help travel managers understand the many benefits of mobile technology for travel. As with anything new there is a learning curve to embracing mobile technology – but investing energy into making employees believers in mobile’s benefits will ultimately pay off big time. It’s time to wake up and smell the mojo, I mean mobile.
Hope you can join us on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
For more information on the GBTA webinar, please visit: http://www.gbta.org/usa/ProfessionalDevelopment/Pages/MobilityforBusinessTravelers.aspx
Read Up on Relevance – A Good Book and Some Good ?s to Ask
by Becky
I am singing the praises of an outstanding book I recently read about relevance technology and the personalization of Web content searches – technology that Rearden is all about. “The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from You,” by Eli Pariser, is a well-balanced exploration of the ethical and sociological pros and cons of the way that consumers search today. Whether we know it or not (though for the most part we know it), with every search on Bing or purchase on Amazon, we are trading personal data – tiny bits and bytes about our preferences, behavior, and history – in exchange for convenience and the personalization of the search experience.
For proof, watch the advertisements being shown to you on the popular Web sites you frequent most. I visited KateSpade.com looking for wedding shoes recently, and ever since ads for Kate Spade goodies are following me to CNN, Facebook, and the other sites I frequent. (Works for me! I’d rather see Kate Spade offers than stuff from online dating sites and credit score providers, any day.)
With Deem and our applications like travel, we’re using relevance technology to help get users in and out of the booking experience faster, showing them the best logical fare given who they are, what policy they’re subject to, and what we know they prefer.
You don’t have to search very far to see statistics in the media about how personalization is working for marketers. Your own marketing department may be thinking about it – if not already exploring it – today.
But as consumers (like Eli Pariser points out in The Filter Bubble), companies are wise to ask good, smart, proactive questions about this stuff when talking to cloud-based software vendors. Doing so helps you understand the implications and get your head around what’s good, what’s scary, what’s thrilling, and what’s really going to move the needle on your goals.
I put some questions together for companies to ask their cloud-based software vendors, for a recent Webinar I did through GBTA. Click here to download them. We’ll ask you to trade a wee bit of data in exchange for the document, mind you. But we think the content, like personalization so often is, will be worth it.
September 23, 2011 at 8:21 am carryingonblog Leave a comment
Good news for the miles junkies out there…
by Tony
As an admitted collector of miles (or points depending on the program), I read with interest a recent article by Randy Petersen, the Publisher of Inside Flyer magazine. Titled “Web tools for frequent flyers,” it described how venture capital is funding start-up companies whose value propositions are all about making you a more intelligent frequent flyer. Not only will the tools keep track of how many miles you have, but they will also help you determine which bonus offers are best for you, which offer delivers the best bang for the buck, and how you should plan your award usage over the years ahead.
Now, as I fly to Vegas for The Beat.Live conference, I’m reminded that I’m more a collector of miles at this point than a redeemer. And that’s not because I’m trying to get on A&E’s Hoarders (which, if you haven’t seen, is worth a look just for the shock value). Rather, my redemption tends to lag because I either don’t make the time to use my miles or I have trouble redeeming when I do want to fly for fun. Although I have to say, my daughters have discovered this new form of “free” currency and have made a nice dent in my stockpile as they jet back and forth to school or wherever, and they don’t seem to appreciate how hard I work to earn this stuff.
I’m not sure where you come out on this one, but a tool that shows me how to collect more miles and helps me use them better would be very cool. And it sounds like some people agree, including some VCs who are usually wary by nature (I’m guessing their inner “miles junkie” kicked in when they funded these start-ups). Anyway, look for a few of these to hit the radar including; MileageManager.com, UsingMiles.com, MileWise.com, and Superfly.com, because I’m guessing the frequent flyers in your travel program have already noticed.
As to why I bring it up, our industry has debated the pros and cons of frequent flyer points and their impact on a managed travel program for years, and these new entrants might prove a boon or an irritant, depending on your perspective. Whatever you think (and maybe you didn’t think), at Carrying On we take seriously our pledge to keep you informed (and thinking), so consider yourself warned. Because I’m guessing this will grab the attention of some of your most frequent travelers who might now have a new inventory management tool of their own.
As for me, I’m all for it. I’m not sure how these new companies plan to make money, but if they charge a small fee for their services, I figure I can use my credit card and collect some more points.
September 19, 2011 at 9:50 am Tony D'Astolfo Leave a comment
It’s time to call this boarding to order…..
By Tony
On my flight home from SFO to JFK last night I observed what has become an all too common occurrence that I’m sure you have all witnessed as well. Airlines are reworking the system to get butts in seats faster, but good intentions aside, it can all go south really fast and usually does. When it gets close to the time to begin boarding, we all tend to start jockeying around to ensure we get the pole position when the race to board begins. I’m not thrilled with the various strategies that I consider somewhat unsavory, like The Sidewinder (master of the ‘End Around’ move, going wide around a row of seats to make a side entry into an already formed line) or The Space Invader (Hi. We all see your blatant invasion of the open space). The Invader is rude but in some ways understandable because the Invader could think you are in a later zone and not in the first heat of the race. But what I find most upsetting is a blatant infraction by The Entitled One, someone who tries to join a Zone earlier than the one they are designated for.
Today a young man who had on one of those too tight suits and a pair of pointy shoes, made the classic Entitled move. I looked him over and said “no way this punk has more status than me,” but I had just finished an In-N-Out Burger with a Vanilla Shake on my way to the airport, and I was not as fast on my feet as I normally am, so I shot him a look, but let him have the inside track. Up to the boarding pass reader with his slick smile he goes, only to be stopped with… “Sir we are only Boarding Zone 1 at this point, so you will have to step aside.” Entitled said “oh, I didn’t hear the announcement,” so I said “she probably made 67 of them and you missed them all, did you sunshine?” The woman next to me smiled and muttered something that I didn’t completely catch, other than the last part which ended in “hole,” so I felt somewhat vindicated, but I think we should take this a bit further.
To solve this conundrum once and for all, Carrying On offers the following. From this point forward I say that anyone caught in a boarding pass infraction should be tracked by the airline AND required to wear a sticker that says “I’m a boarding pass cheater” for the entire flight. If they are caught a second time they should be boarded last regardless of their Zone. Caught a third time, they should be forced to check their bag regardless of its size or the availability of space on the flight.
If you agree let me know and I will put a project plan together to roll this out. I might even request Government funding under the “if you see something, say something” program. Either way, I think it’s time we take a stand.
Ok, I’m not Keats, but what did he know about Travel Expenses…
by Tony
I was feeling very inspired today and needed to top the tabloid flair I gave my last blog post, so I decided to channel my inner poet for this one. For your information, I referenced data from two articles: one from BTN about the 10th airfare hike of 2011, and the other discussing Advito’s across the board spend projection increases for 2011. Enjoy!
Surprise, Surprise…Travel Expenses on the Rise
Airfares are rising for the 10th time this year,
And Advito has shouted for all those to hear,
That the costs they will rise, in hotel, air and car,
To a point where our budgets will surely be marred.
Is there something a buyer of travel can do,
To avoid the boss pointing a finger at you?
Perhaps, said the blogger with many ideas,
There are a few ways to manage and shed all your fears.
There’s Parking, and Dining, and Car Service spend,
That you should start owning, let’s make this a trend.
Everyone eats, and they ask for it back,
On the expense report processed, it surely gets tracked,
So why not inform them of a new place to eat,
Where a rebate is possible, now isn’t that neat.
And while you are giving them words of advice,
There are places to park that are really quite nice.
And the best thing about them is the price that you pay,
Which is half then as much, for each single day.
To the airport they go in a chauffeured sedan,
Make sure it is one that you know and can stand,
One that’s approved with a discount you see,
To ensure that you manage this category.
If you take this advice and start tracking this stuff,
It’s a guarantee that your boss won’t be gruff,
For who would complain with a plan such as this,
It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s almost like bliss.
Perhaps you are thinking, but how do we start?
Give me a call and I’ll sell you a license to our Platform*
*Don’t know what happened with the last line. I guess my inner salesman kicked my inner poet out of my office.
September 15, 2011 at 6:45 am carryingonblog Leave a comment
Hacker Fares…the dirty little secrets of the experienced flier EXPOSED!!!
by Tony
Ok, I’ll admit that the title might suggest I spend too much time on the supermarket check-out line paging through the tabloids, but I really do need to know what size Kirstie Alley is wearing from week to week, why Jennifer Aniston can’t seem to keep a man (I have a theory on that one), and why Marc Anthony went sideways on J-Lo?
But in addition to my tabloid reading this week, I came across this USA Today article by Dennis Schaal about the latest feature from meta search company Kayak.
Seems Kayak has automated the process of combining one way air fares and is trumpeting savings as a result. While mixing two one-ways fares to get a better deal is certainly not new, it was previously reserved for the savvy traveler who “knew the rules” or for any good travel agent worth a service fee. In fact, there was a time in the not too distant past where certain combinations were considered taboo (yes, taboo like the story I read about the Octomon’s need for true love), but as the article suggests, those times … they are a changin’.
But while the search has been automated, the process itself is not without complication once the fare is found. The meta search process simply leaves you at the airline website, or in this case two airline websites, where the traveler will need to make two separate bookings. And with that, comes a level of complexity and uncertainly that would turn many off to the idea.
The article closes by suggesting that the complexity associated with this process could be managed by your friendly TMC….. “Travel agents have been offering split tickets for years. They can eliminate the risk to the traveler if one of the flights turns up unavailable, because they would merely book a different itinerary.” So score one for the TMC, but the author quickly added, “However, travel agents may not have access to all the lowest fares, because some low-cost carriers don’t participate in their reservations systems, and even when they do, those airlines may not provide all of their lowest fares to agents.”
So, today’s advice for those in the Managed Travel business is to be ready. Ready for a new wave of traveler intelligencia, armed with yet another tool designed to increase the number of times you will hear that familiar refrain you have come to know and hate “…. But I found a better airfare on the internet!”
And in case you are wondering about my theory on Aniston … I bet she’s a great golfer;)
The Best Things About Business Travel: Showing Them the World
by Becky
I’ve been tweeting since last week about the 30 things I love most about business travel (#30things), and just today I got to #14: “We help people see the world.”
When she was head of Carlson Companies, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, one of my personal heroes, frequently referred to this as one of the more important roles business travel plays in the world, and it always inspired me. Just think: Because of our industry, professionals young and old are seeing Singapore and Beijing, Dubai and Mumbai, Minneapolis and San Francisco, Cairo and Rio de Janeiro. With each of those trips, cultures are shared, minds are expanded, perspectives are broadened, stereotypes are challenged, and the world gets a little bit smaller.
After traveling to Denver for GBTA, I got to see a new part of the world myself, when, as promised in my last post, I hiked with friends to the top of our fifth 14,000-foot peak in the Colorado Rockies, Mount Quandary outside of Breckenridge. A wonderful added bonus was getting to see Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde, and Elia Viviana sprint to the finish line in stage 5 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Breckinridge the next day. The world looked pretty amazing at 14,265 feet and at that finish line.
But then, the world has also looked amazing to me from a yurt in the Hong Kong harbor, from the banks of the Seine in Paris, from Queen Street in Toronto, from a pink-sand beach in Bermuda, from a balcony in New Orleans…. All places I have stood for the first time thanks to business travel.
Where has business travel taken you for the first time? Let’s keep the inspiration going!
I haven’t gotten to the laundry in a while, and it just kind of built up
by Tony
Not sure if you caught this story, but it goes to show you how far people will go to collect frequent flyer points. Mint ends frequent fliers’ dollar-coin scheme: The U.S. Mint has put an end to a crafty frequent flier rewards scheme.
The scheme was started by savvy travelers back in 2008 when the U.S. Mint launched a “direct ship” program to sell and ship dollar coins directly to the general public in hopes of increasing the use of the coins.
A few frequent fliers got the idea to buy the coins with credit cards to accumulate rewards points, then deposit the coins at a bank and pay off the credit balance.
Word of the strategy spread on blogs, with at least one frequent flier claiming he bought $800,000 in coins on his credit cards to boost his rewards point total.
When the U.S. Mint got word of the scheme, the federal agency contacted anyone who bought more than 1,000 coins within 10 days, asking whether they were using the coins for general use, as the program intended. Although the scheme did not break any laws, Mint officials said they wanted to make sure people used coins as intended.
The coin guys obviously took it to the extreme, but we’ve heard many tales of frequent travelers going on one last seven-leg trip in December on their own dime to secure airline status for the next year. If you’re like me, you’ve probably pondered how you can leverage this kind of behavior into something more positive for your travel program. And as I pondered this I started to consider the topic of gamification that has been so hot lately.
What looks like a generational move towards gamification (my oldest daughter leads many virtual lives in which she has amassed a great deal of virtual currency), is in fact not that new. Hell, I started “gaming” the system at St. Michael’s School when I was in 6th grade (it involved those candy bars we used to sell to raise money and I will spare the details to protect the innocent).
When you think about it, whether planning a seven-leg journey with just the right amount of legs or miles, or buying coins to collect miles, you are in fact gaming a system, hopefully to your advantage.
Now as you probably know, we’re pretty big on the whole user-centric approach to things at RC, and we’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.
How can we capture this fervor that people have to play and win a “game,” into something positive for everyone (the gamer, their company, and the service provider being gamed). I’d be interested to know if anyone has dabbled in this area and if so, how successful it was (or wasn’t as the case may be). Has anyone out there “gamified” their travel program yet? I think this might be one of those transformational opportunities, and would love to hear if anyone agrees.
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Attention travel managers: What’s getting in your way when it comes to managing corporate travel online? http://goo.gl/tQEmf
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