travel

Reader Mail “Is A Lay Flat Seat The Same As A Fully Flat Seat?”

Wordplay is a hallmark of marketing and sometimes says exactly what a project is without actually saying what a product is.   This reader mail from Riley O’Connor is all about word play. Riley emailed me the following “I’m flying Australia in December and noticed some airlines describe their business class seats as a lay…

WhiteHouse.gov Petition To Abolish The TSA … why?

One week ago a new petition appeared on the White House’s website, the petition is to “Abolish the TSA, and use its monstrous budget to fund more sophisticated, less intrusive counter-terrorism intelligence.” To date, this petition has received more than 24,000 supporters … which leads to the question of “Why?”   The Transportation Security Administration…

Kicked Off A Plane For Being Gay Or Just Inappropriate?

Social Media … the ultimate tool for those who feel wronged, especially celebrities and semi-celebrities.   Earlier this week was no different when actress Leisha Hailey Tweeted that a Southwest Airlines flight attendant had her removed from her flight for being a lesbian.   In a matter of moments, The L-Word star’s tweets were ripping through…

Photographers, Southwest Airlines & Pre-Boarding

It seems that once a week, if not more often, a photographer emails me, Tweets more or calls me asking about Southwest Airline’s preboarding for photographers and credentialed media.   While the link to Southwest Airlines’ preboarding may no longer be on their website, the policy still very much exists, and is great for ensuring…

What Are The Most Idiotic Complaints Travelers Have…?

I have to acknowledge Pauline Frommer, of Frommer’s Travel Guides, for finding a recent survey from Thomas Cook and The Association of British Travel Agents on the 20 stupidest traveler complaints lodged by British travelers regarding their vacations.   My favorites of the list below include people who were not informed that the sea was…

The TSA Needs To Focus On Security Not Popularity … it has none

Yesterday Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that children, 12 and younger, would no longer be required to remove their shoes at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints and be able to have their hands swabbed for explosives rather than be subject to a pat down.   The TSA’s move to allow children to…

Reader Mail : Is There A Better Way To Get My Stuff Through Security?

Getting from the ‘land side’ to the ‘air side’ of an airport security checkpoint can be frustrating, especially for infrequent flyers. Airport security checkpoints in the US and around the world may have different designs, but the process of getting through a checkpoint with your belonging is always the same.   This reader mail comes…

A Company Tattoo For 100,000 Facebook Likes?

There are many dedicated airline social media executors and social media directors. Those running an airline’s social media successfully are a driven breed, but one airline’s Head of Social Media took his loyalty to his airline one step further than most …   … one week ago today SAS’s Facebook page reached its 100,000th Like…