I have an idea for (what could be) a very profitable business. It will require me to do a bit more research first but I imagine I will be sending a letter to, the one and only, Sir Richard Branson in the very near future.
Stay tuned. It should be a good letter.
Update: when looking for Sir Branson’s email address or information on how to submit ideas to Virgin I found this customer letter. And Branson personally responded to the writer by telephone. Telephone! How awesome.
Argentina – here we come! The boyfriend, who does not have the wanderlust I do, agreed to a trip to Argentina! This is not without hesitation on his part (as with every trip). Super excited.
We have the international flights in and out of Buenos Aires booked and are working on the internal flights throughout Argentina, and places to stay. The trip is three weeks from today!
I know how the boyfriend travels, and he needs a rough (but confirmed) plan. He won’t take an active role in making the plan, he just needs one. Good thing that I enjoy doing the research (and have been on it for months!). I love a happy boyfriend, so a compromise of some planning and some spontaneity it is!
Can’t wait!
Airlines reserve the right to change/cancel flights at a moment’s notice. Yet, if I want to change my flight in advance of bad weather I will incur financial reprecussions.
This winter in the Northeast has been fairly snowy thus far and I am just being proactive, knowing that weather and flights do not equal on-time, if at all. So I’m just trying to change my travel plans in advance of the flying clusterf*ck we all know will happen should there be snowfall.
[US-based discount airline] has not yet determined if they will allow changes free of charge due to the storm’s path. If I decide to make the change and there are no fee waivers in place I would need to pay a change fee and the difference in the cost of the flight as it stands on the day of the change.
Obviously the cost of the flight is going to be much higher if I decide to change the dates withing 24-36 hours of travel.
Suggestion of the day: save the fares for the date I booked the travel and let me pay the difference of what that fare was on that particular day. Not the fare two days prior to travel. In reality, those of us trying to plan ahead would be helping the airlines. The seats we’d be willing to give up for an earlier flight are two less seats the airline would need to get from point A to point B should the weather go awry.
Everyone flies for different reasons. Here’s a reason that you never want to have to fly. But, if you are flying because of a loss, or an emergency, you would want a pilot like this one.
http://www.elliott.org/blog/southwest-airlines-pilot-holds-plane-for-murder-victims-family/
Here’s a recent letter I sent to [US-based legacy carrier]. After my trip, I received an email asking for feedback about my recent trip. Rather than put my thoughts into a form letter, I sent my thoughts to an actual person.
My recent experience at JFK on December 2010 warrants some advice on the [airline] terminal at JFK.
Let me just be clear. This is not a rant on service I received, and while I was delayed (expected), I did make it to my destination safely, and without incident. That is what is truly important.
This is just a note with suggestions on how to improve the terminal. JFK is a major airport in the world, and the first point of entry for many travelers into NYC, or even the United States. Let’s make it a little more welcoming, shall we?
1 – Getting off the AirTrain
No signage and no personnel to direct travelers. The [airline] terminal I usually go through was closed for business and there is simply a pilot getting into an elevator, so I decided to follow him. Even though it looked like a dungeon (more on that later), I did get to the right place (after walking outside, inside, back outside, up an outdoor ramp and back inside.)
3 – Dressing area after security
For those that can’t collect their belongings and put their shoes on fast enough, have an area where they can sit down and do so instead of jamming up the pick up area.
5 – Three planes out of one gate
I listen to directions and can read so when I get outside I know that I will be on the right plane. Perhaps adding some electronic signs, or enabling the gate agents to speak with better microphones will help. I felt sorry for them. Hundreds of customers eager to board swarm the gate for information that only one person can hear because there was no microphone, or garbled words were coming out of that microphone.
7 – Dogs out of the cage, walking around the terminal with no leash
8 – Seating at the restaurants near the gates
Who was this meant for? Gumby? The seats are nailed to the ground and made for a 6 foot toothpick. Very uncomfortable, and not very design friendly.
10 – Signage
I cannot stress this enough. English is my first language, and I am a frequent flyer. What about the people who are visiting JFK for the first time, what about those who don’t travel much and what about those visiting from other places, or just do not have a strong command of the language? I travel a bit, and abroad, to countries where I don’t speak the language, and the signage is universal, so it makes it possible for me to get around without too much trouble. Give our international travelers the same respect.
Regards,
simply three cents 