Attention, This Is Your Captain Speaking, Please Go To The Restroom in the Terminal Before Boarding

Thanks Dan Cupril, for posting this article.  Seems All Nippon Airlines is looking to save fuel on all flights going forward.  As this article points out, all passengers are being asked to relieve themselves before boarding, to reduce weight, and fuel.  Like anyone gets on a plane with a full bladder, or something else!  Oh my, what is next?  Please don't eat one day before flying, no drinking either?  Hard to make this stuff up!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1218473/Airline-goes-green-asking-passengers-use-toilet-boarding.html

Enjoy!

Should Wi-Fi Enabled Phone Calls Be Allowed on Planes

Interesting article in USA Today about using Voice over Internet (VOIP)/WiFi calling on airplanes.  Though US carriers who offer WiFi service are blocking VOIP, the block isn't ironclad, as noted in the article.  European carriers are allowing VOIP calls and so far, according to this article, passengers like it, and aren't revolting. 

Not so sure what I think.  Nice to be able to call, but I know there will be passengers who will be on the phone for an entire flight across the country, just because they can be.  What do you think?

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-09-28-wi-fi-cellphones-airlines_N.htm

Fees Fatten Airline Coffers

Here is an article about airline fees and how the fees have added $3.8B in revenue this year.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-09-24-airlines-fees-revenue_N.htm

Necessary evil?  Not sure but certainly seems fees are here to stay.

Top Ten Ways Pilots and Airlines Can Make Flying Better

I created this Top Ten List in the early 90's for a sales meeting presentation. Looked at it recently and realized that it is still relevant today.

So, the Top 10 Ways Pilots and Airlines Can Make Flying Better are:

Number 10, Only sell half the seats
Number 9, Shoot any passenger who carries on more than two bags
Number 8, Serve free booze before and during all flights, and especially in the baggage claim area
Number 7, Install 1 bathroom per passenger
Number 6, Fly at WARP 6 Speed, whatever the hell that is
Number 5, Make all seats first class
Number 4, Make all mothers traveling with children under 21 fly on separate planes
Number 3, Leave on time, arrive on time
Number 2, Shut up and fly the plane

And, the number one way pilots and airlines can make flying better is:

Remove all pictures of grandchildren from the purses of Grandmothers!

Portland, OR Restaurant Recommendation from My Son Dave

My son Dave and his wife Carley recently went to a new restaurant in Portland, OR, where they live. Here are his comments:

Carley found new restaurant in outer SE--The Observatory. A couple blocks east of the Academy Theater. Cool interior, great food. I had an OR albacore burger, Carley had the veg burger. Both were great. I had an Amnesia IPA...great little place and really reasonably priced.

Here is more information from Yelp:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-observatory-portland

Wishbone Restaurant--A Denver Classic!

Our family has been going to the Wishbone Restaurant located at 97th and Federal for years and years. It is a classic fried chicken restaurant where you will never be disappointed by the consistent quality of the food and friendly service. Now, we aren't talking gourmet food here, but the food is homestyle, fried chicken, gravy, and of course, Texas Toast ready for honey from the bottles on every table. There is more than chciken, in fact a lot more, but I've never eaten anything else there. We were there last Friday night for small retirement party (sister-in-law Betty finally hung up the chalk after many years of teaching little rascals). Most of the family had some kind of chicken dinner though my niece Becky had the Orange Ruffy and we all shared an appetizer plate of mushrooms, shrimp, mozzarella sticks, and great onion rings. My brother-in-law George had a large plate of Chicken Gizzards and he seemed to enjoy them. Offered me some but I passed! And, 4 1/2 year old Reyliana had a very tasty toasted cheese sandwich. If you must, but don't know why you would, there are hamburgers and other routine sandwiches.

If you are in the north Denver suburbs, and have a hankering for some really good fried chicken, The Wishbone Restaurant can't be beat. Check it out!

www.wishbonerestaurant.com

Don't Put Anything In The Seatback Pocket

I've been on a flight or two lately where the flight attendants have told all passengers to not put anything in the seatback pocket--no newspapers, no magazines, no phones, no glasses, no water or pop bottles--because it was a safety issue. Here is an article that appeared in the New York Times recently about the FAA rule and how Skywest is enforcing it on some flights.

On the Road

Seatbacks in Position and Empty, Please

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By JOE SHARKEY

Published: August 24, 2009

WHAT’S going on here?

Skip to next paragraph

Chris Gash

Related

Frequent Flier: A Son’s Lesson for a Pilot (His Mother) (August 25, 2009)

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that airlines whose flight attendants had been telling passengers that no personal items of any kind could be placed in seatback pockets were “following our guidance, if they are enforcing this with travelers.”

The agency’s response came after numerous inquiries following a flight I made from Denver to Tucson operated by SkyWest Airlines, on which the flight attendant announced before takeoff that, as a safety measure, nothing could be placed in seatback storage pockets — no eyeglasses, no ticket stubs, no iPods or bottles of water or magazines.

“Under new F.A.A. regulations, you may not place anything in your seatback pockets,” she announced as passengers boarded the regional jet. The only things that could be in the seatback pocket, she said, were “company-printed material,” like the in-flight magazine, the safety card and presumably the air-sickness bag. All “personal items” had to be stowed in the overhead bin or under the seat.

The immediate assumption was that a flight attendant or the regional airline she worked for had decided that passengers could no longer use seatback pockets to tuck things away — and the F.A.A. did not initially dispute that.

“It’s news to me,” Les Dorr, an F.A.A. spokesman, said when asked Monday morning about such federal prohibition on using seatback pockets. But late Monday afternoon, Mr. Dorr sent an e-mail message saying that the agency had been issuing “guidance” to carriers to that effect, telling regional agents who work directly with airlines that “nothing should be in the seatback pocket” except in-flight magazines and the safety information card put there by the carriers themselves.

Several major carriers said that they knew nothing about this and had no immediate plans to enforce it.

“The seatbacks are absolutely there to be used for personal items,” said Robin Urbanski, a spokeswoman for United Airlines — which was the airline of record for the flight I took, though it was operated by SkyWest, and the ticket was purchased on US Airways.

Marissa Snow, a spokeswoman for SkyWest, confirmed that the airline was enforcing the prohibition after being instructed to do so by “our local F.A.A. office.”

The airline, a big contractor to supply regional airline feeder flights, is based in St. George, Utah.

“The F.A.A. is clearly what prompted us to do this,” Ms. Snow said of the regional agents who she said issued the guidance to SkyWest. She added, however, that SkyWest now planned to ask the agency to “take another look at this.”

Longstanding federal law says that a plane cannot leave the gate until a crew member verifies that each item of baggage is safely stowed in a suitable compartment, including the overhead bin, or under a passenger seat.

That regulation does not mention seatback pockets. However, a 51-page 2007 F.A.A. directive on cabin safety does address “proper stowage of carryon baggage” and says in part, “nothing can be stowed in the seat pockets except magazines and passenger information cards.”

Ms. Snow said that SkyWest and inspectors who worked with the airline locally used this language as the basis of the ban on putting passenger personal possessions into seatback pockets. The prohibition “came more into focus” in recent months, she said.

Similar incidents have been reported recently on online travel forums.

“It’s an F.A.A. law. Get used to hearing me say that,” a post on FlyerTalk quoted one flight attendant on an American Airline regional flight as saying recently about another airline’s seatback pocket prohibition.

Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines, said that no one available early Monday evening knew anything about the F.A.A. guidance.

Some airline executives, who did not want to be named because they were speculating, said that two recent phenomena might be behind any airline’s decision to enforce such a ban, with F.A.A. approval. One is that new fees on checked bags have created more carryon volume, and some passengers may be overloading seatback pockets — though they said they had not considered this to be a problem.

The other is that airplanes are landing and being turned around for the next flight on tighter schedules. Forbidding passengers to use seatback pockets “saves time for the cleaning crew,” one said.

E-mail: jsharkey@nytimes.com

Interestingly, I flew on Skywest from Salt Lake to Denver last Thursday and the flight attendants didn't say anything about using the pocket. So, very inconsistent at this point in time.

Hotels Cutting Costs, Operating More Efficiently

Here is an interesting article about how hotels are cutting costs and operating more efficiently. These changes are improving profits, and will continue once revenue starts growing again.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/hotelcheckin/post/2009/08/68496304/1?loc=interstitialskip

Travel--Not So Much Fun Anymore!

I haven't been traveling much over the last six months, saving a bit of expense money in what has been a down year for my business. I can tell you that when I do travel, or should say fly, unless I get upgraded, flying is not a lot of fun. The number of flights airlines are offering have been cut, meaning almost all planes are full, and that airlines are crowding as many people on planes as possible. Also, at least in Cincinnati, Delta is concentrating flight departures and arrivals, so security lines are very busy for short periods of time, making the whole experience even worse than it already is. I will say the TSA workers are much more pleasant than they used to be, probably because they are now secure in their government jobs. Okay, so I'm being a bit sarcastic, but the whole airport experience pretty much sucks these days! Oy!

Airlines Thinking About Selling Standing Room Tickets

Yes, that is where we are headed, SRO tickets on airplanes. You will be able to strap yourself to a pole or wall. Airlines will remove seats so they can sell more Standing Tickets. Really heading for the cattle-car days. Man, I just can't wait to be on a plane with people packed in tighter than they are now, jostling around, moving from one foot to the other, stretching their arms, etc., etc., etc.

Interesting article.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2009-07-06-standing-room-flying_N.htm

Best Buffalo Wings I've Ever Had--In Portland, Oregon

I was in Portland, Oregon, all last week, three days for business and the last four on vacation. Portland has many very good restaurants, cafes, and bars, of all price ranges. Saturday, after playing golf with my son Dave and his friend Mike, we went to Fire on the Mountain Buffalo Wings in North Portland near Interstate 5. There is also a location on Burnside Avenue. Fire on the Mountain offers all the normal temperatures of wings but also offers a lot of great flavors. We had Jamaican Jerk, Soon To Be Famous Spicy Peanut, and Bourbon Chipotle. They also have Rasberry Habanero and Buffalo Lime Cilantro. For beverages there are some very good micro brews, as in most Portland restaurants and pubs. If you ever get to Portland, (everyone should at least once) and have a hankering for some very good wings, make sure you find Fire on the Mountain. You won't be disappointed!

Off to Portland, Oregon, for a Week

Will be heading to Portland, Oregon, Sunday for a week of business and vacation. Portland is a very nice city and we are looking forward to staying downtown this trip instead of out near the airport and my son's home. I will post some pictures and review some of the restaurants we visit. Also will be visiting some wineries next Wednesday, always fun. Stay tuned!

Continental Express Crash in Buffalo

Don't know what to say about the findings so far in the investigation of this tragic crash last winter. Among the findings so far:

• A captain who lied on his application about failing 3 check rides with the FAA. He reported that he failed 1. Not sure I want to fly with a pilot who has failed 1, let alone 3.
• Co-pilot who said minutes before the crash that she had never flown in ice, and wanted nothing to do with having to make a decision about deicing a plane, and had never flown a plane that had to be deiced.
• Co-pilot who had flown on a red-eye from Seattle the night before, caught some sleep on a couch in a pilot's lounge before heading off for Buffalo.
• Captain did completely the opposite think he should have when the plane stalled, pulling back to make the plane go up when he should have gotten the nose heading down to get out of the stall.
• Captain and co-pilot chit-chatting during final approach in violation of FAA rules.
• And on and on.

Can't imagine what all the families are feeling. One thing when there is nothing the pilots can do. Quite another when the crash could have been prevented had the pilots done the right thing, had the right training, etc. My heart goes out to all the friends and families of everyone who died in this tragic crash.

Colgan Air, the operating airline, might as well sell their planes and start piling up cash to pay the victim's families. Not that the cash will help, but it will be paid, in big bundles.

Paschal's at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport

Airport food courts tend to be like those in shopping malls, running toward McDonald's, Burger Kings, Cinnabons (oh so good, and good for you), Dominos Pizza, a Chik-Fil-A (Eat Mor Chikin, as the cows say) here and there, and not a lot else. Okay, a Chili's, a Friday's, and in Cincinnati even a Gold Star Chili. And of course, the numerous Star Bucks, with the requisite line of 50 people waiting to pay too much for the same coffee they could get at any number of the aforementioned fast food chains for less money and no wait but they wouldn't have the Star Bucks cup to carry on the plane, so there's that!

In the Atlanta airport, one place stands out--Paschal's. Go to www.PaschalsRestaurant.com for detailed history, etc. I almost always stop in Terminal A or B for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if the timing is right (and the timing is almost always right). Everything is good, in fact great, down-home, southern country/comfort food. Last Friday morning I had scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and some sausage, all covered with some of the finest gravy anywhere. If you are there for lunch or dinner, don't leave without some mac'n'cheese--nothing better. And the chicken--to die for! There are also all sorts of other southern foods I might not try (meaning they are mostly vegetables) but look and smell very good--give them a try.

As good as the food is, the people serving are even better. They all have that southern charm, saying things like "What can I get you today babe, hun, or sweetie"? You just don't hear that north of the Mason Dixon! All the workers seem to know they are serving great food and are proud to do it. Nice to see in this day and age.

Stop by and say hey the next time you are in the Atlanta airport!

African Art in Atlanta Hartsfield Airport

Art in Atlanta Hartsfield Airpot

There is some great art in the Atlanta Hartsfield airport in the underground walkway between security and terminal A. If you are in Atlanta, and have some time between flights, skip the train and take a walk. There are very beautiful and intersting stone sculptures created by African artists. I will post some photos.

Off to Austin, TX, and Atlanta, GA This Week

I'll send some posts this week from Austin and Atlanta. All business, not much play this week, but am sure I'll see something along the way to comment on. If nothing else, maybe a brief restaurant review or two.

The Difference Between Consistently Good and Average

I am a Marriott man. If I have the opportunity to choose where I stay when traveling, either for business or vacation, a Marriott property is always my first choice. One reason--the employees at all Marriott properties, from value priced to most expensive, are always consistently better than almost all other hotels. The last two nights, I've been staying at a Radisson near the San Francisco airport. I've been here before in previous years for the same annual meeting I attended today. Facility is nice--relatively new, clean, has most of the amenities I expect. The employees are generally okay, but just miss on a few counts where Marriott people very rarely misses anything. For example, when I returned to my room today, the message light on the phone was on. Seems simple enough, words on the phone around the message light say to "Press When Lit To Retrieve Messages". Well, as you might guess, not so simple. So, I call the front desk and the person asks me if there is a guest guide in the room, the black portfolio, and tells me to look in there to find out how to retrieve messages. Not good, barely average, and why I won't pick a Radisson if there is a Marriott anywhere nearby.

Some Pictures from LAX, and on the way to Salt Lake City

Here are some pictures I took today at LAX before taking off and just north of LA. The building with all the scaffolding around it is a restaurant and famous image of LAX. Probably the most identifiable part of LAX--you always see it in the movies. It is being renovated. The mountains are just north of LA. I thought they looked cool today. Obviously, another window seat day--upgraded to 1st, which is always a nice perk.

Cincinnati to Los Angeles--Beautiful Views from Plane

I've flown from Cincinnati to Los Angeles more times than I can count over the last 20 years, and especially over the last 5 years since I've been managing an office in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. Many times I have that frequent flyer preferred aisle seat but more and more, I'm choosing the window seat. If the weather is clear, as it was today, the views are spectacular, especially as flying over northern New Mexico, and the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado are snow covered. Today I enjoyed a great view of Flagstaff, AZ, and the Grand Canyon in the distance. If you get a chance to fly to or from California, get a window seat and hope for a nice, clear day.