OK - i am really advocating the reverse. DON'T wear suits and be more casual and you will reduce global warming.
Its time to think of a lot more ways to get creative about how we can all reduce our carbon footprint. Here are some suggestions:
1. Park your suits. The process of dry cleaning adds significantly to warming. Chemicals are bad used in this process not to mention the heat.
2. Move to low wattage bulbs across your house. AND remove one light permenantly.
3. Car pool at least once a month with someone different. If you already do this find another partner to car pool with, if you dont find someone. In the USA for example you can sign up with RideShare organizations.
4. Turn down your thermostat one degree.
5. Run on your battery more frequently when using a laptop
6. Find a creative way to not use energy other than human (eg WALK!)
Cheers
Timothy
17 March 2007
12 March 2007
New Credit Card Scam - Thank You Chase
Those of you who travel a lot... me included should now be checking your US credit card statements BIG TIME. Chase Morgan Bank has slipped in a new fee for International Travel. Thus every charge you make on your credit card outside North America is subject to new set of fees for using the card. Check it out... it can be as much as a Dollar EXTRA per transaction.
Bloody crooks.............
Bloody crooks.............
Sabre Pacific finally gets it
Well it only took them 10 years but Sabre Pacific's MD finally realized that Travel Agents are dead.
http://www.travelweekly.com.au/dirplus/images/travelweekly/TravelTodayPDF/13_03_2007.pdf
well done - now that you joined the 1990s can you perhaps give your customers some appropriate tools?
But seriously I remain convinced that the Agency Community and the attendant suppliers still have trouble recognizing the new world order.
Good Luck Sabre
Cheers
Timothy
http://www.travelweekly.com.au/dirplus/images/travelweekly/TravelTodayPDF/13_03_2007.pdf
well done - now that you joined the 1990s can you perhaps give your customers some appropriate tools?
But seriously I remain convinced that the Agency Community and the attendant suppliers still have trouble recognizing the new world order.
Good Luck Sabre
Cheers
Timothy
T2 Column in the Beat
GUEST: T2Impact on Low-Cost Long Haul
"This article is republished here with permission from The Beat."
The Beat ~ a travel business newsletter
New York City
3/12/07 8:59 AM
Timothy O'Neil-Dunne and Addison Schonland of T2Impact contribute this guest piece about the potential impact of "game changing" long-haul aircraft and the new entrant airlines that are buying them...
Travel, the great social equalizer, over recent decades has increased at significantly faster rates than gross national product. There is no doubt as well that low-cost carriers have changed the model for the airline market, further accelerating the growth of travel amongst all the world's populations. But this growth has been confined until now to regional or short haul sector pairs. In February 2005, First Choice--the U.K.'s fourth-largest vertically integrated tour operator business and sixth-largest U.K. airline with a fleet of 32 aircraft--announced to a surprised market its first purchase of Boeing 787s. In December, it converted two options to purchases and again this month converted four more to confirmed orders, becoming only the second airline to increase its order twice for the new twinjet before it even takes to the skies. "Having taken the decision to increase our commitment to long-haul destinations, we wanted to ensure we could do this in the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way, while offering our customers new destinations and even more comfortable travel," said Dermot Blastland, managing director of First Choice Mainstream Holidays.
Well, for those of you who think the long-haul LCC is a fantasy, think again. It's here. This is the first "non-legacy airline" to build its business growth engine around the 787, but it will not be the last. It is important to understand that First Choice is not really an LCC. It positions itself as a premium charter and tour company or vertically integrated tour operator (VTO), and it has little in common with any legacy airline. But it has a lot in common with an LCC because it is not a networked airline.
With the ability to connect virtually any secondary city in the world to the U.K., First Choice will be able to move into markets that up until now were exclusively the playthings of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Indeed this creates an interesting scenario and pressure on BA, BMI and Virgin as the U.K.'s legacy "flag carriers." At the top, their protected status at London's Heathrow is likely to be blown by the new transatlantic EU-US "just a little bit more open skies" agreement. At the other end is the voracious appetite LCC-type airlines. It's clearly an opportunity for the stock pickers to mark down the legacy airlines.
Many industry pundits have commented on the 787 being a "game changer." This 787 order needs to make many in the aviation world pay attention to what is surely the next frontier to be invaded by LCCs. First Choice's broad base of airports in U.K. means that it will be able to fly just about anywhere, with its 787s, that British holiday-makers want to go. No more stops in Goa on the way to Phuket. With a range of over 15,000 kilometers First Choice's 787 makes a London-to-Sydney nonstop possible.
For airlines that want to accept and realize that air travel is a commodity, the 787 class aircraft is the way to go. For now at least, until the A350XWB is available. If Airbus ever gets the A350XWB out the hanger door, then you could have a 787 and 777-sized airplane that will also connect secondary cities the world over. The good news for U.K. residents is that they will be able to avoid the bottlenecks of the four London airports as First Choice bases its planes at secondary U.K. airports. It should be noted that LCCs in a long haul market will be primarily dependent on leisure traffic. But this is bound to change. Just as the proportion of business travelers using LCCs is growing, so too will that phenomenon apply to the long-haul model.
But it is more than First Choice. Other LCCs (real ones) are getting into the act.
--Ryanair is being helped by the Moroccan government to start service. Four-plus hours on seats that don't recline!
--FlyAsianExpress plans to operate flights to destinations in Asia and Europe as AirAsia X, a new long-haul, low-cost carrier launched by AirAsia.
--Australia's Virgin Blue reported expansion plans including considering an order for eight 777-300ERs to be deployed on planned long-haul operations.
--LionAir is taking delivery of 60 Boeing 737-900Ers, a 6,000 kilometer aircraft.
--Oasis Hong Kong is growing its service from the current daily Hong Kong to London by adding U.S. service this year to Oakland and possibly Chicago and Vancouver.
New opportunities beckon for LCCs. They have created brand following beyond their traditional domestic markets. For example Aer Lingus and JetBlue are going to sell each other's seats on their Web sites. Clearly leveraging its traffic information, Maxjet publishes connections at New York JFK and London Stansted. Imagine this happening outside an airline alliance? When Oasis starts its Oakland service, you can bet JetBlue will be doing the same thing with them. That could even mean round-the-world tickets are coming soon--on LCCs that have no alliance and no legacy costs.
Our conclusion: LCCs are driving innovation and pushing the envelope for airlines, except now in a long haul version.
~ Addison Schonland and Timothy O'Neil-Dunne are consultants with T2Impact Ltd
Send letters for publication to letters@thebeat.travel.
© Copyright 2007 Business Travel Beat, Inc.
Unauthorized email forwarding is a violation of federal copyright law.
The Beat is part of ProMedia.travel LLC, the business-to-business travel industry's most progressive publishing company. Check out our three free publications, online and in print:
http://www.management.travel
http://www.thetransnational.travel
http://www.procurement.travel
"This article is republished here with permission from The Beat."
The Beat ~ a travel business newsletter
New York City
3/12/07 8:59 AM
Timothy O'Neil-Dunne and Addison Schonland of T2Impact contribute this guest piece about the potential impact of "game changing" long-haul aircraft and the new entrant airlines that are buying them...
Travel, the great social equalizer, over recent decades has increased at significantly faster rates than gross national product. There is no doubt as well that low-cost carriers have changed the model for the airline market, further accelerating the growth of travel amongst all the world's populations. But this growth has been confined until now to regional or short haul sector pairs. In February 2005, First Choice--the U.K.'s fourth-largest vertically integrated tour operator business and sixth-largest U.K. airline with a fleet of 32 aircraft--announced to a surprised market its first purchase of Boeing 787s. In December, it converted two options to purchases and again this month converted four more to confirmed orders, becoming only the second airline to increase its order twice for the new twinjet before it even takes to the skies. "Having taken the decision to increase our commitment to long-haul destinations, we wanted to ensure we could do this in the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way, while offering our customers new destinations and even more comfortable travel," said Dermot Blastland, managing director of First Choice Mainstream Holidays.
Well, for those of you who think the long-haul LCC is a fantasy, think again. It's here. This is the first "non-legacy airline" to build its business growth engine around the 787, but it will not be the last. It is important to understand that First Choice is not really an LCC. It positions itself as a premium charter and tour company or vertically integrated tour operator (VTO), and it has little in common with any legacy airline. But it has a lot in common with an LCC because it is not a networked airline.
With the ability to connect virtually any secondary city in the world to the U.K., First Choice will be able to move into markets that up until now were exclusively the playthings of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Indeed this creates an interesting scenario and pressure on BA, BMI and Virgin as the U.K.'s legacy "flag carriers." At the top, their protected status at London's Heathrow is likely to be blown by the new transatlantic EU-US "just a little bit more open skies" agreement. At the other end is the voracious appetite LCC-type airlines. It's clearly an opportunity for the stock pickers to mark down the legacy airlines.
Many industry pundits have commented on the 787 being a "game changer." This 787 order needs to make many in the aviation world pay attention to what is surely the next frontier to be invaded by LCCs. First Choice's broad base of airports in U.K. means that it will be able to fly just about anywhere, with its 787s, that British holiday-makers want to go. No more stops in Goa on the way to Phuket. With a range of over 15,000 kilometers First Choice's 787 makes a London-to-Sydney nonstop possible.
For airlines that want to accept and realize that air travel is a commodity, the 787 class aircraft is the way to go. For now at least, until the A350XWB is available. If Airbus ever gets the A350XWB out the hanger door, then you could have a 787 and 777-sized airplane that will also connect secondary cities the world over. The good news for U.K. residents is that they will be able to avoid the bottlenecks of the four London airports as First Choice bases its planes at secondary U.K. airports. It should be noted that LCCs in a long haul market will be primarily dependent on leisure traffic. But this is bound to change. Just as the proportion of business travelers using LCCs is growing, so too will that phenomenon apply to the long-haul model.
But it is more than First Choice. Other LCCs (real ones) are getting into the act.
--Ryanair is being helped by the Moroccan government to start service. Four-plus hours on seats that don't recline!
--FlyAsianExpress plans to operate flights to destinations in Asia and Europe as AirAsia X, a new long-haul, low-cost carrier launched by AirAsia.
--Australia's Virgin Blue reported expansion plans including considering an order for eight 777-300ERs to be deployed on planned long-haul operations.
--LionAir is taking delivery of 60 Boeing 737-900Ers, a 6,000 kilometer aircraft.
--Oasis Hong Kong is growing its service from the current daily Hong Kong to London by adding U.S. service this year to Oakland and possibly Chicago and Vancouver.
New opportunities beckon for LCCs. They have created brand following beyond their traditional domestic markets. For example Aer Lingus and JetBlue are going to sell each other's seats on their Web sites. Clearly leveraging its traffic information, Maxjet publishes connections at New York JFK and London Stansted. Imagine this happening outside an airline alliance? When Oasis starts its Oakland service, you can bet JetBlue will be doing the same thing with them. That could even mean round-the-world tickets are coming soon--on LCCs that have no alliance and no legacy costs.
Our conclusion: LCCs are driving innovation and pushing the envelope for airlines, except now in a long haul version.
~ Addison Schonland and Timothy O'Neil-Dunne are consultants with T2Impact Ltd
Send letters for publication to letters@thebeat.travel.
© Copyright 2007 Business Travel Beat, Inc.
Unauthorized email forwarding is a violation of federal copyright law.
The Beat is part of ProMedia.travel LLC, the business-to-business travel industry's most progressive publishing company. Check out our three free publications, online and in print:
http://www.management.travel
http://www.thetransnational.travel
http://www.procurement.travel
07 March 2007
Bye Bye Site 59 Hello LastMinute.com
So finally Sabre is getting wiser about its brand rationalization. With over 20 different brands across its market, Sabre is finally realizing that the cost and value of each brand is not such a simple thing.
When the internet was young (remember when!) we all thought that the Real Estate of the web was infinite and open to all. Anyone with an idea could get online. IBM was as important as Aunt Edna’s website. IE the whole universe was open to small companies and large. Sadly no more. Perhaps one of the ultimate prices to be paid for the stellar performance at Google is that the days of Homesteading are over. Now we need to pay the toll. The gatekeeper of the first decade of the millennium is without a doubt Google. And the price is pretty hefty!
But we should examine Sabre’s other brand confusions. How long can Abacus and Zuji remain as separate entities? And if we think about it in addition to Sabre, there are many others who issues – lets pass a brief and critical eye over the TravelPort family of brands. The list spans pages
So commercial realism and standard marketing strategies will be the form of the future. The trends start now. I shall for one be a little sad that the little brands will have such a hard time to make headway against the goliaths and their big marketing spends.
Cheers
Timothy
When the internet was young (remember when!) we all thought that the Real Estate of the web was infinite and open to all. Anyone with an idea could get online. IBM was as important as Aunt Edna’s website. IE the whole universe was open to small companies and large. Sadly no more. Perhaps one of the ultimate prices to be paid for the stellar performance at Google is that the days of Homesteading are over. Now we need to pay the toll. The gatekeeper of the first decade of the millennium is without a doubt Google. And the price is pretty hefty!
But we should examine Sabre’s other brand confusions. How long can Abacus and Zuji remain as separate entities? And if we think about it in addition to Sabre, there are many others who issues – lets pass a brief and critical eye over the TravelPort family of brands. The list spans pages
So commercial realism and standard marketing strategies will be the form of the future. The trends start now. I shall for one be a little sad that the little brands will have such a hard time to make headway against the goliaths and their big marketing spends.
Cheers
Timothy
04 March 2007
Sabre no more? - Vote Day March 23rd
The formal motion has been mailed to stockholders of record on Feb 20th 2007.
01 . PROPOSAL TO ADOPT THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, DATED AS OF DECEMBER 12, 2006, AMONG SABRE HOLDINGS CORPORATION, SOVEREIGN HOLDINGS, INC. AND SOVEREIGN MERGER SUB, INC. AND APPROVE THE MERGER.
Directors Recommend: FOR
So this is it... the last independent GDS falls to a VC.
The migration will be complete once Worldspan gives up the ghost and becomes part of TravelPort.
01 . PROPOSAL TO ADOPT THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, DATED AS OF DECEMBER 12, 2006, AMONG SABRE HOLDINGS CORPORATION, SOVEREIGN HOLDINGS, INC. AND SOVEREIGN MERGER SUB, INC. AND APPROVE THE MERGER.
Directors Recommend: FOR
So this is it... the last independent GDS falls to a VC.
The migration will be complete once Worldspan gives up the ghost and becomes part of TravelPort.
Jacques Barrot - Wily politicial EU Commissioner for Transport
I would like to applaud Commissioner Barrot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Barrot) for his efforts in getting at least some semblance of a deal together between Europe and the USA. This has indeed been a tough point as there are so many political aims that conflict.
Conside the huge mountains that have to be crossed to get 27 countries on the EU side to give up bilaterlism as well as the USA to overcome the conflicted Executive and Legilative arms of Government. So while the deal itself seems small it represents a structural shift that is without doubt one of the biggest changes made in Air Transportation regulation since the setting up of ICAO and IATA. And it comes not a moment too soon.
The deal is not out of the woods and I expect this will take at least a year to enact fully probably longer in the case of the US and UK. It may not come soon enough for Virgin America whose future is languishing while deliveries of its A320s rack up - straight to the parking garage. The Transatlantic is one of the most heavily travelled set of air routes in the world. Long term government protectionism is a concept whose time has come - and gone. As the airways and airports become an increasingly scarce commodity opening up to the free market the ownership and control of the Air Space users is the right thing to do.
Jacques Barrot has been written off several times in his career. However he is one of the most skilled politicians I have observed in many years. His negotiating skills are unparalled and he deserves a lot of personal credit for this success. I can only hope that he is able to continue in his job long enough for to see this become a lasting legacy to his position at the EU and for the benefits to trickle down to the market.
For further discussion and opinion please contact T2impact directly. timothyo@t2impact.com
Conside the huge mountains that have to be crossed to get 27 countries on the EU side to give up bilaterlism as well as the USA to overcome the conflicted Executive and Legilative arms of Government. So while the deal itself seems small it represents a structural shift that is without doubt one of the biggest changes made in Air Transportation regulation since the setting up of ICAO and IATA. And it comes not a moment too soon.
The deal is not out of the woods and I expect this will take at least a year to enact fully probably longer in the case of the US and UK. It may not come soon enough for Virgin America whose future is languishing while deliveries of its A320s rack up - straight to the parking garage. The Transatlantic is one of the most heavily travelled set of air routes in the world. Long term government protectionism is a concept whose time has come - and gone. As the airways and airports become an increasingly scarce commodity opening up to the free market the ownership and control of the Air Space users is the right thing to do.
Jacques Barrot has been written off several times in his career. However he is one of the most skilled politicians I have observed in many years. His negotiating skills are unparalled and he deserves a lot of personal credit for this success. I can only hope that he is able to continue in his job long enough for to see this become a lasting legacy to his position at the EU and for the benefits to trickle down to the market.
For further discussion and opinion please contact T2impact directly. timothyo@t2impact.com
02 March 2007
Tonight they turn out the lights HP-US
So names change and things pass but tonight will see the end of an era when America West goes away for good. At the same time the last vestiges of the "old" US Airways will also disappear as the reservations cut over from Sabre to EDS-SHARES is completed. The last bank of flights on the midnight runs from Las Vegas will be handled essentially manually but from tomorrow Sabre Airline Soluutions has one less customer for its core airline hosting services.
01 March 2007
Bravo to WestJet.... New Website for Vision impaired
In the late 1980s when I first started to work at TWA-PARS I worked at a desk inside the Res Center in Kansas City. Space was a problem as I was part of a new group focused on Technology and new systems. Over in one corner of the res center was a small group of people who were working on something I had never heard of before. The small group of people didnt last long but they were just as good as any other res user. Except for one thing - they were all blind. Using a system called a Versa Braille and a cobbled together system using a Lanyon board they were able to take reservations. Whether this ever made it beyond a test stage I never found out. However i have always felt that the one thing we suffer in the Web age is our ability to handle it without sight.
Coincidently this week two events occurred which brought this back into focus for me. My mother (who is 96!!!) told me she can no longer see to read - the one thing she always loved to do. This is very thought provoking especially for people like you and me who spend so much time in front of these screens. The other event was WestJet (Canadian LCC) who launched their website for the site impaired.
More power to Westjet and my Mum has employed someone to read to her.
Cheers
Timothy
Coincidently this week two events occurred which brought this back into focus for me. My mother (who is 96!!!) told me she can no longer see to read - the one thing she always loved to do. This is very thought provoking especially for people like you and me who spend so much time in front of these screens. The other event was WestJet (Canadian LCC) who launched their website for the site impaired.
More power to Westjet and my Mum has employed someone to read to her.
Cheers
Timothy
26 February 2007
LCCs - UK CAA study. Evolution or Revolution
To be highly recommended for all students of the Distribution business.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP770.pdf
I recommend reading this and then we can chat. FYI Look for the new T2Impact/Omnitourism LCC study which was conducted last week. Interesting results. Look for the study to be published in the coming weeks
Cheers
Timothy
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP770.pdf
I recommend reading this and then we can chat. FYI Look for the new T2Impact/Omnitourism LCC study which was conducted last week. Interesting results. Look for the study to be published in the coming weeks
Cheers
Timothy
21 February 2007
Hello? anyone home at Worldspan?
While Rome is burning, Nero is fiddling.
Someone is asleep at the switch again in Atlanta. Why did they give up so easily?
Tsk Tsk, this is a waste of a good relationship. But do not fear - when all is said and Done Expedia will have all 3 GDSs where it wants them. Sabre/Worldspan (aka Travelport-Galileo) in the USA and Amadeus in Europe and Asia. The new millenium version of the giant switch will enable them to move connections between GDS vendors and suppliers direct at will. T2 has been advocating this approach for many years and finally it looks like some people are catching up. Welcome to the club Expedia!
Finally the boys in Bellevue will be doing something right...
SABRE NOW PROCESSES the majority of Expedia's bookings in the U.S.," according to Sabre Travel Network spokeswoman Kathryn Hayden. That's a milestone in Expedia.com's relationship with Worldspan, which for years had the sole franchise on Expedia.com's GDS bookings. In fact, with Sabre now processing bookings for Expedia.com and another Worldspan partner, Priceline.com, Sabre Travel Network's consumer online transactions grew 81.3% to 19.1 million in fourth-quarter 2006.
Someone is asleep at the switch again in Atlanta. Why did they give up so easily?
Tsk Tsk, this is a waste of a good relationship. But do not fear - when all is said and Done Expedia will have all 3 GDSs where it wants them. Sabre/Worldspan (aka Travelport-Galileo) in the USA and Amadeus in Europe and Asia. The new millenium version of the giant switch will enable them to move connections between GDS vendors and suppliers direct at will. T2 has been advocating this approach for many years and finally it looks like some people are catching up. Welcome to the club Expedia!
Finally the boys in Bellevue will be doing something right...
SABRE NOW PROCESSES the majority of Expedia's bookings in the U.S.," according to Sabre Travel Network spokeswoman Kathryn Hayden. That's a milestone in Expedia.com's relationship with Worldspan, which for years had the sole franchise on Expedia.com's GDS bookings. In fact, with Sabre now processing bookings for Expedia.com and another Worldspan partner, Priceline.com, Sabre Travel Network's consumer online transactions grew 81.3% to 19.1 million in fourth-quarter 2006.
20 February 2007
The strange case of the Flight Attendant and the English Patient
Those of you from the Shires who read the "Mail on Sunday " will undoubtably have been titlated by the story of Ralph Fienness and the Qantas Flight Attendant: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=436846&in_page_id=1879&in_a_source=
However there is something really rather funny about all this. Lisa Robertson (said QF FA) was not a full time FA employed by Qantas. She was in fact on casual assignment from the external Flight Attendant company "Morris Alexander Management". This is an interesting company founded by one Morris Alexander who himself (I presume its a he) was once a former FAAA (Flight Attendants Association of Australia) domestic division industrial officer.
I hasten to add that i am sure that Ms Robertson was a fully trained FA and up to par (clearly Mr Fiennes must have thought so at the time) in her capacity as a Coffee Tea or me person. And as a further disclaimer in case I get viscously attacked by another Flight Attendant - this is somewhat tongue in cheek.
Going back to the serious issue here, it seems her claim of being rather poor earning only £12,000/year is justified. Perhaps QF should pay their Flight Attendants (at least the contract ladies and men) a tad more. Then they wouldnt be quite so tempted to engage in flings with Hollywood leading men. So actually the big news is not the sexual antics at 35,000 Feet but rather the interesting way that QF handles its labor contracts. BTW have a quick look at this link off Google: http://www.airc.gov.au/documents/Transcripts/210203c20031094.htm
So I am not making it up!
No wonder QF was in such demand from Macquarie and TPG. Clearly there is a lot more to the buy out than meets the eye. I do hope the appropriate authorities investigate this (chuckle). Now when I fly QF next I am sure they will treat me nicely. I am not quite sure however if I will get the same treatment as Mr Fiennes.
Cheers
Timothy
However there is something really rather funny about all this. Lisa Robertson (said QF FA) was not a full time FA employed by Qantas. She was in fact on casual assignment from the external Flight Attendant company "Morris Alexander Management". This is an interesting company founded by one Morris Alexander who himself (I presume its a he) was once a former FAAA (Flight Attendants Association of Australia) domestic division industrial officer.
I hasten to add that i am sure that Ms Robertson was a fully trained FA and up to par (clearly Mr Fiennes must have thought so at the time) in her capacity as a Coffee Tea or me person. And as a further disclaimer in case I get viscously attacked by another Flight Attendant - this is somewhat tongue in cheek.
Going back to the serious issue here, it seems her claim of being rather poor earning only £12,000/year is justified. Perhaps QF should pay their Flight Attendants (at least the contract ladies and men) a tad more. Then they wouldnt be quite so tempted to engage in flings with Hollywood leading men. So actually the big news is not the sexual antics at 35,000 Feet but rather the interesting way that QF handles its labor contracts. BTW have a quick look at this link off Google: http://www.airc.gov.au/documents/Transcripts/210203c20031094.htm
So I am not making it up!
No wonder QF was in such demand from Macquarie and TPG. Clearly there is a lot more to the buy out than meets the eye. I do hope the appropriate authorities investigate this (chuckle). Now when I fly QF next I am sure they will treat me nicely. I am not quite sure however if I will get the same treatment as Mr Fiennes.
Cheers
Timothy
18 February 2007
OK - My 10 cents on the JetBlue fiasco
I am a very big fan of what JetBlue has accomplished so far. They had a great start and achieved a lot by breaking rules and focussing on doing what is necessary for the customer. But the meltdown at the company in recent history shows an astonishing lack of the one thing you assume but cannot touch at a company such as an airline - operational excellence.
Anyone who follow the pioneer (Southwest) knows that they (WN) learned very early on that you have to PLAN for every eventuallity. You can never spend too much time working on this. Plan plan and then plan it again. This is something that they dont seem to have done. With so much of their operation concentrated at JFK (itself one of the worst airports for scheduling in the country) you would have thought they would have planned for this event. Shoot - they even had a dry run (or as that a snow run!) at Christmas time.
However perhaps the worst sin of all was how it handled its customers. Every airline does a bad job here. But jetBlue has had a chance to do something better. It just didnt. If you follow the story like this one in the NY Times - you realize that they reverted back to the tried old solution to the problem of what to do with angry customers: IE "Call Security". Several people I know have contacted me and (I am not sure if it is that they just want to vent) the stories sound bad.
JetBlue Cancels More Flights in Storm’s Wake
Listen jetBlue - do something that no one else has done. BE STRAIGHT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS.
And everyone else.... LEARN From this fiasco. Plan for the eventuality and PLEASE have a decent way to handle your customers. But dont dispair. Cheap prices will once again lure people back.
Cheers
Timothy
Anyone who follow the pioneer (Southwest) knows that they (WN) learned very early on that you have to PLAN for every eventuallity. You can never spend too much time working on this. Plan plan and then plan it again. This is something that they dont seem to have done. With so much of their operation concentrated at JFK (itself one of the worst airports for scheduling in the country) you would have thought they would have planned for this event. Shoot - they even had a dry run (or as that a snow run!) at Christmas time.
However perhaps the worst sin of all was how it handled its customers. Every airline does a bad job here. But jetBlue has had a chance to do something better. It just didnt. If you follow the story like this one in the NY Times - you realize that they reverted back to the tried old solution to the problem of what to do with angry customers: IE "Call Security". Several people I know have contacted me and (I am not sure if it is that they just want to vent) the stories sound bad.
JetBlue Cancels More Flights in Storm’s Wake
Listen jetBlue - do something that no one else has done. BE STRAIGHT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS.
And everyone else.... LEARN From this fiasco. Plan for the eventuality and PLEASE have a decent way to handle your customers. But dont dispair. Cheap prices will once again lure people back.
Cheers
Timothy
13 February 2007
Youtourist an idea that perhaps should not come?
In an effort to joint he Social Networking "craze" those horn dogs at the UNWTO have joined forces to create YouTourist. http://www.youtourist.net/
Already they are going to create a barrier to entry through the use of digital signatures. This undermines the very nature of true social networks. Like the Internet they should be free and open. Just because you create doesn't make it right or even desirable.
I wish them well with this. But I doubt it will be successful.
Let's just let this one die quietly please
Cheers
Timothy
Already they are going to create a barrier to entry through the use of digital signatures. This undermines the very nature of true social networks. Like the Internet they should be free and open. Just because you create doesn't make it right or even desirable.
I wish them well with this. But I doubt it will be successful.
Let's just let this one die quietly please
Cheers
Timothy
12 February 2007
TC+MyTravel - 1st Choice = Big Change (albeit a little late)
The realization that the mainline businesses of Tour Operating is perhaps a dinosaur has finally dawned on the powers that big at the Big VTOs in Europe. And perhaps not a moment too soon. You only have to look at the numbers to realize that the trends of LCC and market segmentation (aka fragmentation) are the dominant forces. Tour Operating has been flat for YEARS. First Choice's numbers have been getting better and their stock has performed as a result better than their larger counterparts.
With the squeeze coming from all quarters and with Lufthansa now fully out of the Thomas Cook business retailer Karstadt Quelle (not exactly a stellar performer in its own right) thinks it can remake the combined entity into the major power house it thinks it should be. Sounds good on paper. Big equals better. Well I am not convinced. Big has resulted in big alright... big losses at all the major players. Yes its about supply chain, but yes its about the consumer. Can KQ lead this new entity into a new era of revenue AND profit growth? Or is this the last dying wish of a dinosaur before it heads to oblivion?
One thing for sure.. the Sun Sand Sea Sex and Beer market is forever changed. I almost feel nostalgic for that simpler time............
With the squeeze coming from all quarters and with Lufthansa now fully out of the Thomas Cook business retailer Karstadt Quelle (not exactly a stellar performer in its own right) thinks it can remake the combined entity into the major power house it thinks it should be. Sounds good on paper. Big equals better. Well I am not convinced. Big has resulted in big alright... big losses at all the major players. Yes its about supply chain, but yes its about the consumer. Can KQ lead this new entity into a new era of revenue AND profit growth? Or is this the last dying wish of a dinosaur before it heads to oblivion?
One thing for sure.. the Sun Sand Sea Sex and Beer market is forever changed. I almost feel nostalgic for that simpler time............
08 February 2007
Amadeus - their finger on the pulse again
The new Amadeus future traveller study
Study doesn't address the reality - in my humble opinion. Why not?
Today we have essentially 3 classes of traveller: Leisure, Business, VFR. In Europe and Asia the emergence of the cost conscious traveller has fuelled the spectacular growth. The power of the unmanaged traveller too has dramatically changed the travel market. We believe that this is driven more by the opportunity than the consumer push. Either way there is no denying the success of the LCC model. Segmentation of the markets will continue and therefore to pick just 4 "tribes" seems to buck the underlying trend of the market fragmentation we have seen in all consumer categories, not just air tickets. Sorry - I don't buy the conclusion.
But dont take my word for it... here is where to get the whole report:
http://www.amadeus.com/amadeus/travellertribes.html
Study doesn't address the reality - in my humble opinion. Why not?
Today we have essentially 3 classes of traveller: Leisure, Business, VFR. In Europe and Asia the emergence of the cost conscious traveller has fuelled the spectacular growth. The power of the unmanaged traveller too has dramatically changed the travel market. We believe that this is driven more by the opportunity than the consumer push. Either way there is no denying the success of the LCC model. Segmentation of the markets will continue and therefore to pick just 4 "tribes" seems to buck the underlying trend of the market fragmentation we have seen in all consumer categories, not just air tickets. Sorry - I don't buy the conclusion.
But dont take my word for it... here is where to get the whole report:
http://www.amadeus.com/amadeus/travellertribes.html
And now the other shoe drops as BA charges for bags at LHR
Having successfully outsourced the bags at LHR - now BA is going to make money from it. Presumeably the passengers are now funding BA's years of inadequate pension funding through a hidden bag "tax".
Way to go Willie. You tell those Non-Irish Navvies.
Way to go Willie. You tell those Non-Irish Navvies.
Gerry! Gerry! Gerry!
Returning to his hideaway far from the madding crowds of the east coast – Gerald Grinstein, Delta Chairman and CEO was met with a loyal group of fans when he touched down on Friday night.
Best of luck to Gerry and the Delta staffers:
Does Oz need another airline... you bet!
The cozy duopoly that has permeated Australian aviation for decades may be coming to an end. If the Ryan Family+SQ JV Tiger Airways has its way it will deploy at least 3 possibly 5 A320s into the market. Returning the Airbus single aisle to at least a footprint there.
So will this shake up that cosy duopoly? Probably not. But it could easily be enough to get QF and little Blue to rethink some of their upwardly mobile pricing strategies.
Australia as a market should have more competitive pricing. Its price per mile ranks above average compared to other markets. Qantas makes great profits and potential for more is what drew TPG and Macquarie to make their successful bid.
Good luck Tony Davis. But you will need more than 5 planes to do this.
So will this shake up that cosy duopoly? Probably not. But it could easily be enough to get QF and little Blue to rethink some of their upwardly mobile pricing strategies.
Australia as a market should have more competitive pricing. Its price per mile ranks above average compared to other markets. Qantas makes great profits and potential for more is what drew TPG and Macquarie to make their successful bid.
Good luck Tony Davis. But you will need more than 5 planes to do this.
12 December 2006
Has Diller lost his touch?
Did Barry Diller and his team miss out on one of the best opportunities to address their issues in a BIG way?
Either someone is asleep at the switch or my judgement is failing me (both are possible!)
So why do I think that Diller should have made the run at Sabre?
Lets agree on the fact that it would make the absolute powerhouse worldwide. Creating a gameover effect across the board. It would probably pass regulatory inspection in the US but would have a hard time in EU. The cost of the 10% buyback is about $6.5 billion+ Sabre will go for less than $5 Billion. The resulting company would not create too big a problem for the technology and reduce the COGS in several areas. It would improve the faltering supply chain relationships and perhaps even make a kinder gentler face. In the newly married Michelle Peluso http://svc.travelocity.com/about/press/0,,TRAVELOCITY%7CBIO_CEO,00.html
it would have a first rate marketing exec. Even Sam could become useful. So a stronger footprint in OTA and a strong supply chain in Sabre plus good footprints in the Hotel and Air channels. This makes a lot of sence. But then nothing is ever this easy.
I suspect it is just bad timing. If this opportunity had presented itself 2 years ago - I am sure that EXP would have jumped at the chance. But now Diller, Dara and Co are running scared. Sure stockholders will get a boost but frankly - the bigger bet would have been to grab significant revenue growth and power across the globe. Can Expedia do it cheaper on their own? Probably but i still think it would have been a better use of the cash pile than resorting to a stock buy back.
Two Thumbs down
Cheers
Timothy
Either someone is asleep at the switch or my judgement is failing me (both are possible!)
So why do I think that Diller should have made the run at Sabre?
Lets agree on the fact that it would make the absolute powerhouse worldwide. Creating a gameover effect across the board. It would probably pass regulatory inspection in the US but would have a hard time in EU. The cost of the 10% buyback is about $6.5 billion+ Sabre will go for less than $5 Billion. The resulting company would not create too big a problem for the technology and reduce the COGS in several areas. It would improve the faltering supply chain relationships and perhaps even make a kinder gentler face. In the newly married Michelle Peluso http://svc.travelocity.com/about/press/0,,TRAVELOCITY%7CBIO_CEO,00.html
it would have a first rate marketing exec. Even Sam could become useful. So a stronger footprint in OTA and a strong supply chain in Sabre plus good footprints in the Hotel and Air channels. This makes a lot of sence. But then nothing is ever this easy.
I suspect it is just bad timing. If this opportunity had presented itself 2 years ago - I am sure that EXP would have jumped at the chance. But now Diller, Dara and Co are running scared. Sure stockholders will get a boost but frankly - the bigger bet would have been to grab significant revenue growth and power across the globe. Can Expedia do it cheaper on their own? Probably but i still think it would have been a better use of the cash pile than resorting to a stock buy back.
Two Thumbs down
Cheers
Timothy
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