Had a rough weekend of my back hurting--need new mattress at home--so decided to pay the $99 upgrade for business class. SOOOO glad I did! It is nice to spread out etc. and arrive a bit more relaxed even though it will be 1:30am my time!
Haven't been in business class for approx. 1 month. Here's what I notice compared to last Thursday's flight:
Seats are obviously bigger, and the "leather". Smarter tray table as it folds in half the way old fashioned planes used to. This is smart! Saves room/better design.
Never have a problem storing all luggage here just because there are fewer passengers.
MUCH quieter (except for Mr. Booming voice to my right but when he's not talking it is silent.)
Better snacks but again about the same as standard Southwest snacks.
Bathroom was actually very clean for an airline. No sticky floors.
Go-Go internet had some interesting but confusing categories of subscriptions. Said there was one to use for all airlines for 30 days. Hmmm. I can't imagine how I would have missed that before. Kinda feel like I couldn't have!
Seat storage was big enough to hold laptop, binder, and my music bag of ipod and headphones comfortably.
I guess I'm saying this is the life compared to coach.
Since flight back is only 2.5 hours and flight to DEN is over 3, if you only have the $$ to upgrade 1 way do it this way.
Found out from my neighbor about way to enroll in AirTran elite which is over and above their regular awards. I think he thinks I'm dumb since I didn't know of it, but now I will use it and get free flights faster! Yay neighbor!
Last note: left ATL in 90 degree weather in skirt and sandals. Just announced 32 degrees with snow!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Observations on Passengers and Overall Airline Rankings
I was sharing this info verbally with Derra who should get all the credit for telling me to blog it, so there's your credit Derra!
When I started this flying every week gig, I was mainly flying on Delta. Shortly after I lost my Silver Medallion status when I missed the mark by 1012 miles. It is then I decided to try all of the different airlines that fly directly between Atlanta and Denver. Here's what I noticed:
I had a lot fewer options and amenities on other carriers but I was usually more relaxed. I noticed that there is a terrible vibe on the Delta flights. I think it boils down to their Sky Miles program. The customers have so much invested in Delta that they keep flying with them just to get more points but they are soooo unhappy about Delta that while they are earning points they are still miserable.
Does this come down to poor customer service? Is it just that Delta knows they have sucked them in so now they can say "SUCK IT!"?
Those things are definitely true but I don't believe it can be all there is to it. Maybe it is a matter of expectations. Maybe the Delta fliers are just so jaded. All I know is that while I have more features and amenities on Delta than most other carriers, I am stressed and tense on the flight. I think I prefer to fly with the schmucks who don't expect anything and are just happy to arrive safely. I definitely land in a better mood that way.
Below you'll see how I have ranked Airlines overall. I'll use this formula on my individual flights to rank them each time. Maybe I'll find that my perception is not reality if I jot everything down as it happens.
Please let me know if you want me to add others to this list.
Seats:
a) comfort
b) quality of material
c) tray table
d) recline
e) what are the features on board/at my seat
f) do all features work
Results:
A) I like Frontier seats best for one reason: they have adjustable head rests which aid sleeping on the plane. United seats are the biggest in coach so they are second best on my list.
B) When you can get a flight with the "leather" seats on any carrier it is always preferred over cloth. Of course first class has the "leather" for all airlines, but this is mainly written for the cattle in coach, and I rarely get to first or business class so, I'm focusing on Coach unless otherwise specified.
AirTran, United and Delta have more flights with the "leather" in coach.
C) Tray tables overall are just there. Rarely do any stand out. I've been on some that I am too scared to put my laptop on though and will note that in future posts. Right now I can't remember which had those. Also, while some of you may like bulkhead seats, remember those are the tray tables that come out of the armrest as there are no seats in front of you. Those are always smaller and flimsier and I wouldn't trust them with anything heavier than your single-serving drinks and snacks.
D)I'll have to be more specific in individual posts. Just know that it seems to me that none recline a lot but when they do, they limit the person behind you so much they often can't get out of their seat. So, overall, seats are just too close together! Duh! Best seat in the house is usually the second row of the emergency exit row if your plane has it. See Seatguru.com.
Reason: your seat will recline and the seat in front of you can't. SCORE. Worth the time to get to airport early or the extra $20 (AirTran)?
E) Features and Amenities:
Delta has tvs with movies, games, a lot of good TV channels built into the seat you are facing on newer aircraft (they still use the old planes too which have the 1 monitor per every 8-10 rows.) Big downfall: they charge $2.00 for their headsets and some older planes will not take your headsets/headphones so you must buy theirs (which I won't.) Movies at time of writing cost $6.00. Pay for TV like HBO is $2.00 per episode. Free tv has sports, comedy central, etc. Games are pretty good, especially the trivia. No time restrictions so be careful when you buy your movie. They'll take your money even if you don't have time to finish. No warning on that. They also have go-go in-flight wireless internet.
Frontier warns you that you must buy your movie no later than 45 mins into flight. Frontier puts their cost for TV and Movies into the ticket that you buy then comes around and activates it for you. You can purchase on board too. No internet though. They say that is coming with their merger with Midwest. All of their planes that I've been on have the TV monitors in the seat in front of you. Sometimes the screen will not turn off. Both Delta and Frontier have a way to turn off the screen but I've been on a few flights where the middle seat's screen would not. Luckily I had a creative attendant who figured out we could block it with the security card! :) OH, that's what they are for!!!!! Should've known.
Bathroom:
a) cleanliness
b) stocked
Overall, know that if your flight's departure is late due to a late arriving flight
your cabin will be disgustingly dirty. Again, this is why I carry wipes and Lysol with me just in case. Also know that the cleaning crews are employed by the airports not the airlines, so there is no point in saying "the delta cleaning crew sucks". The only correct thing to say is "the atlanta cleaning crew sucks."
No matter when. I've had 6am flights (first of the day) on Frontier and Delta and the cabin overall was not clean, but especially the bathroom.
I even once had a United flight where I was the first passenger on the flight and I found the floor sticky, I finished the TP, there were no towels and NO SOAP.
Know what the flight attendants can do about this? NOT MUCH. They don't really get supplies or anyway to store them. At least not on the ATL-DEN route. When I alerted the United attendant he had to steal some soap from the other bathroom and then had to water it down to make it last. He also stole TP from the other bathroom and used his little drink napkins as the towels for the bathroom. He admitted that it happens a lot in ATL and that he doesn't think much of the ATL staff.
Boarding and De-boarding process
a) time
b) ease
c) overhead storage
Since Southwest lets you check 2 bags for free, their process kicks ass. Swiftly on and off. Strictly speaking they don't fly to ATL so I can't count them.
All the others suck except for Frontier. They board correctly so people don't hold you up. Also, if for some reason the flight is delayed they check to see how many people are connecting elsewhere and make announcements to alert everyone else to stay in their seats while those who are connecting get to go first. Sure some could abuse that but it is nice that they care enough to try. No other airline does this.
Attendants:
a) courteous
b) efficient
See above about the announcements. Delta's staff are the worst usually, especially if they are an Atlanta based crew. United's crew were the nicest However, the one singularly most unfair and rude attendant ever was a woman on Frontier. The entire crew was biased and only was nice to one male passenger (the guy next to me so I saw it all.) Every attendant fawned all over him. The male attendant actually said to him "coffee tea or me." The woman was hostile about anything she had to do for any customers. She wanted everyone to sit down, shut up, never get up or need anything. Oh, but Mr. Perfect could do no wrong and she gladly got off her ass for him.
Food and Drink options
Most airlines are going cashless. Others are only cash based. I know of none that take both so you must come with cash and cards just in case if you want to buy anything.
United has no snacks at all, free or purchase, you only get your drinks. First/Business gets a full meal. If you look at the offerings in their magazine they really have a lot of good looking stuff.
Frontier/Midwest gives away freshly warmed cookies on flights after 10am. Before that you get no snacks, just your drinks. Later in the day flights too offer sandwiches and other products from Udi's which is a decent food business. I've liked their product.
AirTran: you get the basic pretzels. (I've been in first/business on AT and they get a BASKET of goodies to choose from.)
Delta has a lot of options. Free snacks are their Biscoff cookies, pretzels or peanuts. Sometimes they'll let you have more than 1, other times they are tight-asses. For purchase they have combo boxes of junk mainly, a few healthier options. They also sometimes have good selections of cheese and fruit. This is the only airline that really has a lot of options for breakfast or the rest of the day, however, they aren't always available. Bummer here is you read the menu and then find out that your flight only has the combo boxes of crap.
Again, Southwest doesn't count really as I can't take them from ATL-DEN, but just fyi: they do not have drink carts. This means they come by and take your order and bring it to you. Seems less efficient for them but a great improvement for the customer as you never have to wait for that damn cart that is blocking the aisle. :)
Read individual flights in other posts for more specifics.
When I started this flying every week gig, I was mainly flying on Delta. Shortly after I lost my Silver Medallion status when I missed the mark by 1012 miles. It is then I decided to try all of the different airlines that fly directly between Atlanta and Denver. Here's what I noticed:
I had a lot fewer options and amenities on other carriers but I was usually more relaxed. I noticed that there is a terrible vibe on the Delta flights. I think it boils down to their Sky Miles program. The customers have so much invested in Delta that they keep flying with them just to get more points but they are soooo unhappy about Delta that while they are earning points they are still miserable.
Does this come down to poor customer service? Is it just that Delta knows they have sucked them in so now they can say "SUCK IT!"?
Those things are definitely true but I don't believe it can be all there is to it. Maybe it is a matter of expectations. Maybe the Delta fliers are just so jaded. All I know is that while I have more features and amenities on Delta than most other carriers, I am stressed and tense on the flight. I think I prefer to fly with the schmucks who don't expect anything and are just happy to arrive safely. I definitely land in a better mood that way.
Below you'll see how I have ranked Airlines overall. I'll use this formula on my individual flights to rank them each time. Maybe I'll find that my perception is not reality if I jot everything down as it happens.
Please let me know if you want me to add others to this list.
Seats:
a) comfort
b) quality of material
c) tray table
d) recline
e) what are the features on board/at my seat
f) do all features work
Results:
A) I like Frontier seats best for one reason: they have adjustable head rests which aid sleeping on the plane. United seats are the biggest in coach so they are second best on my list.
B) When you can get a flight with the "leather" seats on any carrier it is always preferred over cloth. Of course first class has the "leather" for all airlines, but this is mainly written for the cattle in coach, and I rarely get to first or business class so, I'm focusing on Coach unless otherwise specified.
AirTran, United and Delta have more flights with the "leather" in coach.
C) Tray tables overall are just there. Rarely do any stand out. I've been on some that I am too scared to put my laptop on though and will note that in future posts. Right now I can't remember which had those. Also, while some of you may like bulkhead seats, remember those are the tray tables that come out of the armrest as there are no seats in front of you. Those are always smaller and flimsier and I wouldn't trust them with anything heavier than your single-serving drinks and snacks.
D)I'll have to be more specific in individual posts. Just know that it seems to me that none recline a lot but when they do, they limit the person behind you so much they often can't get out of their seat. So, overall, seats are just too close together! Duh! Best seat in the house is usually the second row of the emergency exit row if your plane has it. See Seatguru.com.
Reason: your seat will recline and the seat in front of you can't. SCORE. Worth the time to get to airport early or the extra $20 (AirTran)?
E) Features and Amenities:
Delta has tvs with movies, games, a lot of good TV channels built into the seat you are facing on newer aircraft (they still use the old planes too which have the 1 monitor per every 8-10 rows.) Big downfall: they charge $2.00 for their headsets and some older planes will not take your headsets/headphones so you must buy theirs (which I won't.) Movies at time of writing cost $6.00. Pay for TV like HBO is $2.00 per episode. Free tv has sports, comedy central, etc. Games are pretty good, especially the trivia. No time restrictions so be careful when you buy your movie. They'll take your money even if you don't have time to finish. No warning on that. They also have go-go in-flight wireless internet.
Frontier warns you that you must buy your movie no later than 45 mins into flight. Frontier puts their cost for TV and Movies into the ticket that you buy then comes around and activates it for you. You can purchase on board too. No internet though. They say that is coming with their merger with Midwest. All of their planes that I've been on have the TV monitors in the seat in front of you. Sometimes the screen will not turn off. Both Delta and Frontier have a way to turn off the screen but I've been on a few flights where the middle seat's screen would not. Luckily I had a creative attendant who figured out we could block it with the security card! :) OH, that's what they are for!!!!! Should've known.
Bathroom:
a) cleanliness
b) stocked
Overall, know that if your flight's departure is late due to a late arriving flight
your cabin will be disgustingly dirty. Again, this is why I carry wipes and Lysol with me just in case. Also know that the cleaning crews are employed by the airports not the airlines, so there is no point in saying "the delta cleaning crew sucks". The only correct thing to say is "the atlanta cleaning crew sucks."
No matter when. I've had 6am flights (first of the day) on Frontier and Delta and the cabin overall was not clean, but especially the bathroom.
I even once had a United flight where I was the first passenger on the flight and I found the floor sticky, I finished the TP, there were no towels and NO SOAP.
Know what the flight attendants can do about this? NOT MUCH. They don't really get supplies or anyway to store them. At least not on the ATL-DEN route. When I alerted the United attendant he had to steal some soap from the other bathroom and then had to water it down to make it last. He also stole TP from the other bathroom and used his little drink napkins as the towels for the bathroom. He admitted that it happens a lot in ATL and that he doesn't think much of the ATL staff.
Boarding and De-boarding process
a) time
b) ease
c) overhead storage
Since Southwest lets you check 2 bags for free, their process kicks ass. Swiftly on and off. Strictly speaking they don't fly to ATL so I can't count them.
All the others suck except for Frontier. They board correctly so people don't hold you up. Also, if for some reason the flight is delayed they check to see how many people are connecting elsewhere and make announcements to alert everyone else to stay in their seats while those who are connecting get to go first. Sure some could abuse that but it is nice that they care enough to try. No other airline does this.
Attendants:
a) courteous
b) efficient
See above about the announcements. Delta's staff are the worst usually, especially if they are an Atlanta based crew. United's crew were the nicest However, the one singularly most unfair and rude attendant ever was a woman on Frontier. The entire crew was biased and only was nice to one male passenger (the guy next to me so I saw it all.) Every attendant fawned all over him. The male attendant actually said to him "coffee tea or me." The woman was hostile about anything she had to do for any customers. She wanted everyone to sit down, shut up, never get up or need anything. Oh, but Mr. Perfect could do no wrong and she gladly got off her ass for him.
Food and Drink options
Most airlines are going cashless. Others are only cash based. I know of none that take both so you must come with cash and cards just in case if you want to buy anything.
United has no snacks at all, free or purchase, you only get your drinks. First/Business gets a full meal. If you look at the offerings in their magazine they really have a lot of good looking stuff.
Frontier/Midwest gives away freshly warmed cookies on flights after 10am. Before that you get no snacks, just your drinks. Later in the day flights too offer sandwiches and other products from Udi's which is a decent food business. I've liked their product.
AirTran: you get the basic pretzels. (I've been in first/business on AT and they get a BASKET of goodies to choose from.)
Delta has a lot of options. Free snacks are their Biscoff cookies, pretzels or peanuts. Sometimes they'll let you have more than 1, other times they are tight-asses. For purchase they have combo boxes of junk mainly, a few healthier options. They also sometimes have good selections of cheese and fruit. This is the only airline that really has a lot of options for breakfast or the rest of the day, however, they aren't always available. Bummer here is you read the menu and then find out that your flight only has the combo boxes of crap.
Again, Southwest doesn't count really as I can't take them from ATL-DEN, but just fyi: they do not have drink carts. This means they come by and take your order and bring it to you. Seems less efficient for them but a great improvement for the customer as you never have to wait for that damn cart that is blocking the aisle. :)
Read individual flights in other posts for more specifics.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
4/22/10 Air Tran Flight DEN--ATL
(First in-flight blog entry--the way it SHOULD be so the attendants see me and FEAR! ;-) )
I haven't flown on AT in a few weeks (again, why I should have done this from the start) and now I can't remember what it was like just a few weeks ago.
Here's how it seems now:
I'm in coach and seats seem to recline a bit further than other airlines. I may do a search to see if there is a way to know whose coach seats recline the furthest and on which aircrafts. Any time I think of this I think of Ellen Degeneres' bit on airplane seats and "comfort".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3KvWVU-WgU&feature=related
And she's totally right about "the guy in front of me" too. I had this laptop out to do work and then blog and he reclines so much that the laptop got stuck into the seat and my gut simultaneously.
But the other thing about this plane is that the seat pockets are so tight it was hard to fit in my medium sized bottle of water and my small ipod/headphones pouch. Literally nothing else but a stick of gum could fit.
Now to rank this particular flight.
Seat: 16D aisle
a) not comfortable (see above) back aching no matter what, seat seems a bit less that a flotation device.
b) cheap cloth (we know they don't clean any type but...)
c) My tray table is a bit lopsided on the right but it is supporting my laptop (Dell Latitude I think a 13 inch laptop with 9 inch screen.
d) yes, and as I said above seems further back but not comfortable either way. I did not look to see if it was clean enough but I hope so! I now travel with a travel sized lysol after I got the flu last month.
e) features are limited to their XM radio (free) and pay for internet. I learned the hard way tonight that if you buy a go-go in flight internet on Delta flight it is NOT transferable to other Airlines! OUCH. What a racket.
Go-Go works like a champ though. Magazine in tiny pouch is good, good info and articles but torn up by now.
f)everything works except pouch is too small and tight.
Bathroom:
Key to bathroom is to go BEFORE you get on board. Short of that, go asap on board before anyone mucks it up too much. However, they are NEVER clean, particularly the floor.
a) NO--VERY sticky!
b) yes, stocked. It was beginning of flight.
Boarding and De-boarding process
a) time--I did not time it--sorry! Didn't feel too bad. I was in the first group to board.
b) ease--Unless I am in First class or flying Frontier my answer to this will always be NO. All airlines need to board in this way: if anyone needs help and will take a long time, board them early and first or last. NEVER any other time. All other passengers should be boarded by rear seats first and work up. And attendants should enforce that no one can put a bag further than 1 row away from where you are sitting.
c) overhead storage--it got full but no one did anything stupid and slowed us down.
Attendants:
a) courteous--in a civil not obsequious way yes.
b) efficient--yes except the ice and soda dispensing as ice kept landing on me and my laptop.
c) Announcements--not overbearing, not too loud and disruptive.
Food and Drink options:
Seems that they've expanded their pay-for-drinks. They even had chocolate milk. I know it may sound dumb but I think it is a nice addition. Standard Coke beverages. No food other than free pretzels.
Ok, time to put away and land. YAY.
Last note: De-boarding was not too bad considering. We had a considerable delay in Denver so we arrived late when most things were closed in ATL but AirTran staff stayed late to help all of those who missed their connections. I didn't hear much grumbling, which goes back to my overall theory about Air Tran passengers.
(see the post entitled Observations on Passengers and Overall Airline rankings.)
I haven't flown on AT in a few weeks (again, why I should have done this from the start) and now I can't remember what it was like just a few weeks ago.
Here's how it seems now:
I'm in coach and seats seem to recline a bit further than other airlines. I may do a search to see if there is a way to know whose coach seats recline the furthest and on which aircrafts. Any time I think of this I think of Ellen Degeneres' bit on airplane seats and "comfort".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3KvWVU-WgU&feature=related
And she's totally right about "the guy in front of me" too. I had this laptop out to do work and then blog and he reclines so much that the laptop got stuck into the seat and my gut simultaneously.
But the other thing about this plane is that the seat pockets are so tight it was hard to fit in my medium sized bottle of water and my small ipod/headphones pouch. Literally nothing else but a stick of gum could fit.
Now to rank this particular flight.
Seat: 16D aisle
a) not comfortable (see above) back aching no matter what, seat seems a bit less that a flotation device.
b) cheap cloth (we know they don't clean any type but...)
c) My tray table is a bit lopsided on the right but it is supporting my laptop (Dell Latitude I think a 13 inch laptop with 9 inch screen.
d) yes, and as I said above seems further back but not comfortable either way. I did not look to see if it was clean enough but I hope so! I now travel with a travel sized lysol after I got the flu last month.
e) features are limited to their XM radio (free) and pay for internet. I learned the hard way tonight that if you buy a go-go in flight internet on Delta flight it is NOT transferable to other Airlines! OUCH. What a racket.
Go-Go works like a champ though. Magazine in tiny pouch is good, good info and articles but torn up by now.
f)everything works except pouch is too small and tight.
Bathroom:
Key to bathroom is to go BEFORE you get on board. Short of that, go asap on board before anyone mucks it up too much. However, they are NEVER clean, particularly the floor.
a) NO--VERY sticky!
b) yes, stocked. It was beginning of flight.
Boarding and De-boarding process
a) time--I did not time it--sorry! Didn't feel too bad. I was in the first group to board.
b) ease--Unless I am in First class or flying Frontier my answer to this will always be NO. All airlines need to board in this way: if anyone needs help and will take a long time, board them early and first or last. NEVER any other time. All other passengers should be boarded by rear seats first and work up. And attendants should enforce that no one can put a bag further than 1 row away from where you are sitting.
c) overhead storage--it got full but no one did anything stupid and slowed us down.
Attendants:
a) courteous--in a civil not obsequious way yes.
b) efficient--yes except the ice and soda dispensing as ice kept landing on me and my laptop.
c) Announcements--not overbearing, not too loud and disruptive.
Food and Drink options:
Seems that they've expanded their pay-for-drinks. They even had chocolate milk. I know it may sound dumb but I think it is a nice addition. Standard Coke beverages. No food other than free pretzels.
Ok, time to put away and land. YAY.
Last note: De-boarding was not too bad considering. We had a considerable delay in Denver so we arrived late when most things were closed in ATL but AirTran staff stayed late to help all of those who missed their connections. I didn't hear much grumbling, which goes back to my overall theory about Air Tran passengers.
(see the post entitled Observations on Passengers and Overall Airline rankings.)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
How to make time for fun when traveling for work
Before I took this ATL-DEN gig every week I used to travel around the country. First for StayOnline then for Patient Care Technologies.
I usually would travel on Monday, immediately land and try to find somewhere cool to explore and have lunch or dinner before I got busy with the client on Tuesday.
If things were going well, or especially if they weren't and I needed to blow off steam, I had/made time to get out and do stuff. If nothing else, tried to take a walk and take pictures.
Below are some links to pix I took on work trips.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/ChicagoNovember08#
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/DayInChicagoInJanuaryWithDenise#
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/FirstTripToOconomowocWisconsin#
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/MilwaukeeCityArtAndLakeMichigan#
Below is my favorite work trip. The client kinda sucked and things weren't going well but I said fuck it and made time to go to the beach EVERY DAY. This meant I was at work every day at 8am until 4:30pm. Immediately I hopped in the car for the 30-40 minute drive to get to Monterrey/Pacific Beach every day. As this is my fave place in all of California I was in heaven. Work paid for the gas and the dinner. I stayed out to see the sunset every night. I had to then drive back to the hotel kinda late and work late but it was soo worth it!! I'd do it today in a heart beat.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/DoesThisLookLikeAWorkTrip02#
I will also try to go to a museum or whatever is cool and local. ALWAYS go to local places for food and eat local faves and locally made beer, especially small crafted beers including root beers. Illinois and Wisconsin were great for both.
Make sure you get on the net and also read the local papers. Don't be ashamed to grab that tourist guide in the airport/your hotel. For example, through it I found out that the Chicago Museum of Fine Art was free on a certain night. So, I planned my visit around that.
I've usually been lucky enough to go back to places at least 2x so the first trip is a scouting mission. If you can only go once you'll need to do more research before leaving. I like going on adventures and finding places. Too much planning of this nature can let me down but you'll need to find your comfort zone on this.
Now that I'm in Denver every week I am trying to do something fun every other week but it has ended up being every month only. I still follow the local rule. The bad part is that with the time difference and the M-F schedule I just don't have as much time.
I have made time for a GNO as well as a few trips downtown to my 2 fave book stores and saw Dave Eggers at Tattered Cover.
Goal for this summer/fall: go to a concert at Red Rocks. WOOT!
I usually would travel on Monday, immediately land and try to find somewhere cool to explore and have lunch or dinner before I got busy with the client on Tuesday.
If things were going well, or especially if they weren't and I needed to blow off steam, I had/made time to get out and do stuff. If nothing else, tried to take a walk and take pictures.
Below are some links to pix I took on work trips.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/ChicagoNovember08#
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/DayInChicagoInJanuaryWithDenise#
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/FirstTripToOconomowocWisconsin#
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/MilwaukeeCityArtAndLakeMichigan#
Below is my favorite work trip. The client kinda sucked and things weren't going well but I said fuck it and made time to go to the beach EVERY DAY. This meant I was at work every day at 8am until 4:30pm. Immediately I hopped in the car for the 30-40 minute drive to get to Monterrey/Pacific Beach every day. As this is my fave place in all of California I was in heaven. Work paid for the gas and the dinner. I stayed out to see the sunset every night. I had to then drive back to the hotel kinda late and work late but it was soo worth it!! I'd do it today in a heart beat.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/DoesThisLookLikeAWorkTrip02#
I will also try to go to a museum or whatever is cool and local. ALWAYS go to local places for food and eat local faves and locally made beer, especially small crafted beers including root beers. Illinois and Wisconsin were great for both.
Make sure you get on the net and also read the local papers. Don't be ashamed to grab that tourist guide in the airport/your hotel. For example, through it I found out that the Chicago Museum of Fine Art was free on a certain night. So, I planned my visit around that.
I've usually been lucky enough to go back to places at least 2x so the first trip is a scouting mission. If you can only go once you'll need to do more research before leaving. I like going on adventures and finding places. Too much planning of this nature can let me down but you'll need to find your comfort zone on this.
Now that I'm in Denver every week I am trying to do something fun every other week but it has ended up being every month only. I still follow the local rule. The bad part is that with the time difference and the M-F schedule I just don't have as much time.
I have made time for a GNO as well as a few trips downtown to my 2 fave book stores and saw Dave Eggers at Tattered Cover.
Goal for this summer/fall: go to a concert at Red Rocks. WOOT!
The Infamous Oklahoma trip
Not to be too lazy but I did such a good job chronicling my arduous, harrowing and nearly aneurysm inducing time in OK that I will just give you the run up to the event and then direct you to my Picasa pix instead of posting them all here.
I flew into Lawton OK on a Monday and paid close attention to the route that the Enterprise shuttle driver took and how long it took her to get to the Enterprise office. There are no on site car rental companies here. So, when coming back to the airport on Thursday to get the hell out of a town that a) thinks a salad that consists of iceberg, croutons, french dressing, 1 cherry tomato and then tons of SALT = vegetables and 2) a big area if not whole state was literally depressed when Obama won, I made sure I left plenty of time for the drive from Enterprise to the airport.
Well, the 2 guys working that day made me wait 10 mins and then one decided he may as well take me. As he drove, this time just a car, not a shuttle because it was just him and me, he narrated about how he had just graduated from High School in June and over there is his High School. Over there is his favorite chinese. Back yonder is the bowling alley. Oh, and here's his church. At this point I'm thinking I don't recognize very many of the places that the lady drove by on Monday. Hmmm me thinks.
Next thing I know we are at a dead stop. We sit there for a good long 5 mins which is like 30 to me without him trying to figure out what the problem might be, just saying "Hmm, I wonder if there was an accident." I ask "Is there another way to the airport?"
"Yeah, but it is longer."
So, we wait a few mins more with nothing happening.
I then communicate that we can't just sit here, I must get to the airport and he then gets out and walks for a minute to see that everyone is stopped for a train.
I think how much longer can we wait for this train? So we wait a few mins more. Now at this point, because this happened a couple of years ago now I cannot remember how much time has elapsed total, but my guess would be 12-18 mins. 12-18 precious minutes.
So I tell dear tour guide that I am in jeopardy of missing my flight and he better figure out how to get me there on time.
So, he gets out of the queue and takes me another way. We have a few more stops and it is longer but we are moving. I encourage him to drive as fast as he likes--I won't tell!
We now pull up to the airport exactly 47 mins before my little prop plane is to take me to Dallas to then take me to ATL. I rush into the airport and am relieved to see that there is no line, I get right up front, present my id and pre-printed out boarding pass, etc, and plop my bag to be weighed and checked in.
The Delta agent whom I shall endearingly call Sourpuss takes my paperwork and id, pushes it back to me, and says that I've missed my flight. I say that is impossible.
Sourpuss then tells me that since I have checked luggage I had to be here and have my bag checked in no later than 45 mins prior to the flight. I again check my watch. I am now there 44 mins till the flight.
"But Ms Sourpuss, I was in line 45 mins prior to the flight. it is just now 44 mins till. Surely we can squeeze one bag in?"
"No we cannot."
"Why not?"
"We won't get it through the scan and security in time."
Ok, now, please look at the pix of this airport for greater clarity and empathy with your dear narrator.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/BOREDOMOklahoma#
As you just saw they certainly could have gotten it from point A to point B in less than 10 mins. they just wouldn't.
No matter how much I begged, pleaded, cajoled, etc. it was all futile. That woman wanted me to sit there for no damn reason for over 3 hours!
Again, look at the pix and just imagine for yourself! And you know me. You know that this did NOT sit well with me. I am still fuming about it thinking about it years later.
Suffice to say, you know know more of damn good reasons to hate Delta, why I hate to check luggage and rarely do, why I haven't gone back to Enterprise rental car and why I left 2 hours earlier the next time that I had to fly through that damn airport. Oh, and btw: I never want to return to OK--EVER.
....
I flew into Lawton OK on a Monday and paid close attention to the route that the Enterprise shuttle driver took and how long it took her to get to the Enterprise office. There are no on site car rental companies here. So, when coming back to the airport on Thursday to get the hell out of a town that a) thinks a salad that consists of iceberg, croutons, french dressing, 1 cherry tomato and then tons of SALT = vegetables and 2) a big area if not whole state was literally depressed when Obama won, I made sure I left plenty of time for the drive from Enterprise to the airport.
Well, the 2 guys working that day made me wait 10 mins and then one decided he may as well take me. As he drove, this time just a car, not a shuttle because it was just him and me, he narrated about how he had just graduated from High School in June and over there is his High School. Over there is his favorite chinese. Back yonder is the bowling alley. Oh, and here's his church. At this point I'm thinking I don't recognize very many of the places that the lady drove by on Monday. Hmmm me thinks.
Next thing I know we are at a dead stop. We sit there for a good long 5 mins which is like 30 to me without him trying to figure out what the problem might be, just saying "Hmm, I wonder if there was an accident." I ask "Is there another way to the airport?"
"Yeah, but it is longer."
So, we wait a few mins more with nothing happening.
I then communicate that we can't just sit here, I must get to the airport and he then gets out and walks for a minute to see that everyone is stopped for a train.
I think how much longer can we wait for this train? So we wait a few mins more. Now at this point, because this happened a couple of years ago now I cannot remember how much time has elapsed total, but my guess would be 12-18 mins. 12-18 precious minutes.
So I tell dear tour guide that I am in jeopardy of missing my flight and he better figure out how to get me there on time.
So, he gets out of the queue and takes me another way. We have a few more stops and it is longer but we are moving. I encourage him to drive as fast as he likes--I won't tell!
We now pull up to the airport exactly 47 mins before my little prop plane is to take me to Dallas to then take me to ATL. I rush into the airport and am relieved to see that there is no line, I get right up front, present my id and pre-printed out boarding pass, etc, and plop my bag to be weighed and checked in.
The Delta agent whom I shall endearingly call Sourpuss takes my paperwork and id, pushes it back to me, and says that I've missed my flight. I say that is impossible.
Sourpuss then tells me that since I have checked luggage I had to be here and have my bag checked in no later than 45 mins prior to the flight. I again check my watch. I am now there 44 mins till the flight.
"But Ms Sourpuss, I was in line 45 mins prior to the flight. it is just now 44 mins till. Surely we can squeeze one bag in?"
"No we cannot."
"Why not?"
"We won't get it through the scan and security in time."
Ok, now, please look at the pix of this airport for greater clarity and empathy with your dear narrator.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.drabble/BOREDOMOklahoma#
As you just saw they certainly could have gotten it from point A to point B in less than 10 mins. they just wouldn't.
No matter how much I begged, pleaded, cajoled, etc. it was all futile. That woman wanted me to sit there for no damn reason for over 3 hours!
Again, look at the pix and just imagine for yourself! And you know me. You know that this did NOT sit well with me. I am still fuming about it thinking about it years later.
Suffice to say, you know know more of damn good reasons to hate Delta, why I hate to check luggage and rarely do, why I haven't gone back to Enterprise rental car and why I left 2 hours earlier the next time that I had to fly through that damn airport. Oh, and btw: I never want to return to OK--EVER.
....
Southwest Flights April 15th and 18th 2010
Southwest gets a lot of praise in the industry. We'll see if they can earn back my respect after this trip.
The setup: Took SW from DEN to Philly for cousin's wedding. Was really looking forward to the trip in general and just flying SW too. I had to work a bit though so had to take my computer bag. Only took a carry-on with it.
GOOD:
Flight in general was fine. I know a lot of people complain about the cattle call. I don't mind that as long as people keep to the honor system. I was in section B. Had to sit in a middle seat but got the exit row between a group of Community College baseball players. Dude next to me watched the best baseball movie of all time: The Sandlot. :0
Seat comfy enough. Attendants were nice and friendly. Snacks plentiful and a decent assortment (as good as AT's business class) and no stupid cart in middle of aisle!
Time to get in an off was super quick--less than 10 mins for whole plane. I had forgotten that they allow 2 free check in bags. HUGE difference. Seats full, overhead bins only half full.
Just eh:
Cleanliness of bathroom.
Bad:
No amenities such as TV or internet. They were supposed to have internet but it was "down". Later heard that it isn't really installed yet.
So, the flight back to Denver was basically the same.
Bathroom was a bit cleaner which I was happy for because something the day before did not agree with me and I had a bit of Delhi belly. OH, and this is after a lot of shiznit at the Philly airport. I could not order the crab at Chickie's and Pete's because of MSG in seasonings so had to settle for a really really lame pizza steak--ugh--airport food! But I did get 3 good and fresh Philly pretzels. Anyway, at C&P the woman next to me at the bar was hammered! After a while she started getting a bit belligerent and challenging me to things. When I pushed my food away from me to start to get the hell away from her and pack up and go to gate, she started eating my food. I thought, whatever, until she started spittle-ing it out at me because "I can't chew it."
At this point I'm really starting to try to get the hell out of there. She now stands up and goes to bend over to get something out of her bag and then falls over and passes out. FUN!!
So, anyway, prior to this, at the wedding, my cousin's family gave parting gifts to all of homemade (read in a bathtub) Lithuanian liquor. Simon had complained how I had filled up his suitcase too much with clothes and shoes from home instead of me taking too much of my denver stash that week. So, I decided to use that SW checked bag thing. I filled my carry on till it couldn't fill no mores with my clothes, shoes, jewelry--ALL of my jewelry, the liquor and some other wedding souvenirs.
Back to the Delhi Belly: land and go straight to bathroom. There a bit longer than normal. Get to the luggage carousel and find there are NO bags left from my philly flight. EMPTY.
Long story short: 7 days later they are still looking for it. :(
VERY sad about losing the earrings especially as a lot were special, including what Simon made for me.
Will update this around the 15 day mark when they say a lot of bags turn up.
Yeah, sure they do. Uh-huh.
Pictures are from the scene of the crime!!!
Starting to Blog my "life"
Hello,
I started a 100% travel job in Feb 2010. It is now April 2010. After telling a friend some of the trials and tribulations of traveling she encouraged me to do a blog about it.
Sounded like an excellent idea and I wish I had thought of it sooner as I've already forgotten a lot of the travel experiences in the past 8 weeks. 8 weeks roughly translates to 16 flights. Doesn't sound like much maybe but so far it has been a great sampling of what is right and wrong in the travel industry.
First I'll try to get caught up as best I can then I'll endeavor to stay current.
Here's what I hope to accomplish:
Personal:
a) it will be a nice experiment to try to be a faithful blogger.
b) I think I remember well in general but obviously that's not true so this will serve to allow me to remember more of other things once I dump the info here.
Money:
since this should end up being a good account of everything out there you or at least I will choose a bit more wisely who to give your money to when you travel.
Travel:
If anyone from the travel industry should happen to read this maybe, but don't hold your breath, things might improve.
You:
you all can feel free to post your opinions and experiences too.
I started a 100% travel job in Feb 2010. It is now April 2010. After telling a friend some of the trials and tribulations of traveling she encouraged me to do a blog about it.
Sounded like an excellent idea and I wish I had thought of it sooner as I've already forgotten a lot of the travel experiences in the past 8 weeks. 8 weeks roughly translates to 16 flights. Doesn't sound like much maybe but so far it has been a great sampling of what is right and wrong in the travel industry.
First I'll try to get caught up as best I can then I'll endeavor to stay current.
Here's what I hope to accomplish:
Personal:
a) it will be a nice experiment to try to be a faithful blogger.
b) I think I remember well in general but obviously that's not true so this will serve to allow me to remember more of other things once I dump the info here.
Money:
since this should end up being a good account of everything out there you or at least I will choose a bit more wisely who to give your money to when you travel.
Travel:
If anyone from the travel industry should happen to read this maybe, but don't hold your breath, things might improve.
You:
you all can feel free to post your opinions and experiences too.
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