Enjoying a couple of weeks at home, in this episode we talk about the load level records being set by US airlines and its effects on travel courtesy. Also, the challenge of finding the one thing you “gotta do” when you visit a new place. Here’s a direct link to the podcast file.
Here are the show notes from TravelCommons podcast #41:
- Intro music — Warmth by Makkina
- Recorded in the suburban Chicago studios
- Been in town for 2 weeks now, triangulating between home, rural Illinois, and my downtown Chicago office
- Bridge Music — Wanna luv you by Henta Ellis
- Listener feedback on T/C #40, the first-year anniversary episode
- Some surprising facts about the SkyMall catalog
- Geoff Slater talks about his good experience with American Airlines’ AAdvantage agents
- Ed Vawter of the Searching The Internet podcast gives an audio review of Yahoo’s Farechase travel meta-search site
- T/C #2 discussed the love-hate relationship the travel industry has with these meta-search sites. T/C #2 can be found in the archives under May 2005. The meta-search topic is 10:50 minutes into the show
- Bridge Music — Snub-Nosed Aardvark by Derek K. Miller
- The planes are full and are expected to be getting fuller
- Everybody who to Sociology 101 in college knows that crowding increases stress
- Travel courtesies seem to be breaking down regarding overhead bin space
- Bridge Music — Baja Taxi by Brain Buckit
- When visiting some place new, always want to know “What’s the one thing I should do or see?”
- United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine has a good feature — Three Days in… — for finding those “gotta do’s”
- Listened to two Swedish podcasts to prepare for my vacation to Sweden — the Polarbear Podcast and Radio Sweden’s news podcast, but didn’t find any “gotta do’s”
- Used my old standby Chowhound.com to find some “don’t miss” restaurants in Stockholm
- Closing music — iTunes link to
Pictures of You by Evangeline
- Bridge music from the Podsafe Music Network
- Feedback at comments[at]travelcommons.com, the comment board on podcastalley.com, or right here in the comments section below
- Direct link to the show
4 comments on “Podcast #41 – Full to the Brim, What’s the One Thing…?”
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If you have a list of “gotta dos” for Chicago, you should come on my show and share them. I have had some requests for information on Chicago from at least one listener from Argentina who travels up your way periodically.
Another great podcast Mark and the new WordPress blog loks great!
I loved your stories about the overhead luggage problems. Couple of additional stories. On a recent flight on United, after they called first class, they then called for premiers, premier execs, etc and almost the whole waiting area got in line! There were only about 5 or 6 people not in line! Everyone crowds on as soon as possible in order get that overhead space, but when 90% of the plane has that privilege it creates problems.
Regarding the unofficial rules/etiquette for overhead luggage, I have witnessed people take out luggage in the overhead without asking anyone and proceed to move it four or five rows towards the back of the plane and then place their bag in the overhead bin above their seat. This created a major incident since the person who’s bag was moved had to make a tight connection upon landing and he noticed what had happened. It escalated to the point where the flight attendant had to intervene and placed the person’s bag with the tight connection in the closet in the front of the plane.
With planes as packed as they are its almost certain to lead to more air rage especially during the busy summer travel season.
Ed of Searching the Internet podcast
I heard this song on Jonathan Coulton’s Thing a Week podcast and couldn’t help but think of the recent episode with facts about skymall.
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/music/thingaweek/SkyMall.mp3
When I fly in the US, I very rarely get a boarding pass without the dreaded SSSS on it. I assume this is because I’m usually either on a one-way or a convoluted multiple segment ticket, often bought from a dodgy third-world country (what can I say — I like a deal when I see one). Anyway, my reaction’s usually different from your friend Mike’s: the secondary screening itself only takes a minute, and I’ve learned that I can often skip the long lines to the regular screening by pointing out the SSSS to the “gatekeeper”. I’m sure the secondary screening has been a net time saver for me on multiple occasions.