Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after taking a month’s break. We see if there’s anything to the TSA’s recent attempts to reduce security line waits — the Clear Registered Traveler and the Diamond Lane Self-Select programs. We also take a look at Southwest’s attempts to attract more business travelers. A listener story on traveling injured causes us to look into the cost trade-offs of air ambulance services, while another listener points us to the perfect song for the summer travel season. Here’s a direct link to the podcast file.


Here are the show notes from TravelCommons podcast #65:

    • Intro music — Warmth by Makkina
    • Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago, Illinois
    • Other family “creative” obligations forced me to take a month off of the podcast
    • Playing around with the Dopplr travel website — it’s not bad, but hasn’t yet provided a serendipitous meet-up with other friends on the road
    • However, Dopplr helpfully totes up the carbon footprint for my travels
    • Bridge Music — Discipline by Nine Inch Nails

Following Up

New Ways to the Front of the Line

Southwest Skips the Nickels & Dimes

    • Southwest Airline’s Fees Don’t Fly With Us ad campaign goes straight at the legacy carriers’ new-found love of add-on fees
    • Southwest is becoming more attractive to frequent business travelers
    • Their Business Select program removes the “cattle-car” boarding queue that everyone hated
    • Southwest’s gate areas in Midway (MDW), Cleveland (CLE), and Balimore-Washington Int’l (BWI) are impressive — comfortable seats and lots of easy-to-find electrical outlets
    • But Southwest still can’t match the value of the frequent flier awards I receive from United Airlines

Closing

2 comments on “Podcast #65 – New Ways to the Front of the Line; Southwest Skips Nickel & Dimes

  1. How long are the airlines going to be permitted to screw their customers until congress gets involved? it’s a clear end run around raising their fares, how stupid to they think we are?

  2. mark says:

    The Clear line was worth it yesterday in SFO. The United premium security line was 2-3 turns deep while the Clear line was empty. Watching the machine’s screen, I was able to get fingerprint recognition on my first try.

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