Labor Day is the traditional start of US political campaigns and the associated silliness of political speeches. Evan Sparks’ Aviation Policy Blog pointed to a speech by Barack Obama in which he lauds Chinese investment in travel infrastructure — airports, train systems — and asks “Why aren’t we doing the same thing?” It’s a good…
Read MoreRecorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after a couple of weeks in Thailand and Singapore. In this episode, I talk about some of my experiences in Asia, including a few travel (mis)adventures. We also talk about losing laptops in airports — comments on a study claiming that 12,000 laptops are lost in airports…
Read MoreToday’s Chicago Tribune gave front page coverage to a US Department of Transportation consumer forum on air travel. The story’s title, You Are Now Free To Take A Flying Leap, says it all. The reporter’s conclusion is disheartening realistic — “airline passengers received an unapologetic warning at the forum that customer service will continue to…
Read MoreRecorded 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…
Read MoreI’ve had first hand experience with a couple of the TSA’s recent attempts to provide an “overall increase in throughput” — the Registered Traveler program and the Diamond Lane Self-Select program. To save you the suspense, neither is going to create a sudden outpouring of love for the TSA.
Read MoreFinally recorded in the Brooklyn Marriott in New York after hauling my recording gear across the Atlantic to Amsterdam, over to Minneapolis, and finally to New York. In this episode, a number of listeners comment on airport security, we talk about breaking out of the “travel bubble” that insulates so many frequent travelers from the…
Read MoreGearing up for the 3rd anniversary of TravelCommons next month, here’s a link to the first “greatest hits” episode — the Best of TravelCommons 2005. Listening to it again after a couple of years, the medley of hotel bathrooms is a chuckle, but the the travel story excerpts is what makes this episode worth listening…
Read MoreRecorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after a week of skiing in Colorado. In this episode, we talk about some of the difficulties faced by today’s frequent travelers. A listener gives a blow-by-blow account of the myriad of lines he faced trying to get home from Newark. Another listener relates about the challenges…
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