IPad vs. Netbook — First Impressions
Last week, I swapped my standard corporate-issue Dell Latitude E6400 laptop for an HP Mini 5102 netbook and an Apple Wi-Fi + 3G iPad. After a week’s trip to Scottsdale with my lighter (by 1.4 lbs) briefcase, I found myself liking both devices, but for very different reasons…
Up in the Air — Captures Life in the “Travel Bubble”
Last Friday night, my wife and I found the one theater in Chicago showing Up in the Air (it’s in very limited release until Christmas). Ever since the preview trailers hit the Web, people have been asking me — “Is this what your life is like?” Watching the opening sequence — a montage of Ryan...
Skipping the Rental Car
Last week, I had to get from downtown Washington DC to a Northern Virginia suburb for a client dinner. I looked at the Metro map, rang up some car services, but finally gritted my teeth and rented a car. That’s pretty much my attitude toward car rentals these days — the choice of last resort....
Shoehorning In More Plane Seats
A Wall Street Journal Middle Seat column illustrated how airlines can make a good thing bad — flipping the proverb to turn a silk purse into a sow’s ear. In March, American Airlines restarted their program to replace their old gas-guzzling MD-80’s with sparkling new Boeing 737-800’s. As someone who earned 2+ million American AAdvantage...
Gratuitous Research On WiFi Cravings
“What do tech-savvy frequent flyers want most? The desire to stay connected via Wi-Fi topped the technology requests, according to a new study conducted by American Airlines and HP,” says an HP press release from last week. The online survey conducted by American Airlines reports that “47 percent of business travelers surveyed indicated Wi-Fi was...
What’s the Value of Business Class… to the Passenger?
The International Air Transport Association reported earlier this month that premium ticket purchases fell 21% globally in February — which follows January’s decline of 16.7%. Part of the drop is due to falling air traffic, but a good bit of it is from tighter corporate travel policies that are pushing mid-level executives to the back of...
Denver TSA Performance Poor Because of Management Harrassment
I travel frequently through Denver International Airport (DEN) to visit family and to ski. From this first-hand experience, I’ve always believed that the DEN TSA crew is among the nation’s worst. According to an internal TSA report, a key reason is the local TSA management. Denver’s NBC affiliate obtained a copy of the report and...
Video – Impressions of Vietnam
After returning from a 10-day visit to Vietnam, friends and TravelCommons podcast listeners asked me a lot of questions about our trip. In this video, I answer the most common question — “How did they treat you when they found out you were American?” — and give my impressions of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon),...