The debate continues about whether inflight use of electronics–specifically cell phones–poses a safety risk. As the FCC and the FAA ponder this issue, the flying public seems doubtful about the risk but fearful that allowing cell phones inflight might just add to the unpleasantness of air travel. Meanwhile, Dallas Morning News airlines reporter Terry Maxon received some interesting letters from pilots who had experienced aircraft irregularities that seemed clearly linked to cell phone usage–sometimes even their own phones, which they had forgotten to turn off. What happens when the pilot’s cell phone rings inflight? Ooops. Read the letters here.
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Third time’s a charm
Gary Leff, knower of all things frequent flyer, swears that his most important tip is this: Hang Up, Call Back (HUCB). When a customer service agent doesn’t give you the answer you want–or even the answer you know to be true–politely say goodbye, dial again and hope for better results in the next call. Gary suggests trying at least three times before giving up.
Truth be told, this tip always seemed a little unbelievable to me. Customer service agents were all on the same page (literally: the manual), I thought. But I had occasion to put the tip to use this weekend. And now I’m a believer.
I faced a simple task: Cancel one night on a three-night reservation at a Hilton.
Call #1: The agent looked a moment at my reservation, muttered, “Hmmm,” (never a good sign) and told me she’d need to speak to a supervisor. We were then cut off. Coincidence or bad luck? I think not.
Call #2: The agent told me Hilton could not alter the reservation because it was made through a convention housing service. She provided me the housing service’s 800 number. So helpful! Not. The recording informed me I had just won a cruise (if I would stay on the line). Clearly the wrong number. Which is when I remembered Gary’s advice.
Call #3: After the agent told me the same story about the housing service and gave me the 800#, which I knew to be the bogus cruise prize phone number, I protested. I politely explained why I believed Hilton was actually the party that should change the reservation. She put me on hold to talk to her supervisor and eventually came back to tell me the reservation had been changed. Eureka. Lesson learned: Thank you, Gary!
A map label, politics and a pickle
“Can we change Arabian Sea to Persian Gulf?” the copyeditor asked. A simple question, right? Not so simple, it turns out. The body of water was labeled on an illustrated map of the UAE within a story on Abu Dhabi I was editing.
I did a little search to get up to speed and learned there is a politically sensitive controversy surrounding this. In a nutshell, many Arab countries (such as the UAE) prefer now to call this the Arabian Sea because it abuts the Arabian Peninsula. Between the lines, the dispute also plays into a growing rivalry these countries have with Iran. The name puts a stake in the ground–or in this case, the sea–for the Arabs.
How to handle? Executive Travel uses a modified AP style, and AP suggests Persian Gulf, except in direct quotes. But it has always been our policy to use local writers for travel pieces and to reflect an insider’s view of a city or country. After some discussion, we decided to stay true to our “local insight” approach and go with Arabian Sea. It’s a small matter–just a label on a map–but this pickle is an example of what makes travel writing so interesting. What would you do?
PreCheck’s expansion: Good or bad?
The TSA announced last week that it plans to expand its successful PreCheck program so that travelers can apply for an airline-agnostic “membership” that will cost $85 for five years. The agency can be applauded for taking a program that has been universally applauded and availing it to more participants. All good, right?
Not necessarily. I’m a little distrustful about a couple of things. First, I wonder how great the impact will be. I’m sure (well, I hope) they’ve run the numbers. But the fact is that the majority of air passengers fly only a few times a year (at most). The program does not necessarily make sense for these passengers, or for families that would pay hundreds of dollars to participate together.
Second, if the expansion is successful, I fear an onslaught of participants will negate the biggest benefit: no lines. Yes, it’s nice not to remove shoes/laptop, but this will be less of a luxury after waiting in a long line. But perhaps they will be able to pull off expanded or reallocated staffing.
I’m going to be optimistic and hope this expansion works, but I admit I’m distrustful. The TSA is a little like a bad boyfriend: I hope that “this time will be different.”
Getting paid to park at SFO
Airport parking can really eat up a budget, especially when it’s for vacation and not reimbursed. So I was curious to try out FlightCar for a recent trip, a new enterprise at SFO (also BOS).
The concept is simple: Leave your car in their parking lot, and FlightCar rents it to other travelers while you’re away. Sounds ridiculous, right? And risky. But I was eager to save the $150 we’d pay in parking. And wouldn’t mind a little bonus if the car–a scuffed, five-year-old minivan–was rented. Ten days later and with a $60 check in hand , I’m sold.
FlightCar is the brainchild of three teens (the company’s CEO is 18!) who saw an opportunity of duplication: airport parking lots full of cars, and airport rental car lots full of cars. While their customer base appears to be growing, they’re facing a full-on legal battle with the City of San Francisco, which wants a cut of the action through taxes.
On our trip the company’s execution was excellent, with just a few rough edges. We reserved a spot online. Easy. On the day of the trip we called to let them know we were 10 minutes away. A limo drove us from the lot to the airport. On the return trip, we called when our flight landed and the limo met us at the curb. Once at the parking lot, we were given our freshly washed car and a check for $60.
The only sign that anyone else had used the car was a pair of Stanford parking stickers in the glove box. And the only delay was when our car was blocked by a car just dropped off–it apparently had a manual transmission, which none of the employees knew how to get in gear.
Sure there may be some risks. But FlightCar has them pretty well covered in the website FAQ. (And I’m not sure I’d use it if my ride was a just-off-the-lot luxury car.) But I give it a thumbs-up after our simple test drive.