Work/Life: Say It Ain't So, Shoeless Joe

Owen Wild — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:59:31 -0400

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson got that nickname for taking off his shoes once in the second game of a doubleheader in 1908.

One hundred and one years later, TSA is still making Shoeless Joes of us all with the apparently immutable requirement that we remove our shoes when entering the airport's walk-through metal detector.

Work/Life: What Are Your Chances of Getting Bumped From Your Next Flight?

Owen Wild — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:05:26 -0400

Bumping is the nemesis of the business traveler. Leisure travelers often have a certain amount of latitude as to when they need to arrive at a destination. Not so with the road warrior, who is a clockwork captive. While it is highly unlikely that any flier will be bumped from a flight for which they are holding a printed boarding pass, that pass, in reality, is no guarantee that you'll board your plane.

Work/Life: What Are the Chances for a Passenger Bill of Rights?

Owen Wild — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:29:02 -0400

When the founding fathers endowed us with certain inalienable rights I would have hoped they had the foresight to assume these truths would have been self-evident even when sitting on an airplane.

Unfortunately, it seems like the folks who decide how long is too long to sit cooped up inside a plane on the tarmac never read the Bill of Rights. Following the high-profile flier imprisonment incidents of the past few years, it's clear that the policy which spells out travelers' rights once they cross the threshold of the jet way need to be formalized.

Work/Life: The Bus Also Rises

Owen Wild — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:51:22 -0400

Anne Marie Chaker of The Wall Street Journal wrote an excellent review recently of the new bus services that have come onto the scene to cater to business travelers. Her story includes a charming video of her trip to Baltimore on Greyhound.

She calls her article "Planes, Trains ... and Buses?" I think it is beside the point to note that in the movie John Candy indeed boards a bus to get home — along with taxi, plane, train, rental car, delivery truck, semi, and subway.

Work/Life: Is the Cutback on Business Travel Cutting Into Business?

Owen Wild — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:40:14 -0400

Business travel is the oil that lubricates the wheels of business. I've always felt that companies that cut back on travel for business are cutting back on their business's prospects. Now several surveys say that while technology can help, nothing really can take the place of face-to-face meetings.

Work/Life: Take My Breathe Away

Owen Wild — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:20:58 -0400

I'm sure it comes as no news that spending time in a sealed, pressurized aluminum tube at high altitude is probably not the most healthful thing you can do to your body. For that reason, one would think that fliers might have something to say about the quality of the air up there.

Work/Life: I'll Never Find Another You...BlackBerry-Wise

Owen Wild — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:31:58 -0400

As I head out to NBTA (i.e., the 2009 National Business Travel Association International Convention & Exposition) in San Diego...

... I have to admit I can't make it to California without my BlackBerry.

I'm embarrassed to confess to it, but number me among the countless CrackBerry addicts dotting the landscape of business travel.

Work/Life: Let's Make Fixing the Air Traffic Control System a Priority

Owen Wild — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:01:30 -0400

It gets pretty cloudy in Juneau, Alaska. Constant overcast, plus the fact that the airport there is surrounded by mountains, has caused many flight delays and cancellations. Fifteen years ago Alaska Airlines (AA) came up with a better idea. The airline worked with the FAA and Boeing to design flight paths into the airport that curved instead of running in a straight line.

Work/Life: Carriers Need Wings. And Credibility, Too.

Owen Wild — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:46:51 -0400

Enough is enough.

On July 17, I blogged about Ryanair's announcement that it was mulling the idea of requiring passengers to pay to for potty privileges.

Ryanair has now topped itself. It now is floating the trial balloon that it can lower prices further by squishing more passengers into cabins made roomier by ripping out two of the three toilets. Frankly, I cannot imagine the condition of that single restroom. Nor can I imagine the waiting list for that restroom. They'll have to hand out deli numbers.

Work/Life: Back Up There

Owen Wild — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:22:31 -0400

Okay, I have a confession. For the past several months I have been a "virtual" road warrior. Like many of you I, too, have been affected by corporate travel restrictions. As a result, today I crossed the jetway threshold for the first time in a long time. Even with the intentional emphasis on hyperbole here — it was a very interesting experience.