Owen Wild

Work/Life: Ad Nausea?

Owen Wild — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:32:36 -0400

I have to disagree with Michelle Higgins (A Plane? More Like a Flying Magazine) that advertising on airplanes is the last straw.

Work/Life: Are Private Terminals and Small Planes the Future of Air Travel?

Owen Wild — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:39:58 -0400

With the network air carriers pulling service to mid-tier-city airports around the U.S., air service from private terminals is filling the vacuum in places like Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

USA Today reports that SeaPort Airlines recently began flying between the two cities using nine-seat Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.

Work/Life: Is À La Carte Cruising in Your Future?

Owen Wild — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:32:08 -0400

The next time you are toot-tooted aboard a cruise ship, come prepared with more than just your swimsuit: The à la carte revenue model that has swept the airline industry may be coming to a cruise line near you.

Perhaps a topic oversimplified by the press, the practice of charging consumers for services they select (how novel! how capitalistic!) has been stigmatized as "nickel and diming."

Work/Life: ...But Boss, I Saved $15 at the Bunny Ranch!

Owen Wild — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:18:34 -0400

The unpopularity of American Airlines' $15 first-checked-bag fee is stimulating the creative impulse in marketers who want to tap into travelers' desire to get some relief from the airlines' expanding list of fees.

While nobody can turn back the clock to the fee-less past, certain civic-minded groups are stopping up to the plate, like the doctor or dentist who validates your parking, to pick up the change for their customers.

Now you can add to that list a Nevada brothel.

Work/Life: Bringing Chaos Out of Order

Owen Wild — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:07:17 -0400

American Airlines may rediscover in the most unwelcome way possible that the Law of Unintended Consequences is not only alive and well, but probably was invented in an airport terminal.

In fact, American may end up erecting a statue to that law once the full implications of their new first-checked-bag fee policy goes into effect on Sunday, June 15.

Think about it. Not about the $15 or more you won't have in your pocket. I've almost come to terms with that. Think of what's going to happen in those ticket and check-in lines.

Work/Life: Silverjet Strikeout Makes Three

Owen Wild — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:49:05 -0400

And then there was one.

L'Avion is the last of the pure business-class airlines still flying.

Work/Life: Orbitz Poll Says No to Inflight Internet

Owen Wild — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:17:32 -0400

A recent Orbitz poll says business travelers "don't feel the need or desire to be connected at 30,000 feet."

But don't count me among the nearly six in 10 who prefers to keep the air up there a refuge from the Internet.

Sure, I can appreciate the airborne downtime that comes with unplugging from our always-on world. On the other hand, an airborne Internet would give me not only better productivity but up-to-date new and improved entertainment choices.

Work/Life: Have Mobile Tech, Will Travel

Owen Wild — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:07:53 -0400

While business travel has taken a hit from the recent up tick in ticket prices, increase in air traffic congestion and a decrease in passenger comfort, I see mobile technologies as one ray of sunlight on the road warrior's horizon.

Traditionally the most popular mobile technology among road warriors has been the cell phone. But business travelers today are staying connected in a variety of ways — from smart phones to WiFi-enabled laptops to, of course, the trusty BlackBerry.

Work/Life: Why Are Business Traveler-Unfriendly Rules Back in Vogue at Some Carriers?

Owen Wild — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:28:26 -0400

Lower earnings among major U.S. airlines have led some carriers to resurrect revenue-generating strategies — I call them "segmentation tactics" — that essentially penalize business travelers more than other travelers.

Work/Life: Top 10 Ways the Road Warrior Can Fire Up The Economy

Owen Wild — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:29:39 -0400

So the U.S. Congress is rebating us up to $600 of our own money to help stimulate consumer spending and pull us out of the recession.

So if it's every road warrior's patriotic duty to use his rebate to fire up the economy, here are my top 10 ideas for frittering away mine.

(1) Get better luggage;

(2) Try out a local BBQ restaurant featured on The Food Channel;

(3) Get one of those portable GPS gizmos that comes with a travel guide;

Work/Life: German Travel Agency Offers Nudist Flight

Owen Wild — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:16:06 -0400

If you had the impression that airlines were going the extra mile in "tailoring" services to the needs of their customers, the news that German travel agency OssiUrlaub.de has dreamed up a nude flight shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

On Business, Will Travel

Owen Wild — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:40:02 -0400

Road Warrior Wild of Amadeus, the world's leading travel technology provider, not only tells you how to cut time and stress on your next business trip, but offers expert insight to companies seeking to make their travel dollar go farther.