The ass in row 11

As you probably know, I fly ALOT. More than many, not as much as some. So I'm on United flight 315 from Denver to Seattle. The flight is maybe 25% full so there is room for everyone to spread out a bit. I have my own row - row 12A-C.

So this guy - let's call him "Ass" for short - decides that he's going to be in the emergency row - row 11 A-C. The flight attendent tells him that she shouldn't let him sit there because it's a "premium" seat and he trys to dazzle her with some crap about weight distribution (this is a big plane, not some puddle jumper). She let's him stay and he chooses the middle seat. (I'm in the window. I love the window.)

We're 2 hours into a 2 1/2 hour flight when "Ass" decides to close his window. He follows basic airplane etiquette and turns to ask if its okay. Of course it is and he closes the window.

Here's the part where he earns his nickname - he slides to the window and slams his seat back into my legs. My CROSSED legs. No courtesy warning. Not even a glance back as a non-verbal indicator. Nothing but the slam. As I'm wimpering, trying to get my crossed legs unwedged, he doesn't look back - nothing. I wanted to ask the flight attendent to enforce the previously mentioned "premium seat" rule and make him move to the back - next to the smelly bathroom, in a middle seat, preferably between two sweaty sumo wrestlers fresh from a match that was followed up by some not so fresh sushi thus causing the smelly onboard commode.

Instead, I pulled out my Treo and chose to blog about it. Kinda made my knees feel better.
:)

Now we're preparing for arrival. I hope they lost his luggage.

S.
Via handheld

From the Palm in my hand

I don't know what it says about me or where I am in life but I've finally given in to having a "crack-berry" type device. It's actually a Palm device but that's for compatibility and usability reasons.

The beauty of Blogger and a web enabled device is the relative ease of blogging from the road. With my laptop, I had to find an internet connection in order to post. Of course, once I had a connection, I would dive head first into email and never find time to just blog. With this device, I always have an internet connection, always have email access and can jot a note anytime during the day. It's a little slow going since I have to type with two thumbs but at least it's a full keyboard. Maybe Santa will read this and I'll find a Palm keyboard in my stocking this holiday. Not that it will help all the time but would make it faster on the plane or in a cafe or restaurant. I also should figure out how spell check works. Does it have one built in? (Not as far as I can tell.) Can I add one? Like most things in life, I'll figure it out eventually.

Today, I'm on my way to Baltimore, MD (BWI) for the very first time. Oh, I've been to Maryland before. I think I've even been to Baltimore before but I've never been to the BWI airport before. Sounds strange I'm sure since I'm in an airport several times a month and BWI is a major one. Don't know how I've avoided it so far but I have. I should make a list of the major airports I haven't seen and make a point of going to those places when possible. I've often thought that I should make a list of places/things I'd like to see/do so I could fit them into these trips. Of course, I've seen places that I would have never dreamed to go so it's almost a limitation to make a list.

They're getting ready to fire up the engines on this 757 and take us to Denver for our connection to BWI. I'm sure there will be plenty more to post along the way.

Bon Voyage.

S.
Via handheld

Dubuque, Iowa

One of the strange "rewards" of being a traveler, is getting to visit places you'd never go to by choice. Dubuque, Iowa is one of those places. Apparently, I did the entire town in about 15 minutes - one end to the other. I'm sure there is more but I was told by the locals that I'd done most of it.

Dubuque is on border of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. It has a small regional airport with 3 - count 'em - 3 gates. They only use 1 though.
It's along the same scale as Eureka, CA or Modesto, CA. Smaller than places like Fresno, CA or Akron, OH where they have service from multiple carriers. Your only option in Dubuque is American Airlines - and your happy to have it because your other options are to drive in from Cedar City or even Chicago.

In Dubuque, you will find a small mall with the normal shops - Sears, Penney's, Borders and a bunch of local or regional speciality type stores. They do have a Wal*Mart, Target and K*Mart as well as a couple of regional grocery stores. Rumor has it that Sam's is coming and it appears to be their kind of niche. Small town, midwestern economy struggling to overcome economic struggle. I didn't see much growth in town and the visible amount on the outskirts was minimal. I'm told the "Quad Cities" area about an hour away is where all the growth is. I'll have to take their word for it.

I did stay at the Fairfield Inn in Dubuque. It was nice and clean. A good rate and fare morning offering for breakfast. I think I might have been the only female traveler in the place. I didn't see another in the time I spent there. The only other women I saw were the hotel staff and a couple of teens in the pool. The US is a big place and things do change from area to area. Some areas, there are more women travelers than men. Not the case here. This one brought balance to the national equation.

I chose not to eat out but to tour the local regional grocer instead. Apparently, the store I visited is one of the oldest and undergoing a transition. It was suffering from lack of focus when I visited. The perimeter had been upgraded but the center store was older and uninspiring. They had put in a small Organic section next to their seasonal offering - right now Easter candy. Now there is something you don't see everyday. The very expensive "good for you" stuff right next to Hershey and Nestle sugar laden bunny fare for the fine blowout price of 2 for $4. I picked up some salami and cheese along with a bag of Bagel Chips and headed back to my room for snacking online with email.
A favorite pastime for the road weary traveler.

Next stop on the tour.... Omaha, NE. Yep, I've been there before but for a different purpose. It'll be interesting to see how this visit compares.

From 30,000 feet.

In my last blog, I told you I was frequent traveler. Well, in this
entry, I'm writing from 30,000 feet. Maybe I should change the name of
this blog to "companies that get "it" and those that don't" or "Heads
up corporate America - you don't get it". Or perhaps to some sort of
clever travel blog name. "Blog from the airhog". Not so clever. I think
I'll stick with what I have for now.

The people who make business decisions must have decided to stop being
customers. Does anybody in the airline (beyond the pilots and flight
attendants) actually ever fly their airline? I don't mean in first
class with the flight attendants kissing their posteriors the whole
way. I'm talking about sitting in coach, in the last row in the aisle
seat next to the bathroom door so s/he could smell the smells that come
from that area. I want them to get on the plane hungry and have to pay
for the stuff they call food on airlines. Fast Food tends to be better
than some of the stuff on the plane. Even if the food were any good,
you're crammed in so tight you can't actually enjoy it. The guy in
front of you has decided to put his seat back and is now crushing your
knees. There is no room to put down your tray so you can spread out
your food, or even work on the crossword puzzle you brought with you.

S/he should take several flights, different days of the week, at
different times of the day so they can really get to know all the
different types of customers that are paying good money to be starved,
crammed into crazy small spaces, and served incredibly dry recycled air
for the duration of the flight.

The decision maker should go on a Monday morning 6 am flight from any
large metropolitan airport to another large metropolitan airport. They
will be surrounded by business people traveling lean and mean who just
want to sleep. The plane will take off, the cabin lights will dim and a
1/2 hour into this power nap, the pilot will come blaring on to tell
the entire (was) sleeping plane that if there weren't so many clouds in
the way, the 1/6 of the passengers who happen to be on the proper side
of the plane next to the window would be able to see Salt Lake City,
UT. Of course, due to the clouds, they can't see anything and even if
there weren't any clouds, from 30,000 feet, it just looks like some
kids play set with tiny cars running around a grid. Now that you're all
awake, they'll start the beverage service.

Yes, yes - you're being blasted with dry recirculated air and the
inside of your nose feels like the Sahara Desert but the airline
industry is broke so you get 4 oz. of soda and 1 ice cube along with a
1/2 oz. bag of pretzels or equivalent dry, salty snack. (Who cares that
your ticket cost $450. Another 35 cents would kill our bottom line.)
You better pace yourself. You won't be getting another 4 oz. unless the
flight is over 2 hours long. You can ask for the whole can but is it
really worth the amount of attitude the flight attendant (FA) is going
to throw your way both when s/he hands it over and when they come back
to pick up the garbage? Don't forget. If you take the whole can, you
better finish it all. There are thirsty people in Antarctica who would
give anything for that quarter of a can of Diet Coke that you didn't
finish. Since you're trapped, you better be done with it when they are
ready for you to be done with it. They have People magazines to read in
the back and are not going to come running down the aisle just to clear
your garbage. You should have thought of that before we took off.

If you are the unlucky sot stuck in the bulkhead row immediately behind
first class (often row 4 or 6), don't even think about using the first
class commode. We realize that it's the closest pee-seat to where you
are sitting but the 8 or 12 people in first class have paid good money
(or flown a lot of miles) to get to have their own bathroom. Now haul
your rear end past the 30 rows of other common class customers to the 2
port-o-johns with the urine speckled floors that are designated for you
to share with the other 180 people on this plane. Yes, we realize the
70 year old woman who was in there before you has a touch of something
that has fouled the air but we've got those little urinal cakes mounted
about the fans to help with this. (Now you know why I want the guy/gal
seated just outside. S/he needs to get a load of that stench first hand
to appreciate all it has to offer.)

No movie for this flight. That would cost money and we're not sure if
we have the cash flow to get you home, let alone let you watch a movie.
(I'm trying to remember what airline I was on that wasn't even showing
first run movies the last time I gave them my business. They were
showing movies that were old and moldy on video. I think they were
showing Pirates of the Caribbean or something like that. Something that
I've owned for a year or more. Crazy. Guess that's one way to save
money. Pick up some used DVD on eBay and show it on the airplane.
That's really all they have done. They have removed the VCR that used
to be attached to the video monitors and replaced it with DVD players.
They store easier and don't get damaged as easily. Next, they'll have
hard drives - but they'll have to charge you more. I actually saw an ad
in the airport for a foreign carrier that has WiFi in the airplane. I'm
not sure how they do it but that certainly goes to show you that it can
be done, even if our US Carriers don't want to be competitive and try
to lure their customers with things that matter to them - like comfort,
or on time arrival. Leave it to some 3rd world country to make it
happen. Then our domestic carriers will wonder where their business
went. I'm waiting for the Jet Blue concept to catch one. Everyone has a
first class seat and is treated like their business and time is
valuable. I haven't had the opportunity to try their service yet but
I'm looking forward to the day that I get the chance.

We'll we're 45 minutes from landing so I have to put my seat back and
tray table in their full upright and lock positions. I also have to
turn off my laptop. We wouldn't want anything to happen to it during
landing.

Thank you for flying "Sandblog" this evening. Next time you have a blog
to read, we hope you choose "Sandblog".

:)

How Starbucks "gets it" and others don't

I'm a frequent traveler and as such, I've become very efficient and
self contained in many ways. I can pack a suitcase for a week long trip
in under 10 minutes. I can cite from memory the flight schedule heading
back to Seattle for most airlines going through Oakland, O'Hare and
Atlanta. I've also become very adept and recognizing the most likely
areas of any strange city where I should be able to find a Starbucks.

Being from "latte land", you're probably assuming that I'm sniffing out
a Starbucks for my daily caffeine jolt. While you wouldn't be entirely
incorrect (I do love my caramel syrup lattes), I'm more enamored with
the way they know what I need and then ignore me. That might sound a
bit strange but let me explain.

As a frequent traveler, I'm usually in a strange city being carted
around by business acquaintances from a meeting to dinner to the hotel.
I honestly don't have a lot of time to sit and be alone with my
thoughts let alone my laptop. (All of this seems to come as a shock to
my non-traveling friends who find some romantic notion in having status
on an airline, eating in restaurants 3 times a day and sleeping in a
strange bed 2 weeks out of the month). On the rare occasion I find
myself with sometime to sit with my laptop and catch up on my personal
life, I really don't want to be in my stuffy hotel room alone with bad
local television. (Why do hotels think that HBO is a perk. Yet another
segment that thinks they get it but really don't.) I want to find
somewhere where I can be surrounded by like minded individuals and not
be bothered. (Some people go to the bar to be alone with other people,
I've chosen the latte stand.) So I can usually find a Starbucks within
walking distance of my hotel in most major cities.

So what makes them stand out?

First, they are always clean. I don't care how many amenities you have
if you're not clean. Nobody wants great food served in a dark, dingy,
dirty environment. This is more of an issue than you might imagine.
Some chains are inconsistent in their cleanliness. Starbucks is always
clean. I can't remember a time when I've walked in and found it dirty,
smelly or messy. Busy, yes. Dirty, never.

They are usually conveniently located (see my walking comment above),
and the staff is always courteous (a huge plus when you're a stranger
in town). I really think that's where their success lies and they seem
to know it. I don't think many companies really understand the role the
personalities of the people plays in their success. Inevitably, when
the barista finds out that I'm from Seattle, the questions pour out
like double tall caramel macchiato's at 6 am.

"What's Seattle like?"
(Grey and cold in January)
"Have you been the original store at Pike's Market?"
(Yep.)
"What's it like?"
(Yours, only crowded.)
"Does it rain all the time in Seattle?"
(Answer between November and March - Yep.
Answer between April and October - Depends. It's usually dry between
July 4th and Labor Day. Is that all the time? )

Back to what sets them apart.

They are consistent. That is very important when you're in a strange
city. You want to know what you're getting. There is already so much
regional variability (both good and bad) that it's comforting to get
something you're expecting. It's like all is right in the world for
that few minutes that your coffee tastes just the way you remember it
at home.

They've provided for your needs beyond just coffee. Once my latte is
up, I'm left to sit in comfortable furniture for as long as I like.
Sometimes I'm there for 2-3 hours. They've designed it that way. I have
wireless internet, large tables available for spreading out so I can
work, power sources (usually there is a power strip somewhere close to
the larger tables encouraging me to sit a spell and log in to the
office) and they always have a nice variety of background music.
Occasionally, I'll even be introduced to something new that I didn't
know that I liked.

All of this, and they ignore me. They don't try to clear my plate or
cup. They don't offer me anything more to eat. They don't ask what I'm
doing, where I'm from or why I'm in town like so many others do.
(Apparently, I stick out as a someone from out of town.) They seem to
understand that the way to get me to stay and linger a while is to just
let me be, treat me like the self contained entity that I try to be and
trust that I am capable of asking if I need anything additional. They
seem to know exactly what I need.

Judging by their success, they must be very happy that the others don't
"get it".