Lately I’ve been getting text messages from female corporate travelers and female leisure travelers updating me on what travel disaster they are currently experiencing. An Alaska-bound friend was stuck in PHL for four hours the other night…on the tarmac. Another texted me that her seatmate had bad breath. And the colleague who is allergic to ...
Humor Travels
Every now and then I’m surveyed about why I opted to do business with a certain _________________ (fill in the blank): financial advisor, sales representative, car salesman, hairdresser, etc. The survey will offer some suggested answers like “Trust,” “Professional Demeanor,” “Knowledgeable,” “Responsive to my Needs.” The one they rarely offer – and the one that is ...
Mentoring in Mid Air
I have had a few mentoring roles in my career. And, I had the fortune of having an important role model and mentor who helped me. Things that a mentor commonly covers are: corporate politics, asking for a raise, having a difficult conversation with your boss, the pitfalls of email, accepting credit vs. taking credit, ...
Female Corporate Traveler Butts Whiskers with Spot and Friskie
When I see a dog at my gate, I instinctively want to go buy a bag of peanuts. You're wondering what these two things have in common? Allergies! Several -- don't know, 20 -- years ago peanuts were unceremoniously removed from the snacks we would get with our free soda on a plane. Apparently, too ...
Female Corporate Traveler and the Au Pair in the Air
Returning to PHL from ATL a few weeks ago and I see something I’ve seen a fair number of times before: Prada-clad 30ish couple in first class and, in coach, their au pair tending to at least two children, sometimes three, and, in this case, a pair of 2 year old twins. Don’t get me ...
Payback at 30,000 Feet
The worst trip of my life was PHL to MSP on the Tuesday after Memorial Day about 5 years ago. It was the first flight out so figure it was leaving around 7:30 a.m. and it was a regional jet so it was 2:2 seating. My seatmate was a young man – maybe 22 – and ...