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Daily Archives: June 8, 2012

Looking for love and lucre? Survey says fly Delta

June 08, 2012 admin No comments

Hoping to score some free travel? You could sign up for a branded credit card, cash in your existing frequent flier miles or win a contest or other travel promotion.

Or you could focus your efforts on flying airlines that attract people who are rich, generous and looking for love (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).

And which airline offers the best odds? In the U.S., that honor goes to Delta Air Lines, which, according to a new survey, attracts more love-starved millionaires than any other carrier.

The survey is the latest offering from Brandon Wade, the online dating entrepreneur behind the websites SeekingArrangement.com, SeekingMillionaire.com and the recently launched MissTravel.com, which promises to connect wealthy travelers with attractive but disadvantaged companions.

According to Wade, the survey polled the sites’ millionaire-members about their flying and, shall we say, philanthropic habits. Tallying the 50,000 responses, it revealed:

The airline that offered the best chance of meeting a millionaire: Delta, which was the choice of 24.1 percent of respondents, beating out United (20.5 percent), American (17.5 percent) and Southwest (14.7 percent).
The airline that flew the most generous millionaires: American as respondents who chose it reported providing their companions an average monthly allowance of $4,511, more than any other carrier.
The airline that attracts the highest net-worth millionaires: United, with an average net worth of almost $4.7 million.
The airline that flew the cheapest millionaires: Southwest. Apparently, millionaires who fly the airline are rather stingy. Despite reporting an average net worth of almost $4 million, respondents only gave their companions a paltry $2,644 per month.

According to Wade, one reason Delta scored so high is that the company also operates a private jet service that caters to deep-pocketed travelers. As for Southwest’s chintzy showing, he said, “A lot of millionaires are, in fact, quite cheap. That’s one of the reasons they’re able to hoard so much money to begin with.”

Not surprisingly, perhaps, the honorees didn’t respond to msnbc.com inquiries or declined to comment.

Nor is it surprising that some observers find the idea of conflating love and money distasteful. When Matt Lauer recently asked a panel of experts about MissTravel, Rosie O’Donnell called it a “veiled escort service” while Star Jones referred to “the ick factor.”

Donny Deutsch, on the other hand, noted that people in all walks of life factor financial security into their relationships. “Who are we to sit and judge?” he said.

TODAY's Professionals, Star Jones and Donny Deutsch, along with Rosie O'Donnell discuss a controversial website called Miss Travel that pairs "attractive" and "generous" single travelers for international trips for free

As for the suggestion that the new survey essentially names the best airlines for gold diggers, Wade maintains that’s not the case and that he’s not alone in putting a transactional spin on love and companionship.

“It’s become part of popular culture through shows like ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Millionaire Matchmaker;’ everybody’s fantasizing about meeting that millionaire bachelor,” he told msnbc.com. “Being as direct as we are, people find it controversial but it’s what’s happening in our society today.”

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Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

Satisfied staffers make for happy travelers

June 08, 2012 admin No comments

Southwest Airlines employees show their workplace pride with permanent tattoos. KXAS's Kevin Cokely reports.

When you’re making travel plans, you probably consider the 3 Ps: places, prices and (travel) providers.

According to a new Travel Industry Report Card from Glassdoor.com, a career-focused community website, you may want to consider a fourth: People, as in the people that work for the airlines, hotels and rental car companies you choose.

“There’s a relationship between satisfied employees and good service,” said Glassdoor CEO and co-founder Robert Hohman. “I’m reminded of it every time I fly. Sometimes I meet cranky flight attendants who are clearly unhappy in their job and other times I meet ones who really enjoy their work.”

So, what travel companies have the most satisfied staffers? Based on employee reviews posted on Glassdoor, here's a chart of the top 10 (on a scale of 1–5):

Courtesy Glassdoor

According to Hohman, Orbitz took the spot from Southwest this year despite inherent challenges in its business model.

“Among the online travel agencies, Orbitz has had the toughest row to hoe [because] their business was disproportionately dependent on air, which is a low-margin business,” he told msnbc.com. “[CEO] Barney Harford has done an exceptional job of communicating what needs to be done and instilling passion in the company.”

Other high scorers in individual categories included Princess Cruises (3.3) and Enterprise Rent-A-Car (3.0). The least satisfied employees among the 30 companies in the report worked at Pinnacle Airlines (1.8) and Choice Hotels (2.8).

The benefits of satisfied staffers accrue in other ways as well, says Donna Quadra-Felitti, an associate professor of hospitality and tourism at NYU. “Happy employees don’t leave, which reduces training and turnover costs so you end up with more funds to invest back into guest services,” she said.

“Whether that means you hire another employee and, therefore, give better service or invest in new technology that touches the guest, that’s the goal,” she told msnbc.com.

That’s especially true in the travel industry, she says, because employee-guest interaction plays such an outsized role: “The travel industry is 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Guest services is very demanding — it can be hard to smile for a long time.”

Do you think happy employees provide better customer service? Tell us about it on Facebook.

Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

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Flight forced to abort landing after close runway call

June 08, 2012 admin No comments

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call at Boston Logan Airport after a plane was forced to abort its landing to avoid crashing into another aircraft.

The incident happened around 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Delta Flight 1386 from New York's LaGuardia Airport had to circle before coming in for a landing because American Airlines Flight 349, heading to Dallas, entered the same runway.

The Delta plane eventually landed safely on the runway.

Two planes did collide on a Logan runway eleven months ago. The wing of a Delta jet clipped another Delta plane, severing its tail.

No one on either plane was seriously hurt and investigators later ruled that the incident was an accident.

In Thursday’s incident, the American Airlines flight did takeoff a short time later for Dallas.

This story originally appeared on NBC-affiliate WHDH.

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TSA says it’s working to improve poor reputation

June 08, 2012 admin No comments

WASHINGTON — Just in time for the summer travel season, House lawmakers gave an earful Thursday to the chief of the Transportation Security Administration with complaints about post-9/11 restrictions on carry-on items aboard planes.

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One lawmaker wondered about letting passengers carry weapons on board to fight terrorists, but the TSA official at a contentious hearing said that was a non-starter.

"The American people are just really disgusted and outraged with a department that they see as bloated and inefficient," said Rep. Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the Homeland Security transportation security subcommittee. "The department's got a bad image problem."

Rogers and others complained to TSA chief John Pistole that the agency still prohibits passengers from carrying water bottles, razors or pocket knives — some of the restrictions imposed after the terrorist airliners hijackings of Sept 11., 2001. Lawmakers and passengers have balked at the idea that a pair of nail clippers or beard scissors should still be banned, long after passengers have concluded they should fight terrorists who might try to hijack a flight.

"The prohibited items list is the place for you to start making immediate changes," Rogers said.

Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., even wondered whether the TSA would soon let people carry things "to protect themselves."

Pistole said there are "very strong concerns about allowing knives on planes."

Pistole acknowledged that passengers seem frustrated. The TSA recently made changes to let the elderly — anyone over 75 years old — and the young — 12 and under — keep their shoes on during security checks. For the most frequent travelers who are willing to tell the government about themselves and their travel habits, there's a new trusted traveler program that allows approved travelers to keep their shoes on and zip through security with fewer hassles.

Pistole said the changes are already making a difference and more people are added to the pre-screening program almost daily.

Rep. Bob Turner, R-N.Y., said he is in airports about a dozen times a month and is confounded by the lack of consistency in security.

"It's different everywhere," Turner said.

Pistole said TSA can be criticized for moving too quickly or too slowly.

"If we put something in place too quickly, as we've been so criticized in the past ... and if it implicates security in a negative way, that's the worst outcome," Pistole said. "If a terrorist can take advantage of a vulnerability because of something we rushed to get out, then that doesn't serve any of us well. The bottom line is we have to provide the best possible security. The question is, how can we do that in the most professional way, the most efficient way?"