From the Inside Out

As a frequent flyer, the Black Diamond Project is an effort that I applaud.  In the Salt Lake City airport, they are currently trialing a new security screening process to make lines shorter and faster.  The security checkpoint lanes are modeled after ski icons - green for beginners, blue for intermediate and black diamond for experts.  Pretty cool, huh?

After surveying passengers, the TSA learned that many had similar concerns and frustrations associated with the security screening process.  Passengers with kids, who need extra time, didn’t want to be in the same line as frequent travelers.  Business travelers who know the rules and don’t need to be told to take their shoes off or remove their laptop from the bag want to move through the security checkpoint quickly with minimal delays. 

Business travelers tend to travel lighter and are more efficient when going through security checkpoints.  This new process could help save them from being slowed down by infrequent travelers.  For people like me, it promises a nice reprieve from the frustration of being stuck behind clueless people who don’t know what they are doing or who take forever to go through the checkpoint.

If you are familiar with how ski runs are labeled, the system is the same.  According to Earl Morris, who heads up TSA’s airport security operations in Salt Lake City, “The Green lanes are used primarily by families, who often feel stressed in the traditional lane trying to get through with their kids, strollers and other stuff. Often these folks haven’t gotten the proper level of attention they deserve. People who don’t travel much and groups also select this lane.

The Blue lanes are for casual travelers who understand TSA procedures to a degree but may not travel all that frequently so they take a little more time. The black diamond lanes are for expert travelers who understand the system by the nature of traveling a lot and are totally prepared for the checkpoint. The goal is to ensure that TSA provides the proper level of service with customized needs of the traveler in mind. Security is improved by improving the process, taking the pressure off in the lines, eliminating the hassle factor and calming down the passenger.”

Kudos to the TSA security operations in Salt Lake City!  I hope this pilot is successful.  I’d love to see it rolled out in other airports across the country.  I believe Denver is also trialing a similar program. 

Now if I could get the airlines to consider a “business traveler” section on airplanes, life would be sweet.  I know…I know…that’s unlikely to happen, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

If you are considering travel during Spring Break, don’t do it.  It’s painful. 

But since I didn’t have a choice in the matter, I boldly embarked for the airport this morning.  It’s amazing how Spring Break can transform a crowded airport that normally functions well into a place of total chaos.  I’ve never seen so many clueless people in all of my travels.  They slowed down the check-in lines, TSA line, and security. 

As feared, the flight to Orlando was packed full of parents with their children in tow.  They were all over the place, like an invasion.  Babies, toddlers, small children, older children — you name it, they were all on my plane.   And once on the plane, all of them played musical chairs multiple times to make sure they were sitting together.   It was a sight to behold  — truly unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before. 

The business travelers were few and far between.  We tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy by ignoring the chaos, but it was tough.  I’ve never been so glad to get off a plane in my life.

Once in Orlando, I got away from the Spring Breakers as soon as I could.  I’m here to represent my company at VoiceCon (the largest communications technology conference in my industry).  It’s is being hosted again at the Gaylord Palms.  The Gaylord is a pretty cool place — like a mini city encapsulated in one resort.  Check out the pics below:

Don’t feed the gators.

The Gaylord Palms room. 

This isn’t the best room I’ve had at the Gaylord.  I prefer rooms with an interior view of the atrium (see pics above), but it’s still decent.  The furnishings are nice, the bathroom is huge, and it has a full shower with a bench (no tub), which is a rare find in a hotel. 

The room features a computer with hotel services (messaging, conference info, etc) and free Internet access for those who don’t have their own computers — a nice convenience.  For business travelers, it’s also equipped with wireless (IMO every hotel should have wireless. I hate it when they don’t offer it).  

The service at the Gaylord is outstanding.  Check-in was fast and room service came in less than 30 minutes.  If you are headed to Orlando, it’s definitely a resort to consider visiting while you are here.

After the pre-show meeting, we headed to Sunset Sam’s (Gaylord’s Seafood restaurant) for dinner.  I’m not a big fan of seafood, but everything is fresh here, so I decided to try the Mahi Mahi (blackened with Cajun seasonings).  It was fabulous.  I highly recommend it.

The show starts tomorrow, and since I’m working the late shift, I should be able to participate in the morning workshops.  It will be a long day (booth duty ends around 8 pm), but it should be fun. 

Have a great Monday!

Today began at 5:00 am, an hour in which no one in their right mind should be awake.  Typically, I avoid “red eye” flights like the plague, but since we had to be back at work today, it was a necessary evil. 

Dallas was blanketed in snow last night.  I was afraid it might cause problems in the form of further delays and cancellations.  My worries were unfounded, though.  We hopped on our flight and made it home safely by mid-morning. 

After picking up the dogs, it was time to get to work.  I had to skip a couple of meetings in the morning, but other than that, the cancelled flight didn’t affect me too much.  I simply worked late and still put in an eight hour day. 

I’m a little sleep deprived, but that’s typical when I travel.  I’m sure I’ll get caught up over the weekend.  All in all, it was worth it.  We had a great trip.  I was delighted to get my skis back on the mountain; there’s nothing that can compare.

At work, I was reminded that the situation could have been much worse.  A colleague traveling home from Glasgow on American Airlines yesterday had a frightening experience.  The captain told passengers there might be a fire somewhere in the back of the plane.  Immediately, the plane turned around and headed back to Glasgow.  They were told to prepare for an emergency landing — in the water or on the ground.  Passengers were furiously texting and calling their loved ones.  My colleague was taking pictures (leave it to the marketing person to document the event; I’m sure it’ll make a great blog).  When it came time to land, they dumped fuel from the wings.  Everyone was silent as they assumed the position for an emergency landing.  Thankfully, the plane landed without incident, and everyone was safe.   

Yikes!  I travel a lot, but that would have freaked me out.   Compared to that experience, a cancellation and an unexpected night in Denver doesn’t sound so bad. :) 

Today was mostly a travel day for me.  It’s 9:40 pm pacific time, and I am just now sitting down in my hotel room to do some real work (well, right after I write this blog).  It seems that most people think business travel sounds like fun (and sometimes it is), but there is also a down side to it.  Like sitting in the middle seat on a crowded coach flight.  Unfortunately, it’s always that way when I fly to San Jose.  The planes are packed, and there are so many business travelers on those flights that all of the “exec plats” get priority for the first class upgrades. 

Today was no different.  I had two men on each side (why do men always have to hog the armrests — what’s the deal with that?). Every time I was close to falling asleep for a much needed nap (got about 6 hours of sleep the previous night), the guy on my right would stretch his legs and stamp on my foot.  I finally gave up on the sleep, opened my laptop and started to work.  I guess it could’ve been worse, at least there were no screaming kids.

Finally, we arrived.  I picked up my bags, hopped on the rent car shuttle, and proceded directly to my car (the perks of being a frequent traveler).  However, the moment I opened the door, I could smell smoke.   The car was beat up on the outside and was dirty inside.  So, I had to trek back to the priority member area to request another car.  The next one wasn’t pretty (bad upholstery stains), but I didn’t want to treck back to get yet another car so I decided to take it.    At least it didn’t smell.

I was headed to Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz mountains.  I’ve been there once before, but today I messed up the directions (long story).  By the time I realized it, I had gone 15 miles out of my way (or 30 miles round trip).  So, over an hour later, I finally arrived at my destination, the Hilton Scotts Valley.  I quickly freshened up and then headed out for dinner with the gang from work.

Now, I’ve got to get busy working on action items from today and deliverables for Wednesday.  My meetings tomorrow are all day strategic planning sessions which means “laptops down” (i.e. no multitasking on other projects).

Ah, the glamour of business travel…