Executive Travel

Weekly Travel Alert

From the desk of Steve Glenn, for the week of: February 20th, 2012

Hello from Orlando - 

 I’m writing you from Orlando, Florida this week as I am attending a business meeting for one of my businesses. Orlando is known as one of the top destinations in the world for family vacations because of Disney World but Orlando is now fighting with Las Vegas for the crown of the biggest and best convention destination in the U.S.  Everything is so cheap in Orlando. You can still find a $250 flight here. Car rentals are a steal and hotel rooms are plentiful and reasonably priced.  The recession has taken a toll on this city. Driving along International drive today I have seen numerous shops closed. Not even Mickey Mouse thinks this recession is funny.

Steve’s Travel Tip # 71  –

How to get premium airline seats without paying for them – I’m flying this week and notice I have not gotten my seat assignments for my flights.  I check online and see that there are only 3 middle seats left and about 6 premium seats that cost about $20 to reserve. Here’s what I do.  I decide to wait to check in online until I arrive at the airport. People that check in before I do get stuck in those middle seats and the only seats left for me when I check in are the premium seats which they assign without cost if they are the only seats left.

Steve’s Travel Tip # 72 –

Here is a simple way to get exit row seats without paying for them. -I love to sit in the exit rows but the airlines now all want to call them premium seats and charge extra for them.  I make it a point when I am checking in at the kiosk to look at all the seats available on the flight. Exit row seats are usually always open as many do not want to pay the extra fee for the legroom. I simply take note of the empty seats available at checking and make sure I am the last person boarding the plane. I can simply walk on and sit in any empty exit seat that is available. If all the exit seats are full I simply sit in my normal assigned seat.

I was shocked to hear a woman captain make an announcement on my last flight -

Now before everyone gets up in arms hear me out.  The airline industry  has historically gotten the majority of their pilots directly from the military. Uncle Sam was a cheap way to train thousands of pilots throughout the decades. So obviously being an airline pilot was basically a profession that was male dominated. In recent years many of the new pilots have been trained outside of military service thus allowing women a more accessible career path to being a pilot.  I am very confident and safe with a woman pilot. The women I see in business are very focused, great at multitasking,  pay great attention to detail, very precise, and can handle almost any emergency without breaking a sweat.  I know in any organization I belong to that if you want to get a project done you better have a woman involved as a leader. I hope to hear more female captain voices in the coming years.

Need information on any of the above? Call our friendly travel advisors….

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