Miscellaneous Notes
Flaunting the Social Ethics of Flying: Part 1
Congratulations. It's an exit row seat. The glorious salvation from 29" pitch in SAS Punishment Class. I smile and settle in, even buckling my seatbelt to make sure no one removes me from this economy throne. I stash a...
June 30, 2008
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posted by
john at 5:21 PM
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Comments (3)
Employees Define the Customer Experience
At the end of the day, for all their investments in technology and process, an airline is only as good as its frontline employees. Relaxing with a ginger ale and John Grisham novel in Seat 2A on a United 737...
February 28, 2008
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posted by
john at 4:08 PM
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Comments (0)
United Builds First Class Lobby
Just when I think that United couldn't do anything stupider (reference new $25 fee for checking a second bag), the brain trust actually comes up with a pretty good idea. United is building a special lobby at Chicago O'Hare...
February 6, 2008
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posted by
john at 7:34 PM
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Comments (0)
Information is Good. Fees are Bad.
New "EasyUpdate" screens appear to be spreading across the United system and are very welcome. I noticed them the other day transiting through Washington Dulles. They rotate through several "information-rich" slides, including the Standby List, the Upgrade List (along...
February 4, 2008
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posted by
john at 5:46 PM
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Comments (0)
Are You an "Authentic" Traveler?
Everyone fits into a box or a category these days, so why should we traveling folks be excluded from all the fun? A recent article in Scott McCartney's The Middle Seat in the WSJ has the answer. Apparently, some bloke...
November 29, 2007
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posted by
john at 2:53 PM
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Comments (0)
From the CEOs office: Screw the Customer!
An interesting turn of events at Spirit Airlines that has gotten a lot of coverage across the blogosphere. The CEO of Spirit Airlines, Ben Baldanza, "accidentally" hit the "reply to all" button on an e-mail from a customer asking...
August 23, 2007
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posted by
john at 1:54 PM
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Comments (0)
United Announces New Business Class Seats
This morning United Airlines announced their long-awaited international business class seats that have been in development for quite awhile. The new seats are going to be completely lie-flat seats (not those pseudo-lie flat seats that hang at an angle...
July 23, 2007
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posted by
john at 12:47 PM
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Comments (1)
Welcome to the New NakedSky!
Every year or so I like to come in and shake up the NakedSky design. So on this occasion of summer vacation, I thought I would implement a whole new look. Hopefully you like it and you'll keep coming back!...
July 2, 2007
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posted by
john at 11:52 AM
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Comments (3)
First Priority to Government Planes
I've never seen one of these before: a United States of American Gulfstream jet cut in front of a queue of about 10 aircraft. Listening to Channel 9, I heard the air traffic controller referring to it as "Gulfstream...
May 24, 2007
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posted by
nakedsky at 9:26 PM
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Comments (0)
Gate Manipulation
I find it amusing, if not a little disturbing, to watch gate agents attempt to control the gate environment by withholoding key information about flights. Today, flying from La Guardia to Chicago O'Hare, I overheard a gate agent quietly telling...
May 21, 2007
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posted by
nakedsky at 9:41 PM
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Comments (0)
The Future of First Class
Just came across an optimistic article from Forbes magazine, "The Future of First Class: Some Carriers' New Perks Ready for Take-Off," that discusses the changes that some of the global carriers are making to their premium cabins. With the...
April 29, 2007
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posted by
john at 10:55 AM
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Comments (1)
Photos from Inside the Airbus A380
Airbus' new A380 double-decker aircraft is busily on production. Recently, the company took a group of 200 journalists up for a tour around the skies. The airplane can seat 840 passengers and is 118 tons heavier than its Boeing...
February 11, 2007
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posted by
john at 11:48 AM
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Comments (0)
United Announces New First Class Seats
It's a big deal when my favourite airline announces they are going to be refitting their international fleet with new seats. By the end of 2007, United Airlines will introduce new First Suites on their international wide-body aircraft. In...
December 19, 2006
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posted by
john at 4:05 AM
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Comments (2)
When Rules Don't Work
By far my biggest frustration when traveling is when I know the rules better than the gate or customer service agents. And yes, this confirms that I am a geek. Regardless of my membership in geekdom, it must be wrong...
June 10, 2006
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posted by
john at 2:09 PM
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Comments (0)
Welcome to the new NakedSky!
Thank you for enduring the sawdust while I worked on the new NakedSky... and welcome to the new look! The old site was feeling a bit stale, so I decided to apply a shiny new coat of paint. I've added...
May 10, 2006
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posted by
john at 7:28 AM
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Comments (3)
A New Website: Starwood Hotel Reviews!
A friend and I just launched a new website called Starwood Lobby as a destination for all those travelers who stay at Starwood Hotels & Resorts (Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, aLoft, Four Points and Luxury Collection hotels included!). Drop...
February 5, 2006
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posted by
john at 5:33 PM
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Comments (0)
United Effective... and Efficient?
There's an interesting article in USA Today that highlights some of the changes that United has made over the last three years in bankruptcy. It really has changed quite a bit, but maintained a focus on quality (with the exception...
January 23, 2006
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posted by
john at 8:34 PM
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Comments (1)
Fight: 747 backwash vs. your car
Most of you are quite familiar with the thrust generated by a big jet on take-off...that "push you in your seat" feeling. However, just how much power do those engines have? Thanks to British television you can wonder no...
January 20, 2006
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posted by
drew at 9:21 AM
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Comments (2)
Elite Status Requalification
A new year, a big zero next to "Elite Qualifying Miles." As a full-time MBA student, it may be a bit of a stretch to qualify for United 1K status in 2006. Drew managed to sneak in as a US...
January 10, 2006
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posted by
john at 7:15 AM
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Comments (2)
United 15%-off electronic coupon
This one is valid for travel through February 28, 2006. You can proceed to the coupon by clicking here....
November 23, 2005
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posted by
john at 11:11 AM
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Comments (0)
Comments are back!
After that brief interlude, we've installed some new technology to filter out the junk comments that were appearing on the site (with regrets to those who actually linked to the Poker gaming sites from here...). Unfortunately, all the old...
September 7, 2005
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posted by
john at 6:02 PM
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Comments (3)
No more comments... for now.
Due to a HUGE increase in the amount of SPAM comments that we've been receiving, and the amount of time it takes me to clean those up, I've disallowed comments on the site for the time being. That feature may...
August 19, 2005
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posted by
john at 11:18 AM
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Happy Birthday to Our Newest Contributor!
Though a formal introduction is pending, I want to put out a NakedSky happy birthday greeting (Note: not "naked" happy birthday greeting!) to Michael, our newest travel story contributor! I believe he is in Lebanon right now, so please leave...
July 19, 2005
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posted by
drew at 8:44 AM
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Comments (1)
Does Bill Gates fly United First?
A few months ago in Madrid, Spain, I spent one tense hour outside passport control. I had misplaced my passport and like a scared 1st grader approaching a teacher, I approached passport control in a foreign country without a...
July 16, 2005
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posted by
michael at 2:11 AM
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Comments (0)
"Why Americans Should Never Be Allowed To Travel"
I found the following stories provided by travel agents on another website by this name. Thought they were pretty funny: I had someone ask for an aisle seats so that his or her hair wouldn't get messed up by being...
May 3, 2005
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posted by
john at 5:02 PM
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Comments (0)
15%-off your next flight
If you're flying after April 7 and before Memorial Day in May, you may be able to make good use of this e-certificate for 15%-off United flights. www.united.com/birthday...
March 3, 2005
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posted by
john at 8:10 AM
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Comments (0)
Christmas & Where Are You From
Christmas is one of those holidays that people in many countries celebrate. The commercialism of it has, seemingly, transcended borders. "Baby Jesus who? How about a microwave for $29.99?" One flight attendant on the plane today had crowned her hair...
December 25, 2004
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posted by
john at 4:35 AM
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Comments (0)
Tips on Tips
For many, one of the most disconcerting aspects of traveling, especially when traveling abroad, is the tip. Who do you tip? When do you tip? How much do you tip? Is tip included? Do I have to tip? Are there...
September 16, 2004
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posted by
drew at 1:38 PM
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Comments (1)
Longing Upwards
Driving home in the rain from a party last night, a new friend and I discussed my upcoming trip. With my reputation as a travel fiend among my friends, Andrew related his shock: "You know, John, I don't think...
August 21, 2004
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posted by
john at 6:28 PM
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Comments (0)
Without a Paddle
I just saw one of the funniest “travel related” movies I’ve ever seen. “Without a Paddle” is a story of 3 guys who set out on a childhood dream to find a “lost treasure”. With their Indiana Jones compass and...
August 21, 2004
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posted by
drew at 11:37 AM
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Comments (0)
Mini Me
Newsweek is calling it the "iPod Generation." Everywhere you look, people have white wires dangling from their ears. Sign me up. I just got my free iPod Mini and have begun to put it to extremely good use. Such...
August 20, 2004
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posted by
john at 4:56 PM
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Comments (0)
Hello? Upgrade Calling.
When I get an SMS on my Samsung mobile, it gives out a cheery little beep-beep-beeeep!! Usually, it's one of my friends text-messaging me, but when I have a flight within the next 72-hours, those chimes make me smile because...
August 16, 2004
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posted by
john at 10:54 PM
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Comments (0)
Summer is slow!
As you can tell, there haven't been a huge number of entries here in the last few weeks. Yeah, summer travel is slow when you already live in two of the most beautiful places in the northern hemisphere! Plus, airlines,...
July 28, 2004
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posted by
nakedsky at 11:33 AM
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Comments (0)
Travel Rules for the Avocado Age
Dave Barry is one of the most prolific satirical writers today -- and a favorite weekly read of mine. Check out one of his more recent columns about travel: "We're entering the busy summer air-travel season, which means airports...
July 17, 2004
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posted by
john at 10:24 PM
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Comments (0)
My Travel Shirt is Blue
It's pretty clear that Drew and I love to fly. There's nothing quite like whisping above the clouds with Chopin in the iPod while the stunning landscape flows underneath the plane. I like to think of my traveling self...
July 5, 2004
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posted by
john at 10:16 AM
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Comments (0)
Of Hotels and Hotel Clerks
Every hotel, whether its the Four Seasons Beverly Hills or the Renaissance Hotel Prague, is -- at its most basic -- exactly the same. You could blindfold most business travelers, spin them around 13 times, and push them into...
June 22, 2004
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posted by
john at 11:27 PM
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Comments (1)
Friendly Skies Indeed
--> The anticipation created by flying is, in my opinion, unmatched by any other form of travel. There is the exhilarating take-off roll (enjoyed for quite a while in 110 degree Phoenix), the powerful ascent, flying through the sky at...
June 3, 2004
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posted by
drew at 11:39 PM
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Comments (0)
Lost Baggage
For so many people, the airport is a necessary evil in order to get on with their vacation. A hassle, perhaps, to take your shoes off at security, give up your fingernail clippers, wait for the flight that never...
April 23, 2004
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posted by
john at 12:45 PM
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Lost Baggage
For so many people, the airport is a necessary evil in order to get on with their vacation. A hassle, perhaps, to take your shoes off at security, give up your fingernail clippers, wait for the flight that never...
April 23, 2004
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posted by
drew at 12:45 PM
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Comments (0)
The Naked World
There are two kinds of travelers. There is the kind that goes somewhere to see, and the kind that goes somewhere to grow. The first traveler has an easier time, but I think the second traveler comes away stretched....
April 22, 2004
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posted by
john at 12:09 AM
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Comments (0)