While I like to whine about American’s new $15 fee for the first checked bag, that’s really just an annoyance–I doubt too many attendees will decide this is the fee that broke the camel’s back and cancel their trips. (Check out these “sneaky” fees, though–we might be getting close.)

No, what’s scary, as opposed to annoying, is an anticipated further reduction in flight service to various cities–possibly your next meeting destination? While mergers and bankruptcies are the likely culprits, sky-high fuel costs can only add to the problem. Rising costs, reduced flights, and increasing travel hassles are not making your meeting look more attractive, that’s for sure. Is it time to start working on more attrition strategies? How can a planner, particularly an association planner booking destinations several years out, begin to guess which cities will be reachable and affordable for their constituents in 2015? How do you work the airline situation into your risk-reduction scenario?

Oh well, at least we can get up to $800 for getting bumped off that overcrowded, overpriced, fee-laden flight to a city somewhere in the vicinity of where we want to go. Can we call that progress?

I wasn’t going to chime in on American’s great new idea of further nickel and diming passengers with its new $15 fee for the first checked bag, but I can’t resist. Personally, I’d rather they just add to the ticket cost than tack on a bunch of fees, even though it would mean people like me who seldom check a bag end up paying more than we would otherwise.

First it was hotels charging separate fees for everything from baggage handling to in-room safes (we won’t go into resort fees–life is too short), then it was taxis (and everyone else) adding fuel surcharges, and now the airlines. Sheesh, they get you coming, going, and everywhere in between.

Who said travel wasn’t still glamorous?

We’ve all heard about Texas philanthropist Ima Hogg (who, contrary to popular belief, did not have a sister named Ura), but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strange names, according to the numerous comments on the topic over at the Crazy Hotel Workers blog. Those registration forms seem to be rife with oddities. While many of them made me blush just a tad, my favorite is Justin Case. What’s the weirdest name you’ve come across?

(Thanks to the MeCo listserv for the pointer a few days ago–this was a fun way to start the day!)

I just recently learned about the International Network of Travel Directors’ new Web site, and thought it sounded like a great resource for both TDs and meeting planners who want to hire them. Generally hired to handle the on-site logistics, TDs are an essential component of many meetings, particularly those where the planner can’t be there in person, so I thought this would be of interest to both the planners and TDs among us.

INTD’s Web site, on a brief skip through, allows planners to connect directly with freelance travel directors, and gives TDs their own networking and career center. In an e-mail introducing the INTD site, executive director Alison Ray, CMP, said, “As a business owner and planner for over 10 years I found it extremely challenging that it took so long for me to locate experienced and qualified staff when I was hosting meetings and events across the world. After spending several years interviewing travel directors and discussing this issue with other meeting planners, I realized there was a definite gap in the industry. This became my motivation for founding an organization that would bridge the gap between planners and freelance staff.”

What’s not to like?

I got an e-mail yesterday with an interesting promotion for the 4th Annual Pharma Networking Dinner Reception. The e-mail’s subject line summed it up as: “Find This Attendee on the Map and Win a $15 Discount off Registration for June 4 Networking Event!”

It starts off with a Google map where attendees can promote their business. It sounds like the organizer plugged in the basic locations/titles/names for attendees, along some links to their Web sites, so people can do a little pre-event networking. Those who choose to play the game and find the location of the person traveling the furthest to get to the event (using Google’s Distance Measurement tool) can win a $15 discount if they e-mail the info to the organizers by a certain deadline.

I thought this was a pretty interesting idea. I’d be curious to know if they get many takers.

I know this will shock you as much as it did me (sarcasm alert!), but the airlines received dismal marks in the latest University of Michigan customer satisfaction survey. Bottoming out the list are merger candidates United and US Airways–oh good, if they do merge, they can consolidate that bottom position. US Air also tied with Continental on diving the deepest into the customer dissatisfaction pool since last year, while Southwest once again gets the highest marks.

While it does quote the lead researcher as saying, “There’s no other industry anywhere that has so many basic mishaps in terms of not delivering the basics,” it also points the blame finger at passengers like me who buy on price alone, then whine about the lack of customer service. OK, point taken, but still…

According to the AH&LA Green Assessment Survey, here are the top 10 green things hotels are doing well, and
the top 10 green things hotels can improve on:

The top 10 green things hotels are doing well:

1. Offering linen reuse program
2. Recycling paper
3. Using compact fluorescents in guestrooms
4. Using compact fluorescents in public spaces
5. Offering towel reuse program
6. Training maintenance staff on conservation and energy procedures
7. Recycling cardboard
8. Water conserving retrofits for showers
9. Recycling program in administrative areas
10. Tracking energy and water consumption on a monthly basis

The top 10 green things hotels can improve on:

1. Having occupancy sensor controls for the thermostat in guestrooms
2. Recycling food waste
3. Using indoor paints that are low or zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) or Green Seal Certified
4. Using T8 lamps in corridors
5. Giving preferential treatment to vendors/suppliers who offer recycled products
6. Using daily cleaning chemicals that have a MSDS health rating of “1” or less and/or Green Seal Certified
7. T8 lamps in back of house
8. Tracking generation of solid waste on a monthly basis
9. Recycling program in guest rooms
10. Recycling program in recreational areas

The main problem with this survey, IMHO, is that it just asks hotels if they have these programs/procedures in place–it doesn’t ask them if they measure how well they are working. For example, my favorite is the linen and towel reuse program, which most everyone has, but seldom actually is adhered to, in my experience, anyway. They could be training their staff, but are they measuring whether or not the staff is acting on what they learn? Some of these items are more black-and-white, but without measurement, it’s hard for me to agree that hotels are or are not doing well in the grayer areas.

Loved this word of the day from BuzzWhack:

PowerPoint singalong
A presentation read verbatim from the slides without observations, notes, comments or asides of any kind. Monotone optional, but not required.
Nominated by Mark Simon

Thanks to Krys at Gathering for putting together this list of networking tips/resourcesfor shy people. I’m bookmarking it for a closer look, hopefully sometime before ASAE and The Center’s annual meeting in August. I am a total trainwreck when it comes to those networking events; maybe these tips will help.

I saw this video about how to make caviar out of carrot juice, and had to share. Who knows, with food prices rising the way they are, this could be the centerpiece of your next banquet. (Oh, I sure hope not!)