Interesting Article

[MartyNeilan]

I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition!

(nobody expects the spanish inquisition.)

[windshieldbug]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

[windshieldbug]

btw we played the Monty Python theme (liberty bell march)

As long as you put the SPLAT! in the appropriate place...

[MaryAnn]

Interesting. I see a business opportunity here for the right person, in the small-ish group air charter business. Not just "any old charter plane" but one that caters specifically to musical groups, church groups, whatever groups, who want to go somewhere and not have to put up with commercial airlines or the TSA. More specialized than your run-of-the-mill charter business. Like companies that specialize in moving pianos; my brother used one of those to both pack up and move the six-foot Steinway he moved from Indianapolis to Seattle some years ago. No way would he have called and used a "regular, commercial" moving van company.

Orchestras with sometimes priceless instruments (have you priced a top-level stringed instrument recently?) who go on tour, would jump at the chance for a reasonably priced charter service, that is smaller and more specialized than a jumbo jet charter service. I bet someone, somewhere, in the not too distant future, will have a business that comes into being precisely because of the hassles of commercial air travel. Then all they'll have to do is make sure that they don't accept a charter from Al Queda.

Maybe I'm howling in the wind unknowing of the financial cost of such a venture, but I'm really curious anyway.

MA

[sinfonian]

Interesting. I see a business opportunity here for the right person, in the small-ish group air charter business. Not just "any old charter plane" but one that caters specifically to musical groups, church groups, whatever groups, who want to go somewhere and not have to put up with commercial airlines or the TSA. More specialized than your run-of-the-mill charter business. Like companies that specialize in moving pianos; my brother used one of those to both pack up and move the six-foot Steinway he moved from Indianapolis to Seattle some years ago. No way would he have called and used a "regular, commercial" moving van company.

I can see that this is a great opportunity for a new business model, however do most groups really want to have their entire group fly in a single airplane. I remember reading something years ago that a lot of the major symphonies only let 1/3 of their musicians fly on any single flight. That way if something happened to a single flight they still have enought musicians to go on.

I know in corporate america a lot of companies have policies on how many people at a certain levels can fly together. I even heard on talk radio the other day a caller that would not fly on the same flight with his wife. That way if the plane crashed their children would still have one parent.

[Rick Denney]

I even heard on talk radio the other day a caller that would not fly on the same flight with his wife. That way if the plane crashed their children would still have one parent.

Sheesh. Do they drive together in the same car? That's a much greater risk.

In the absense of anything particularly deserving of real fear, people seem willing to dredge up whatever they can find.

I have on many occasions shipped things home that would not fit in my carry-on bags. I think the more significant business opportunity is for Fedex and UPS, who should have counter service store-fronts in airport terminals upstream from security. At least they know how to provide proper insurance, and even though getting reimbursed for damage is sometimes a challenge, it's a piece of cake compared to holding the airlines responsible for what their gorillas do.

Rick "thinking the airlines are going to have to be responsible for their baggage handlling mistakes before business travelers will trust them" Denney

[sinfonian]

I think the more significant business opportunity is for Fedex and UPS, who should have counter service store-fronts in airport terminals upstream from security. At least they know how to provide proper insurance, and even though getting reimbursed for damage is sometimes a challenge, it's a piece of cake compared to holding the airlines responsible for what their gorillas do.

That is a great idea. I know the staff members in our department travel 40% of the time and have taken to shipping their toiletries to the business unit they are traveling to so they don't have to check their bags.

[windshieldbug]

Cool! A new business for the business traveler.

Toiletries Backwards 'R' Us

Ship 'em ahead, or buy 'em when you land...

[tubatooter1940]

My dream would be to buy a seat for the tuba and another seat for a beautiful lady and have her hold my tuba while I held her.

"There they were a-sittin' together in the stern.
She had hold of his-n and he had hold of hearn."