This post first appeared on 4.26.11 in CS&A Insurance blog – Clear on Top

How do we determine is something is dangerous?  Is there a universally known definition or just a matter of opinion?  Webster defines the term as follows:

dan·ger·ous – adj – able or likely to inflict injury or harm

If we stop and think about the literal definition of dangerous, we realize that it applies to most things in our life.  We start off each day with dangerous acts…shaving, taking a shower, cooking breakfast, driving to work…all of which have the ability to inflict injury or harm.   How many of us have cut ourselves when shaving?  How about burned yourself while cooking?  And what about having an accident in a car?   The generally accepted odds are that 1 in 4 people will be involved in a serious car accident in their lifetime.  Let’s take that a step further, based on the average number of automobile trips made by Americans in their lifetime the odds of being killed in an accident are 1 in 140.  Driving is the most dangerous activity undertaken by most Americans on a daily basis and very little thought is given to the dangers encountered because it is just a routine part of life.

Why does the general public view flying as being dangerous?  Any time we cheat the laws of gravity we are entering into a “dangerous” scenario by definition; but is it really dangerous, or is it just different?  According to the National Safety Council, the odds of being killed in a plane crash are about 1 in 250,000.  In comparing these statistics you are 1,786 times more likely to die in a car than in a plane…in other words you are more likely to die on the way to the airport than in flight to your destination.

So what is it that is driving this dangerous view of flying?  In short, lack of education and the media.  This is a funny combination in my mind because the media is supposed to educate, but often times they are just as uneducated as the masses to which they are pontificating.  How does a blind man know what color the sky is?  He trusts the person describing it to him, even if that person is colorblind.  In absence of knowledge we tend to believe whatever sounds the most accurate.  So without further ado I give you some media quotes concerning recent flying scenarios making headlines.

“The Monday night close call, left Obama’s jet 2.94 miles away from slamming into the 200-ton C-17 plane…” – New York Post

This is what is known in the aviation world as a “go around”.  It happens on a daily basis and exists for just such an occasion.  When the required separation cannot be maintained or does not exist, the controllers direct the pilots to break off the approach and send them around to try it again.  Let’s put this in perspective just to give you an idea how far 2.94 miles is…try 15,500 feet.  This is a greater distance than all those aircraft that pass over your house on approach to landing if you live within 30 miles of a major airport.   If their landing lights are on when they fly over your house at night, they are probably below 10,000 feet and only 1.89 miles away from slamming into your house.

“The pilots landed their planes safely but without help from the airport tower.”  – ABC News

“Planes forced to land without help from tower at Reagan Natl” – America’s Newsroom     

News flash…the tower does not and cannot help a pilot land an airplane.  The tower can only give direction and recommendation just like the traffic cop at an intersection.  Pilots land without help from the tower thousands of times every day…it’s how we were trained from Day 1.

Let’s face it, flying is still a widely misunderstood activity and as long as there are reporters there will be inaccurate news reports.  As pilots, we are a relative minority and the understanding of flight is still a wondrous mystery to most.  The how’s, why’s, and what if’s are the stuff of Hollywood legend.  Entire movies have been made around the fear of flying and the perceived dangers that they instill are numerous.  Aviation activities still draw front page news, from the airshow to the accident and the engine failure to the ATC actions.  Is flying dangerous?  Yes.  Is it more so than other daily activities?  No.  It is up to us as pilots, air traffic controllers, and all other aviation support personnel to do all we can to operate as safely as possible and calm the fears of the general public.

Be professional, train appropriately, and be personable.  Just because we can fly does not mean we are above anyone else.

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Social Marketing has revolutionized business.  The ability to reach, communicate, and build relationships with customers has never been more accessible (at little or no cost) than it is today.  Far from a “flash in the pan” gimmick, social media marketing using tools such as Twitter and Facebook are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future or until the next generation of marketing emerges.  The company that engages in intentional social media marketing is vastly extending its reach and its potential client base.

Today consumers research and engage businesses online long before they click “Order” on a product or darken the door of a business.  A 2009 study by Pew Research showed that people with higher income and/or education levels were the most likely to research online –87% of college graduates and 88% of those earning more than $75,000.1  This demographic is very much in line with the income and educational levels of those likely to involve themselves in flight training and other aviation related products and services.   Specifically in regards to social media, the same Pew study demonstrated that nearly half of Americans use social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.2   Additionally , a recent Nielson survey reported in Entreprenuer magazine found that almost of quarter of consumer’s online time is spent on social networks.3

If our goal is to raise visibility and awareness of our products and services, then it follows that social media should not be neglected.  Simply put, if we want to be where the customers are and then we should be in the social media marketplace.

Are you ready to engage?

1.  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=136747

2.  Ibid, mediapost.com #1

3.  “Baking, Listening & Selling” Entrepreneur Magazine, February 2011, page 61

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During training at the American Airlines Learning Center in Dallas, new agents were given a specific protocol for checking passengers and their bags in at the ticket counter.  We were to greet the customer by name as it was printed on the ticket.  Ask them what their final destination was – just to make sure the ticket was right - and ask them how many bags they would be checking.  This was long before that silly question of “have your bags been out of your possession since you packed them,” like anyone would actually admit to that.

I once had a woman tell me that her final destination was her mother’s house.  While I agreed that a visit to her mother was surely a wonderful thing, I could not check her bags to her mother’s house.  She gave me her final airport, I checked her bags through and all was right with the world.

This woman’s trip raises a question in my mind.  I know the city-pair on her ticket; however, that citypair didn’t really  match her real travel intentions.  She might have departed from Columbus, Mississippi, but might actually have lived Macon, Mississippi.  She might have traveled to Charleston, West Virginia, but might actually have needed to go to Parkersburg, West Virginia.  Because of limited choices in scheduled airline service, she ended up with a drive on both ends of her trip.  Now, until we have personal jet packs, we’re not going to be able to leave our homes and fly to exactly where we want to go.  Can you imagine the air traffic nightmares that personal plane a la George Jetson would bring?  Yikes! 

Still, we know that general aviation can reduce our drives simply by virtue of the fact that there are more general aviation airports.  Put new and better technology with new and better aircraft and you have a few people with similar intentions sharing flights.  Vancouver has over 60,000 fans on two Facebook pages and a population of over a half million people in the city, not taking suburbs into account.  Surely a few of those people could agree on a time to go from the Abbortsford airport to the Blatchford Field in a Cessna Mustang.  Wouldn’t you think?

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Good ideas travel easily and far along trade routes.  Ideas like irrigation, Apples, grapes and wine spread along the Silk Road. The paper and writing spread new ideas leading to increased literacy, the scrapping of old philosophy and the creation of new social orders. The printing press then led the way for today’s mighty publishing Industry.  But don’t forget a simple fact, travel is the substrate of the next economic paradigm.

Ideas: A Chain with many Weak Links

Seth Godin wrote a wonderful article about the publishing industry called The Domino Effect.  He observes that:

1. The middlemen (bookstores) have too much power to limit shelf space.

2.Authors are separated from their readers and don’t have the data to contact them directly.

3. Pricing is based static, slow, and largely irrelevant of content or any form of supply and demand which is of little benefit to the reader or the author.

4. Ideas from books travel much farther and faster than the book itself which does not translate into book sales.

Mr. Godin’s point is that given how important books are, the Chain has many weak links between the author and the audience. Publishing is due for an extraordinary disruption and Seth is going to change it with The Domino Project.  But how many other industries suffer from the same weak-chain syndrome?

Travel: A Plane with many Weak Links

Well, if Books and Travel spreads ideas along the Silk Road, then they must have a lot of other things in common.  If we apply Seth’s observations to the commercial airlines:

1. We see that Airports and airlines have tremendous power to limit gates, times, and availability of routes.

2.  Airlines have no idea why they are carrying all those people around.

3. Pricing is static, segmented, slow, and has very little to do with the actual supply and demand for travel.

4. Travelers are transporting ideas which move faster and more broadly than the aircraft itself and which does not translate into more airline tickets sold.

Where ideas spread; value is created

What is so powerful about ideas?  Most innovation gurus discount raw “ideas” as the useless drivel of idle minds. “Show me the money, not the ideas”, they bark.  If ideas are not innovation, then what are they?  If Ideas are not valuable, then what are they?

The Travel Economy

Travel technologies and applications are being sold for incredible sums of money.  Every airline merger is big news and every geolocation application is huge business.  Travel data is a lightening rod for everything from pricing to privacy.  Social Media applications are getting that migration routes are an excellent marker for “value flow” and therefore, cash flow.  Airline Travel is still the most favored mode political disruption because the links in the economic chain are so weak.  Travel is serious business.

The “New Value” Integration:

Every industry with weak links between production and end use are candidates for disruption in the great integration. Any idea that can strengthen the link in the chain between origin and the destination of an idea is a product of the great integration.  The Social Value creation process and astonishing opportunity will happen at the weak links between origin and destination of any product or service.

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Part 1

I read a lot and try to keep up with what is going on in our industry, trends, innovations, economic forecasts for aviation and the economy on a macro level, what and how the airlines are doing, and so forth.

However, my best perspective about Business and General Aviation still comes from where I sit working in the middle of a business that charters, manages, sells, maintains, fuels and stores aircraft. We also partner on two flight schools that do primary and advanced flight training. I am surrounded by and involved with just about every aspect of general aviation.

2010 was a year that started out with no clear understanding of whether it would be the year of recovery or a repeat of 2009.

The first 8 months of the year were up and down on monthly revenue in charter. Some months looked great and some looked like 2009. It is hard to run a business without predictability in revenue and activity. How do you staff for that and plan cash flow? We managed to hang on.

We have been very fortunate to have a maintenance division of the company that never slowed down during the recession due to the type of maintenance we specialize in. We perform work on and refurbish small regional airline aircraft and the demand for these aircraft worldwide didn’t change much during the recession. Small airlines around the world and the communities they serve need aircraft. Aviation in many countries is not so much a luxury but more of a necessity of travel with poor road infrastructure. The weakness in the small regional airline market seemed to be more the lack of financing than lack of demand.

Our FBO’s showed steady improvement this year over last year. Fuel sales volume was still not at 2007 levels but it got closer. I like upward trends more than downward trends.

The good news really happened in the last 4 months of this year. The phones started ringing more and our charter flights picked up tremendously. As I reviewed it yesterday, and compared to the last 4 months of 2009, I almost couldn’t believe the numbers. Our revenue in charter was up 65% over last year from September through December.

What happened to cause this increase?

A few things on our end helped, including an increase in the size of the charter fleet with 8 new aircraft additions over the past 12 months. Included in that mix was a 30-seat turboprop that met a void in the market. Without too much marketing effort this aircraft started flying immediately when it went into service at midyear.

Looking at the external factors, the airlines and the system they operate in continued to add frustration and inefficiency to air travel. More TSA hassles, more delays and cancellations added to the misery factor. Reduced seats and increased demand created profit for the airlines but caused trouble for the business traveler. Full flights don’t allow much flexibility when cancellations happen due to weather or maintenance. It is not so easy anymore to rebook on the flight leaving two hours later. Sometimes that turns into “we will get you there tomorrow”.

Demand for travel has come back but the friction in the system has gotten worse.

That is good for those of us who are in the business of offering alternatives to scheduled airline travel.

So my guess is that we also benefited from the economy and the airline system. I will take the gift the airlines are handing us and smile.

The snowstorm in the Northeast this week generated a lot of year-end flight activity for us. Stranded vacationers were willing to charter flights to get where they needed to go.

So this year ended up a whole lot better than it started, and I am encouraged that the opportunities for our company and for our industry are going to improve in 2011.

Even in a shaky and uncertain economy people still need to travel. Businesses have proven their resilience to keep doing business and make things work even when the forecasts from some are doom and gloom. Face to face business has yet to be replaced totally by the videoconference. I still can’t share a meal with you through the video screen.

I believe we have amazing opportunities as an industry to improve the efficiency of businesses by saving time and stress on their most valuable asset – their people.

From my perspective I will take 2010 as a year of learning to adapt and innovate and treading water without sinking.

In the next posting I will throw out some ideas and thoughts about what 2011 and forward could look like.

Happy New Year

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When you and I visited last, Leon and I were at Wal-Mart buying emergency clothes and supplies since our bags were lost. I honestly thought (hoped) that would be the end of the trip drama.

Later that day, our bags showed up on the doorstep where we were staying; so, we finally had our stuff.

Tuesday night’s business dinner went late; and, we had a Wednesday morning meeting before we would leave Danbury to drive to White Plains (HPN) to catch our 11:30 departure for home.  That was the plan, anyway.

Wednesday morning there was a voice message on Leon’s cell phone notifying us the 11:30 am flight out of HPN had been canceled and that we had been rebooked on a 6:05am flight. The message was sent sometime Tuesday night while we were at dinner; but. we did not get the message. He received a text message at 6:10am saying that we were booked on the 6:05am flight (you know, the one that left five minutes ago?). For us to have made that flight, we would have had to have left Danbury about 4:15 am Wednesday morning, missing our Wednesday morning meeting completely.

After calling the help desk at Delta, we were able to get a flight out of La Guardia at 3:30pm, going non-stop to Nashville.

This wasn’t toobad since it gave us a little more time for business at Danbury.  Great.  So, we left Danbury around noon for the hour and a half drive to New York’s La Guardia airport. When we were within sight of the terminal building, I got a computer call from Delta notifying us that our 3:30pm flight had been canceled due to weather in Nashville and that we had been rebooked on a Thursday morning flight departing at  8:10am.  You’re kidding me, right?

Trying to figure out how to reduce the costs of this change, we returned the rental car, checked into an airport hotel and the day was over.

Delta had canceled all flights Wednesday afternoon into Nashville (BNA) due to forecasted surface icing conditions. I appreciate the seriousness of freezing rain and what it does to an aircraft; but, interestingly, Southwest and other carriers continued to fly into BNA all Wednesday afternoon and evening.

I wonder if the cancellations had anything to do with the “passenger bill of rights” and the new penalties for people who are left stranded on aircraft or in terminals. Maybe not, but the cancellation of that many flights for a chance of bad weather seems like a very aggressive cancellation policy.

Our next trip to Danbury will be in a Cirrus SR-22 or on Southwest to Hartford, Connecticut’s Bradley / Windsor Locks Airport if the weather is too bad for the Cirrus. No more La Guardia. How much productivity is lost by traveling in this system? The FAA study says about $33 billion per year in lost time. I don’t know exactly how they came up with that number; but, I would dare say that they have not even scratched the surface of true losses since they have no way today to measure the wear and tear on the human mind and body from traveling through the airline system.   

Bottom line: The trip home got us back to Nashville one day late with travel time Danbury to home base at Smyrna was 22 hours. I think that got us down to about 45 mph average trip speed.  In the 1930’s, Delta Air Lines advertised “Speed, Comfort and Convenience.”  Not so much.

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Airlines rake in $4.3B in fees; Delta tops list 

My dad sent me this story to me this week, no doubt, because of the amount of time I spent complaining about having to collect fees and the abuse I took doing it. 

During my time at the ticket counter, passengers were allowed three free pieces of baggage.  They could carry one and check two, carry two and check one or check all three.  No bag could weigh over 70 pounds.  Passengers were charged $45 for each additional, oversized or overweight bag.  Changing a non-refundable ticket cost you anywhere from $25 to $150 at various times – that policy changed often.  Pets carried in the cabin were $45.  There were a bazillion other fees, but I’ve blocked those from my memory and I don’t want to delve too deeply, negating the effects of all that electroconvulsive therapy.

I watch these stories and commericals discussing baggage fees with conflicted opinion.  On the one hand, standing behind the counter having to collect fees of any type can be a tense situation, particularly when the passenger is unhappy at The Man, but takes it out on the unfortunate target who happens to be standing there – you.  On the other hand, every passenger knows that they must pay for every bag on certain carriers.  So, no more: 1. “they didn’t charge me in Honolulu,” 2. “it’s just a little bag, can’t I carry it,”  or 3. “nobody told me that.”  Because 1. waiving a fee once does not give you a free pass forever, 2. it still has mass and counts as a piece of luggage, and 3. it’s all spelled out in the conditions of carriage included in your ticket.  Still, it seems a little deceptive to unbundle all of those fees.  It’s like a hamburger joint charging you extra for the container.  Technically, you don’t need it, but it sure makes eating the burger a lot less messy.  Baggage fees now have the feel of a toll – you don’t pay the toll if you don’t use the road; but, do the airlines really want to reinforce highway and bus comparisons?

Now, here’s a good question (and if you know the answer, please share it with me) do airlines pay taxes on these fees?  Not when I worked there and according to Carl Unger at SmarterTravel.com, they still don’t.  So, that’s $4.3B in untaxed income.  (Try getting away with that, Small Business Owner.)  Unbundling the fees saved carriers in the United States some $322M in taxes.  Now realistically, the carriers wouldn’t have paid those taxes, the consumer would have.  Even so, I think the carriers have found a clever way to help out their bottom lines without the bad publicity of raising ticket prices.  They effectively did raise the prices, they just called it something else.

I know that operating aircraft isn’t cheap and, even with what I do  know, I don’t know the half of it.  I just wish that carriers had some kind of truth in advertising policy.  If you’re going to charge me $500, then tell me that.  Don’t tell me that you’re going to give me a great deal at $300, then charge me another $200 in baggage, handling and food fees.  Even if the totals are the same, in the first case, I feel like I’ve been dealt with in an up-front and honest way.  In the second case, I feel like I’ve been bamboozled.

And, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being bamboozled.

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At the October conference in Atlanta, the NBAA presented Wright Brothers Master Pilot awards to Russ Meyer, Clay Lacy, Arnold Palmer, Gene Cernan, and Neil Armstrong.  Bob Hoover was also scheduled to receive his award, but was unable to attend due to health issues.  I’m so glad my son wasn’t at the ceremony with me because I can guarantee you that His eyes would have rolled and “oh, Mom!” would have come out of his mouth several times.   Oh, yeah.  I was in the second grouping of seats trying desperately to look like a professional rather than like a teen-aged girl at a Beatles concert.  I pulled it off, but it was close.

This was a group of pilots were are truly Groupie Worthy!  The NBAA has this to say about these men:

“Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has long been involved in the business aviation community. In August, he began appearing in advertisements as a spokesman for the No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign, which is jointly sponsored by NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

Astronaut Gene Cernan is likewise a long-standing business aviation advocate, whose name is synonymous with the Bombardier Safety Standdown, an annual effort to promote safety awareness and best practices that is jointly sponsored by Bombardier, Inc., NBAA, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Bob Hoover is a legendary Air Force test pilot and air show performer, who many consider the ultimate “pilot’s pilot.” Among his many contributions to aviation safety, he has promoted the “Hoover Nozzle,” to ensure that jet fuel is not inadvertently pumped into piston airplanes.

Clay Lacy, a pilot and the president of charter service Clay Lacy Aviation, is also a director and videographer, having conducted more than 2,500 air-to-air photography flights, including sequences in movies like “Top Gun” and “The Right Stuff,” which have inspired thousands of people to fly.

Russ Meyer, Chairman Emeritus of the Cessna Aircraft Company, led the company from 1975 until 2003. Under his leadership, Cessna received two Collier Trophies, in part for the safety record of Cessna’s airplanes. In addition, Meyer has won the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy and NBAA’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, the Association’s highest honor.

Arnold Palmer, an American icon and esteemed businessman, has spent a lifetime promoting business aviation. He currently serves as a spokesman for the No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign, and has addressed NBAA’s Annual Meeting & Convention on several occasions, each time highlighting the benefits the industry brings to the nation’s economy and transportation system. After receiving his Master Pilot Certificate at Wednesday’s event, Palmer will be honored with NBAA’s 2010 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award.”

I have this to say about them:

Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon and a man who remains a personal hero of mine.  As a child, I spent hours in our front yard, playing with my little plastic rocket, imagining the radio transmissions between Mr. Armstrong and Houston.  One of my colleagues is a friend of  his and says that Mr. Armstrong is a dignified gentleman, brilliant, a great teacher with a wonderful sense of humor – just a fine man. 

Gene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon.  The. Last. Man. To. Walk. On. The. Moon.  I don’t have enough sangfroid to pretend that walking on the moon is not just the coolest thing ever.

Bob Hoover is right up there with General Chuck Yeager in my book and, let’s face it, since my son bears the General’s name, Mr. Hoover is in the stratosphere.  He was one of those test-pilots who knew that each flight might be his last, but he did it anyway.  Adrenaline junky or hero?  I’m going with hero.

Clay Lacy combined his loves of aviation and photography; and, combined them in such a way that he was able to truly communicate his passions to viewers.  He took his fascination and adoration of aviation and gave it to others.  In addition, he runs a top-notch charter operation based primarily at Van Nuys, California.

Russ Meyer was largely responsible for the renaissance of aircraft manufacturing in the United States.  Thousands and thousands of Americans currently working in aviation – from Cessna employees right on down to line service personnel – owe their careers in part or in whole to Mr. Meyer.

Arnold Palmer is more than a legendary golfer – he is an avid proponent of general aviation.  While working in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Mr. Palmer on a few occasions.  You know that public persona he has of being a considerate, personable man?  In my experience, that persona goes all the way to the bone – just an incredibly nice man.  On the day that the airport was renamed to be the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, the high school band played;  Mr. Palmer’s co-pilot Pete went screaming down the run way in a low pass in his Citation X; and the town celebrated a local hero who took the honor with great humility.  Working on the field, we often wondered what he said in his radio calls to the tower – “my airport, N1AP on final?”  Seriously, how do you address the tower at an airport named after you?

All of these gentlemen have dedicated their lives to following their passions and we have all benefited from it.  Thanks to the NBAA for honoring these gentlemen this year.  What a thrill it was for this aviation groupie to be in the room with five living legends.

Left to right: FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilots Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, Clay Lacy, Russ Meyer and Arnold Palmer.

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My aunt recently flew from Seattle to St. Louis on American Airlines.  We’ll skip the horror part of this story including parking, baggage, security and enplaning.  We’ll go straight to an on-board event and an exceptional man.

On this frigid morning, bleary-eyed, harassed passengers filed onto the MD-80 aircraft with the goal of getting to their seats, stowing their carry-ons and maybe catching a little cat-nap on the way to Dallas.  Most passengers were wrapped in their own little worlds, paying minimal attention to fellow flyers.  Most passengers were, but one man in first class saw more.

Passengers were boarded and seated.  Luggage was stowed and the door was closed in preparation for push back when the Lead Flight Attendant walked from first class to coach to speak with the Purser.  From row 25, my aunt listened to an astounded Lead F/A tell the Purser that there was a gentleman in first class who wanted to swap seats with a fatigue-clad, career soldier sitting in a center coach seat.  The Purser informed the soldier who then followed her to the front of the aircraft.  She returned to the main cabin with a gentleman who was greeted with applause from those within earshot of the flight attendants’ conversation.  The passenger, who appeared to be uncomfortable with the recognition, was thanked by those seated across the aisle from his own new seat.  His response?  “It was the least I could do.”

Before push-back, the PA system crackled to life with the Lead Flight Attendant relating the story to everyone who had been puzzled by the applause.  She added that the first class passenger now in a coach class, middle seat was, himself, a Purple Heart recipient.

Clearly, this man wanted to give the gift of his seat without fanfare, taking no honor for himself.  However, I believe that his gift needs to be celebrated and repeated.  I believe that his gift challenges us all to be aware, be grateful and be willing to express that gratitude to our soldiers, our police officers, our fire fighters and others who willingly put their own lives on the line to protect ours.

Sir, I don’t know who you are, where you are, or what your story is; however, having heard this one gesture, I am grateful to you for reminding me of the importance of gratitude.  Thank you.

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In a recent post I commented on the study that claims delays in the airline industry costs US travelers 33 billion dollars a year in lost productivity.

Yesterday I made a small contribution to the 33 billion of lost productivity on a flight from New York back home to Nashville.

One of my business partners and I had business in Danbury and Norwalk Connecticut over a two day period. In putting the trip itinerary together it made sense to fly into New York (LGA) on Southwest, rent a car, do the multiple meetings, and then fly home the morning of the third day.

The day started with a 7am departure from the hotel in Norwalk with about a 50 mile drive to LaGuardia. We left early to avoid the worst of traffic coming into the city. The traffic was not too bad so we got to the rental car drop off at 9am and ended up at the terminal and clearing through security by 945am.   

The flight, scheduled to depart at 1135, ended up being 30 minutes late on the inbound arrival due to weather in the NY area. The weather was just some light rain and cloud cover. Nothing major, but IFR conditions nonetheless.

After boarding, the aircraft pulled way from the gate and got in line for a 45 minute wait for departure. More delay due to IFR spacing issues for landing and departing traffic.

We had to connect in Baltimore with a plane change but missed the connection due to late arrival. There was another flight to Nashville departing 40 minutes after our arrival so we rushed over to that departure gate to find out the flight was oversold. We were then put on standby for a fully booked flight 2 hours later. Reduced capacity in the airline system translates to high load factors and profit for the airlines but major inconvenience for the passenger when connections get missed.

During this process we found out that 15 of the New York passengers on the first leg were Nashville bound and all of them, like us, missed their connection in BWI.

Fortunately we were the last two passengers to get on the flight to Nashville. It was about 30 minutes late departing because it had arrived late into BWI due to weather in the Northeast.  

While boarding we walked by several very frustrated Nashville bound New Yorkers who were not so lucky.

Arriving into Nashville and retrieving bags, we were out of the Nashville Airport about 630pm. The drive home from BNA is about an hour for me so the door to door travel time from the hotel in Norwalk to the house was 13.5 hours.

On the GPS navigator that trip door to door is about 900 miles driving. Based on the drive miles we averaged 70 miles per hour door to door.

I have no complaints about Southwest Airlines. Their service was good as always. They don’t control weather and air traffic flow. The gate agents did an excellent job handling the passengers, some who were not so pleasant.  

My story could be told by millions of travelers. It happens every day in the system. All you need is a little rain and low cloud ceilings in the Northeast  and the log jam begins. It doesn’t unwind until the last aircraft hit their overnight destinations.

We have a Cirrus SR-22 available to us to fly for business. Had we taken the Cirrus we could have reduced that hotel to home travel time down to about 6.5 hours. This doesn’t account for the fact that we could have done the whole trip in two days instead of three by flying on our own schedule.

Next time I think I will fly myself and spend a few dollars more on using the Cirrus than the cost of airline tickets and the exrta hotel.

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