Plane Conversations

It’s summertime!  Time to vacation.  Time to peel off the warm clothes and get out and about. 

So for me, I start by looking at the “Empty Legs” list our company (Corporate Flight Management) puts out every month to see what interesting places are available to fly to.  You can buy a seat, two seats or up to 30 seats depending on the airplane (a Jetstream J41 to a Lear 35), and at a great price which is competitive to the airline prices (just more comfortable and no having to go through the pain of airport security).  Just walk onto the ramp and get into your private jet. 

One that comes up often is Nashville to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Nashville.  I’ve been to Atlanta for a netball tournament, but haven’t had the opportunity to really get out and about and explore the area.  

So I do what all people do, and Google.  www.altanta.net  has a list of 50 Things to Do in Atlanta.  So here’s the list of some choice activities on my list.   Now, just book an empty leg flight and head on down to ATL.   

Atlanta Braves and Turner Field
The Atlanta Braves regular season takes place April – September at Turner Field. The Braves Museum and Hall of Fame, also at Turner Field, features more than 600 Braves artifacts and photographs that trace the team’s history from its beginnings in Boston (1871-1952) to Milwaukee (1953-65) to Atlanta (1966-present). Both the Braves Museum and Turner Field are open year-round. 

Atlanta Botanical Garden
This peaceful oasis includes 30 acres of gardens, an urban forest, wildflower trails, the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory and a 10,000 square-foot Fuqua Orchid Center. A charming bridge links the main gardens to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Children’s Garden. The Garden also offers year-round special events, exhibits and workshops. 

Atlanta History Center
This Buckhead attraction features 32 acres of gardens, wildlife trails and woodland areas. The complex includes the 1840s Tullie Smith Farm, a fully restored 1928 Swan House mansion and Swan Coach House restaurant. The museum features exhibitions on subjects such as the Civil War, African-American heritage and Southern folk art. The Atlanta History Center includes a wing dedicated to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. 

The Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Ballet
The Atlanta Opera offers four main stage productions each season, in addition to other programs, such as Pre-Opera Lectures and student matinees to further enhance the experience of opera. Atlanta Ballet, founded in 1929, is the oldest professional dance company in America, the largest self-supported arts organization in Georgia and is the official Ballet Company of Georgia. The company’s performances combine contemporary and traditional with classic ballets and new choreography. Both companies recently moved to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. 

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a Grammy Award winning, internationally-renowned ensemble now in its 62nd season. Currently flourishing under the creative partnership of Music Director Robert Spano and Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles, the ASO has garnered 23 Grammy Awards. 

Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station offers a city within a city feeling to all its visitors with a walkable streetscape-style setting with brick paved streets and a Central Park. Great boutiques, sidewalk cafes, hip restaurants reign at Atlanta’s new Main Street. Atlantic Station has a Regal Cinemas 16, lots of festivals, concerts and TWELVE® Hotel. Free shuttles are available from the Arts Center MARTA Station. 

Buckhead Nights
Dining in Buckhead has always topped the list for visitors to this luxurious community. Now, you can experience the Ultimate Dining package, thanks to the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group and Buckhead’s top hotels. 

Buckhead’s Legendary Shopping Experience
Expect more Buckhead luxury than ever with the addition of the new 35,000 square foot Neiman Marcus wing at Lenox Square. Legendary shopping in Buckhead takes on new meaning with specialty retailers Calvin Klein, LUSH, Shabby Chic and Zara coming on the scene, exclusive to the Atlanta market only at Lenox. Additional retail anchors include Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, complemented by designer boutiques Hermes, Cartier, David Yurman, Late Spade, Montblanc, St. John and Salvatore Ferragamo. 

Center for Puppetry Arts
Center for Puppetry Arts is the largest organization in North America dedicated to the art of puppetry. The center offers performances from the Family Series and New Directions for adults. An interactive museum, Puppets: The Power of Wonder, is the largest puppetry museum in the United States. 

Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Chastain Park Amphitheatre each spring and summer plays host to some of the finest, best known musicians in the world. The Classic Chastain series features musicians and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performing at Chastain Park Amphitheatre while guests dine by moonlight. 

Chattahoochee River Fun
Sixteen recreation areas along a 48-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River have been designed to conserve the river and provide outdoor entertainment for the whole family. Contact the Chattahoochee National Park Service to plan your outdoor fun, or Chattahoochee Outfitters, a premier raft, canoe, kayak and pedal boat outfitter. The Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell offers educational environmental programs, canoe trips and other activities. 

The Fox Theatre
This opulent historic landmark presents shows by Broadway in Atlanta and Theater of the Stars, as well as a Summer Movie series. And, one of the nation’s premier professional ballet companies, the Atlanta Ballet, performs its holiday season favorite “The Nutcracker.” 

The Georgia Aquarium
Dive into a one-of-a-kind aquatic experience at the world’s largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium! Get up close with gentle whale sharks, toothy sand tiger sharks, graceful beluga whales, playful sea otters and aquatic animals from around the globe. With the largest collection of aquatic animals, you are sure to see things you’ve never seen before! 

Golf in Atlanta
Atlanta has 71 public courses, 14 semi-private and 48 private courses that encompass everything from in-town spots such as Bobby Jones Golf Course to championship links at Stone Mountain Park and Lake Lanier Islands Resort. 

High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art is the leading art museum in the southeast. Expect a broad, diverse selection of art comprising 19th/20th century American works, European paintings, decorative arts, African, African-American art, photography, and modern and contemporary art. The High is currently involved in a three-year partnership that brings treasures from the Musee du Louvre to the city. 

Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta
Located on Centennial Olympic Park, Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta features hands-on, colorful exhibits and activities where children can discover, imagine and explore as they learn how things work in their world. Whether it’s building a sandcastle, painting on the walls, or exploring the latest exhibit, children will discover why it’s the smart place to play. 

Inside CNN Atlanta
Journey into the heart of CNN Worldwide and get an up-close look at global news in the making. Inside CNN is a 55-minute guided walking tour with exclusive, behind the- scenes views of Atlanta’s CNN studios and an exciting glimpse of news and broadcasting in action from the world headquarters of CNN. 

Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum is an opportunity to learn about the life and work of the 39th president. Walk into an exact replica of the Oval Office, see exquisite state gifts and special exhibits, and trace President Carter’s life from his 6th grade report card to the actual Nobel Peace Prize awarded to him in 2002. 

The Laughing Skull Lounge
The Laughing Skull Lounge is the smallest full-time comedy club in the world with only 74 seats, but it still brings the biggest comedy acts to town. This unique combination is why The Laughing Skull Lounge has been voted best comedy club in Atlanta by several local media and as one of the best comedy clubs in the world by Delta Sky magazine. Conveniently located in the back of The Vortex Midtown two blocks from MARTA’s 10th street/Midtown stop. 

Little Five Points
It’s one of the coolest spots on the map. A bohemian hangout with a rich mix of art, theater, and shopping, it has been the epicenter of all things alternative for many years. 7 Stages Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Variety Playhouse, Star Community Bar (with a shrine to Elvis) and many pubs and nightlife places are available. 

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site & Sweet Auburn District
The area of Sweet Auburn served as the thriving center of Black enterprise in Atlanta from the 1890s through the 1940s, and is the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, explore his birth home, visitor center, historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and The King Center, where Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize is on exhibit. The crypt and gravesite of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, are also located at The King Center. 

Medieval Times
Journey back to the 11th Century for feasting, fighting and fun. Medieval Times is an exciting, family friendly dinner theater featuring an authentic medieval tournament and feast, with jousting knights and horses. 

Millennium Gate
The Millennium Gate is a new, classically designed monument in Atlantic Station. Winner of the prestigious 2006 Palladio Award for design of a public space, Millennium Gate showcases world-class architecture, art and history in an intimate gallery setting and beautiful grounds. 

See Atlanta from Above
Air Atlanta Helicopters has several selections of Atlanta sites to tour from the sky. And, when you take a hot air balloon ride with Balloons Over Georgia you will see North Georgia in a whole new light. 

Shopping for Outlet Malls?
North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville is Georgia’s first and only premium outlet center. This center offers current-season merchandise from 140 stores. If you’re heading north on I-85, be sure to make a stop at one of the three outlet malls outside of Atlanta: Discover Mills and Tanger Outlet Center, with locations in Commerce and Locust Grove. 

Six Flags Over Georgia & Six Flags White Water
Six Flags Over Georgia is the Southeast’s largest regional theme park. You can visit the park from March to November to experience thrills on Goliath, ride Thomas the Tank Engine or cool-off in Skull Island, the world’s largest interactive theme park water play structure. Six Flags White Water offers thrilling water rides, slides and waterfalls including Tornado, the Ultimate Storm and Cliffhanger, one of the tallest freefalls in the world. 

Stone Mountain Park
Stone Mountain Park is home to the world’s largest piece of exposed granite rock and is the state’s most visited attraction. With more than 3,200 acres of natural beauty, the park offers families recreational activities, special events, lodging and camping. Plus, new in 2008 is Sky Hike, the largest family adventure course in the treetops. Also see the Skyride, Paddlewheel Riverboat, Antebellum Plantation & Farmyard, The Great Barn, Scenic Railroad, Ride the Ducks, Great Locomotive Adventure, Golf, museums and the 1870s town of Crossroads® which includes live shows, craft demonstrations, shopping and dining. 

Underground Atlanta
Six city blocks have been transformed into a spirited marketplace that offers historic guided tours, more than 100 specialty stores, Kenny’s Alley, the trendy hangout with exciting nightlife and restaurants, street-cart merchants and annual events. The Peach Drop, the largest New Year’s Eve celebration in the Southeast, St Patrick’s Day Festival, and Heritage Arts Festival are just a few of the special events that take place. 

Upscale Shopping
The latest fashions and today’s trends can be also found across Peachtree at another exquisite Simon property – Phipps Plaza. Phipps spells luxury with stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo and more. If you like art and antiques, don’t forget Miami Circle known around the world for its museum quality antiques, estate jewelry, rare book galleries, and show rooms of unique lighting. The Bennett Street District in south Buckhead, also boasts some of the best antiques and art in Atlanta. Last but not least, The Galleries of Peachtree Hills houses 24 distinctive antique and art galleries in a five-building complex designed in classical French style. 

Yellow River Game Ranch and Kangaroo Conservation Center
Visit the 24-acre Yellow River Game Ranch set on a naturally wooded preserve along the banks of the Yellow River. It features more than 600 native Georgia animals, such as deer, buffalo, bears and the famous weather predicting groundhog, General Beauregard Lee. The Kangaroo Conservation Center is America’s Aussie Adventure, home to the largest population of kangaroos outside of Australia. 

Zoo Atlanta
Located in historic Grant Park, Zoo Atlanta features more than 200 species of animals from the African plains and Asian forests. See Bornean Sumatran orangutans, Asian small clawed otters and Sumatran tigers, plus a pair of Giant Pandas and a new panda cub. The Ford African Rain Forest houses one of the largest captive gorilla populations in North America with a total of 24 gorillas.

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Good news for the economy and the airlines, not so good news for the traveler, especially the business traveler.

In a May 31 article in the NY Times by JANE L. LEVERE  the word is that flights will be full this summer and airline fares will be up 

Quoting from that article:

This is not going to be a good summer for air travelers. They face a potential combination of crowded flights, high fares and labor disruptions. And that does not even consider the possibility of more canceled flights because of new penalties for airlines that encounter long tarmac delays or the potential of continued disruption in Europe from the volcano ash drifting from Iceland. Demand for business and leisure travel is expected to be stronger this summer than last, which means travelers will be fighting for seats that have been reduced significantly during the recession.

The article goes on to say:

…double-digit increases in demand are in no way being matched by similar increases in the number of seats. The Air Transport Association, the trade group of the American airline industry, said domestic capacity will be only 0.2 percent higher this summer than last, while capacity on international routes will be up 6.6 percent.

“Seats will be limited,” said Michael Derchin, airline analyst for CRT Capital Group in Stamford, Conn. “It’s going to be a more difficult travel experience for business people, with 90 percent load factors in the peaks.”

This is not good news for the business traveler who is already beaten up by the day to day rigors of flying the airlines. The idea of every flight being full and what happens when flights cancel, and the chaos that ensues trying to get people on the next flight that is also full is something that no one looks forward to. And the coveted middle seat will now be occupied. Maybe by you! Oh joy!

The article discusses the possibilities of disruption from volcanoes and labor strikes here in the US and the UK and the additional flight cancellations due to the new DOT rules on how long the airlines can keep us on the tarmac waiting to depart.

All depressing stuff if you are a road warrior.

The article closes with a suggestion that you have other options if it gets too bad. You can take a train or drive or just not go at all and video conference. What about the option of flying but not on the airlines? Anyone thought of that option?

Being the eternal optimist, where is the lemonade in this pile of lemons? 

Business and Private Aviation have the ability to meet the needs of the traveler without the hassle and frustration you experience with airline travel. The only limiting factor to more people using private aircraft is price.

So as the price goes up on the airlines, and the experience gets worse, does the gap close between the price versus experience of airline travel and private aviation? The system of airline travel is doing it’s very best to help those of us in that other aviation industry called General Aviation. We could not ask for a better competitor.

Through technological innovation of the aircraft we fly and innovation in how we meet the market of travelers we should close the gap of price and increase the value proposition on our side.

The time is right. Let’s not sit around and miss the window of opportunity.

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