David J. Danto
Principal Consultant,
Collaboration/ AV / Multimedia / Video / UC
Dimension Data
Director of Emerging
Technology
Interactive
Multimedia & Collaborative Communications Alliance
eMail:
David.Danto@DimensionData.com Follow Video &
Technology Industry News: @NJDavidD
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First
World Problems
I’m
assuming by now everyone has heard the phrase first world problems – especially
since the performer Weird Al Yankovic wrote
a song decrying how bad it was that he couldn’t take a shower because his
maid was cleaning the bathroom and had purchased too many groceries to fit in
his refrigerator. That is the sort of
imagery I can’t get out of my head as I contemplate a change I might be presented
with. For the last few years the
majority of my airline travel has been in the domestic US. A possible change in my responsibilities might
reverse that trend in the near future, making the majority of my travel
international.
Putting all the other (actually important) factors aside,
as a lifelong frequent traveler my brain of course zones-in on the differences
between international and domestic air travel.
The concepts of “better” or “worse” really don’t apply, as honestly – in
the current era - most air travel of any kind is terrible. But international vs domestic is definitely
different.
First of all, most international airports are better than
the ones in the US. It’s no wonder that
no US airport even makes the list of the world’s top
10 airports. The last time I flew
through Hong Kong it was not only the nicest experience I ever had at an
airport, it was close to the nicest mall experience I ever had – and it’s only number four on the list. Compare this to the New York region airports
I fly out of (which I’ve blogged about
before.) Remember that the current US
Vice-President equated
landing at LaGuardia with arriving in a third world country – and he wasn’t
wrong. Having my travel experiences
happen at nicer facilities certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.
And then there’s always Duty-Free Shopping – an
opportunity to buy things you really don’t need at prices higher than you can
usually get them for, but devoid of any taxes.
What would people do without a tin Big-Ben filled with candy or inedible
leaf-shaped candies made from actual maple syrup? I suppose the liquor is worth the effort to
some – unless you happen to buy it or anything else in bottles in a country
where the bottles are not actually allowed on the plane you’re going to fly,
forcing you to throw it out. My
admiration to the entrepreneur that thought-up that scam. He or she is probably the same person that came
up with the idea that bringing 16.9oz bottles of water (you buy at Costco for
$4 a case of 35) through security is a risk, but buying them at $4 a bottle in
the airport is not. Security is of
course important, but the people and firms that use it as an excuse to gouge should
be punished. At the very least they should
be sentenced to spend a week at LaGuardia or Newark. And interesting that when you ask Google to define gouge it
uses an airline reference. But I digress….
International flying does regrettably subject the business
traveler to frequent, significant waiting and hassles at customs and
immigration checkpoints. Heathrow
airport in the UK is one example where travelers arriving in the morning often
have to wait an hour or more in a hot (amazingly regardless of the time of
year) uncomfortable line to be approved for entry. Fast-track services – when you can get them
as perks of a more expensive ticket – often have waits just as long. Of course, checkpoints resulting from significant
overseas travel can’t be worse than those at Canadian entry-points, where families
of 12 all holding grease-stained paper bags tied with twine breeze through, but
any US citizen there for a brief business trip gets pulled aside for a four
hour lecture on NAFTA.
Better lounges - longer waits - more frequent-flyer miles
- less airlines caring about miles-flown - customs - meals served on planes
again - having to eat meals served on planes again - etc., etc. I’m sure that there are more important things
to consider about domestic vs. international travel, but all I can conclude
about my potential first world problem is that airline travel is still awful
nowadays – no matter where it is done.
It’s a good thing I’m a communications and collaboration expert and can
replace many potential trips with video.
For me, today’s airlines are my best commercial.
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This
article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal
opinions. David has over three decades of experience providing problem solving
leadership and innovation in media and unified communications technologies for
various firms in the corporate, broadcasting and academic worlds including
AT&T, Bloomberg LP, FNN, Morgan Stanley, NYU,
Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan Chase. He now works with Dimension Data as their Principal
Consultant for the collaboration, multimedia, video and AV disciplines. He is
also the IMCCA’s Director of
Emerging Technology. David can be reached at David.Danto@Dimensiondata.com
or DDanto@imcca.org and his full bio and
other blogs and articles can be seen at Danto.info. Please reach-out to David if
you would like to discuss how he can help your organization solve problems,
develop a future-proof collaboration strategy for internal use, or if you would
like his help developing solid, user-focused go-to-market strategies for your
collaboration product or service.
All images and links provided above as reference under
prevailing fair use statutes.