David J.
Danto
Business travel
thoughts in my own, personal opinion
eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD
NOT Traveling Blog, 3rd
Week Of May
In 2014 I was voted
by USA Today readers as one of the top ten business travel bloggers in the
USA. Now mind you, I turned out to be number ten on the list of ten, but I did
make it on (with my thanks to all those who voted.) Now that we’re all stuck at home and not
traveling, I had to think about what to do with my blogs. I could stop writing them entirely – waiting
till we all get through the current COVID19 pandemic / crisis. I could wax nostalgic and/or complain about
past trips. Or, I could focus all of my
efforts on my day job – growing the use of collaboration technologies –
especially in light of how many people are now forced to use those tools for
the first time. In reflecting upon those
choices, what I decided to do is compile an ongoing list of observations during
the crisis. Some of these may amuse,
some may inform, some may sadden and others may help. My goal will be for you to have seen
something in a different light than you did before you stopped to read the
blog. I was going to apologize for how
disjointed these thoughts may seem when put together, but then it dawned on me
that feeling disjointed is our new normal – at least for a little while.
So, in no particular
order:
·
I
suppose it is in some ways comforting to realize that while many things have
changed during the crisis, some things have not. Unfortunately, one of the things that hasn’t
changed is the dishonesty of United Airlines.
Having sent an email to all of its customers stating clearly that: “We're automatically blocking middle seats to
give you enough space on board…” a doctor who volunteered to help the
struggling medical professionals in New York found on his flight home this week
that that was just one more deception. His
flight from EWR to SFO was
generally packed, with no middle seats blocked.
The doctor
said people on the plane were “scared and shocked” and he felt more exposed
there than his weeks in a COVID19 emergency room. United’s reply to the situation was
essentially well, yes, we said we’d block
middle seats, but that’s for paying customers, these doctors flew for free. Apparently, two things we can always count
upon – regardless of any global crises - are airline doublespeak, and airlines
prioritizing dollars over lives. It’s
just one more of the apparently continuous reasons that I feel these US airline
companies should just go bankrupt and be rebuilt / nationalized. There is no humanity / empathy built into their
operational process.
·
In
a stunning announcement, Delta
says they’re permanently retiring the Boeing 777. So long to the last, big, comfortable
aircraft that will likely ever be built.
Wow – it’s a New Normal indeed.
·
It
is just amazing to see that American’s feelings about fighting the pandemic are
predominantly split across political lines.
Science is science, and the virus doesn’t care who you vote for. It is both an incrimination of the US
educational system and the failure of honestly in much of the politically
biased media outlets. It brings to mind
the saying on one of my favorite T-shirt:
·
We
found out this week that New
York’s Broadway will be shut-down at least through Labor Day weekend. I have tickets to see Hugh Jackman in a
revival of The Music Man (one of my favorite plays) late in September. If it is performed then – and there is still
no treatment nor vaccine – I doubt I’ll be OK with going. While thinking about it, it reminded me of
the Wells Fargo Wagon number in
the show, where everyone is super eager to see what things are being delivered
that day. If the revival does happen
they should modernize the number and replace Wells Fargo with Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, UPS and the rest of the delivery vans that are
keeping us alive during the pandemic nowadays.
·
I
purchased Last
Week Tonight stamps to support the USPS.
Have you? https://photostamps.com/products/laststamptonight.
If you don’t like his, make your own.
Let’s drive as many stamp purchases as we can.
As always please feel free to write to me with comments or
items I should add to a future Not Traveling blog (or if you just need someone
to write to.) Stay safe, be well, hug
those you’re sheltering with (but no one else) and do your best to stay
positive. We’re going to be in this for
a long while.
This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal
opinions.
All image and links provided above as reference under
prevailing fair use statutes.