Don’t trust technology at the airport
The camera may never lie. But the airport computer monitor, that’s another story altogether. Edward Herold discovered that on a recent trip to Toronto. The Guelph, Ontario-based university professor arrived at Denver International Airport for a layover, looked at the screen displaying the flight arrival and departure times, and did a double take.
What do business travelers want?
In the movie What Women Want, road warrior-turned-heartthrob Mel Gibson plays a sexist executive who can secretly hear what women think. In real life, the engineers and marketing executives responsible for our technology are clueless nerds who think they know what road warriors want.
$200 a night, bed extra
Is there an energy shortage in oil-rich Oklahoma? Well, no. But that didn’t stop the Hilton Garden Inn in Tulsa from charging business traveler Robert McAuley an extra $3-a-day energy fee to cover the cost of lighting his room.
Cool accoutrements for the traveling technologist
If you’re a heavy technology user - and let’s face it, who isn’t these days? - you’re always looking for ways to make your gadgets more usable on the road. As if adding more gadgets to your complement of gadgets could somehow make the trip more comfortable, if not civil.
GPS modules break new ground
In an age of plug-and-play devices, hot-swappable peripherals and self-repairing operating systems, we expect our technology to pretty much explain itself. We insist on the instant gratification of unwrapping our hardware, turning it on, and having it do exactly what the box says it’s going to do - no “ifs,” “ands” or “buts.”
Sidestep holds its own against Orbitz
How does Orbitz, the controversial new Web site owned by five major airlines, stack up to its competitors? Not badly. Not badly at all. I tested Orbitz against three other travel sites - Expedia, Travelocity and Sidestep - on four city pairs. Result: Orbitz won one of the searches hands-down and tied with Sidestep for the other. Travelocity and Sidestep took top honors for the other queries.
Roam, roam on the range
Blame Canada. That’s what Michelle Taylor did when she got a $430 cellular phone bill that included hefty roaming charges for venturing north of the border. “Roaming never entered my mind because I have a 50-state calling plan,” says the Carrollton, Texas, saleswoman.
Orbitz takes off
The Department of Justice is investigating it. Southwest Airlines is suing it. Consumer groups are attacking it. And it hasn’t even opened business.
A turbulent time for the bottom line
Noel Ward prefers the highway to the runway when he travels. “If I can drive to my destination in about six hours or less, I will,” says the Web publishing consultant from Amherst, N.H. “It sounds crazy, but I’m reaching the point where I’d rather waste the time in a car than pay to be jerked around by the airlines.”