I’m with the C.I.A.
As someone who has been immersed in the world of chefs for my entire professional career, I am occasionally thrust into a situation where I have to clarify the name of the organization I work for.
Bracing for 2006
Factor in rising travel costs, the airlines’ unending woes, the devaluation of award programs and a continuing erosion of service, and you have the makings of another trying year. So trying, in fact, that some people are planning to avoid business travel altogether.
Unexpected gifts
Now is nearly the bitter end of the busiest year for business travel since 9/11. While there is plenty to complain about, like airline bankruptcies, overcrowded airports, soaring hotel rates, maddening car rental fees and substandard customer service, there is also plenty to be grateful for.
A tasteful German fruitcake
Dense, much-maligned fruitcake simply won’t fly with many folks. But German stollen is another matter entirely. Many Americans are finding it a welcome alternative to our homegrown variety. (National Public Radio’s Weekend All Things Considered)
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A new emphasis on service
All the major online agencies - Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz - have recently introduced customer-service initiatives, and many domestic airlines are responding by upgrading their Web sites and retraining phone agents.
Avoiding a travel nightmare
Don’t let flight delays and weather woes derail your holiday trip. National Geographic ombudsman’s Christopher Elliott tells Kai what to do when you’re trapped in a travel nightmare.
A virtual war
Military officials sampled more than 450 flight simulation and virtual combat applications from defense contractors at this year’s Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando. Christopher Elliott reports how the system lets troops in Maryland practice war games “alongside” NATO troops in Belgium via a high-speed hookup. (National Public Radio’s Day to Day)
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The chatter is nonstop
You know the seatmate who doesn’t stop talking for the entire flight - the one no one wants to get stuck next to? I’m that guy. I can’t help myself. I’m a salesman.
Don’t go there
It was a routine request for a business trip. At least that’s what Ramsay Chu thought.
A lost laptop on El Al
Her PC is taken from her on a flight from Tel Aviv to Paris, with an assurance that it will be returned to her when she lands. But when Mita Patel’s laptop goes missing, El Al also holds her master’s thesis hostage. How to get her computer back in a hurry?
The coupon runaround
Michael Winston books a cruise for his mother-in-law through Travelocity. The online travel agent offers $700 in reward coupons, but then makes Winston wait until the cruise is done to collect them. By that time, the coupons have expired. And what does Travelocity have to say about it? Tough luck. Wrong answer.
Potty time
Next time you board a plane, consider visiting the restroom first. The passengers on a recent United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney probably wish they had.