Customer Service
Global Traveler — What a Value!
Jun 19th
Yesterday the editorial team put the finishing touches on the July issue of Global Traveler, and art director Tracey Cullen sent the files off to the publishing house. This past month was extra busy, as we also prepared the annual Global City Guidebook to be published and polybagged with the July magazine. For those of you new to GT, the GCGB is chock-full of one-page guides to major cities throughout the world and across the United States, providing the traveler with a convenient overview of each city, its major attractions, hotels and restaurants.
The Guidebook is just one of several supplements which we publish each year. Additionally, our regular subscribers look forward to Class Act, an annual survey of premium-class cabins of international airlines. It provides the most comprehensive, detailed summary of information on first- and business-class cabins available, and our readers always tell us how much they look forward to it and reading the other articles it contains on other services, from spas to lounges to airport rail links, a busy traveler may use.
I always look forward to our Luxury/Indulgence supplement. It’s fun to read about the latest in the finest dining, accomodations, extra-special services and truly extravagant “toys” out there. Though on first look I don’t think I personally might ever experience most of them, I’ve found that a few of those “indulgences” are actually within my reach and well worth the splurge!
In addition to those annual “books,” each year we offer separate supplements on individual destinations around the world. These present a focused look at countries or regions of particular interest to travelers. Within the past twelve months we’ve delved into Spain, the Pacific Rim and Ireland. Every one provides great information and plenty of incentive to go out and book a trip to that enticing location.
We on the editorial side always breathe a sigh of relief when we’ve finished up a month where we’ve basically produced two magazines in 30 days. The added work and rushed deadlines are always worth it, though. Our subscribers tell us time and again how interesting and helpful these products are to them, and everyone at Global Traveler is proud and pleased to provide such great value to our readers.
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editorÂ
Checking Out Hangar 9
May 9th
I must admit that I’ve never spent a lot of time considering how airlines develop their cabin configurations and seat designs. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I fly in economy class, and my impression is that the only thing most airlines consider in designing for that class is how many seats they can squeeze in before their passengers consider flying some other airline. I was most impressed and interested, then, with what I learned on a visit to Air New Zealand‘s Hangar 9 in downtown Auckland, where full-scale mock-ups of the airline’s new seat designs were on display.
Before we had a chance to try out the new business premium, premium economy and economy skycouch designs, Ed Sims, group general manager of International Air New Zealand, gave us a short but fascinating brief on the process ANZ went through in seeking to meet its goal of creating the world’s best long-haul flight experience. The airline was the first to purchase the Boeing Dreamliner but didn’t like any of Boeing’s seat designs offered in 2006. (In a word, he stated they were “all dreadful.” No mincing words here!) ANZ received approval from Boeing to build its own showroom/mock-up in Auckland where the airline could design and develop all-new concepts for its new planes. By the way, they scrapped first class in 2005, reasoning that providing an excellent business-class experience made more sense economically for both the airline and the passenger than adding an additional tier for much more money but with a barely appreciable difference in the service and experience.
Sims also noted that the company, while being the 36th-largest airline in the world, seeks to be the first in innovations. Competing in its region with airlines which he readily admitted are “outstanding” and regular award-winners in the travel industry, ANZ’s focus is on providing service which is genuine rather than ”robotic” and providing cabins which meet the needs of all its passengers, from families to business travelers. The first step in the process was to bring in Ideo, an American global design and innovation consulting firm. They began by developing a clear model of their passenger types, focusing on the reasons people travel (rather than the usual demographic parameters of age and income) to identify their needs. One surprise? They used The Simpsons characters as a shorthand means of identifying these passenger types – a highly sociable Marge (comprising about 40 percent of travelers) as opposed to “cocooners” and those who wish to be left alone, like a Mo or Mr. Burns (60 percent). From there, a whole slew of ideas were presented, actors were hired to test out an assortment of new configurations in simulated long-haul flights, and these were then whittled down to a select few to be incorporated as early as this coming November in a number of 777-300 jetliners.
A few ideas that didn’t make the cut? Bunk beds, staggered seating and clustered seats. Those which you’ll be seeing soon: In economy, the new skycouch (dubbed “cuddle class” by the media) in which three economy seats can be transformed into a flexible space used for stretching out, corraling squirmy toddlers with a need for some play space or putting an infant to bed. The entertainment system has been upgraded with multiplayer video games, a kids’ section and live news feeds from the New Zealand Herald. In premium economy, the new Spaceseat works like a wall-hugging recliner so that the person in front of you won’t be reclining into your space. Business Premier offers a thicker mattress and soft duvet for its fully lie-flat bed, and the ability to order meals, beverages or snacks from a touch-screen menu whenever the mood strikes. And for the crew, an additional galley, special new convection ovens and one crew member designated solely for food prep translates to better, more efficient passenger service.
All in all, this was one of the most eye-opening and entertaining field trips I’ve ever experienced. Seeing how seriously Air New Zealand takes thinking outside of the box and delivering a unique and comfortable travel experience to all of its passengers makes me eager to fly them again soon and try out those new features in the air.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Feb 27th
A Delta Connections flight, operated by Pinnacle Airlines, was canceled out of upstate New York late this week. Big deal, you say, the Northeast was hit by (yet another) big snowstorm at the end of the week; lots of flights were canceled. Well, this is true, but weather wasn’t a factor in this particular instance.
Mechanical problems? Drunk pilot? A bomb threat? An unruly passenger? You’re getting warmer, but, no, none of these was the reason the Rochester-to-Atlanta flight was dropped. Instead, as the plane returned to its gate after a passenger suffered a panic attack, a “spat” apparently broke out between two female flight attendants. The pilot, in ”an abundance of caution,” according to a Pinnacle spokesman, made the decision to cancel the flight. The 75 passengers said they were told they had to get off the plane because the stewardesses were fighting (can you imagine hearing that announcement coming over the speakers?!), and they were found alternate travel arrangements.
We’ve all heard all kinds of stories, some of them quite bizarre, about altercations aboard planes that have led to flights being diverted, emergency landings and the like. This is the first I can recall where a fight between crew members led to this kind of action. The airline spokesman said this was a verbal, not a physical, argument; but apparently it was of such a scale that the pilot felt it was best to ground the flight. I really find that remarkable, as well as dismaying.
Of course, we don’t know (and probably never will) the whole story and its background. Perhaps the captain had flown with these attendants before, perhaps there was a history of unpleasantness between them, and perhaps he had had enough and felt drastic measures were necessary to put an end to it. (The two attendants have been removed from duty pending an internal investigation.) But doesn’t it bother you that two individuals who work in the service sector could not be professional enough to carry out their duties in a civilized manner? Their personal animosity and the captain’s means of handling it inconvenienced a great many people. Ironically, their behavior, in the pilot’s mind at least, was a threat to the safety of that flight — safety which it is their assigned duty to secure.
It leads me to ponder, as I have occasion to do too often these days, the increasing lack of public civility on display everywhere, from the U.S. Capitol to city council meetings, from the grocery store check-out line to . . . the airport. Sometimes it seems that people take their social cues from Jerry Springer instead of Emily Post. I know from reading the many letters to Global Traveler and blog comments here that our readers, many of whom travel the world and interact with a variety of cultures, practice and understand the value of courtesy and respect for others, even when others’ lifestyles or opinions don’t align with their own.
Maybe that’s the solution: Folks who have become too insular and self-centered need to get out and travel more. They need to mingle with their fellow human beings from all walks of life and practice the art of getting along with those different (and yet oh-so-alike, fundamentally) from themselves. That’s assuming, of course, that their flight to a new destination isn’t canceled due to dueling flight attendants.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
Make Your Bed
Feb 6th
Okay, show of hands, please: Ever felt compelled to re-make your hotel room bed? Odd question, I know, but personally I have been in that position a number of times in a variety of cities and hotels over the years. And you might be surprised when I say that I am not referring to stays at inexpensive interstate inns, but 3-star and better properties and fine resorts.
Am I just an overly particular guest with a fetish for a perfectly made bed? Absolutely not! I will admit that, due to the training of my nurse mother, by the age of eight I could make a bed with hospital corners snug enough to pass muster with a drill sergeant. That is merely to say that if a child can accomplish that task, certainly trained hotel staff should be able to as well. However, I don’t require such perfection in the beds I sleep in now; I just want a bed where the sheets aren’t sliding off the mattress or disproportionately distributed to one side or the other.
Perhaps I just notice it more because I usually travel with my husband, so we’re sharing a bed, and two bodies tugging at the covers are certainly going to reveal any flaws in the bed-making more quickly and obviously than one. Sometimes the trouble is apparent from the moment the spread is pulled down, sometimes it isn’t until part way through the first night, and sometimes it’s after housekeeping has been through to straighten the room after a night or two.
What’s the big deal? A lot of times, the bottom sheet is barely tucked in on one or more sides and becomes all bunched up, leaving one lying partially on the mattress pad and uncomfortable from all the lumps and bumps. In other cases, the top sheet has been arranged with plenty of overhang on one side while it barely covers the top of the mattress on the other, or it hasn’t been secured at the foot of the bed so that one’s feet are exposed to the air or a scratchy blanket. I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling and sleeping in a strange bed, I don’t need additional annoyances or discomfort to make my rest less peaceful.
I understand that housekeeping staffs are often short-handed and have an enormous amount of work to accomplish in a short time span. And I comprehend the economics of using flat rather than fitted sheets. I still don’t think those excuse a poorly made bed — especially at those finer hotels and resorts that pride themselves on customer satisfaction and service. It takes only seconds to spread the linens evenly on the mattress and securely tuck them in (no more than it takes to just randomly shove them in, as I’ve observed most seem to have been), and that is certainly preferrable to guests having to do it themselves when the bed becomes an uncomfortable, messy tangle.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
