Combating Air Rage
by
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Excerpt One: Extreme Business Traveler Test
There are many symptoms of this new business-driven lifestyle. Ask yourself these questions to find out if you are indeed an Extreme Business Traveler:
You know you are an Extremie, if:
* You can mentally map the locations of power outlets in all the major U.S. airline hubs where you can plug in your laptop.
* You've already tried every special meal request available on the major airlines - just for variety.
* You choose between airlines based on the movies they are showing.
* You anxiously await the first of every month so you can see a new movie on the airplane.
* The airline renames one of its jets in your honor.
* You never have an ATM cash withdrawal without a 'remote location' charge added.
* Your family answers your call with, 'Oh HI! Which city do you have a layover in?'
* On check-in at a hotel, you correct the hotel staff when they give you a smoking room by mistake, because you know all the non-smoking room numbers by heart.
* You and your friends compare the length of your commute in flight segments rather than driving miles...........
Excerpt Two: THE BIG DELAY
I am convinced that airlines consistently fib when flights are delayed. . . I think that they believe it is better to string people along than take the chance of passengers deserting. So, if a flight is going to be two hours late, they will tell everyone it will be 1/2 hour late. After that 1/2 hour, they will then say that it will be another 1/2 hour late. Etcetera, until the 2 hours are up.
I have used the next couple of tricks to catch them. Yes, you, too, can figure out approximately how long your plane is going to be delayed even before the airlines tell you the truth! It involves obtaining ALL the information available. Follow these five sets of instructions to obtain five estimates.
1) Ask the desk agent how long the flight will be delayed. Whatever they say, double it. If they say they do not know, then use two hours for this estimation.
2) Ask them the reason for the delay. If they say mechanical problems, estimate a one and one-half hour delay. If the answer is air traffic control delay or weather at the destination, estimate one and one-half hours. If the answer is weather in the city you are in, take two hours. If the answer is a delay on the incoming plane, ask when the incoming plane is scheduled to arrive. Take the number of minutes between your original departure time and the estimated arrival time and add 35 minutes.
3) Look at the monitor of arrivals and departures at the airport. Look at the departures for your gate number. Then look at the arrivals. Find the flight number for the plane that is supposed to arrive at your gate approximately one-half to one hour before your flight is scheduled to leave. Take the difference between your scheduled departure time and the new arrival time of the delayed plane and add 35 minutes. (IT IS AMAZING how many times the desk agents will tell people at the gates that their flight is only delayed 15 minutes when the monitors prove that there won't be a plane landing at that gate for at least 45 minutes!)
4) Call the airline reservation number from the airport. Do not select the automated information line if it is offered. Wait for a reservationist and then ask for the estimated departure time for your flight. (It is also amazing that this time will usually be different than what the gate agent told you!!!) Take this time and add one-half hour to it . . . .
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About the Book
Have you ever suffered through one of these situations?
* Your flight has been cancelled, and the airline doesn't tell you until AFTER an alternative flight has left!
* You wait forever for your luggage after your flight, to find out that it has been lost. You finally get to the airline agent, and they say, 'Oh, yes, we have a message about your luggage right here!' They never bothered to tell you beforehand to save you over 30 minutes waiting time.
* An airline employee tells everyone that the incoming plane should arrive in 5 minutes. Later, they make an announcement that the flight has not left its last airport yet, and will be over 3 hours delayed.
* You are forcibly bumped from a flight, but the airline employee tells you that you are better off retroactively 'volunteering' so that you will receive compensation. Later, you find out that you would have gotten more compensation by not 'volunteering'!
These and many more situations are enough to make the most seasoned traveler break down into fits of AIR RAGE!
But there is hope! As business travelers become more and more savvy, they amass a wealth of tricks to handling the worst travel situations with ease! This book, Combating Air Rage!, the guide to fighting back for Extreme Business Travelers is focused on helping business travelers through the maze of air travel, over the hurdles of car rentals, and around the potholes of hotel stays. Written by an Extreme Traveler, the book contains a wealth of information specifically designed to help business travelers understand Air Rage, what causes it, and how to deal with the inconsistent and often illogical messages given to us from the airlines and other travel companies.
Dedicated to helping Business Travelers with their unique travel needs, including such topics as Per Diems, locating business services en route, and last minute flight reroutes, this book is a MUST HAVE guide for any savvy business traveler.
The book is written in an upbeat and humorous style, and uses hilarious travel anecdotes as support for tips on typical situations that affect business travelers. In addition, it presents strategies for those that are interested in maintaining their health during times of stressful travel.
Its wealth of information makes this book a great gift for novice business travelers -- just starting their career. And, its breadth of topics makes it an indispensable part of the arsenal of any seasoned extreme business traveler!
About the Author
Ted Celentino has been traveling for business for the last ten years - and been on the road nearly every week for three years. Traveling for business, Mr. Celentino has spent time in Newark, Denver, Richmond, Dallas, Seoul, Mexico City, Sacramento, San Antonio, Ft. Wayne, Lincoln, Omaha, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Washington D.C., Wichita, Chicago, Brussels, and Los Angeles, to name a few. He has traveled through every major hub in the United States, is an executive or regular member of many frequent travel programs. He is constantly working on ways to make his endless business travel more enjoyable and productive.
Mr. Celentino has a degree in Computer Sciences from Northwestern University and an MBA degree from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA, and has worked as a business consultant for two of the Big 4 accounting firms. He is currently assisting an international IT consulting firm in setting up a specialized consulting group.
Mr. Celentino has written Combating Air Rage! almost entirely while in the air. When he's not on the road, he lives in San Francisco, California, where he likes to occasionally take a vacation from travelling!