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America's Meanest Airlines {Gadling}
Apr 11th 2011 4:45PM I am on planes 3 of my 5 working days and have flown all the major carriers and most regional carriers. My number one choice for any airline is Alaska Airlines. They are always very nice and accomodating and their people very pleasant. I have also found Southwest to be great. And while I do fly Delta quite a lot, I am not very impressed with them. They aren't rude - they just aren't friendly.
If I have any choice I refuse to fly American Airlines, their service is lousy (cancelled, late flights, incorrect information) and their people the absolutly least organized and are extremely rude. Not to long after the famous Jet Blue incident I got stuck on a runway for over 6 hours, only to have the flight cancelled. Most recently when they cancelled a flight and rebooked me they only reserved the seat and didn't issue a voucher. In order to get on the flight I had to pay for a ticket and the submitt for reimbursement after returning home. I also believe United and Continental domestically are almost as bad as American. Would it hurt their employee's to do anything other than scowl when you give them a smile?
These are businesses and until the CEO's want to, and make the effort necessary to change, the situation will remain unchanged. When we fly it is the people we come in contact with that make up a lot of our impressions regarding the airlines. If the CEO of United/Contiental is listing we are customers and you have A LOT of work to do!
For as often as I am on planes these unfriendly and rude airlines are missing out on the income. After all they are business and I can, most of the time, make the choice whom I do business with. After my years of travel I think the regional based carriers like Alaska Airlines (although they now fly nationally) instill a corporate culture that includes customer care. Although I don't fly Southwest often, since I typically am on long flights, I like the interaction with their staff.
We as customers can make the choice (most of the time) with whom we do business and how we spend our dollars. If you don't like an airline due to the corporate culture or policies - just do your best NOT to do business with them! It costs 5X as much to get a new customer as it does to keep a loyal customer. Perhaps some of these airlines just don't care about this fact.
Spirit Airlines CEO stuffs himself in an overhead bin to justify paid carry-on fees {Gadling}
Apr 14th 2010 3:49PM I am on planes multiple times during the week. Often flying in for an appointment one day and returning the next. I don't have time for an airline to lose my luggage and they have. Even if I am traveling up to 3 days all I take is my rolling briefcase (including my laptop) which doubles as a suitcase and sometimes I take my purse too. The briefcase is about 1/2 the size of the bags that I usually see go into the overhead and there is always room for someone else's coat to go in the overhead with it. On some planes this bag will fit under middle or window seat but never has it fit into the aisle seat. But hey perhaps they will charge me depending upon the seat I am assigned. I will NEVER fly an airline that charges (punishes me) for packing very lightly and placinging everything I need into one SMALL bag. Nor should my company be forced to pay extra. Ban coats in the overhead first!
Searching for a New Mattress? {AOL Hot Searches}
Mar 30th 2009 8:18PM Buying a bed is a very individualist choice and can vary greatly even within married couples. I worked for a bed manufacturer for many years and while it may seem companies make the same bed for differnt companies there are always slight differences between the retailers.
Shopping for a bed can be very difficult but here are a few suggestions:
1. When you go shopping wear shoes that can be slipped off easily. Take your time and LAY on the bed in the position that you sleep in. Once you narrow the choice lay there for 1/2 hour or more. After all you will be spending 1/3 of your time in that bed.
2. Yes coil count is important but also ask the gauge of the wire. This is very important. Think about the difference between bead wire and a coat hanger. It wouldn't matter how many coils you had if the wire was thin and won't support.
3. Also ask if the helical wires run from head-to-foot or side-to-side. These are the sturdy wires that the coils hook to. (Not Beauty Rest - they are individually pocketed and in my experience work their way out and "birds nets" and then don't offer support.) If they run side-to-side you will certainly feel it when your partner moves.
4. Open ended versus close ended coils. Close end coils don't allow for as much independent movement of the coils as open ended. Close ended coils are not bad jut not as good.
5. Pillow-tops. I don't care what a salesperson tells you after time there will always be an indentation where you sleep. The amount of time will vary depending on the weight of the person and how often the mattress is turned.
6. I have read a few comments about a ridge forming in the middle of a king. This is most likely due to off-set boxsprings - One is higher than the other. But refer to #5 no matter what after a certain amount of use this will appear to happen because of the depressions "well" that forms when you sleep.
7. The more foam "padding" the more it will compress over time. The memory foam is great and it does usually take a very long time for the compression to appear.
8. Latex Foam mattresses are very good beds and are meant to last many many years.
9. Always get a new boxspring with your mattress, it is like shock absorber for a car.
10. Above all it is your ultimate choice and you spend 1/3 of your life there. Take your time...Lay down on the bed for as long as you like...If you need to go back many times.
Many stores offer the ability to return them, however this can be difficult if not impossible.
It is not a manufacturer's responsibiliy to take back something you "don't like" Only defective goods. It's like buying a pair of tennis shoes at a department store and then trying to return them to Nike or Reebock because you don't like the way they fit or feel on your feet.
Manufacturer warrenties are for defects. Even if the mattress has a 25 year warrenty and a depression develops after 10 years it won't usually be covered since this is expected to happen. And if your kids bounce on the bed and a spring pops through that's not covered either. You wouldn't ask a car manufactuer to cover dents because your kid hit your car with a baseball bat.
Remember it is your ultimate choice, take your time, don't be pressured and if needed go back many times. Price is not the only factor in determining a good bed.
Note to Linan: Call the manufacturer your coils most likely have worked their way out of their individual pockets and have "birds nested" wrapped together and are not offering support. This should be covered by the Manufacturers warranty.
US Airways trying bold experiment of breaking the last straw {WalletPop}
Aug 3rd 2008 9:33PM As a frequent flyer I recommend the airlines learn that this is a service industry and we can make our choice by choosing who to fly. Amazingly enough the airline with the largest profits still allows two free checked bags, free snacks, free drinks, and small meal boxes on long flights. Their flight attendents are also some of the highest paid in the industry and I have yet to run into one that has not been pleasant or helpful. I make the choice each time I purchase a ticket - I choose Southwest. I choose no longer fly American Airlines or US Airways - I don't care how much cheaper their tickets maybe.
