Yald - Patrick Grote's Technology Notes - Travel

Highway 40 closing in St. Louis

Patrick Grote — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 14:28:13 -0500

Highway 40, some refer to it as Interstate 64, is closing in St. Louis. The Missouri Department of Transportation decided it would be quicker to close the the highway in two section to complete all the work. On Wednesday the first part of the highway closes. While this isn't part of the highway I use to get to work, it does serve as the termination point for my journey on highway 40.

Here is a quick look at the history of highway 40 in St. Louis. It's amazing to watch some of the old footage and see how unpopulated areas such as Chesterfield were at the time.

What are your rights when you sit in a plane

Patrick Grote — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:15:44 -0500

As everyone knows, air travel has gotten worse and worse since September 11, 2001. I have a number of ideas as to why this is, but the biggest reason is pricing. In an effort to compete with each other, all the air carriers have cut their back ends to the bone. This means less people, which means less service.

This even applies to airline pilots. Due to government rules a pilot is limited in the number of hours they can fly. Sitting in an airplane counts as flying, so when delays happen you have to replace the pilots. Since the airlines have cut pilots they end up with even more delays.

How to find London hotel deals

Paid Opportunity — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 06:15:23 -0500

If you're considering a trip to London, you'll need a hotel room. With all the different travel sites it's very hard to find one that shoots straight. One site that does do this is London Nights.

London Nights does a great job of providing cheap hotel rooms for anyone traveling to London. Sure, London Nights let's you book the room and look at prices, but the site is much more than that.

The site also features things like great customer service, instant confirmations and it even includes a rating system for the hotels. If you're new to London, as I am, it helps to have someone separate the hotels and offer you a range.

They myth of airline security - silly airport rules

Patrick Grote — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 06:00:43 -0500

Flying commercially today doesn't have the luster it had in the past. With the layoffs, increased security and less choices, you don't have much of a chance to enjoy yourself. If you're lucky, you won't get irritated.

Still, there is much to get irritated by.

For instance, how about the rules that says your luggage must travel with you? This rule comes into play if you miss the check in deadline for your flight. Most of the time the deadline is 30 minutes prior to your flight. You have to have your luggage checked in with your airline 30 minutes prior to your flight. This allows security enough time to screen your luggage.

Smoking ban attempts in the UK

Paid Opportunity — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 06:05:59 -0500

A new site, www.nosmokinglaw.co.uk, has come online that offers help for those who would like to ban smoking in the UK. The site itself is very clean looking with major sections on English, Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish smoking laws and efforts to ban smoking.

The site has more useful information including information for businesses and those in the public. Things such as smoking shelters and hints on stopping smoking are covered in-depth.

If you're looking for information on UK smoking bans this is the site for you.

The plight of the modern day flight attendant

Patrick Grote — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 02:20:00 -0400

If there is one job that has suffered the most in the last fifteen years it's flight attendants. Once the fresh, friendly faces of the sky, they have become indentured servants in an industry that is suffering.

As a human resource, the flight attendants position is important for the safety of the flight. They are usually the first ones to notice and deal with problems during the flight in the cabin. They posses many skills in terms of safety, which makes them very important.

They are usually the only face of the airline that most people interact with during the flight. Companies used to take great pride in the flight attendants corps they employed. Flashy uniforms, boasts of great customer service and friendly banter were once the foundation of companies. In today's world the flight attendant is no more than a glorified security guard.

Airline travel is getting to be a pain

Patrick Grote — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 16:08:20 -0400

I've written before about the problems with airline travel, but in the last week it's gotten worse. We all know about the terror plan in the UK and the steps the TSA has taken to protect us , but think about traveling by plane today for a minute.

Right now you cannot bring a simple bottle of water onto the plane. If you fly for more than two hours, you're going to need that water. The airlines have cut back on services to the point where getting a bottle of water from a flight attendant is impossible. Sure, you may get that can of soda from a nice attendant, but if you want water you're out of luck. Cost cutting meant that airlines now use large bottles of water and serve it to you in a nice small cup. Amazing.

Stagnation and decline of America's airport solutions

Patrick Grote — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 15:40:06 -0500

Think about airports for a minute. What is the common thing about every airport you've ever visited in the United States? Yes, increased security, but more importantly, there always seems to be construction. Constant construction.

The airports I fly through multiple times a year include:

There are probably another half dozen I'll hit once a year, but those make up the bulk of my travels. In all the airports I visit there are always construction projects going on. They could be adding a terminal, rehabing a parking garage or even adding a hotel. The airports are in a constant state of flux and never seem to settle down. I've always presumed this construction was to increase capacity, but not in all cases.

American Airlines Why You Fly Contest Ripoff

Patrick Grote — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 16:40:06 -0400

I've always wondered what it'd be like to win contests that the airlines run from time to time. Sometimes they offer unlimited travel for a year or a lifetime. Sometimes it's consistent upgrades no matter what. I came across an account of someone who won the Why You Fly contest from American Airlines. It's not pretty.

Regional airports on life support ... may become extinct

Patrick Grote — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 16:40:06 -0400

I know, sometimes I write way too much about the airline industry considering I am not in it. What intrigues me about the airline industry is the total switch from being a profitable, well liked industry to a bankrupt, hated one. A new article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch looks at regional airports and their viability in today's marketplace.

The article explores how regional airports have been devastated by what has happened since 9-11. The first example is the Joplin Regional Airport in Missouri. Prior to 9-11, three airlines had 31,000 passengers through Joplin. Today, only one airline has about 10,000 passengers a year.