Eric Joiner's Freightdawg.com - The Logistics and Supply Chain Blog!

And Now for something Entirely Different...

I once worked with a guy back in the mid 1980's who truly had no idea about international geography. This guy had come from a domestic air freight company and had to be educated on "where stuff was". One day I asked him how things were going and he replied that he had a heck of a sales lead on some business going to the "Far East". I asked him exactly where...and he replied "Savannah".(doh!)

The little cartoon below I think should be included in ALL sales training for international logistics people. You'd be surprised how many folks truly have no idea where places are. That is shameful in a global economy, though this little cartoon is hilarious to me.  For we DHL folks there is a version of this on youtube in German!   

Dont know your state capitols in the US?   Yakko has that covered as well.

(Note: Some corporate proxy servers ban video from youtube.com.  If you see white space below...you may be on such a network. Please revisit from home or a connection that does not go through your company VPN.)

Eric

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Airline Travel: How to Effectively Complain.

I travel every week.   Periodically, it gets ugly.  The article below is syndicated from the Wall Street Journal Online and gives good advice on how to effectively complain to major airlines.   

The key is to know where to go, and more importantly what you want in return for the inconvenience.

Never tell the airline you'll never fly with them again! What incentive would they have to compensate you then?   

Visit the link below from finance.yahoo.com to read the rest of the article.

clipped from finance.yahoo.com What Airlines Do When You Complain By Scott McCartney Friday, March 23, 2007 provided by Wall Street Journal Online Mike Wallace of San Francisco was so mad about recent travel   experiences and a lack of response to his complaints that he searched the   Internet for email addresses at UAL Corp.'s United   Airlines and fired off an angry letter to more than 60 company officials. No   response. A second email to all the addresses he could find that used   @united.com and @ual.com did get some attention. In all, after corresponding   with United a dozen different times about being stranded at airport hotels on   two different trips because of United flight problems, Mr. Wallace and his wife   got some measure of satisfaction: business-class upgrades for some future trips   and a $400 voucher. "It's a series of systems, policies and nameless, faceless people in place to wear you out. Most people just give up, but I pursued and pursued and pursued before I finally got something," said Mr. Wallace, an environmental consultant and elite-level United customer. A United spokeswoman says the airline's goal is to "satisfy our customers the first time they call, write or email us." After the aggravation of mechanical breakdowns, computer meltdowns, schedule changes, lost luggage, missed connections and long telephone or airport waits, many customers fire off angry complaints to airlines -- only to get less-than-satisfying responses. But there are ways to get more redress, airlines and travel experts say. (This week, The Middle Seat focuses on how airlines handle complaints; next week, the column will look at the Department of Transportation's role in addressing fliers' grievances.) A common mistake: Telling an airline you'll never fly them again. If so, then the airline no longer has an incentive to try to win back the customer, some airline officials say.

TSA: Superman Not Required!

X-Ray Vision Sees Through Passenger Clothing.

The Transportation Security Administration recently started using a new X-Ray scanner at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.  The new scanner has the capability to see through passenger clothing in an effort to see contraband and explosive devices hidden in peoples clothing.

One Small Problem...

The scanner sees too much!  Images from the scanner are detailed enough to become a personal privacy invasion. They have the capability to show an individual without clothing.   The TSA has listened to complaints on this issue and modified the imagery to create a more obscure outline image.  While this limits image "detail" it also limits the imaging of contraband. Fortunately, use of the scanner is voluntary. Passengers have the option of being manually screened by a TSA officer.

The test scanning unit will be operated for the next 90 days at the largest KPHX terminal, which operates US Airways and Southwest Airlines flights.   In due course, the technology could be rolled out to additional airports including New York, John F. Kennedy Airport (KJFK).

 

Airline Baggage Fees Increase

This week on Smartmoney.com,  Kelli Grant wrote an article discussing recent fee increases for excess baggage charged by the airlines.   An interesting article that points to restrictions by a number of carriers on the type and number of bags you can carry aboard both domestic and international flights.   The article discusses these fees as being "nickel and dime" attempts to make a profit.   I think thats a little naive. But...to be fair, Kelli's article is intended to point out cost avoidance, not why the airlines charge the fees.  I wrote an article for Logistics Recruiter.com back in January that addressed both the problem and a potential cure.   The carriers had a chance to fix this courtesy of the TSA.

The SmartMoney article does do a good job at outlining travel strategies for those who bring the house on every trip.   Good reading on which carriers charge what for overpacking.    As a guy who travels every single week, and checks bags,  I hope some readers will pack lighter.  The bain of my travel existance is the 90 lb. woman with a hundred pound roll-aboard bag who cant get it into the overhead!  (And I am a gentleman...I put it up there most of the time!)

Eric