Strategy...funny word.

This week, I spent many an hour sitting with our global suppliers completing supplier business reviews.  The word of the week, strategy!

Strategy is defined by Webster as a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time.

Behind the closed doors, we were saying things like market-share, data integrity, solutions, ideation,  cost savings, cost avoidance, buying patterns, compliance tracking, customer satisfaction and peppered in there throughout, laughter!  (We have a great time in these meetings!!) 

All of these words, meetings, ideas, exchanges, thoughts, actions and plans will help use to devise our strategy for the future.  That's exciting stuff!  Each supplier and team member walked out of these meetings with hope in their heart, individual ideas on how to improve something and the feeling that the time spent was worth every minute.

Is that strategy or just good people coming together to make a plan for the future that will make a positive impact for all sides...I think its a little bit of both.

And with laughter and a brain full of ideas, we keep going! 

As the World Turns

If I didn't know better, I would think it was February and I was living in the movie Ground Hogs Day.  Let's look at the industry headlines this week:

- American and US Air announce their global sales organizations.
- United announces some staff cuts on both the sales and the crew sides.
- Open bookings is in the news.  (The one difference, this time for legal and liability concerns.)
- Big data is still a buzz word and companies like ARC are coming up with options.  (Cool tool by the way if you haven't seen it!)
- Hotels ADR is increasing.

I am reminded of a GBTA convention a few years back when Jim Davidson, President of FareLogix, gave his, "I'm old and crabby" speech.  Anyone that was there still refers to it as that.   He talked about how long he had been in the industry and we are still talking about the same things.  While I consider Jim a frienemy and hate to say he is right....he's right.  We can look back at almost anytime in the last 5 years and these same points are out there somewhere.  (Maybe its not an airline merger, but an agency merger, hotel company buy out etc.)

In my peer discussions, we are always talking about what is the next big thing?!  What will change the industry?  What does our future hold? 

If I had to guess, in three years, all these things will still be in the headlines.  Will mergers happen differently?  Yes.  Will companies have a better grasp of things like Open bookings and big data?  Yes.  Does that mean our industry is stagnant?  No...it means that when we uncover something, we keep pulling back the blankets and finding more to deal with and maybe, just maybe, that's okay. 

Scary moments

Imagine, you are just touching down in Las Vegas with a secret!  You have been working on a surprise birthday party for a friends husband for months now, in just a few hours, it will all be real.  All the parties will be there, the birthday boy will be surprised and life will be great!  Then, you turn on your phone!  Within in seconds you start to get texts and voicemails from 10 of the party guest were on a plane whose engine failed during take off....yes, scary moments!

So, being in the know, I jump to my emails to look for information about the flight, its passengers etc. Nothing, nadda, zip.  How can that be?  An airplane full of people just had an engine go out and there is nothing on the wires about it.  Then it hits me, this is Allegiant Air, a vacation carrier, operating a very low cost, low frills service....who was going to pick up that story?

So, as we try to keep the drama from the birthday boy, we sneak into the ladies room at McCarran Airport to try to sort through the "what next?" questions.  I found out that they were kept on the plane for quite some time.  When finally allowed to deplane, the passengers went to the Allegiant counter for help in rebooking, refunds etc, there was no one there.  They LEFT!  The passengers were made to call Allegiant and get help!  (If you have ever tried to call Allegiant, know that isn't an easy task.) 

So, my issue here....1 - In the industry, we hear about a train hitting a cow on the tracks...no one hurt and the train just kept right on going, but don't hear about it when and MD80 loses and engine?  2 - The fear in the voices of the people who heard the boom, who felt the plane lurch and then, prayed until they were back on the ground were left to figure it out on their own.  3 - This is a carrier that I had to take coming home out of Vegas.  Was I okay with that?

Bringing it full circle, the rest of the party made it in, although a day later.  The birthday boy was surprised, the folks in Vegas let me postpone all the events one night and yes, I flew Allegiant home.  Did everything work out?  Yes.  Was it a blast?  HELLO, it was Vegas...yes, it was a blast.  Is it scary some of the stuff that happens that no one hears about?  Heck yeah! 

Will this stop me from traveling?  Nope, because as always, we must, Keep Going! 

Resolutions and weather

It's that time of year when people resolve to do things like lose weight, eat better, focus on family, have a cleaner desk/home, you name it, they have all been mentioned.  My resolution, to blog more frequently.  Not because people are clamoring for what I have to say, but because its a good release of thoughts and even if no one reads it, it makes me feel better. 


It's January in Fargo and that means everyone is talking about weather and cold.  Well, it IS January and it IS Fargo, so yes, it IS COLD!  People have asked why I live here and how I live here.  It's simple, family, friends and common sense allows me to survive winters and enjoy where I live.  Just a bit if advice for those people who are enduring their own cold snaps now.


1 - No matter how it looks, wear a hat.  Sure, I walk into a store and my hair is a mess, so sometimes I choose to leave it on, but trust, it's worth it. 
2 - Where you live, the snow will probably melt within a few days.  Its heavy, so don't get hurt trying to move it out of the way.  Give it a day or so and it will be gone.  (For us, it's here to stay for a few months, so a heavy duty riding snow blower is a must as well as well appointed shovel...lift with your legs people!) 
3 - Enjoy it!  Drink hot chocolate with marshmallows with your kids.  Make a batch of cookies and snuggle up around the fireplace or board game or a card game.  I learned to play many different card games in the winter and my kids are doing the same. 
4 - Think of others who aren't warm and cozy.  Buy an extra pair of gloves and give them to someone who needs them.  Buy an extra coffee and share with someone who needs a good warm up. 
5 - Know this temporary.  For my friends reading this in the Midwest, its only 163 days until summer.  Spring will be here before we know it and we will have survived another winter.  In the meantime, I am taking a few trips to ease my pain.  If you can't do that, refer to number 3 above! 


Thanks for listening and for the many notes from people all over "checking on me" to make sure I am surviving the cold.  I am!  We are and we will...


Keep going!