Are Travel Policies Effective?

I have been chatting with peers lately about this topic.  I have heard things like;
"It's totally effective because its part of our company DNA."
"I don't know if my travelers even know there is one."
"It's more of a guideline than a policy."
"There are policies for everything in our company, so we have to have one and I think I do a good job of keeping ours updated." 

When programs look to make changes to travel, their first instinct is to look at travel policy.  When people look to create a travel program, they start by creating a travel policy.  So, when and how did this question about its effectiveness come bubbling up? 

Let's look at a policy...per one of my friend's quote above, it's a guideline that says what I can, cannot, should and maybe even should not do when I am expensing travel to the company I work for.  It's a protection measure for the employee to tell them what's appropriate.  It's also a protection measure for said employee because they know what could lead to their demise within the company.  It's a document that everyone from HR and Legal can use when needed to ensure someone is not defrauding the company.  It's also a document that managers can use to help to manage their travel budgets. 

All of those are good things! 

A policy, however, does become ineffective when it's never looked at, by ANYONE.  If people don't know it exists, if people never look at it to make updates, if people never look to it to help guide their budget and planning....then it certainly has become ineffective. 

That, my friends, is not good. 

So, whether your policy is one page or 60, bring it back to life.  Review it, clean it up, and make sure people know about it.  What measures can you take to help people internally understand the importance of the document and how it can help them?  If it's not being used, then blow it up and start all over.  I consider policy the playbook.  If we don't all know the plays that will make us successful, we probably won't have a winning season.  And while life is not always about winning or losing, I prefer to win...and keep going. 

We Are a Mobile Society

The top four news stories this morning were:
1 - Flooding in South Carolina. 
2 - The El Faro cargo ship search.
3 - American Airlines pilot who died during flight.
4 - Amtrak derailment in Vermont. 

Did you notice that all of these have to do with the ability to move people and/or goods from place to place?

Flooding - Homes were lost and roads washed away. 
Cargo ship - While moving a cargo ship of goods and services, it seems as if this vessel has been lost at sea. 
American Airlines pilot - The co-pilot stepped in and with poise and professionalism, landed the plane safely.
Amtrak derailment - Train carrying passengers from Vermont to DC goes off the track with thankfully, no one losing their life. 

Being able to get from place to place is key in this society.  We can and do move millions of people and goods everyday on roads, tracks, in the air and on the sea.  The physical size of our planet hasn't changed, but our ability to transit the globe has changed and when that ability is compromised, it's news worthy.  I ask you to think about an industry that doesn't rely on mobility.  I can't think of one. 

It makes my theme of keep going so relevant.  The people in South Carolina will pick themselves up; clean up their homes and roads.  The shipping industry will not waiver in its mission because of one incident.  Millions of passengers will take to the skies today knowing that they are in good hands.  Amtrak will be back on track today, moving people from place to place.  Like me, people will keep going because that's what we do. 

Why Do Women Do This?

Sisters, I gotta go there...  We have to STOP being bitches to each other.  The other day, while at an airport, I saw three examples of this behavior and it drives me crazy!  Keep in mind, these all happened within 45 minutes.  

1- Two women in the airport bathroom were traveling together.  They were chatting up a storm while they washed their hands and fixed their hair.  A woman with three small kids came into the bathroom, and she started changing a diaper at the changing station.  The two travel companions looked at each other, one rolled her eyes and as they were leaving one said, " Poor thing looks like she could use some help."

2- I was in a long slow Starbucks line  and therefore, struck up conversation with a man in line.  We chatted about our delays and our need for something to drink.  The man then motioned to, what I assume was his wife, about their order.  She walked over toward us and I greeted her with a smile and "Good morning!" to which, she grunted and gnarled something to the man and walked away.  Let me get this outta the way, I was NOT trying to pick up her man!  

3 - A female flight attendant smiled and joked with people who were boarding.  She saw a middle aged woman, smiled and complimented her nail polish.  Two passengers later, she cut-off, without apology or smile, a young attractive woman, well put together and obviously headed out for a business trip.  She went back to joking and smiling after the young woman passed.

Does the flight attendant know she even did that?  Is it second nature to only be nice to people we don't see as competition?  If you thought the mom needed help, why not offer her some? Is it easier to pass judgement and pity than to offer support and a helping hand?  Had I started up a conversation with that woman instead of her man, would it have been more socially acceptable?  

Men don't treat each other this way.  Sure, most of time, they are less engaged so are less likely for these things to matter, but men help each other and even if they DONT help each other, they certainly don't pass judgement as easily as women.  Now, I know that might sound like a generalization and I normally don't do that, but I had to call this one out.  

So, while out there, being a part of the human race, let's vow to stop our wicked ways and try to view everyone through the same lens, no matter their look, their situation or their intent.   Oh yeah, and keep going! 

And The Winner Is.....

First of all, if you think I know who won the GBTA elections from last week, you are wrong!  Second, if you think I paid attention to the Emmy's, you are wrong there too.  I was busy tearing out a bathroom vanity that night which made my husband come home and say, "WTH?"    

I am talking about who is going to win in this era of airlines throwing down the gauntlet on customer service.  Delta, owning that space for a long time now, has basically said to United and American....BRING IT!  They are so confident that both of these carriers will not catch, much less surpass them in the area of customer service that they put their money where their mouth is.  If United AND American both surpass Delta's numbers, they will make a payout to corporate customers who are performing.

Back to the title about the winner....the Customer, for once, should be the winner here!  United and American aspiring to be the better versions of themselves will help the customer.  If they improve their customer satisfaction, on time arrival, bag handling, yadda yadda yadda, the customer wins.

For someone who wants all suppliers to understand the importance of the customer, this is like the Superbowl and America's Cup Racing tied in a bow.  I will be watching this space closely to see how it plays out.  I think as American and United make gains, Delta will keep pushing the envelope.  Again, customer wins!

Congrats to Delta for pounding their chest on this and for setting the bar high.  As a traveler and corporate customer, I applaud you and ask you to keep going! 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, The Polls Are Now Open!

Starting this morning, all GBTA members will have the opportunity to cast their ballot.  On the ballot, there are three contested races.  They are, noted in alphabetical order:

1 – Vice President of GBTA – Jeremy Gardner and Mark Ziegler

2 – Allied members will vote for one of three candidates for GBTA Board Member – Billy Boss, Kelly Christner and Dick Nabors

3 – To pass or not to pass the bylaw amendments.  – Yes or No

There is also two uncontested races.  They are:

1 – President GBTA – Christle Johnson

2 – Direct Member at Large – Cindy Shumate, Bhart Sarin and Karin Thompson

You have 10 days to cast your vote.  10 days to let your voice be heard.  10 days to help shape the direction of GBTA.  Each of the elected officials will speak with your voice within the Board Room.  Like I tell everyone about any election, if you don’t vote, don’t complain!  If you complain long enough, you just might run…like I did! 

If you are GBTA member and you did not receive your voting information, please call Election Services Corporation at 1-866-720-4357 between 9a-5p eastern.  You can also send an email to GBTAhelp@electionservicescorp.com.  

With one year left of my term, I keep going and looking forward to welcoming the new members of the board to be with me! If you did not receive you ballot, please contact

PS - Not that anyone has asked, and probably no one cares, but in the contested races, I will be voting for Mark Ziegler and yes on the by-laws.  (Note, I cannot vote in the allied election, so best of luck to all three.) 

Watching Lufthansa

On the heels of Lufthansa's implementation of a 16 Euro fee to all tickets issued on LH Family ticket stock, this weekend, their pilots announce a strike on long haul flights.  Then, today, in their ongoing quest to be the world's top airline, they cancel numerous short to medium haul flights this week.  Over 100 flights cancelled in just a few days. 

In a survey recently posted, already over 50% of travel buyers in the US are looking to change how they are doing business with the Lufthansa family...then, this!? 

I get it that Germany has different rules around employment, unions and bankruptcy.  What I don't get is how pilots think they can impact people's ability to do business time and time again and still people will chose them!?! 

Someone tell me how this 16 Euro fee is going to make up for all these cancelled flights! Someone tell me how 100+ cancelled flights make the airline reliable, profitable and the airline of choice of people in the region!  Someone tell me how this timing (many Europeans coming back from holiday) could have been worse! 

I have friends who work there and I know they are shaking their heads over this.  They are coming back from a vacation to this...crap!  What will it take to fix their financial issues?  With many already saying they are selling away from them, I, like the rest of the industry will watch how this will impact them moving forward, or not.  Should I say, their ability to keep going, or not....

Cold Call Email Etiquette

 Last week I received an email that said, “Hello Mr. Turner.”  I had to look to ensure it was meant for me and yes, it was!  It was sent to my email address and not in BCC fashion.  

In this world of automated cold calls and auto email distribution lists, I get that this happens, but the impact can be treacherous for the person sending the note and the company that they represent. I get it that most of the time, these are being sent by an automated tool, but what happened to being diligent and testing these tools?

I didn't reply to this email because it wasn't addressed to me.  I also looked at the company website and made a mental note about it for the future when we are looking for suppliers in that field so I can make sure they are not involved. 

So, when you are out cold calling, make sure your tools and products are doing what you ask them to do, create a positive experience for the recipient that it leaves them wanting to know more about you and your company, as opposed to getting put on a list of another sort.  

Keep going folks, its worth it!