It’s no secret the disdain I feel for United Airlines. That said, I found this great ad from the ’90s on YouTube:
I love this message (even though he refers to “phones and faxes” rather than “emails and social networks”). “We used to do business with a handshake,” the speaker says. In the end, he sends the members of his firm to personally visit every single customer they have, despite the protest of “that must be more than 200 cities.”
A pitch to buy more plane tickets? You bet. But in the last couple of weeks, I’ve realized there’s a great sentiment here for both my personal and professional life.
It all started when Steve Jobs died. I never met Steve, but I felt a loss, like many did. The next day, one of my dogs died suddenly of a heart attack (and I’m a total animal person). In the few weeks that have passed since, a friend lost her older brother (at the far-too-young age of 49), a friend lost his wife of 37 years, and the delightful gentleman that has been my neighbor for more than 12 years lost a battle with Alzheimers. On the good side, I spent a great evening with two friends from high school after more than 30 years, and we picked up right where we left off (except we didn’t have to ask someone to buy beer for us!).
All these events came together, and it hit me. Much like the manager in the commercial, I need to spend more time with people that are important. It’s fun, and too often they’re gone too soon. In his case, it was his customers. In mine, it’s friends and loved ones. I love Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, but it’s not the same.
So, I just scheduled a vacation for my 25th wedding anniversary, and I’ve promised not to take any Apple products (promised may be too strong of a word…). I’ve never seen my friend’s house in Nevada, and I’m going to fix that. I’m working to set up a weekend with five high school buddies that have not been in the same room at the same time for more than 30 years.
So, I’ve got to leave my beloved Boulder bubble. I think it will be worth it.
After flying 150K annually for about six years, I hate to travel. But, it’s kind of like getting old — it sure beats the alternative! If I don’t get old, well, you get it. If I don’t travel, I don’t see those who mean so very much to me.
So, I’m going to travel more.
The good people at CLEAR have offered to let me try their service free for a year, and I’m going to take them up on it (if you follow me on Twitter, you know I like TSA just about as much as I like United Airlines and AT&T). So, I’m going to try it and report back. If it makes travel even a little easier, I’m in. If not, I’ll call them on it.
So, look out old friends. I’m on my way. Got a couch?
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Ok, full disclosure: The folks at CLEAR, the service that speeds you through airport security, offered to sponsor this post and make the offer below to our readers. I like what they’re doing, or I wouldn’t have agreed, and this was a post I was noodling around on anyway, so the match was perfect. I’m going to try it, and I’ll follow up. If I like it — or if I don’t — you’ll know.
CLEAR members save so much time at the airport, it’s like having Daylight Savings every time you travel! CLEAR, the (self-proclaimed) Official Sponsor of Daylight Saving Time, is celebrating the extra hour we get on Nov 6th with a series of travel and time-savings posts on their blog – and here, on my blog too.
To help you see what CLEAR is all about, they are offering my readers a special 3-month FREE trial! Don’t settle for just one extra hour this Daylight Savings. No need to deal with unpredictable security lines, the stress of rushing to your gate, or the time you waste getting to DEN extra early. Click here to get your pass and try CLEAR’s enhanced travel experience for yourself. Just enter my code (CMNDST17) in the promo code field on the payment page.
