Security is our No. 1 priority, but TSA does not have to be arrogant
It is only one segment of the American lifestyle, but air travel is an important and integral part of the way we all live. The U.S. is a huge country, and air travel has become an everyday event, whether the trip is for a family visit, business travel or a vacation.
Last year, 666 million passengers were booked on domestic flights. This is more than 1.8 million people daily.
Would it be important for the government, in addition to maintaining security, to try to keep this as pleasant an experience as possible? Yes, it would! After all, we are talking about affecting the mood of 1.8 million people every day.
But that's not happening. It looks like the government is so busy with security that it is ignoring the human impact of security procedures. With a few exceptions, airport security personnel are handling and talking to the crowd as if we were being kept in a pound; in most instances, their behavior is supercilious and not service-like, their instructions are commanding and not requesting.
I could list all the bad experiences I have had as a frequent traveler, though to be fair to the Transportation Security Administration staff, I have seen many contrary instances, as well.
Unfortunately, I do not foresee a trend that would make air travel less painful or make travelers less disappointed by the security procedure experience.
No one is disputing that security must be our No. 1 priority. But why should the security procedure spoil the day of so many people if it could be handled better?
We do not need shouting security personal herding us like animals. We need polite and professional security staff who do their job serving the traveling public.
Andras Bolgar, president and CEO
Tradesco Tours
Bonita Springs, Fla.
A dedicated, quality travel pro will always outperform a tech solution
Re: Arnie Weissmann's column, "When Google failed, he turned to agents," about Kensington Tours, travel agents and the Internet [From the Window Seat, Feb. 15]. A couple of observations:
Doing business in the developing world, with its extreme variation in standards, there is a solid need for a service model approach. Otherwise tours become commodities: products that will be compared as equivalent and end up being bought and sold on price alone. But any two tours, at least in Africa, where we do business, are not really comparable "products." As I have often said, the most consistent thing about Africa and its services are its inconsistencies.
For our business, local travel agents with intimate personal knowledge, superb customer service and an approach that takes into account our standards will get results 95% to 100% of the time vs. a technology-based approach. If we can find more dedicated, quality-conscious travel agents, we can be certain our business will expand.
Experience has taught us that technology is just the means. The focus on booking should be with travel agents, a vital part of the supply chain (and it's cheaper to use travel agents than our own house agents). Let the receptive operators focus on the delivery phase.
Raza Visram, safari and tour planning director
AfricanMecca Safaris
Allentown, Pa.
Dallas Radisson unwilling to bend age rule for stranded 20-year-old
We are a travel agency with a large client base of entertainment and sports stars. One of my clients -- a 20-year-old, recognizable actor -- was flying from Los Angeles to Birmingham, Ala., on American Airlines via Dallas. Bad weather in Dallas forced his connecting flight to be canceled.
There was no protection for more than 24 hours, and since weather was a factor, the airline refused to pay for the hotel room of a first-class passenger who was also a known actor.
The only way I could get the actor to Birmingham in time for the Saturday appearance was to overnight him in Dallas and fly him out in the morning on Southwest.
Since Southwest uses Love Field and he arrived on American at DFW, I called the Radisson Hotel Central Dallas, which is close to Love Field and offers a shuttle in the morning.
The reservations person wouldn't take a booking unless the guest was 21 years old. I asked for a manager.
The manager told me that he would not make an exception to the 21-year-old rule. I told him the actor was a well-behaved star of a family series who would never cause any problems. He still refused.
When I told him that I found it ludicrous that at 18 you can join the Army and die for your country but you can't stay at the Radisson in Dallas, he hung up on me.
Howard Weiss
Happy Trails Travel
Boca Raton, Fla.
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