Multi City Ticket vs Multiple One Way Tickets
We all know that airlines are pricing tickets based on initial city with final destination and whether you have connections. But what if you have to make several over night stops for business? With a 4 city tour coming up, I decided to see what the variance would be in pricing if I bought a single multi-city ticket or bought each flight separately. The savings for doing these individually was staggering.
One Way Tickets
The first leg of my upcoming trip has me flying BOS-SEA direct on Alaska Airlines. Cost – $195
Leg two is SEA-ABQ with connection through SLC on Delta. – Cost – $163
Leg three is ABQ-SLC on Delta for a one day conference. – Cost – $139
Final leg, the most expensive is SLT-BOS direct on Delta – Cost – $591
Total for everything comes to $1088.
Cheapest Multi-City Ticket
If I wanted to use the same airline, Delta for example, additional connections were needed.
Leg one required a connection on Delta through SLC or MNP.
Leg two is SEA-ABQ with connection through SLC on Delta was the same.
Leg three is ABQ-SLC on Delta was the same.
Final leg, from SLT-BOS required a red eye to get a lower price and direct on Delta.
Total for everything comes to $1783…plus taxes, fees, and charges bringing it to $1943.47!
No doubt a savings of almost $900, direct flight options with different airlines, and freedom of changing times if needed per flight…leaves the clear choice as single one way tickets.
Check out your one way flight options. Any price savings? Share your comments by clicking the leave a reply option.
Duplicate Firm Submissions…Causing Rejected Candidates
New opportunities are presented to firms in mass emails, job boards, and third party systems. Sales and recruiting team members monitor these to have a quick response time for candidate submissions. Firms with benched resources, those between projects, are usually submitted right away. If you are on the bench, some firms won’t even notify you that you are being submitted. The problem of duplicate submissions happens when those consultants who have started to reach out to other firms are submitted, but have not resigned and therefore were submitted by their current firm. The end result is disastrous for both firms and the consultant.
Let’s first look at this from the client’s perspective. They don’t need to be involved in a bidding war, nor do they have the time. To protect the client, any candidate that was submitted by more than one firm is automatically disqualified and rejected for the position. Regardless of who submitted the candidate first, both firms are notified of the duplication. The bad news for the consultant is they now lost out. Firms that submit candidates without notifying them, whether potential new hires or benched employees, need to rethink their process. They are only hurting themselves and their employees.
As a consultant there are several things you can do to minimize duplicate submissions. The most important thing is to tell your current firm that you want to be notified of being submitted and approve it first. If you are interviewing with other firms, let them know you are still on an active bench and may be submitted for other opportunities. It should always be up to the consultant where they want to be submitted, by whom, and when. The hard fact is that if you don’t resign, some firms may terminate you for failure to disclose that you have been seeking alternate opportunities.
A tricky curve ball has been added to the mix by some newer, not so ethical firms, that blind submit candidates. These firms will submit their candidates from a combination of resumes created from LinkedIn, initial recruiting calls, and job boards. Their assumption is you are looking. Their play with the client is “we have this resource,” and if they are interested in talking to you…then you’ll receive a call. I call it ‘reverse recruiting.’ Another words, they are getting the client’s interest first, then going after the candidate. I’ve had dozens of consultants complain about this practice in just the last month, and all have not been selected because of duplicate submission.
In reality all firms are vying for the same positions at the same time…and often with the same candidates. Put yourself in front of this competitive curve ball by communicating and limiting access to your resume. Be sure that you trust the firm and people you are talking to. Your resume is what gets you an interview. Your firm and their recruiters are only a tool to get you there…don’t let them turn into a threatening weapon.
Have experiences or thoughts on the subject? Share your comments below.
Debate on Airlines Placing AMEX Advertising Tags on Checked Luggage
Airlinereporter.com, Flyertalk.com, and other travel blogs are attacking Delta airlines for placing advertising tags on checked luggage at Sea-Tac Airport. Travelers have stated they have experienced up to a 40 minute delays in receiving their luggage, one posting even states this is “vandalism,” as part of their complaint. Airlinereporter.com reached out to Delta to confirm the program, where they found out Delta has hired a team to place these tags and are not seeing any delays due to the program.
What is the problem people? It’s not like TSA isn’t already opening your suitcase and rummaging through your underwear looking for…well, who knows what. To expedite the process, Amex should just place an advertisement on the back of the TSA notice that your suitcase was opened. Maybe this would save money for TSA and they could open more security lines and stop allowing randoms to merge into TSA Pre-Check lines. There is an idea! I mean do we not have enough real issues to complain about when traveling, that now we are worried about someone placing a tag on our luggage. Here’s another idea, don’t check.
What are your thoughts? Post your response below.
ICD-10 Potential Delay…Again
Our industry continues to be impacted by government decisions regarding Meaningful Use and ICD-10. The latest news regarding the vote for a one year delay in the House, once again puts us and our clients at odds. This will go to Senate on Monday for vote and presidential signature. Should that happen, October 2015 will be the new target date.
Those of you supporting ICD-10 readiness assessments now are probably a bit concerned. Integrated testing would be put on hold, system upgrades would take priority, and ongoing roll outs to community practices may be limited to clinical applications. I had just recently been working with a client who decided to delay their install of Epic revenue applications until after ICD-10 roll out. What would this mean to them? I can only imagine the headaches and direct impact to budgets, project plans, and overall IT strategy. For many, this would mean back to the drawing board to come up with a new plan.
Could this be good news for consulting industry? Yes, absolutely. Clients will hopefully look at this 12 month delay (if it happens), as a an opportunity to spend the next 3-4 months to pull a plan together. Education and testing will continue to be the two biggest opportunities for consultants.
Let’s watch and see what happens next week. I’ll be curious to hear the thoughts of those already providing ICD-10 support today. Leave your reply below.
Study Suggests 54 Days is the Best Time to Book Travel…That is Not Going To Happen
The new study released by http://www.cheapair.com hit national news this week. It was interesting to see the price differences between 54 days and 14 days, the typical time consultants purchase their flights. I thought I would ask around to see if this could impact consultants and our clients.
I asked three different clients if they would be willing to allow consultants to book flights 54 days in advance, once a week. Every single manager came back with “no.” Even after I showed an average savings of $175 per ticket, there are bigger problems…billing. A new consultant would need to purchase 7 weeks of flights all at once when they started to get themselves 54 days ahead. Then the benefit would simply be that the consultant can purchase a ticket weekly, at the cheapest rate possible, until the end of their contract. No client is willing to pay an invoice for 7 weeks of flights up front. Even more interesting was that two of the clients stated that there was concerns of paying up front and then having the consultant resign, removed early from the contract, call in sick, or work remotely.
Clearly this information is intended for the casual flyer who can book flights almost two months in advance. I certainly tend to plan vacation months in advance. In terms of booking for your engagement, stick to the general rule of 2 – 4 weeks out. I always tell consultants that if their client agrees, buy there first 3 weeks of flights at once, then 2 more weeks after starting at the client. You’ll be 30 days out for each purchased flight, and should still be within a good window for finding a reasonable fare.
Delta Announces Changes to Frequest Flyer Program…again
Seems Delta just keeps changing it’s programs and services for the worse year after year. The announcement states that Delta flyers will now earn “miles” based on the cost of the ticket rather than actual miles flown. An advantage to Diamond and Platinum members is that you’ll earn an extra five to eleven miles per dollar, based on Skymiles status. Silver and Gold will not earn any extra bonus miles. This new format will cater to the elite traveler, most likely international travelers…bumping your average consultant back to seat 32B.
I don’t know about you, but I always choose the cheapest flight I can based on the schedule that works for me. Our clients will certainly not understand if you jump from an average of $450 a week to $800 a week, just so you can earn more miles. Who would possibly benefit from this in our industry? I don’t see this attracting new business at all. Even CBS news reported that Delta wants to attract the guy who will pay $10,000 for ticket in first class, because their company will pay for it. The only plus I see is less families and riffraff, the minus…is folks like you and I will become that riffraff.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the change was in fact intended to award business travelers and mirrors several programs today. What I found most interesting was the airlines with this type of program are the discount airlines. If Delta wants to be a “premium” airline, you would not expect them to copy a formula from AirTran or jetBlue. Regardless, I’ve almost stopped flying Delta completely. Except for today, which is of coarse delayed, oversold, and filled with riffraff returning from Orlando to Boston.
How to Survive 17 Hours at the Airport
I was faced with my first canceled flight of 2014 this week, but never imagined spending 17 1/2 hours in the terminal. Fortunately for me, I was stranded in Denver which has a wide variety of offerings for food, entertainment, and shopping. Unfortunately the timing of this cancelation with mid-winter break on a Thursday, added a complicated dynamic I could have never foreseen.
The cancelation happened as they typically do. Several delays with news of maintenance issues that may take up to 2 hours to service…but “please don’t leave the gate area.” After the wait, the dreaded announcement hits the 200+ passengers, who all run to the desk at once to be rescheduled. I myself called jetBlue and was told there was nothing until 11:35pm. It was only 11:30am! What was I going to do for 12 hours. The only flight available the next day, was also the red eye. I grabbed the seat, but had a plan to get out much sooner.
As I searched online for any airline offering a 1 way ticket out, I noticed my 11:35pm flight was now delayed to 12:35am. I kept thinking ok, I have to get out of here. I’ll just book something for tomorrow morning on a different airline and find a hotel. First problem…no rental cars available. Second problem, no hotels available near airport, and third problem…flights started at $1000+ for a one way ticket the next day. I was stuck.
I decided I would have more luck if I went back out of security and talked with an agent. I walked along the rows and rows of airline counters fully staffed, until I came to jetBlue…all shut down and no one working. It was the middle of the afternoon. Why in the world would they be closed? The kiosk would not let me check in. I could not check in online. And, I had discarded my morning boarding ticket. The very nice Southwestern agent explained they close from 11:30am until 8pm every day. So now, I’m stuck outside of security with no way to get in, and over 6 hours until I could check in.
There were several venues outside of security thankfully. After spending a couple hours working until my laptop died, I went on an adventure. I ate some great nachos, had a couple beers, ate a great sausage sandwich, had a couple more beers, watched a movie on my iPad, and had a couple more beers. Nap time!
After a good 2 hour nap, the jetBlue desk was open! Now my flight was delayed until 1:15am! The very nice agent gave me a voucher for $12. So generous. Regardless, I was excited to get back through security, discover some new venues, and use my voucher. I arrived to terminal C, and everything was closed. Back on the train to terminal A. The only thing open was McDonalds. Great! With nothing open, I found a seat near the gate and waited another 4 hours until boarding.
The experience has left my empathetic to all my traveling friends who are stuck. I just hope none of you are stuck in an airport for this long, ever! On a final note, I did receive an unprompted letter of apology from jetBlue along with a $25 credit for my next purchase. I need to watch the movie The Terminal with Tom Hanks tonight. It will make my adventure seem trivial.
Flying with the Flu? What to expect when flying sick
I’ve been very fortunate over the years of traveling to never get really sick on the road. Certainly we’ve all had the sniffles or a terrible cough. I’ve had soar throats, bad colds, and even broke out in poison ivy once. But never, have I been so sick I could not get out of bed. To be honest, the first several days I just slept and was not thinking about my flight home…but the day finally arrived where I had to make some decisions.
Prior to making a decision, some serious questions needed to be answered. My first concern was, will they even let me fly being this sick? Secondly, can a pull myself together enough to get on the flight? Then the “what if’s” started popping in my head….what if – I have a coughing attack, have to get sick and someone is in the bathroom, run out of tissues, my fever returns?? It was enough to make me just want to go back to bed.
Fortunately for me, this was a red eye flight and everyone was sleeping during my various “what if” episodes. Sure my coughing certainly annoyed those passengers around me. Hello, buy some headsets people! Sure, I had to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes, thankfully I was in the first row and isle seat. And the pile of tissues in the magazine pouch was swarming with germs (I’m sure those are cleaned thoroughly between flights. LOL). But other then that, I got home without incident.
Can the airline stop you from boarding a flight if sick? According to my research on various websites, if you are within the first 48 hours of having the flu you are not supposed to fly. If there is potential that your ailment may cause harm to other passengers, you are not supposed to fly. There is a list of diseases and symptoms listed as well, but really…it comes down to the discretion of the flight staff to decide if you can fly. I just held my breath for the 20 minutes passengers were boarding, so I wouldn’t draw attention to myself.
Whether I should fly or not because I may infect others was quickly alleviated when I read you are not infectious after 48 hours. The fever had already dissipated and really I just had cold like symptoms. I would have never made it through security if it had been earlier in the week.
Although I don’t want to share the horror stories of my 3 1/2 days locked in my hotel room, I will tell you how wonderfully accommodating my hotel was. Total kudos to the hotel staff at The Hilton Garden for bringing me a gift basket of soups, Tylenol, Nyquil, and waters…as well as allowing me to have a 10pm check out the night of my flight. I guess I should thank jetBlue for letting me sneak home too.
I’ve left Delta for jetBlue…a tough choice after 8 years
Every consultant knows it’s about loyalty to that one airline in order to take advantage of points and upgrades. I have flown an average of 125,000 miles a year for 8 years. An all time high of 180K in 2008 and all time low of 60K in 2013. Delta has always been my number one choice with the exception of flights to Dallas, Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia. Those cities just weren’t ever an option given connections, layovers, and price tag. Since starting to travel again, mainly for personal vacations, I’ve started to think about the pro’s and con’s of flying Delta. I’m sure you all are faced with the same dilemma, so let’s break this down.
Delta Breakdown
- Delta flights from Boston all require a connection through Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, or Salt Lake City. Period. There appears to be no exception to this rule.
- These connecting airports are way to large to risk 45 minute connections, so I’m forced to select a minimum of 2 hour lay overs.
- Since I did not make Platinum or Diamond status on Delta in 2013, the likeliness of receiving any upgrades are minimal.
- The perks of boarding if no carry-on or if purchased additional space seats is above my status.
- The points conversion for free flights went up from 25K to 50K. You earn points now by miles flown and cost of flight.
- Cost for Delta flights are routinely 25% higher.
- The only direct flights I can take advantage of other than those hubs listed above are Orlando, Cincinnati, and Cleveland.
jetBlue Breakdown
- All flights from Boston on jetBlue are direct flights for any city I would be traveling to including many west coast destinations.
- The point conversion for free flights to points is a flat 10,000. You earn 6 points for every $1 spent and 200 for More Space seats.
- More Space and loyalty members board at the same time.
- More Space and loyalty members have their own security line.
- Flight costs are significantly lower and service better.
Truly when looking at flights to such destinations as let’s say Vegas or Denver, the time saving is 4 hours and the cost saving about $300. With the exception of those cities that jetBlue has terrible on time departure ratings (72% in Fort Myers, 74% in Las Vegas)…the time savings is the biggest reason to convert here. I’ll have to give up first class with all the perks of free booze and dinner. But I’ll have enough time and money now to get a real dinner somewhere else!
What flight options and pros and cons are you facing from your destination? Share your story here.
Nap Travel Pillows and other useless travel comfort items. Who has one?
Today we have more gadgets and comfort items for travel available then we know what to do with. I thought I would post some of the crazy silly things out there. Don’t be shy, if you own some of these…share your story!
Why carry a pillow when you can just wear it like a hat. I have to get one of these!!
This thing looks like a brick. Who is really going to carry this on a plane?
You just never know when you may need a shower.
I’ve heard of not wanting to check luggage…but jeez.
You just never know when you may need a fork.
Now here is a simple travel organizer and seat cover to bring with you. Really?
The “Nap Travel Pillow” has taken things to a whole new level. I really want to see someone wearing this on a plane.
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