I found a couple of other blog posts on the topic, from Tripso.com and the Wall Street Journal’s Middle Seat.  People’s comments seem to be mixed.  Personally, on a nostalgic, emotional level, I’d love to see the Eastern brand return and see aircraft taking to the skies in an Eastern livery once again.  But I think it’s also right to question whether now’s the time to try and start a new airline.  If Eastern does make it back to airports near you and me, I’d like to see it get a fair shake, and not be doomed for failure because the timing simply wasn’t right.

I’ll end with my favorite (and final) Eastern story.  I was about 11 or 12 years old, and I was going to take my first flight by myself from Atlanta to Daytona to spend the weekend with my cousin at college in Florida.  This was in the day’s when an employee’s 11 or 12 year old kid could fly standby and still score a seat in first class!!!  So I remember being on what I think was a DC-9 , in the very first row, aisle seat, about halfway to Daytona, when the Captain came over the PA system to tell us that Eastern had just shutdown operations, and we were all passengers on the airline’s last flight into Daytona Beach.  All at once I was concerned for my dad and my family, but also for the pilot’s mental health!  Even at 11 or 12, I distinctly remember thinking to myself, “I hope this pilot’s okay with this…”  All was well and we made a safe landing, but I did have to fly home on Delta.

So what do you think?  Should Eastern make a come back?  Also, do you have a favorite Eastern Airlines memory or story?  If so, share it below!

And that got me thinking, with airfares having dropped so drastically, and a seemingly constant sale now being available to purchase tickets in a desperate attempt to get passengers to spend their money again, will the airlines have to redouble their efforts to focus on the proper care and feeding of passengers to get us travelling again? I would love to see things like the checked baggage fees that arose over the past couple of years become a thing of the past as airlines try everything they can to draw us back. I read recently that US Airways is getting rid of the fees for soft drinks in coach that it tried – that’s a good development.  There are levers other than simply lowering airfares, but I’m not sure how effective they are when people are worried about the bottom line.  Are there other perks of air travel that we may see return or make their debut soon (i.e. will airlines focus more on the proper care and feeding of passenger)? What do you think? Is the time right to “class up” air travel a bit in an effort to get people flying and maybe gain a competitive edge over other airlines with the product offered, or are times too tough all around, and will the nickle and diming continue? Post your comments and share your thoughts!

I wonder what makes one be prone to, or not prone to, Wanderlust?  I was talking with a close family member who shall remain nameless a while back, and she mentioned that she would be perfectly happy if she never set foot on an airplane again.  This isn’t someone who’s afraid to fly, or a frequent flyer who was burned out after three weeks on the road with screaming babies and middle seats – this was just someone who hasn’t been bitten by the same travel bug I have.  There’s nothing at all wrong with it – just a case of personal preference I guess – but when she said that, my immediate reaction was, “What?!?”  I could feel my collar tightening around my neck as the feeling of constraint set in at the very thought of not traveling again!

Maybe it’s because I grew up, with the exception of my first two years, in the same house, and now I feel a need to change things up ever so often.  Or maybe it’s because we actually did travel a lot during my childhood and the bug bit me then.  In any case, I’ve got it bad.  I’ve been searching the airline’s websites looking for deals, and the good news is, there are a lot of deals to be had right now!  A close friend in Florida invited me down for a visit – be careful when you mention travel opportunities like that to me – I may actually take you up on it!  Now that I’m fully recovered from my surgery, it’s time to roll down the runway once again…

Autumn at Callaway

Yesterday, I took advantage of a great deal with some of my family and headed to one of my favorite places free of charge!  Many longtime Atlantans may have forgotten about Callaway Gardens, or maybe you just haven’t been in years because you didn’t think it had changed much.  Newcomers to the area may have never even heard of Callaway Gardens.  Whether you’ve never been to Callaway before or you just need a nice, relaxing day to get away from the city, Callaway Gardens is having a great deal this winter – free admission to the Gardens through the end of February!  Not a bad deal, since regular adult admission runs $15 per person.  I visited Callaway for the first time in the fall of 2007 (that’s when the photograph at right was taken) as a family getaway for Thanksgiving on our way to visit family in West Central Georgia.  I wasn’t expecting much, but I ended up having one of the nicest Thanksgiving’s of my life.  Callaway is a very special, peaceful place.  The scenery is absolutely beautiful any time of year, and the fact that you can get lost in this landscape without the distraction of highway noise or city sirens provides a much needed respite from the rat race.  While Callaway’s famed azaleas weren’t in bloom on the last day of January, there’s still so much to see.  Holly was everywhere, and the many attractions at the gardens are spectacular whenever you visit.  Be sure to get there early and plan to spend the whole day.  When we arrived yesterday, the gates were open and the admission houses were closed, inviting everyone to drive right in!  Be sure to stop first at the Virginia Hand Callaway Dsicovery Center to learn about the Gardens and get your bearings (literally! – with the admission houses closed, this is where you pick up your maps of the Gardens).  The Discovery Center sits on a beautiful lake, and there’s a small cafe there if you want to grab a bite to eat.  From there, take your pick of what to do next!  The Day Butterfly Center provides an up-close encounter with butterflies year round, and the Sibley Horticultural Center has an amazing two-level greenhouse that is really beautiful.  But perhaps one of the most special places at Callaway is the Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel.  Set back in the woods on the edge of a lake, the Chapel and its stained glass is a great place to just sit down (inside or out) and recenter.  Not too mention there’s golf and a spa, and lots of options to overnight if you like, from an inn to cottages to a beautiful new lodge.  And in between attractions, wandering around a trail or two is a great way to unwind.  Don’t forget to exit the back gates, on Highway 27, and turn right to go the Callaway Gardens Country Store.  It’s a nice old stone building that includes a decent southern cooking restaurant with an amazing view of the Gardens, and its right across the street from an amazing overlook off of Pine Mountain.  So take advantage of Callaway Gardens’ great gift to us in some rough economic times, and make the 90 minute drive down I-85 for a nice peaceful weekend.

Click here to see Delta’s domestic Atlanta sale fares.

Click here to see AirTran’s Atlanta sale fares.

Additionally it looks like Delta has a sale between Atlanta and international destinations, too.  This sale only runs until February 2nd, though.

Click here to see Delta’s international Atlanta sale fares.

I also learned about a new tool recently that’s really cool from Delta.  It’s an RSS feed of their fare sales – pretty convenient; they just deliver all their new sales to whatever news reader you use.  Here’s the site where you can subscribe:

http://rss.delta.com/deltadeals

I’m in Atlanta, so I’m not going to bother to check all the airlines to see if they have a similar RSS feed, but I did check AirTran’s site and I couldn’t find anything similar.  Let me know if you know differently about AirTran, or if you know of other airlines having a similar feature.

Safe travels!!!

The older I get, the less important partisan politics have become to me.  The fairly strict political and policy beliefs I held as a young public policy major in college have become a bit more relaxed and flexible through the years, and I’ve come to truly believe that people on both sides of the aisle are generally good, and even if I may agree with some on policy issues more than others, I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from people of all opinions, and be open to changing my own opinion if I feel I was wrong.  Whether you voted for the President-Elect or not, it certainly does seem as if there’s a hope that has sprung anew in our nation, and that’s quite refreshing given the anxiety of the last year or so.  Of course, Mr. Obama will be judged less on the enthusiasm that is generated over the next 48 hours and more on the results of the next 4 years.

That being said, Americans of every political stripe and persuasion should lend him their support.  If you agree with a particular decision or policy, let your elected officials know.  If you disagree with a particular decision or policy, let your elected officials know.  Doing either of these is supporting our President and our government; it is the essence of democracy – the very heart of free speech.  But please, whatever side of a debate you may be on, or with whomever you may agree or disagree, leave the vitriolic rhetoric behind.  The Republican/Democrat, red-state/blue-state, rural/urban dichotomies that have dominated our politics for much too long are tired and have run their course.  I wish our new President well, and I hope you will join me in doing so; he has a tough job, and it’s in all our best interest that he’s successful.

And if you’re in D.C. for all the festivities, have a great time, and take some of the inspiration that beautiful city provides with you when you leave.

First, there are patients who have had to endure far more pain and suffering than a simple gallbladder surgery.  Those with cancer, chronic illness, recoveries from horrible traumas.  I know how miserable my one night in the hospital was, and how miserable and scary the week after became as infection, pain, and swelling set into my arm from the IV site infection.  I can’t imagine going through this with a life-threatening or chronic illness where no real recovery is in sight.  Those who do, and their caregivers, are heroes.

Which leads to another group of heroes – nurses.  I worked with a healthcare organization for the first time in 1997, and ever since then, I’ve known that nurses and their contributions to patients, families, and society are severely underestimated.  In my own experience over the past few weeks, having been diagnosed, gone through pre-op, surgery, and recovery, this was brought home in an even more real way.  There were a couple of amazing nurses along the way who truly put my mind and body at ease when I didn’t think it was possible.  If you know a nurse, try to do something nice for him or her this week.  They really do work tirelessly for their patients, often find themselves in the middle of difficult situations, and do it (generally) with a smile.

And finally, I’ll get away from my own health issues, and get back to what’s supposed to be one of the cornerstones of this blog – travel, by recognizing the contributions of flight crews (both pilots and flight attendants) as unsung heroes in today’s world.  By now you’ve surely seen the coverage of US Airways 1549′s truly AMAZING emergency landing on the Hudson River in NYC.  Can you even  imagine the skill it took for that veteran pilot to set that plane down without loss of life on the water?  And by all accounts of what’s been on the news this evening, the flight attendants snapped into action with a textbook evacuation of the aircraft in the water, with all the passengers and crew escaping relatively unscathed.  This crew should be extremely proud – they are true heroes.

The airline industry, like all industries, is far from perfect, but the frontline employees also take a lot of abuse.  I’ve watched many passengers rant and rave like maniacs at gate agents and flight attendants for delays, missed connections, etc., and more often than not, the situation seems to stem from something totally out of that person’s control, like the weather, mechanical difficulties, or the like.  Most of the time, these folks are just trying to keep us safe.  Just once, I’d love to see a gate agent look at an irate passenger and say, “Sir, if they’d let me put you on this plane in the middle of these tornadoes, I’d be DELIGHTED to!!!”  But these employees maintain their professionalism more often than not.  The next time you fly, and you feel your blood pressure rising over a delay or lost bag, just remember that the flight attendants, while happy to serve you a cup of coffee during the flight and help you lift your carry-ons, are really there to save your life if that service is needed.  Just like the crew on US Airways 1549 did.  Flight attendants and pilots both – Heroes.

Click here to read the Houston Chronicle Article that made Chad Laugh…

I’m glad the passengers were okay, and I hope the horses’ injuries are truly minor, but I could just picture myself – scared speechless – in the back of that carriage, zooming through Vienna. What a day. I’m sure that mother and her two children had no inkling when they decided to take a leisurely carriage ride for New Year’s that they’d end up being international news (not to mention an amusing, yet horrifying, site for Vienesse commuters). Can you imagine? Now I’ve never visited Vienna, but you can bet your bottom dollar that when I do, I’ll smell the coachman’s breath before I settle into the back of a carriage…and maybe even wear a helmet.