Southwest To Aquire Airtran-The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

With Southwest recently acquiring AirTran for $1.4 billion, there are now officially only two low cost airlines in serious competition in the US, Southwest and JetBlue. After the current mergers of United-Continental and Delta and Northwest, there are only four legacy carriers left. I’ve heard many different reactions to the Southwest/AirTran acquisition and airline consolidation in general. What will it truly mean the consumer? In my opinion; The good, the bad, and the ugly:

The good:
-AirTran customers will now get better service and be paying fewer fees
-Lower prices for consumers in Southwest’s newer markets
-Legacy airlines will have to be more competitive with pricing now that Southwest has such an expanded market throughout the US
-Americans will always have other transportation options, and will use them if necessary (This one is debatable because as we know, there are many times flying is our ONLY option. This is especially true for corporate travel.)
-Fewer delays and cancellations, due to more rerouting options in some areas.

The bad:
-Higher prices for consumers where Southwest and AirTran used to compete before the acquisition
-The potential of Southwest’s customer service to take a hit if they’ve stretched themselves too far
-Corporate travelers will likely not reap the benefits of this merger as discount airlines are often not used by corporate travelers.

The Ugly:
-For Delta…will likely lose a lot of business in places they share hubs with AirTran, such as Atlanta, Georgia
-For Jetblue…they are Southwest’s main competitor and Southwest’s growth could hurt their revenue share.
-The influence of more airline consolidation in the future creating higher prices and fewer options for consumers
-The airline industry has already changed dramatically over the last 20 years, for the worse….let’s hope we don’t allow continual merging of airlines that are already performing poorly individually. (Luckily, Southwest isn’t one of them!)

What are your thoughts on the acquisition/merging of airlines such as Southwest and AirTran?

Capital Grille, Boston, MA

Disclaimer: My parents owned a restaurant for 18 years; I grew up in the restaurant business and I’m a business major with a marketing concentration. I am definitely someone who critiques almost everything that is happening when I go out to dinner (Or anywhere else for that matter!) it’s in my blood. I notice and can’t stand the bad stuff, but also notice and greatly appreciate the good stuff! Here is a review of an experience where I had the opportunity to notice and greatly appreciate the GREAT stuff!
This weekend I had the pleasure of eating at The Capital Grille in Boston, MA. I had never been to the Captial Grille, but had heard good things about it. My sister and I were taking my mom out to dinner for her birthday. My sister called a few days in advance to make our reservation. While on the phone she was asked if it was for a special occasion and my sister let them know it was my mom’s birthday.
When we arrived, the ambiance of the Capital Grille spoke for itself. It was gorgeous inside, beautiful windows, great table settings, and professional attire worn by ALL staff from the host to wait staff. When we arrived at our table there was a birthday card sitting there from the staff at the Capital Grille. The staff had all signed the card (as you could tell by the different signatures) At the bottom of the card, there was a quote that read, “Good friends, like wine, get better with age.” What a PERFECT quote combining a birthday, the friends and family you are probably dining with, and wine, which you will probably drink in celebration. Surrounding the card on the table were small pieces of birthday confetti; just enough to look classy, but still stand out. This was the first “little thing” I noticed about the restaurant that I hadn’t seen in any other restaurant. The second “little thing,” while technically “big thing” I noticed was the size and layout of the menu. The thing is massive! However, I really liked it. It made it seem important and unique. The first page is the full food menu and inside it is full of all different wines. There must’ve been hundreds! There is no way you’re going there and NOT ordering a glass of wine.
The service: Unbeatable from start to finish. Our server, Paul, was friendly, personable, funny, knowledgeable about the menu, and attentive. I assumed he must’ve worked there for 20 years. The bus staff was just as attentive as our server. At one point our server came over and was clearing our plates. After he was done clearing them and holding them in his arms my mom asked a question about desert. A busser noticed he was holding them while speaking so he came up beside our server and they transferred the dishes from his hands to the bussers hands as if it was a piece of cake. Let’s just say holding that many dishes was impressive, never mind TRANSFERRING them.
The food: Phenomenal. The three of us ordered three dishes to share. We got The “Wedge” salad, Filet Mignon, Filet Oscar, and a side of Sam’s Mashed Potatoes. Everything was cooked perfectly, presented beautifully, perfectly portioned, and very, very good. We couldn’t find one thing we didn’t like. (Which if you know the three Walsh women..that’s not easy!) Notice I used the word “find..” yes, we were LOOKING!
For desert they brought my mom over a piece of complimentary Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with a single candle. Our waiter dropped it off and said, “I won’t sing and that’s your gift” cracked up, and walked away, as my sister and I sang happy birthday to my mom. It was perfect.
My favorite “little thing” came when we got the bill. Think about that for a minute…if anything good can come from the bill...this place must be amazing!! Inside the guest check was our waiter’s business card, with HIS name on it. Brilliant. Business cards for servers. How often do you go to a restaurant and like your server and want to have them again but you can’t remember their name by the end of the meal or the next time you go back? Not at the Capital Grille. Stick that business card in your wallet. PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! And we will be asking for him again! Also, the bill….the Capital Grille is definitely pricey, but when all was said and done I thought our bill was completely reasonable based on our food and experience.
And last but not least, of course because we were so impressed and appreciated our experience, my mom stopped the manager as he was walking by right before we were about to leave. She told him about our great dinner, service, and told him how great of an idea we thought the business cards were. He SAT down at our table with us, immediately gave us his card and had a conversation with us about the philosophy of the Capital Grille, how happy it made him that we appreciated the little things, and also asked us to check out their Facebook page. (Notice they allow YELP reviews on there! That's definitly having confidence they got more good reviews then bad!) Yes, he brought social media into the conversation…I was IN LOVE! Ha-Ha. He basically “sealed the deal.” I told him I would have to write a Facebook “status” about how great our experience was. As I chuckled, he said, “Please do.” And he’s right. So I did. And I took it a step further and wrote this blog. Great customer service, great food, great atmosphere, and “the little things” are so rare these days that when they happen they should be TALKED about, they should be VIRAL! Maybe if everyone made it a point to talk about the good stuff as much as the bad stuff more good stuff would happen! In closing, congrats Capital Grille…you do it RIGHT! I will be back soon!

Hello? Is anyone there?

We wonder why so many people e-mail each other instead of picking up the phone. Here’s one reason:
How many times have you called somewhere recently and you are listening to a recording? Half the time the option you’re looking for isn’t given. The other half of the time when you press the option you feel best suits your needs, it leads you to another recording which doesn’t answer your questions. All the while you’re just praying you get an option which tells you which button to press to speak to a live person. In fact when it gets to the point where it starts telling me my call will be recorded for “quality assurance,” I’m practically jumping out of my seat with joy! At that point I’d give them my fingerprints just to hear a human voice.
Why don’t companies recognize the importance of speaking with a live person? As we know, human interaction is very limited in business today and has been overpowered by technology. However, if someone picks up the phone they most likely are trying to break down that barrier a little and are looking for an answer that couldn’t be found through technology or they are looking to have a conversation that couldn’t be had through e-mail or social media. Please don’t give them a long winded recording.
What a difference hearing someone’s voice makes in today’s world. If Southwest can change the airline industry by innovative changes no other airline has considered; why can’t one big corporate company say: We are DONE with recordings, NO more; you will always get a live person when you call. Maybe it'd be a welcome change and the benefits would outweigh the costs. I know I'd be impressed and a lot happier as a customer.

How do YOU think a live person VS a recording changes a phone call?







http://bit.ly/9FuhM1

The Hands of Time

My friend and I were in the car the other day when she told me she had purchased a new watch. She put her wrist out and showed me her lime green watch. The first thing I thought about was how long it has been since I’d seen anyone my age wear a watch. The only watch’s I ever see my friends wear now a days are digital watches they use to keep track of their times running.
Later on in the night I asked my friend what time it was. She glanced down at the watch for a few minutes, looked confused, flashed it towards me and then said, “Whoah, I can’t even tell if it’s 7:45 or 8:45.” She looked for about 60 more seconds and then finally decided the hands on her watch read 8:45.
As she described, it had been so long since she’d looked at the time on a watch, more specifically a watch with hands. This is true for most people. In this day and age, it seems anytime someone is looking for the time they immediately take out their cell phones, read the numbers, and instantly know the time. There is no thinking involved.
We are living an age of instant gratification. When people in their teens and 20’s want something it is given to them immediately through social media and technology. Our minds have to do little work. Whether it’s typing a math problem into a calculator, texting to communicate, writing on someone’s Facebook wall or following a GPS….brain power is no longer as necessary.
Could this age of using our brains less actually hurt us in the future? They say one of the best things you can do for your muscles and body as you get older is lift weights and keep exercising. This is because our bodies need to be continually moving, working, and thinking to keep our body and brain fresh. They say to use your brain as much as possible as you age, because just like working out, it helps keep it in shape.
As much as technology has improved the world, it scares me that it has also hindered it. I really hope that as time goes on we don’t completely lose the value of knowing how to multiply, the value of a face to face conversation, and knowing how to get to a common place if our GPS dies.
Until then, I think I’ll do the simplest thing possible to keep my brain moving…buy a watch.




(http://bit.ly/9K4kuc)