Airline rant

As someone who flies commercial airlines quite a bit, it always strikes me as curious why the carriers don't:

- Know from year to year that hundreds of thousands of people will be flying to large trade shows, like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, every year at the same time. Couldn't they add a flight or two on those days when they know, from past experience, that the airports will be jammed to capacity, and that they will be bumping people off of flights left and right? Perhaps they could think ahead (for once; I know this is not their strong suit), and bring in larger planes for those days?

- Enforce carry-on rules. I see idiots getting on planes with bags that are WAY beyond restrictions. This causes others, who follow the rules but who might board later, to have to wrestle with their bags under their feet for a 5-hour flight. Worse, many of these people obviously think themselves superior to the rest of the flying public, and place these oversized bags in the first few overheads, as they stroll back to their seats in the back of the plane.

- Tell us the truth. Unless you're Jed Clampett, you know that a snow storm in Chicago will cause delays throughout the country. We get it. So tell us the truth (and keep us updated) about when we can expect to see a plane pulling up to our gate. Believe me, the folks in the Budweiser Brew Pub will appreciate the extra business as well!

What Automotive Repair can Teach us About Communication

An old friend of mine, Blair Enns, tells the story of how his car was acting up one day. Sure that it was a matter of the tires being out of balance, he went to the local repair shop and paid to have all four wheels re-balanced, only to find that the car STILL had the same "shimmy" to it on the highway. Incensed, he went back and demanded that they "do something" about the problem.

When the mechanics looked at the car, they discovered that a broken tie-rod end was the culprit.

So who should he have been upset with? Fact is, he went to a place of business, and asked them to perform a service that they ordinarily sell. Upon reflection, he blamed himself, and paid for the subsequent repair (and learned a valuable lesson in the process).

I say the fact that he really didn't need the wheel balancing service, and ended up paying far more to fix the problem, is BOTH his fault and the fault of the repair shop.

On a very basic level, he got just what he deserved. He asked to buy something, and they sold it to him. On the other hand, a professional repair shop should have asked him some questions, and looked the car over before just jumping through whatever hoop the customer held up.

We in PR come face-to-face with this type of situation all the time. I can't tell you how often a client has come to me saying, "We need to hold a press conference!" More often than not, after reviewing the "news" that needs to be conveyed, discussing which journalists would most likely want to report on it, and the level of return that could be expected on what can be a pretty pricey investment, the decision is made to convey the news in a different manner.

The moral to the story: Make sure your PR agency (or ad agency, or marketing services firm, or whomever) isn't just "taking orders," but is really, really listening to you, getting to the heart of all of the issues, diagnosing your real need, and acting along with you as your partner in achieving real goals that will deliver tangible success.