Posted by Seth on April 17, 2009 under News | 
It is very rare that a corporate espionage story makes the news and even less likely that I’d care at all. But a lawsuit filed yesterday did catch my attention. Starwood has filed suit against Hilton alleging corporate espionage and theft of trade secrets, all over Hilton’s plans to launch their new Denizen brand. The guy responsible for the new brand, Ross Klein, used to work at Starwood and now he works at Hilton. And when he left his old job he walked out the door with 8 boxes of papers, apparently contracts and market research, among other things.
I would be pretty pissed, too, if I were Starwood. After all, they’ve enjoyed a relative monopoly on the luxury/style segment with their W brand over the past many years. But does that mean it is corporate espionage that resulted in a competitor starting up a similar brand? Continental has made a huge name for itself by offering tons of transatlantic air service on 757s, planes often considered too small to serve the market. But they now offer service to twenty-something cities in Europe from their hub in Newark, mostly on 757s. And they get a LOT of business on those flights. And then the guy responsible for that plan went to work for Delta. The following summer Delta added a ton of flights to similar destinations in Europe. Corporate espionage? Or just a guy who knows what he is doing moving to a new company?
Ultimately this is likely going to come down to a boring trial with lots of testimony about the files that were taken and very little about the actual details of the brand. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun to watch.
Hudson Crossing Travel Industry Insight: Starwood sues Hilton over Denizen – "Zengate
Posted by Seth on April 16, 2009 under News |
I’ve now read this story a few times and I’m still rather dumbfounded by it, partly because it happened at all and partly because of just how detailed and potentially over the top the response was. A shipment of twelve baby pythons in Australia arrived at its destination with only eight snakes in the box and no indication of where the other four went. Were they eaten by the other snakes? Apparently not.
“Our people called in a reptile expert and there was a suggestion that some of the baby pythons had eaten the other pythons because apparently it is not uncommon for baby pythons to eat each other," [Qantas corporate manager David Epstein] said. Qantas staff then weighed the remaining baby pythons to determine if they were heavier, but they were not.
Then there was concern that the animals might be endangered, meaning that they could not fumigate the plane because that would mean potentially killing endangered animals. As it turns out, the animals were not an endangered species so the plane was fumigated. Of course, that took time and meant flight delays.
Oh, and they never found the four corpses, so it is not particularly clear what happened to those four snakes.
Escaped snakes ground Qantas plane – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Posted by Seth on April 14, 2009 under Trip Reports |
After our great visit to most of the sights of Hamburg during the day, we caught a quick nap to get ready for a night out on the town. Hamburg is a late night party city – dinner at 10pm and out to the bars around midnight seemed the norm. And drinking and partying continued on until well after sunrise the following morning. Of course, finding the party at the various points in time meant knowing a bit of where to be and when, and we had some great advice from a local to help us out on that front. We hit three main areas through the night – Schanzenviertel, Reeperbahn and the Fischmarkt – and couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.
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A cheese shop in the Schanzenviertel neighborhood
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First up was dinner in Schanzenviertel. We noticed during the day that this neighborhood was way more casual and easy-going than the Reeperbahn. There were dozens of restaurants and pubs to choose from in the couple blocks surrounding the train station. Good looking food and reasonable prices abounded. We found a nice Greek place and settled in for dinner and drinks.
After dinner we wandered about Schanzenviertel a bit more. The dessert places we were looking at were closed by midnight but pretty much all the bars were still open and hopping. We visited a couple of those and slowly made out way down the main street connecting Schanzenviertel to the Reeperbahn, where the fun continued.
The Reeperbahn is best known as the red-light district in Hamburg, and that is certainly a very visible part of the nightlife in the neighborhood. They have strip clubs, a street with the women in the windows and a secondary crew of prostitutes that work right around that street. Having just heard this afternoon of another friend in Amsterdam being confused by which women were prostitutes and which were not, I felt that it might be useful to share some observations from our time in the Reeperbahn. From what we could see the prostitutes who were not in the windows all had fanny packs. And generally they weren’t dressed particularly provocatively, but the fanny packs were a dead giveaway. Once I noticed that I couldn’t stop laughing at it every time I saw one of them walking by.
There is also a very vibrant “normal” bar scene in the Reeperbahn. That’s where we spent the next few hours of the night (really the early morning) following dinner. Most of the bars have music and dancing – a significant change from the NYC scene – and we were out partying until after 4am. Drinks weren’t horrendously expensive, but I think that comes from my familiarity with the NYC bar scene where drinks are ridiculously expensive to begin with. Still, at €2-4 for a beer or glass of wine, things weren’t too terrible.
The key to a Saturday night in Hamburg, however, is not limited to dinner in Schanzenviertel or to the nightlife in the Reeperbahn. The key is a visit to the Fischmarkt at the end of the night.
The Fischmarkt has been operating on the banks of the Elbe and the Hamburg port for over 300 years and it is a landmark in many regards. The party starts up at around 4:30am in the summer (7am in the winter) with merchants, meals and – if necessary – more alcohol available. The “official” Fischmarkt building is no longer used as a market or a warehouse; it is now used as a banquet hall. They have live music, a dance area and many tables set up inside. There are balconies around the outside of the room providing space for a couple full-service restaurants, in addition to a couple coffee-shop places on the ground floor.
Outside the market building there are more good times to be found around. Dozens of merchants set up shop on the waterfront, selling everything from food to tchotckes to drinks to a few merchants that are actually selling fish in the fish market.
In addition to the shopping and the flow of crowds from the bars to the Fischmarkt, there is also the fact that you get to watch the sunrise over the harbor at 5:30am. It is truly phenomenal.
Finally, the clock was ticking onwards and it was time to head back to the hotel, collect my bags and travel buddy (he skipped the Fischmarkt and sunrise) and head out to the airport for the flight home (and bedtime).
Sure, the commute is a bit longer than I’d normally otherwise endure for a night on the town, but the overall experience and getting to see the beauty of Hamburg, both during the day and at night, made the Trip completely worthwhile.
And all the miles I collected didn’t hurt either.
Posted by Seth on April 13, 2009 under News |
A scant 90 miles south of Key West, Florida, Cuba is a tempting travel destination for many Americans. Sadly, it is of limits due to US government restrictions that have been in place since the early 60s. With each new presidential administration the policies towards the small island nation change, and the Obama administration has just announced very significant changes in travel-related policy towards Cuba. It isn’t wide open, but things are much, much easier for many folks now.
In short, folks with existing ties to Cuba (family still on the island) will now be permitted to travel to Cuba as often as they want. They will also be permitted to send money to their relatives without limits. This is a monumental change from the most recent set of limits – one trip every three years and only $300 every three months. Restrictions on commercial operations in Cuba will also be reduced, with telecom carriers being permitted to operate there, for example. That’s great news for those folks.
The bad news is that the main public impact of the embargo – prohibition on general tourist travel – will remain in place. The embargo is not going away in its entirety. So casual travel to the island is still off the books for the vast majority of Americans. But there does seem to be a ray of light at the end of the tunnel, more so than at any place in the past 20 years.
Here’s hoping.
More details here.
Posted by Seth on April 13, 2009 under Trip Reports |
With only 26 hours on the ground on my recent trip to Hamburg I was rather concerned that I would miss something I should have seen. If I did, I certainly made up for it as the rest of the trip was truly amazing. After a quick shower on arrival thanks to Continental and the free BusinessFirst upgrade we hopped on the S-Bahn for at 20 minute ride into town, dropped our bags at the hotel and hit the city to see as much as we could see.
First stop was the Rathaus area. The Rathaus is city hall. It is the seat of the local and the regional government and it just so happens to sit right on the water (as much of Hamburg does), near Alster lake (really a river but it is big enough to seem to be a lake where it passes through town). The lake is a beautiful place for a walk, a breakfast or even to head out on the water, taking a sailboat out from one of the rental groups on the shores. With the weather as nice as we had it the sailing option was tempting, but there was too much to see for such diversions. We dropped in to the Rathaus and admired the architecture and the sculpture in the courtyard and then made our way on to the next stop – the harbor area.
As I noted in the quick post I made on Saturday, water is truly the heart of the Hamburg life. Everything centers on the water, from the harbor that was the basis for the economy there to the nightlife that eventually tumbles out into the Fischmarkt in the wee hours of Sunday morning for the party to just keep rolling on.
We wandered among the warehouses of the Speicherstadt district. Many of the buildings are 100+ years old and they are still in operation, providing warehouse and distribution facilities for importers of everything from Persian rugs to silks to spices to computers. There is also a lot of modern development going on in the area, much of which is also modern in its design. That detracts from the classic beauty of the area, but time marches on.
Also on the waterfront we wandered along the Baumwall area and over to the Landungsbrücken area. This waterfront area is incredibly accessible and open for the public. It is the base of operations for just about all of the water tour options in town as well as public ferry services operating across the water. In the Landungsbrücken there is a 98 year old tunnel that passes under the Elbe river and the harbor, providing access for cars and pedestrians to reach an island in the center of the harbor. If you’ve got a bicycle the island is a great place for a relaxing ride; even without one walking the 426 meters of the tunnel is a great way to spend a bit of time. Among other things, it is the best place to get a view back onto the city of Hamburg. Access to the tunnel is via elevators rather than a ramp; it is the only time I’ve ever seen such a thing. And as a pedestrian you can walk the stairs, too, if you desire. Absolutely worth seeing!
Next up we grabbed a quick lunch near the Reepersbahn area – home of many bars and the Hamburg red light district. It was mid-afternoon so things were pretty slow at that point, but they’d pick up quite a bit later than night! Still, there were many folks out relaxing in the sun and enjoying a beer in the afternoon:
The Schanzenviertel district has been the Bohemian center of town for many, many years. It is slowly gentrifying, with the rich moving in so as to “hang out with the cool kids” which means that the cool kids are less able than ever to afford the rents in the area. Still, there are many shops, restaurants and markets in the area that cater to the hipster crowd and it is hopping, both during the afternoon and the evening. We had a great dinner at one of the many restaurants that line the streets, spilling out onto benches and tables on the sidewalks.
After a quick nap (6-9pm) we were back up and on the streets, first headed back to Schanzenviertel for dinner and a couple rounds of drinks (better and more affordable food and decent drink prices, particularly relative to the Reeperbahn). After filling up there we wandered down to the Reeperbahn, where the bars and clubs were packed and the music was pumping. More on the nightlife in my next post, but suffice it to say that at 6am when it was time to head back to the hotel and the airport, I was still running strong and I wasn’t the only one out still reveling in the evening.
Posted by Seth on April 11, 2009 under Uncategorized |
One thing that is impossible to miss in Hamburg is the very close relationship the city has with water. It hosts the second largest port in Europe and two major rivers flow through its streets. To say that there is water everywhere may well be an understatement. The city has done a phenomenal job working with the rivers and the port to truly integrate the waterways into the everyday ebb and flow of life. There are canals cutting through town to provide access for cargo vessels to warehouses. There are two beautiful lakes right in the middle of downtown. And, of course, there is the majestic harbor. As we wandered about town today we were never more than a couple hundred yards from the water in one direction or another.
The Rathaus (city hall) has a beautiful courtyard inside with a fountain/statue that pays homage to the water that runs throughout the city:
And couples wandering the streets and bridges paused to soak up the beautiful views and otherwise enjoy their time together:
There is water everywhere in Hamburg, and it ties the city together quite nicely.
Posted by Seth on April 10, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Seat poaching is one of those things that is known to happen from time to time, and I’ve yet to truly hear a reasonable explanation from the poacher as to why they think it is a reasonable action. Yes, I understand that you want to sit in this seat that is assigned to me. I don’t blame you. It is a very good seat, perhaps one of the best on the plane. Which is why I arranged to have it assigned to myself. No, I am not willing to trade for your middle seat that doesn’t recline; thank you for asking.
Last night’s flight presented an interesting mix of circumstances that started out resembling seat poaching and finished with me in quite a happy mood.
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My original seat, awaiting the replacement cushion.
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The flight was very, very fully booked. It actually appears that we are at 100% – every seat occupied in both the coach and BusinessFirst cabins. But when I asked at the gate if they were looking for volunteers for a possible bump the guy said no and so I boarded the plane. I was the second on board and settled in to my lovely reclining exit row window seat – 16A – one of the best on Continental’s 757-200s for sleeping. Well, I started to settle in, anyways. On arriving at my seat I noticed a rather disturbing stain on the seat cushion. Knowing that we had about 45 minutes before departure I grabbed the cushion, brought it to the flight attendant and asked if it could be swapped out for a clean one. “No problem at all.” So I hung out back in the galley as the rest of the plane boarded and took their seats. And my seat!
Sure enough, about 25 minutes later I poked my head around the corner of the rear galley to find that the plane was mostly full and there was a woman settling into 16A – my seat – and the flight attendant was carrying the stuff that I’d left there looking for its owner – me. I actually got rather defensive and moved up to the row, asking what happened. That woman was told to move to the seat by one of the crew. We continued to move forward on the plane, searching out the crewmember who had made such a switch.
And then I was given probably the best news of the evening, “Herr Miller, welcome aboard. We have assigned you a new seat, 1B.” My very first Operational Upgrade to business class. A big, comfy seat; a long, drawn out meal service and a crew that was just top notch at every turn. They didn’t even seem to mind when I offered to help them out with some of the little things, like refilling my wine glass from the bottle that was on the cart rolling by.
It actually cut in to my planned sleeping time as I decided to enjoy the meal and service rather than just fall immediately asleep, but I am certainly not complaining. After all, the half bottle of wine (maybe more) and the big, reclining seat did make the few hours of sleep that I got quite restful.
Plus, it should mean access to the arrivals lounge, where a shower and some clean clothes should go a long way towards making the 26 hours I have in Hamburg truly enjoyable.
Posted by Seth on April 10, 2009 under Trip Reports |
I’m not particularly a huge fan of the various ham options. Honey glazed, spiral cut, boneless or bone-in, none of them are really quite my thing. But a trip to HAM seemed like just the way to celebrate Easter in my strange and travel-addled mind. And so it is that I find myself sitting in the Newark Presidents Club, enjoying a glass of wine and preparing to spend 26 hours in Hamburg, Germany.
I’ve managed to book a reasonably cheap room that doesn’t involve sleeping in a plywood box, and I have also found a couple decent online resources for planning a short trip to Hamburg. The best I’ve seen so far is a two-day trip and I think that I can squeeze a lot of that into a single day and then just sleep the whole flight home.
I’m most excited about visiting the Fischmarkt, the weekly Sunday morning fish market that has been operating since 1703. The market kicks into gear between somewhere around 4-5am, and after a long night of partying that seems to be where folks head to grab a nice brunch and one last drink before collapsing in a heap of sleep. In my case that heap will be seat 16A of the flight home, so I just might manage to make it out through the night for the party.
Oh, and the other reason I’m making the trip (as if I really need one) is for the miles. Lots and lots of miles. The double EQM promotion is still running and I’m going to pass a half million lifetime miles on Continental with this trip. Just a few more years of this fun and I get status for life. Good times!
Posted by Seth on April 8, 2009 under Uncategorized |
As part of their announced move to the Star Alliance, Continental applied for anti-trust immunity (ATI) from US and foreign regulators. The ultimate goal is to be able to co-market flights across the Atlantic with their new partners, including Air Canada, Lufthansa and United, and to pool revenue from those flights. The ATI application was filed almost a year ago and yesterday afternoon the US DoT filed their response to the request, approving the deal. Here’s part of the DoT’s statement from the response:
In a show-cause order issued today, the Department tentatively decided to grant immunity to new alliance member Continental and to allow Air Canada, Deutsche Lufthansa Airlines, United Air Lines, and Continental Airlines to place a portion of their international air services within a new joint venture, to be called Atlantic Plus-Plus. Under the venture, the carriers would jointly arrange capacity, sales and marketing as well as share revenues.
The Department tentatively concluded that granting antitrust immunity to Continental to join the alliance and approving the joint venture would be in the public interest because it would support increased levels of service in international markets served by the carriers, give consumers more travel options and shorter travel times, and reduce fares.
So the good news, from the DoT view, is that they expect to see more routes and more travel options, as well as lower fares. But is that really going to happen? We are rapidly moving to an industry where there are really only 3 main players in the transatlantic market, defined by the three ATI alliances (it is expected that the BA/AA/Iberia application will be approved in the next month or so, just like this one was). So instead of having lots of competition on the routes across the pond there will be little pockets of competition. Even worse is that where the route connects hubs from ATI partners, there is real reason to worry. There is no reason for Delta and Air France to compete on service between Atlanta and Paris. Ditto for United and Lufthansa on service between San Francisco and Frankfurt.
I like the idea of stronger alliances and better coverage. I think that it actually has worked thus far in the great experiment that the three major alliances have run over the past decade. But I do still worry a little bit about the ATI part of the deal. I really would prefer to not lose access to the cheap transatlantic fares that I have been enjoying so far this year.
The other significant aspect of this announcement is that it means the last major hurdle has been cleared in Continental’s efforts to make the leap to Star Alliance later this year. The countdown continues: T-200 days and counting.
Posted by Seth on April 7, 2009 under Uncategorized |
It had been about 20 years since my last trip to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty and I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’d heard the stories of ridiculously long lines, onerous security screening and other reasons not to deal with the hassles of the island. Still, I wanted to take a look at the statue up close when I would finally actually remember the visit a little better.
We got to Battery Park an hour and a half before our scheduled ferry time. After a short wait in line to collect our tickets. There are two types of tickets available for tours of the island – with or without access to the pedestal. The pedestal tickets are harder to come by as they are much more limited in number, and when we booked we could not reserve those in advance. So it was rather surprising when we stopped by the ticket booth that we actually received pedestal access tickets anyways. I have no idea why we got them, but we did. Bonus!
The security wait on shore was rather annoying – like at an airport but much of it spent standing outside rather than in a terminal. Then it was on to the ferry – 90 minutes ahead of our officially ticketed time but no one seemed to be checking that. A short 20 minute ferry ride out to the island and we were finally able to get up close with the statue.
The statue is truly impressive, both up close and from afar.
The pedestal line was even more ridiculous than the line to get on the ferry. It took over an hour and involved a second security screening, pretty much just like the first, though with the added bonus of the “puffer” trace detection machines. At that point I was pretty sure that whatever we saw wouldn’t be worth the extra wait, and I think that was true. The museum at the base of the pedestal was very impressive. The original torch is in there, and that was fun to see. There were also some of the original metal straps that used to hold the copper on to the frame and And we got a great quick lesson on the history from one of the Park Service rangers wandering around.
But the views from the pedestal weren’t worth the time in line.
The views from the harbor are pretty much the same from the Staten Island Ferry, so unless you really want to be up close and personal with the statue (and spend the cash), I’d skip the ride.
