Podcast #15 – Begging for Business; Needing to Know at 35,000 ft

September 24th, 2005

Sorry for the delay in posting a new podcast, but I caught a nasty cold en route to San Francisco this week. This week, a couple of friends and long-time podcast listeners let me buy them beers at the Shearton Fisherman’s Wharf in exchange for their Classic Travel stories. I also talk the change in attitude at United Airlines and, as airlines continue to “de-content” their cabins, there are two things left I really care about. Here’s a direct link to the podcast file.

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Here are the show notes from TravelCommons podcast #15:

Intro music — Warmth by Makkina

Recording was a bit delayed by the cold I picked up on my flight out to SFO

Oracle World forces some bad hotel choices

A high school friend from Mobile, AL writes in with some first-hand observations on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Links to a podcast that points to TravelCommons — The Team TnA Show

Begging for business — United Airlines employees providing great service

Wall Street Journal article (registration required) on the latest moves by legacy airlines to pull content out of their airplane cabins

There are two things I care about — in-seat power supplies and in-flight magazines

Recorded in the bar of the Shearton-Fisherman’s Wharf in SF, two friends tell their Classic Travel Stories about wanting the straight scoop about lightning

Feedback at comments[at]travelcommons.com, the comment board on podcastalley.com, or right here in the comments section below

Direct link to the show

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4 Responses

1. Pekemom Says:
   May 24th, 2006 at 8:26 am

   Really enjoyed #15, Mark. And hope you’re much recovered.

   Incorporating your friends’ “Lightning Stories” was very entertaining and created more than a few smiles at the listening end.

   Your podcasts are always interesting and full of wit and humor.

   ~Nikki in Florida

2. mark Says:
   May 24th, 2006 at 8:26 am

   Nikki -

   Glad you liked the podcast. I’m still hacking a bit, but seem to be on the road to recovery. I was laughing out loud when Allan described the technician with the duct tape. It’s the perfect visual — getting ready for a 7-hr flight to Paris in the newest plane in the United fleet and a guy is fixing it with duct tape. It’s priceless.

   Regards,
   Mark

3. chris2x Says:
   May 24th, 2006 at 8:27 am

   You have mentioned before using your iRiver to record the podcast. What model do you use? Do you use an external microphone?

4. mark Says:
   May 24th, 2006 at 8:27 am

   Chris -

   I use an iRiver iFP-890, with 256MB of memory. This podcast — #15 — was the first that I’ve used an external mic. All the previous podcasts, save for #1, were made with the iRiver and the built-in mic. Somewhere around podcast #4 or #5 I started using the noise reduction feature in Adobe Audition, which significantly reduced the “white noise” that I found with the built-in mic.

   Regards,
   Mark