BARNETT ON BUSINESS TRAVEL FOR 2010WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Frequent flyer Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines. Barnett on Business Travel is currently syndicated by Creators Syndicate. Chris was a contributing editor of Frequent Flyer when JoeSentMe.com founder Joe Brancatelli was the magazine's executive editor and he was the first columnist Joe approached to join JoeSentMe. April 29: CAN WE TALK? OR CLICK? VIRGIN AMERICA SAYS YES. It is the same story on every airline's Web site. You navigate a maze of questions, fill in the blanks, punch in the numbers, click on "purchase"--and you're rejected. It's exasperating. Maddening. Crazy-making. But credit Virgin America with yet another bright idea, Click To Talk, to save you from pulling your hair out trying to buy airline tickets online. April 29: A SIX-HOUR FLIGHT DELAY WITH A 'HAPPY' ENDING What happens when a 400-mile flight between the California desert and San Francisco is marred by a nightmarish, six-hour delay. No one is happy, of course, but at least one business traveler is surprised and delighted by the proactive, post-incident response from Alaska Airlines. March 18: DRINKING AT AN ANVIL NEAR HOUSTON AIRPORT Fifty years ago, fin-tailed Cadillac Eldorados and cherried-out Ford pickup trucks ruled Houston's roads, many using the Firestone store near Houston/Intercontinental Airport as a pit stop for a blown tire or a wheel balance. But that same boxy brick building is now a hot, local saloon called the Anvil and it offers potent cocktails authentically built from original recipes, rare liquors and fresh ingredients. March 4: A THIRSTY GIRL IN ZEN MODE ON THE ROAD Wine consultant and author Leslie Sbrocco claims her dad would "roll over in his grave" if he knew she held Platinum Executive status with American Airlines. Her father was a United Airlines captain for 25 years during its glory days. Sounds like a tale to tell over a glass of wine. February 11: SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF HOTEL DISCOUNTS IN PHOENIX In days of yore, scoring a hotel room in Phoenix in February took some pull and entailed a very hefty hit on your plastic. Not this February, however. Hotels and resorts in Phoenix and Scottsdale and Arizona destinations as far away as Sedona and Tucson are wheeling and dealing as the market turns sour. January 7: SALON & SALOON AT CROCE'S IN SAN DIEGO A bar in San Diego makes specialty drinks named after Jim Croce, the singer-songwriter whose talent was snuffed out at just 30 years of age in a 1973 plane crash. It's no surprise, really. The restaurant and bar is owned by his widow and she's turned it into a museum about the talented troubadour. Copyright © 2001-2010 by Chris Barnett. All rights reserved. |