I ramble, skip to the bottom for the point/link - but read for this person's particular story
I was in the airport recently when the weather everywhere was all screwy (not working - cuz I work at Wendy's) and I had been at the ticket counter and the baggage level at different points in the night taking care of personal business, and basically being thankful that I was not working at the airport during what seemed to be a huge mess of stranded, unhappy passengers who were angry that there were no amenities provided due to the weather, etc....
It seems as if no matter how many times this happens, or how much proactive advice can be found through media, airline employees themselves, articles on how to travel less stressfully, etc, there always seem to be an overwhelming amount of people left stranded in the airport.
This was the situation that seeemed to be playing itself out , as always. My look of disgust must have been obvious, because a man very handsomely dressed in an Armani jacket approached me and asked if I were stuck in the airport. At first I was afraid I was going to get hit on, but then he handed me a very professional card that had "Flight Assure" printed on it, and explained to me that this was his business.
The short of it was, that this businessman and a partner were very loyal US fliers, but had tired of the delays and lack of amenities. He told me they could accept that the WX was not the airline's fault but in cases where the airline wasn't at fault, the amenities provided were in hotels that he felt were not adequate - very basic, some with no internet or business center available, some in a very noisy area, so he and his partners would just go stay at the Westin or whatever because they were disgusted with the lack and sometimes quality of service and compassion that was provided by an airline they were very loyal to.
So, they started a business that catered to the business traveler, the family that wanted confidence they were in a safe environment, and even non-revs. Basically, you pay a monthly fee and you register your flight with them ahead of time and if you get stranded, they cover the hotel. He told me that the had so many members that came from the US Airways misconnects that he was building a very healthy business with good feedback.
The reason I was posting this here was because
1) I wondered if anyone had heard of anything like this
2) I am glad that this person has what seems like a great business model , but saddened that the airlines seem to be putting their elites in craphole hotels
3) Since he said anyone could sign up, I thought airline employees would be interested
4) I wonder what other people's thoughts are and if any other similar businesses that kindof sprang from unhappy travelers people had heard of
I think that this is a very , very brilliant idea and hope that at some point, if US cannot offer their elites the hotel of their choice , perhaps the airline would be able to endorse this company -- it would not hurt their business at all, and would score brownie points for finding them another possible solution rather than staying at the dirthole down the street.
Assure Flight - We're not Flight Insurance, We're Flight ASSURANCE
If any one is a member of this, let me know what you think and if it has worked for you, I'm kind of fascinated by the cost vs. benefit...almost seems too good to be true.
Love you monkeys.
SNN
I was in the airport recently when the weather everywhere was all screwy (not working - cuz I work at Wendy's) and I had been at the ticket counter and the baggage level at different points in the night taking care of personal business, and basically being thankful that I was not working at the airport during what seemed to be a huge mess of stranded, unhappy passengers who were angry that there were no amenities provided due to the weather, etc....
It seems as if no matter how many times this happens, or how much proactive advice can be found through media, airline employees themselves, articles on how to travel less stressfully, etc, there always seem to be an overwhelming amount of people left stranded in the airport.
This was the situation that seeemed to be playing itself out , as always. My look of disgust must have been obvious, because a man very handsomely dressed in an Armani jacket approached me and asked if I were stuck in the airport. At first I was afraid I was going to get hit on, but then he handed me a very professional card that had "Flight Assure" printed on it, and explained to me that this was his business.
The short of it was, that this businessman and a partner were very loyal US fliers, but had tired of the delays and lack of amenities. He told me they could accept that the WX was not the airline's fault but in cases where the airline wasn't at fault, the amenities provided were in hotels that he felt were not adequate - very basic, some with no internet or business center available, some in a very noisy area, so he and his partners would just go stay at the Westin or whatever because they were disgusted with the lack and sometimes quality of service and compassion that was provided by an airline they were very loyal to.
So, they started a business that catered to the business traveler, the family that wanted confidence they were in a safe environment, and even non-revs. Basically, you pay a monthly fee and you register your flight with them ahead of time and if you get stranded, they cover the hotel. He told me that the had so many members that came from the US Airways misconnects that he was building a very healthy business with good feedback.
The reason I was posting this here was because
1) I wondered if anyone had heard of anything like this
2) I am glad that this person has what seems like a great business model , but saddened that the airlines seem to be putting their elites in craphole hotels
3) Since he said anyone could sign up, I thought airline employees would be interested
4) I wonder what other people's thoughts are and if any other similar businesses that kindof sprang from unhappy travelers people had heard of
I think that this is a very , very brilliant idea and hope that at some point, if US cannot offer their elites the hotel of their choice , perhaps the airline would be able to endorse this company -- it would not hurt their business at all, and would score brownie points for finding them another possible solution rather than staying at the dirthole down the street.
Assure Flight - We're not Flight Insurance, We're Flight ASSURANCE
If any one is a member of this, let me know what you think and if it has worked for you, I'm kind of fascinated by the cost vs. benefit...almost seems too good to be true.
Love you monkeys.
SNN
