Travel Industry Fights Back; Stresses Importance Of Face-To-Face Meetings
from the battle-in-the-press dept
It pretty much never fails. Over the past few years, whenever there's been a new airline-related terror threat, or as the price of plane tickets has shot up, someone, somewhere, comes out with an article about how online meeting software companies like Webex will step in and rescue the stranded business traveler, meaning that he or she will never have to travel for meetings again. Either that, or articles will simply quote travelers saying that they'd rather use such tools than fly anywhere. The PR folks for Webex must be thrilled. However, on the flip side, folks in the travel industry must be getting worried, because they've sent out their own PR folks to push the alternate side of the story: you just can't beat a face-to-face meeting, even with all the technology out there. Now, both sides have some truth to what they're saying, but it's still amusing to see the travel industry going to the press with their side of the story.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Travel trouble
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But is it worth the cost, time, and effort of traveling?
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Just last week
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Re: Driving
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yeah
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Face to Face over Teleconferencing
That said, all of the new flight restrictions make air travel such a pain. If I have the money to do things right, I could fedex my toothpaste to the hotel, but what happens when I can no longer carry my business on the plane with me? (my computer)
I just don't see the survival of the air industry as we know it, with security restrictions makeing it hard to justify the travel.
Seattle to Portland by car = 2.5 hours. Seattle to Portland by plane = 0.5 hours, plus airport security and wait time to leave = 2 hours. Then you've got to rent a car in portland. Just 5 years ago, you could arrive 20 minutes before the flight and be fine, making a portland shuttle get you from seattle to portland in an hour.
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flying business class is cool dammit!
if you internet hippies with your telemarketing or whatever it is you call it just don't understand looking cool. that is why i will always fly, because it makes me look cool.
if you can find a way for me to bone cocktail waitresses in cleveland using webex, then i will consider it.
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Re: flying business class is cool dammit!
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The Saviour of the travel industry..
Finally the travel industry would be able to leverage sex properly in its advertising.
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Re: The Saviour of the travel industry..
many other modern countries.
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Airlines suck
You know what? I HATE flying. I don't care much for teleconferencing- hell, I can IM people and it's easier- but if I could drive, I'd drive to and from St. Louis, or to and from a port, where I could take a ferry or something. I honestly hate having to go through not just security, but the massive hassle of dragging baggage around for an hour or more, plus going through a dirty airport to get on a smelly, airless plane so I can sit still for several hours. It just doesn't do it for me.
The airline industry should stop whining and REFORM. I don't have any useful suggestions, really- perhaps making airports smaller and easier to get through would be a major step forward- but someone, somewhere has to have good ideas, and the airlines should listen. The current business model for most airlines is a failure. It loses money AND costumers, who are frequently treated like they're inferior by disgruntled staff.
There's nothing nice about the airline industry, except that it allows quicker travel to faraway overseas places.
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