A friend of mine once sent me a brilliant email as a brief for a brand job where I had asked him to tell me about brands he liked and disliked. His response included a hilarious rant on why airlines are basically liars. Nearly all the the airlnes brands and marketing project this image of serene, sophisticated travel, when in reality air travel is just awful. The disconnect between the brand promise and actual experience is vast. He makes a good point.

Why do airlines lie though? Why do they think it is okay to consistently over promise and under deliver? Case in point, I left for the airport today at 5.30am with no indication on the website that there would be any delay to the flight, which was due to leave at 6.45 a.m. When I get there, their entire computer system is down and they are doing everything manually. Airline staff do not do well without computers. So we are told it will be a slight delay, now departing at 7.15 a.m. No big deal, I’ll just have another coffee and send some email.

We finally leave at 9.15 a.m. I arrive late for my first meeting and am then on the back foot all day.

Home time comes, look up on the website, no indication of the flight being delayed, due to leave at 5.45 p.m as planned. Leave for the airport, get to the airport at 5 and am told that the flight will leave at 6.15 p.m. A slight delay of 30 minutes. Flight finally leaves at 7.00 p.m.

So now, I’ll get home at 8.30 p.m.

Why do they have to lie, why couldn’t they just txt me or ring me to tell me the flights were running late with an accurate new time of departure and I could have stayed at home for a bit longer and stayed at the Wellington office and finished off some more work, rather than hanging around at airports.

I don’t believe this is just negligence, I believe they operationally want you at the airport just in case they can magically leave earlier. The problem is, this never happens. I have never been told that we’ll be delayed and then leave earlier than they said. Never.

I’m in Australia on holiday back on 3rd December, so will be offline until then.

I have flown with new New Zealand domestic airline, Pacific Blue a few times already since their launch on 15th November.

Every flight has been delayed so far.

Today is no exception, but to be fair there was a minor crash on the runway this afternoon that has backed up everything.

I will persist with Pacific Blue though, because they have finally created price competition on what I believe must have been the most expensive 45 minute flight in the world. Auckland to Wellington was ridiculously expensive. Now, as if by magic, Qantas and Air New Zealand have dropped their prices to compete. You know though, if Pacific Blue drop out of the market, they’ll put up the price again.

Support the little guys and keep the price down for everyone.

Technorati Tags: pacificblue

Just returned from 2 days at Morgo up in the beautiful Bay of Islands of New Zealand. It is invitation only, and the deal is that everything that is said there is considered confidential. This means that you get some unbelievable frank and honest presentations and insights into other people’s businesses. It is very refreshing when so many events are just full presentations that are really thinly veiled sales pitches.

The other reason I love Morgo is that you get a chance to spend some time with some really great people. I first met Sam Morgan in 2001, and hasn’t really changed at all since becoming a gazzillionaire. I met Rowan Simpson who was at TradeMe and is now at Xero with Rod Drury. I think these guys and others in the industry in Wellington have done a great job of developing a community of people who can work together on launching different online businesses, and I anticipate many, many more will follow. Mike Cannon-Brookes has co-founded and built, Atlassian, Australia’s largest software exporter in just 5 years…oh and he’s only 27. The Ryan brothers who have eurekster and SLI Systems. Then there are the enterprise software and technology guys selling into the US market like Ian McCrae from Orion Health, and Selwyn Pellett from Endace, the first New Zealand company to list on the AIM share market in the UK.

So it was quite daunting to have to run a workshop on Internet Marketing with an audience of extremely experienced entrepreneurs. Luckily I had some help from Andy Lark. Thanks to Andy and everyone who came along, and I hope you got some value from it. If you would like a copy of either of the presentations, please let me know.

Thanks to Jenny and all the other organisers for inviting me again and for putting on such a great event. It was a great honour to have a chance to present at such an amazing event.

More posts about Morgo:

Morgo 2007 - Thoughts on the way home
Mike from Atlassian
Morgo - going global from NZ

Technorati Tags: morgo

I found this in a whiskey distillery in Scotland. I think it is from the Victorian era. Hilarious!

I have been in the UK for over 2 weeks now and am astounded at how much the issue of carbon footprint/credits/neutrality has just exploded since I was here last in January. It is everywhere. Maybe I’m overly sensitive as I’m far from carbon neutral at the moment with the amount of flying I am doing. I realised my luggage has Gold frequent flyer tags on them and I’m wondering if these are like fur coats? WIll I get protesters coming up to me in the street and throwing a cup of soot in my face to teach me a lesson for my garish display of carbon deficit?

I can’t help feeling an overwhelming sense of deja vu. In the late 80’s I was living in the UK and the issue of unleaded petrol swept the nation seemingly overnight. It was suddenly the very worst social faux pas you could do. People desperately converted their cars to accept unleaded or traded them in for new cars, hopefully with a catalytic convertor.

The problem I have is that scientists promised me global warming would be well in effect by now when I was at school. It is nearly July in the UK and it is freezing!

Luckily the airlines now have an answer for you. Along with the ability to check-in online, change your seat etc, you can now “Offset Your Carbon Emissions”. My carbon emissions, don’t try and make me your scapegoat? This is a screenshot from BA.com and the link to Offset your carbon emissions doesn’t actually work. Oh well, I’ll just need to live with my carbon deficit fueled guilt a little while longer.

Stu Parker has a lot more to say on the subject with his post “Want to save the planet? Buy a HUMMER.“.

Technorati Tags: carbon credits

Just about to leave the US after my first trip here in nearly 10 years. It has been fantastic. I’ve been to San Francisco and New York so have had the West Coast/East Coast experience.

Here are my parting shots before my flight gets called:

• Healthcare Capitalism - I never knew I potentially had so many ailments and afflictions. Luckily, the friendly drug companies have a pill for nearly everything…including ladies with PMS (seriously!). You can’t watch TV for more than a few minutes without seeing a healthcare related ad. It is big, big business here.
• Beer - The local stuff “sucks”
• Capitalist Backlash? - I heard a few people now talk about not being “venture funded” and just planning to retain ownership of their companies and grow them aggressively, but in modest terms (i.e. not grow from 10 to 200 employees overnight). When you consider how popular the Michael Moore movies have been and then books/movies like Fast Food Nation, The Corporation, An Inconvenient Truth, and Who Killed the Electric Car? have been, perhaps there is starting to be change in thinking. Maybe not everyone here wants to be the next huge multi-national like Google. How very un-American. Maybe they just got turned down for funding?
• Times Square - It isn’t really very square, which makes it quite confusing when you’re pressed up against a few thousand tourists.
• Big - Nothing new here, but it is just an overriding impression of the US. Everything is big, the meal sizes, the roads, the cars, (some of) the people.
• Blackberry - They are everywhere. They completely dominate this market in terms of PDA/handheld devices.
• Optimists - In general, Americans are “glass half full” people, even the more serious New Yorkers. There is an overwhelming feeling of positivity and high expectations for the future. They are also prolific networkers and easily introduce themselves to strangers. It is quite engaging and infectious. I like it.
• A new Die Hard movie! - Released 27th June 2007
• New York (Manhatten) - Everything I had expected…and more.

I hope to come back soon.

I haven’t been to California for many, many years, although I have fond memories from my last visit.

It is good to be back. San Francisco and the surrounding areas are really fantastic. This is sort of like my Graceland, being the hub of all things tech and Internet related. It has been very cool to drive past some of the head offices of the US tech giants and I was pretty pleased with the view from my hotel room:

Apple Store

Stock full of Apple goodness.

iPod Vending Machine

If you need a reminder of how deeply consumerism is integrated into America.

Freeway to San Jose/Silicon Valley

The freeways are in terrible condition. Maybe it is the earthquakes and constant sunshine?

San Francisco International Airport

No queues, friendly customs agents and easy to get around. Are you sure this is America? The complete opposite of LAX.

Technorati Tags: california

I couldn’t access my blog from China so I haven’t been able to post about my time in Shanghai until now.

What an amazing city. Here is my summary of what to expect in Shanghai.

Atmosphere

There is an amazing energy to the place that is difficult to explain.

Xintiandi

Two entire city blocks of traditional Shanhai houses completely restored and renovated into a smart area of shops, bars and restaurants. Avoid the German pub/restaurant though, food.

Laris

Beautiful fine dining restaurant overlooking the Bund. Right next door to the more famous M on Bund. Food is as good as anywhere in the world. There are also two very good bars attached for drinks before and after. We spent New Years Eve there and had an amazing time.

Shanghai Aqaurium

This is apparently the biggest in the world and is very cool. Allow plenty of time to get around as it takes awhile. I saw some crazy things I never knew existed. Check these guys out!

MagLev Train

The Magnetic Levitation Train from Shanghai Airport (Pu Dong) is the first of its kind and very fast. It got up to 426 KPH when I was on it. It unfortunately stops well short of the centre of town but you get the Metro the rest of the way which while not as fast is extremely easy and costs about US$0.40 for a single ticket.

Pearl City

I didn’t go but the missus came back with four handbags and was very happy.

South Bund Soft Spinning Market

Two tailor made suits for US$120 all ready within 5 days. Amazing value and much better quality than you get in Hong Kong and Thailand.

Crazy English Translations of Signs and Public Notices

Translation is just so literal that most of the time it doesn’t make sense even if it is in English.

Shanghai Taxis

Plentiful (except when it rains) and cheap. The first 2km costs about US $1.50 and they don’t seem to charge for waiting time. Just don’t expect working seatbelts.

1000 Faces Restaurant

This is a restaurant in Shanghai where these guys change their masks in a split second over and and over again. It is cool.

Crazy Chinese Bureaucracy

I guess it would drive you crazy if you lived there but I thought it was funny. Examples:

Electricity Bill Lady
The electricity company sends a lady around to your home who knocks on the door and hand delivers a reminder notice to pay your bill. You can’t pay the lady then and their, you have to pay the bill at specific outlets. She is just the reminder lady. Full employment makes for very creative positions.

Bund Underwater Sightseeing Tourist Tunnel
I assumed that this was under the water but it is actually under the ground and you don’t see any actual water. You board these wierd looking tram things that look like they should be in a ’60’s sci-fi movie and are then subjected to a bewilderingly awful light and sound show as you travel the 5 minutes under the Bund river. It is so bad and so ludicrous that this should be considered a tourist attraction that it makes it must for any visitor.

Consumerism

For a communist country, consumerism is rife! Budweiser is the biggest selling beer, every brand you can imagine is plastered everwhere you look.

Screens

Screens are everywhere. Huge LCD screens on buildings, on barges in the river, in taxis, on the metro (the subway/underground train), in shopping centers. Maybe this is where Kevin Roberts got his is Sisomo idea.

Shanghai Zoo

We went to see the Panda bears but this a drab very communist instution and we just left depressed and upset by the conditions the animals were kept in.

Technorati Tags: bund, shanghai

Haven’t been able to access my blog for nearly two weeks now. Earthquakes in Taiwan on Boxing Day damaged undersea fibre optic cables that severely affected capacity for almost every ISP in Asia and meant that I have had virtually no International Internet access during that time in Hong Kong and then China. Probably a good thing for me in terms of having a break as I was on holiday, however, I’m perplexed at how little the Western press has picked up on this story. It is a serious problem affecting many businesses and individuals. You don’t realise how reliant you are until you have to go without for a while.