Get Out!

This morning, in the New York Times' Frequent Flier column, I came across a somewhat-more-urban follow-on to Convene Senior Editor Barbara Palmer's recent blog post, "The Nature Break-Out."

Basically, the Frequent Flier column is an "as-told-to" story from a frequent business traveler — in this case, Jennifer Davis, a marketing executive for a digital display company.  Davis does signage, and attends meetings.  In discussing how to beat jet lag, she suggests taking a walk outside prior to whatever it is, business-wise, for which she's flown to a destination.  She relates a great anecdote:

One afternoon in Albi, France, before some meetings on our video wall technology with our European team, I discovered an awesome formal riverfront garden behind the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. No one told me it was there, and it was so incredibly beautiful that it brought a smile to my face. That’s a great way to start a meeting.

Winning at Airline Roulette

Image by Conor Ogle

Buying an airline ticket can feel a little bit like spinning a roulette wheel. You plug in your dates, hit "submit," and wait for the numbers to show up.

But there are ways to increase your odds of getting the best deal -- and they have to do with timing your purchase, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal. 

Here's the tip: You'll most likely to find the best deals midweek. Airlines typically launch discounts of 15 to 25 percent on Monday night; competitors match their prices on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The sales are often over by Thursday or Friday. The story tracked one advance purchase round-trip flight from Atlanta to Chicago -- tickets cost 30 percent less on Monday and Tuesday than they did the following four days.

Air Warriors

Okay, a flight from hell last night out of O'Hare combined with the antics of JetBlue's Steven Slater this week are probably why I appreciated this photo, forwarded to me in a mass e-mail today. Kulula is a low-cost South African airline that seems to have a sense of humor. Something that's sorely needed when you take to the skies.