36,000 feet +/-

Commercial air travel takes you high above the surface. On a recent flight, are cruising altitude was 36,000 feet, give or take. At any rate, in the comfort of the cabin, I enjoyed an ice-cold Coca-Cola as you see here.

Enjoying Coca-Cola at 36,000 feet.

Enjoying Coca-Cola at 36,000 feet.

I have the protective cover on my phone coordinated with my choice of beverages. This was another great flight aboard American Airlines, with friendly cabin staff. No matter what you’re flying, ALWAYS do your checklist and follow crew instructions.

American Airlines (meals) December 2013

Took a couple of American Airlines flights recently, my carrier of choice. The airline has instituted a “select your meal” type of plan, which I find very helpful. You get to make a choice between a couple of entrees, which certainly leads to a more satisfied customer. So, on the first leg, I chose the “tortilla soup.” Below you see the whole tray:

American Airlines tortilla soup.

American Airlines tortilla soup.

This was a tasty, lighter selection. A couple of small cheese wedges came with the grapes and crackers. Nice treat! During the second flight, I went with the chicken salad that you see here:

American Airlines chicken salad.

American Airlines chicken salad.

Again, I found this to be tasty, lighter fare when it comes to airlines meals. The salad was packed with pecans, slices of pear, and plenty of greens. In general, I think airline food has been improving recently. At least, I have found the food to be better than it was. Sit back, relax, enjoy the flight, and please follow ALL crew member instructions. They are there to make your trip safe.

In-Flight Choices

Several months ago, American Airlines sent me a pleasant email, declaring I could select my entree for the upcoming flight. What a pleasant surprise! Normally, you watch the stewardess roll the cart past your seat, hoping you’ll get your choice. Not a huge issue, but then again, customer satisfaction matters in a competitive industry. So, giving a passenger the opportunity to have his preference means happy days. Of course, there are only two choices, which is fine with me. After all, we’re on an airplane, not in a swanky restaurant. On recent flights, I went with the egg option for breakfast that you see in the next photo:

Breakfast on American Airlines flight from PHL to MIA.

Breakfast on American Airlines flight from PHL to MIA.

The decal on the side even had my name on it. Makes a guy feel important. Food was simple and tasty, again for onboard an airplane. Lunch on the next flight you see below:

Lunch on American Airlines flight from MIA to AUA.

Lunch on American Airlines flight from MIA to AUA.

The novelty item here was the pretzel stick you see in the upper left of the frame. That salad was also very fresh, and I do like my greens with most meals. I very much like the fact that American Airlines gives me this choice. It may seem like a small thing, but it matters because it shows the airline is thinking about ways to make things better. Thanks for a friendly and safe flight.

Flights, Camera, Action FINALIST

Back in August, I submitted a video to the Flights, Camera, Action contest sponsored by American Airlines. The objective was to talk about a trip that changed your business. Well, it was way back in 1994 that I took my first American Airlines flight to Aruba and that journey changed my business career in the most dramatic way. As it turns out, my video is a finalist in this competition and I humbly ask for your vote to make it a winner. Follow this link, watch my video (for Hawser Press) and VOTE. By voting, you’ll also be eligible for 25,000 frequent flier miles, which is a nice perk.

https://secure.fly.aa.com/fca3/GalleryEstablished

I hope you enjoyed the video. Thanks for your support and safe travels!