The Susan Bari Company

It was a drizzly, cold day in New York City and we were fifteen minutes early for an appointment at Rockefeller Center. Walking up 50th Street toward the Avenue of the Americas, we spotted some gorgeous, yellow luggage in a store window and decided to get out of the cold, do a little shopping and take a closer look.
We entered the shop that was filled with exquisite leather goods and inquired of the price of the piece we had admired. We knew it was “tres chic” and must be “tres” expensive, but were nonetheless shocked by the price the clerk quoted. Susan commented, “I would never want to have to check that piece at the airport.” The clerk responded that their merchandise “… is not intended for people who fly commercial”.

As if the rain was not enough to add gloom to the day. Then and there, we understood that we were not just “road warriors”, travelling every week to a new city to meet with a new prospect or current client; we flew commercial. We were “Coach Commandos”. Weekly, we navigate the battlefields of internet travel sites finding the best fares and booking the best seats we can find. No corporate jets are anywhere in our future and our limited access to business class seats is based on rankings in airline loyalty programs. And we certainly don’t have access to those executive jet terminals without security checkpoints and long lines. No yellow leather luggage will be added to our collections any time soon.

We are old enough to remember when “stewardesses” wore white gloves and air travel was not only “convenient”, but even “sophisticated”, or sometimes “fun”. We can no longer expect to be catered to (as a matter of fact, there is very little “catering” of any kind on board but are at least grateful that airport food courts now provide some healthier food choices than in the past.)

However, we think you will agree that the worst part of air travel is not on the airplane, but rather at the airport itself. While we all understand the need for increased security after 9/11, in the ensuing six years, not much has been done to devise a system that is truly safe, but also predictable.
Here is what we mean by “predictable”. How long does it take you to get from the curb to the gate? Will you have time for breakfast with your spouse or kids before leaving for the airport for that business trip, or will the early morning business travel back things up and take longerAdd your content here than usual? Will you have to stand in line behind an “amateur traveler” who never heard that you have to take off your shoes or put your liquids in a 1 quart clear bag? What about on the return trip? What do you know about the peak periods in your destination airport? Can you squeeze in an extra appointment during that expensive trip to New York or are you doomed to two hours of terminal time? Is that St. John you are wearing a “sweater” you can leave on or a “jacket” you have to remove?

We have good news: “registered traveler” is finally becoming available in some of the busiest airports. If you have not heard about it, you will soon and it will change your life by making travel a little bit easier for all of us Coach Combatants. A public/private partnership under the regulatory authority of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Registered Traveler program provides VIP lanes with expedited security screening for travelers, who volunteer to undergo a TSA security threat assessment, provide biographic and biometric information (fingerprints and iris scans) and pay an annual fee of approximately $100. Most people we have talked to agree that if you take more than four trips a year, and certainly if it is more than four a month, the money and time are well invested. We tested the program recently in Orlando with Leslie taking four minutes to go through the Clear® lane as opposed to Susan’s 25 minutes in the regular line. In addition, a nice Clear lane attendant helped Leslie with putting her luggage onto the belt while Susan juggled lap top and carry on as usual.

Registered traveler lanes are currently available at Albany, Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, JFK International Airport, LaGuardia, Little Rock, Newark, Orlando, Reno, San José, San Francisco and Westchester Airports.  Atlanta, Oakland and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (Reagan National Airport and Dulles) will be open soon.

We are pleased to be part of this important new industry that is making air travel both more predictable and more pleasant. We will provide more travel tips and information in future articles. If your local airport does not have a registered traveler program, contact them and let them know you would like them to. For more information on how you can sign up yourself and your employees for the program, email coachcommandos@flyufast.com.

 

About Fly Fast, LLC
Fly Fast, LLC provides customer acquisition, niche marketing, product placement, training and other services within the airport and travel industries. The experience of founders Leslie Saunders (with 25 years experience in the airport industry), Susan Phillips Bari (with 20 years as an advocate and leader in the women’s business community) and Tom Christopoul (a former senior executive of Cendant Corporation) are aggregated to bring clients connections, capabilities and relationships forged during their more than 50 years of combined experience. Fly Fast has offices in New York City, Tampa (Lutz) and Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit www.flyufast.com.