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Use a Boat!
Apr. 21st, 2010 01:01 pmAll the furor about Icelandic volcanoes and air travel in England and Europe has me shaking my head. It's like people have forgotten that we can cross the ocean in boats.
Sure, it takes longer than it would by plane, but it's only a couple of days across the Atlantic. And it sure beats waiting indefinitely at Heathrow.
It seems like folks still have this picture in their minds that it's still 500 years ago and that it takes months to get to North America. Seriously, people no one is "stuck" in England. Get on a cruise ship. You'll have a lovely time eating good food while not being trapped in your seat and making progress towards your mian destination. It could be a great trip. Then, once you're in New York or Boston or wherever, you fly home.
So, here's my call out to cruise lines: this is a HUGE opportunity. You've got a whole bunch of ships that cruise the fjords, right? Guess where people aren't going to be vacationing for a while because of that huge ash cloud? Redirect those ships to go Portsmouth to NYC, Liverpool to Boston, Dover to Dover. Show people what it's like to have a comfortable Atlantic crossing. Make deals with airlines. International plane-ticket holders could get [airline-subsidized?], train tickets to a port, discounts on a sea crossing and either a night's stay at a hotel on the other side or a free shuttle ride to the airport. This could be a huge win if you do the leg work.
Edit:
So, a couple of folks have commented that it would cost more money to sail, and they are absolutely right. My point is that the news media are presenting this as the end of travel in, to, or from England for a while and that is patently untrue. Heck, if people absolutely had to get home, they could take a train to some other part of Europe and catch a flight from there.
To address the greater cost concern, though, I see it that plane ticket home as something that investors and business people call a sunk cost. You will likely not be getting the benefit of that of that money so stop throwing more money after it (hotel rooms and meals cost money, right?) and solve the actual problem: getting home.
If I were a business consultant in the travel industry right now, these would be m suggestions:
I would recommend that the airlines offer travel vouchers to their passengers to get them out of the airport while they wait.
For rewards passengers, I'd offer a discount on rail travel to another airport and a booking on a flight out of there.
I would tell cruise lines not to jack up the prices. This is their opportunity to showcase their style and comfort. Their goal should be to build a feeling of value for money in the eyes of the consumer with an eye towards repeat business.
Sure, it takes longer than it would by plane, but it's only a couple of days across the Atlantic. And it sure beats waiting indefinitely at Heathrow.
It seems like folks still have this picture in their minds that it's still 500 years ago and that it takes months to get to North America. Seriously, people no one is "stuck" in England. Get on a cruise ship. You'll have a lovely time eating good food while not being trapped in your seat and making progress towards your mian destination. It could be a great trip. Then, once you're in New York or Boston or wherever, you fly home.
So, here's my call out to cruise lines: this is a HUGE opportunity. You've got a whole bunch of ships that cruise the fjords, right? Guess where people aren't going to be vacationing for a while because of that huge ash cloud? Redirect those ships to go Portsmouth to NYC, Liverpool to Boston, Dover to Dover. Show people what it's like to have a comfortable Atlantic crossing. Make deals with airlines. International plane-ticket holders could get [airline-subsidized?], train tickets to a port, discounts on a sea crossing and either a night's stay at a hotel on the other side or a free shuttle ride to the airport. This could be a huge win if you do the leg work.
Edit:
So, a couple of folks have commented that it would cost more money to sail, and they are absolutely right. My point is that the news media are presenting this as the end of travel in, to, or from England for a while and that is patently untrue. Heck, if people absolutely had to get home, they could take a train to some other part of Europe and catch a flight from there.
To address the greater cost concern, though, I see it that plane ticket home as something that investors and business people call a sunk cost. You will likely not be getting the benefit of that of that money so stop throwing more money after it (hotel rooms and meals cost money, right?) and solve the actual problem: getting home.
If I were a business consultant in the travel industry right now, these would be m suggestions:
I would recommend that the airlines offer travel vouchers to their passengers to get them out of the airport while they wait.
For rewards passengers, I'd offer a discount on rail travel to another airport and a booking on a flight out of there.
I would tell cruise lines not to jack up the prices. This is their opportunity to showcase their style and comfort. Their goal should be to build a feeling of value for money in the eyes of the consumer with an eye towards repeat business.