REPOST: Still hatin’ on the airlines? J.D. Power says they’re getting better

As a frequent flyer, I give credit to traditional airlines since they have most nods as the most improved players in the industry.  This Today news article provides details:  

If airlines were athletes, low-cost carriers would get the nod as fan favorites but traditional airlines are earning kudos as the most improved players on the field.


That’s the gist of the latest J.D. Power and Associates North American Airlines Satisfaction Study. Released on Wednesday, the annual report shows overall satisfaction with the industry climbing to 695 (on a 1,000-point scale), an increase of 14 points over 2012.


“A lot of what’s driving the gain has to do with technology, innovation and people,” said study director Jessica McGregor. “Those are the areas where there’s been a lot of strong performance.”



The gain was also driven by traditional carriers, which posted a 16-point increase overall, to 663, over last year. Alaska Airlines topped the list for the sixth consecutive year, with a score of 717 (up 39 points), followed by Delta (682, up 23 points) and Air Canada (671, down 6 points).



By comparison, overall satisfaction with low-cost carriers rose just 1 point, to 755. JetBlue took top honors for the eighth consecutive year with a score of 787, followed by Southwest (770) and WestJet (714).



“They still have much higher performance levels than traditional carriers but the traditional carriers are beginning to close the gap,” McGregor told NBC News.


The study measures passenger satisfaction based on carriers’ performance in seven factors (in order of importance): cost and fees, in-flight services, boarding/deplaning/baggage, flight crew, aircraft, check-in and reservation.


According to McGregor, satisfaction improved across all seven factors, with the largest year-over-year increases occurring in the boarding/deplaning/baggage (up 17 points), check-in (up 15) and aircraft (up 15) factors.



Smile!Passengers like it
Improvements notwithstanding, bag fees remain a hot-button issue — scores for those who paid a fee were 63 points lower than for those who didn’t — although even that shows signs of cooling off. Two years ago, the difference between the two groups was 100 points.


“Bag fees are still a point of contention for people,” said McGregor. “There’s no getting around that but we see (their dissatisfaction) becoming less pronounced. People have begun to expect it as part of the cost of air travel.”



And airlines are unlikely to give them up. On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation announced that the 15 largest U.S. carriers collected $3.5 billion in bag fees last year, an increase of 3.8 percent over 2011.



As for other factors that posted significant improvements, such as check-in and aircraft, McGregor suggests the former saw a boost due to the proliferation of self-service options while the latter benefited from increased availability of Wi-Fi, more entertainment options and seating upgrades, even when those services entailed a fee.



“Self-service is appreciated as long as it makes the process more efficient such as during the reservation process and checking in,” said McGregor. At the same time, she says, the accompanying decrease in personal interaction means that the fewer “touchpoints” passengers do have with employees take on added significance.



“The airlines have been performing well in terms of flight crews and gate staff being more courteous, smiling and making eye contact,” she told NBC News. In fact, both carrier segments achieved an 8-year high for passenger satisfaction with flight crews in 2013.


And sometimes, all it takes is a smile. According to the study, satisfaction scores for passengers who were greeted with a smile by airline staff, even if only some of the time, were 105 points higher than among those who never received a smile and 211 points higher among passengers who were greeted with a smile consistently, compared with those who did not receive a smile at all.



“If employees are smiling and making sure people are having a pleasant trip, it leads to an instant improvement in satisfaction,” said McGregor. “It’s easy for airlines to incorporate — it doesn’t cost millions and millions of dollars.”

Hello! I'm Louis Habash, a travel writer. Follow me on Twitter to get updates on my travels.

REPOST: I Heart My City: Julia’s Glasgow

I have always loved artistic walkways, sprawling parks, and interesting eateries, like those in Glasgow. This National Geographic blog entry provides details about this Scottish city:  

Image source: Intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com

Glasgow Is My City


The stairs inside the Glasgow lighthouse. (Photograph by Martin Burns, Flickr)


When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them is the vibrant West End area. With large sprawling parks, international eateries, boutiques, and museums, there’s something for everyone.


Summer is the best time to visit my city because even though you’ll likely experience all four seasons in one day, it stays light until almost midnight.


You can see my city best from the viewing deck at the lighthouse. On a clear day it’s worth braving the spiral staircase for a spectacular, panoramic view of Glasgow.


Locals know to skip the tourist-trap Willow Tea Rooms and check out the Hidden Lane Tearoom instead. Tucked down a cobbled street in Finnieston, which serves the best High Tea in Glasgow.


If you are looking for a good bottle of whisky to take back home, The Good Spirits Co. is the place to buy the best Scotland has to offer.


In the past, notable people such as Gerard Butler, James McAvoy, and Gordon Ramsayhave called my city home.


My city’s best museum is theHunterian Museum and Art Gallery, which hosts a large collection of Charles Rennie Mackintosh work. It’s one of the smallest and most low-key of Glasgow’s 20 museums, but it’s packed full of archaeological finds, art, and some freaky specimens in the anatomy wing.


If there’s one thing you should know about getting around my city, it’s the Glasgow Underground. Handy if you are wanting to get around quickly and ideal for a trip from town to the West End. Turn the journey into a drinking game, or a “sub crawl,” by stopping at one pub at each of the 15 stops. Not for the faint of heart!


The best place to spend time outdoors in my city (when the sun is out) is the beer gardens. Us pale Glaswegians love nothing more than grabbing a pint and heading outdoors. From Jinty McGinty’s in Ashton Lane to West Brewery at Glasgow Green, everyone wants to be out during these short spells. Taps aff!


My city really knows how to celebrate Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) because the party always ends up lasting two days!


You can tell if someone is from Glasgow if they call you “pal” regardless of whether you’re a friend, stranger, lover, mother, or boss!


For a fancy night out, I have a delicious dinner at Chardon d’Or, followed by some cocktails atBlythswood Hotel. If I wanted to keep the night going, I’ll hop in a cab to the Corinthian Club for more drinks, dancing, and a flutter at the casino.


Just outside my city, you can visit Scotland’s west coast to spend time at the beach or head north to reach the Arrochar Alps.


My city is known for beingdangerous and rough but it’s reallytransformed over the past 10 years. The second best shopping street in the U.K. after London, the West End is the place to go for unique shopping and restaurants — and Merchant City has some of the best nightlife in the U.K. There’s a huge amount of diversity, drawn from the international population who call Glasgow home.


The best outdoor market in my city is the bi-monthly farmers market in Mansfield Park for yummy food. But if you’re a flea-market junkie, head east to the Barras weekend market. You might just find a bargain.


Trans-Europe Cafe, Cafezique, Brookyln Cafe, and the Left Bank are my favorite places to grab breakfast, and Little Italy is the spot for late-night eats.


To find out what’s going on at night and weekends, read The Skinny and The List.


My city’s biggest sports event is the Old Firm derby. Watch it at the Ibrox or Celtic Parkstadiums. Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and new arenas such as theVelodrome will be the place to watch all the action.


When I’m feeling cash-strapped, I wander down to Dumbarton Road to find some bargains in the many charity shops.


To escape the crowds, I head to Tchai Ovna, a tiny tea and shisha (hookah) house tucked above the River Kelvin off Gibson Street. A cozy place to while away a lazy afternoon playing Scrabble, chatting with friends, or listening to music on weeknights.


If my city were a celebrity it’d bethe Big Yin, Billy Connolly, because it has a great sense of humor.


The dish that represents my city best is curry (Indian food is an essential part of the Glaswegian diet)and the fizzy orange juice called Irn-Bru is my city’s signature drink.


The Mitchell Library is my favorite building in town because it’s the most beautiful in Glasgow and looks stunning when lit up at night.


The most random thing about my city is that anything and everything can happen.


King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut and the Barrowland Ballroom are the best places to see live music, but if you’re in the mood to dance, check out Boteco de Brasil for authentic Brazilian dancing.


A spontaneous sing-along in the taxi queue could only happen in my city.


In the spring you should hire a bicycle from the Bike Station and cycle along the River Kelvin up to the Botanic Gardens.


In the summer you should get dancing at the Mardi Gras parade in June.


In the fall you should head to one of Glasgow’s many parks — such as Kelvingrove Park, Queen’s Park, and Pollok Country Park – to see the stunning range of autumn colors on display. Afterwards, head indoors for some tea and a slice of cake.


In the winter you should check out a gig at the Celtic Connections annual festival in January.


If you have kids (or are a kid at heart), you won’t want to miss theScience Centre. It has plenty of interactive exhibits for kids to enjoy and an IMAX.


The best book about my city is Lanark by Alasdair Gray.


In 140 characters of less, the world should heart my city because it’s friendly, funny, warm, cosmopolitan, exciting, irreverent, and unique.

I’m Louis Habash and I’m a travel writer. Read about my escapades here.

The story behind the National Cherry Blossom Festival

Hello, reader!

Image Source: history.com

I’m taking a short break from my travel stories with this entry to focus on a recently held celebration of the friendship between the US and Japan, marked with the blooming of the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC.

The story of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington is one worth retelling because of all the work that has been done to keep the trees blooming beautifully every year. Over the years, it has grown from its modest beginnings into one of the nation’s most breathtaking springtime celebrations. 

The festival commemorates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington in 1912. Efforts to bring cherry trees to Washington started years before that, however. Apart from the early efforts made by various individuals dating as early as 1885, the first batch of cherry tree gifts from Tokyo arrived in 1910. The first 2,000 trees, however, were found to be diseased and had to be destroyed to protect local growers.

Image Source: bbc.co.uk

But that initial setback did not deter the parties involved, and it was through the coordination of Dr. Jokichi Takamine, a world-famous chemist and the founder of Sankyo Co., Ltd., Dr. David Fairchild of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Eliza Scidmore, first female board member of the National Geographic Society, and First Lady Helen Herron Taft, that the cherry trees now stand today in DC. In reciprocation, the United States government donated flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan in 1915.

Another part of the story worth mentioning is that the cycle of gift-giving between the US and Japan came full circle in 1981 when cuttings from the trees in Washington were given to horticulturists in Japan to replace some of the cherry trees which were destroyed in a flood.

Image Source: washington.org

The blooming cherry trees are a sight to behold. Photos can only capture a fraction of their true beauty, and if you haven’t seen the Sakura in full bloom, then I suggest that you take a trip to Washington around March to April next year to join in on the celebration.

Hi, this is Louis Habash. For more links to my travel and culture stories, visit me on Twitter.

A little something about the Japanese Omiyage

“Here’s a little something I got…” is a phrase that we commonly hear from people who’ve taken time to share with us a small part of their trips in the form of trinkets, food items, or novelty goods. These gift items are also usually accompanied by stories of how they found the items or why they picked the specific gift over the others that they could have gotten.

Image Source: omiyageblogs.ca

While I can’t give my readers physical gifts, I’d like to share some tidbits of what I got from my travels to Asia. This time, given that we’ve just recently celebrated the enduring friendship between Japan and the US with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and since I’m on the topic of souvenir giving, I think I should share what little I know about the Japanese way of giving souvenirs.

The Japanese use the term Omiyage for both the gifts that you give to friends after the trip and for the obligatory gift (as a matter of politeness) that you give to the people you’re visiting at your destination. The souvenir items are, of course, what you can get and what you can give, that’s fine. For the latter kind of omiyage, however, there’s a certain set of considerations to follow.

Image Source: morethingsjapanese.com

For the best choice of presents for one’s hosts, something consumable is recommended. It’s hard to find space for gifts in many cases, so gifts that don’t need to be stored for too long are best. Otherwise, something expensive, like a tie or scarf from a popular brand, is a good alternative.

Now, as a non-Japanese guest, one isn’t really expected to bring omiyage. If you really want to impress your hosts, though, then this may serve as a little reminder of what you should think of bringing.

Image Source: ehow.com

Louis Habash shares more tidbits of information about travel and culture on this Twitter page.

An enduring legacy: Visiting the Badaling Great Wall

Every time someone I know visits China, they’d be all like “Louis Habash, you should go see the Great Wall if you happen to visit China!” So, just a few days ago, I had the chance to visit the Badaling part of the Great Wall.

Image Source: china-tour.cn

Let me give you guys a brief history of the Great Wall. Around 5th century BC, the Chinese were already familiar with the idea of having a good wall to defend themselves against raiding enemies, but it wasn’t until the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, that the Great Wall, as we call it today, was built. According to some experts in Chinese history, building the Great Wall cost hundreds of thousands of human lives. Also, most of the wall that’s still standing today isn’t part of the original wall because most of it has eroded over the centuries. What you can see today was built during the Ming Dynasty—and this includes the Badaling section.

Image Source: en.wikipedia.org

When you arrive at the Great Wall, be prepared to walk through throngs of people, especially if you visit during spring. Get ready for a long and arduous climb if you don’t like riding the cable car up the wall. If you are interested in more of the Great Wall’s history, the Great Wall Museum is also a good place to explore.

You can reach the Badaling Great Wall by riding public buses located at various areas around Beijing. The bus ride to the Badaling Great Wall takes about an hour. The wall is open from 6 am to 6:30pm.

Image Source: great-wall-of-china.org

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Kathmandu: The ancient city of wonder

Image Source: AllNepal.com

If you love ancient cities, then you’ll love Kathmandu, the capital of the kingdom on the roof of the world—Nepal. The city is more than 2000 years old and is located 4,600 feet above sea level. Enclosed within a valley, Kathmandu is a sight to behold.

Image Source: LonelyPlanet.com

Kathmandu is the best place to experience Nepali culture and tradition. I found many Hindu and Buddhist temples just by walking around, which is, by far, the best way to experience Kathmandu. The famous Pashupatinath Temple can be found in Kathmandu, near the banks of the Bagmati River. You can also visit the Durbar Square, which is one of the oldest squares in the world; walk around Thamel, the city’s bustling tourist city; climb the 365 steps to the Swayambhunath, the so-called monkey temple; and visit the King’s palace, which is now a museum.

Image Source: TripAdvisor.com

However, despite the abundance of things to do and places to visit, the best thing to experience in Nepal is the food. Food here is cheap and plentiful, and most of those I tasted were heavenly, to say the least. My favorite was the Dal Bhat, which is a meal that consists of a lentil soup, mixed vegetables, chili, pickled vegetables, more vegetables, and mutton. Notice the amount of vegetables? It’s no wonder why Nepalese people are so slim. Food in Nepal has a little bit of Indian influence, which means that people with really sensitive stomachs should be wary.

I love Kathmandu. I think it is a great city with so much to offer, and I will definitely come back—if I get back from Mt. Everest alive, that is.

Live vicariously through the adventures of Louis Habash by following this Twitter page.

Sadhus: The wandering holy men of Nepal

Image Source: EverestUncensored.com

In my travels, I have often searched for something different—something extraordinarily inspiring. This time, that search led me to the kingdom on the roof of the world, Nepal—one of the two last homes of the Sadhus.

The Sadhus, or “good man” in English, are wandering holy men indigenous to Nepal and India, where Hinduism is widely practiced. They are highly revered because many see them as the embodiment of all that is good in man. Most of them are also practitioners of Yoga--thereby called Yogi-- and meditation. Almost all of them are ascetic, living simple lives, and have left behind all material attachments to live beyond the fringe of normal society.

Image Source: EduPics.com

It is said that talking to a Sadhu is deeply inspiring and moving; however, I did not find it so, probably because I don’t speak a word of Hindi. Some Sadhus do speak English, but sadly, I wasn’t able to meet one who does. My tour guide however, was helpful enough and answered a few questions for me. He said that in order to become a Sadhu, a man must leave everything behind and look for a “guru” who can then teach him the ways of the Sadhu. Throughout India and Nepal, there are different Sadhu sects, and each has its own set of rituals and traditions. Women can also become Sadhus and are called Sadhvi.

Image Source: IndiaTimes.com

While walking around Nepal, I noticed that these holy men have nothing and want nothing, satisfied with just simple donations of food and clothing. I chuckled inwardly, remembering the day when my mother said to me, “Louis Habash, material things won’t do you any good when you die.” I realized then that she was right.

For more of my travel adventures, follow me on Twitter.