October 19, 2007 WWPR 1490am ~ Sarasota, FL.

October 20, 2007 Frommers

October 21, 2007 Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio




• *If you heard about us somewhere else or have the link to the story please email Johnny Jet media and let us know where!

• I LOVE your newsletter! P.A. - Northern Virginia



• Hi! I LOVED the video you made with your dad! When I introduce my little nieces to new places I get crazy happy from seeing their faces light up. Witnessing the same joy through the seasoned eye of a parent is equally special, but perhaps even more so because all that life experience is wrapped around it. What a treat for him to go with his son to Wales of all places. Also, you always have the best music on your videos. Love the Peter Gabriel live “In Your Eyes” choice… fabulous! I-Tunes should write you a check for all the music you sell for them. Kelly G -



• I was born in NY but moved to Italy when I was 11 years old. My mother was born and raised in Vallo. We were going to make our last trip back to Italy together but she died before we were able to go. Your video was the closest I have been to Vallo since 1979 when I was last there with my mother. I cried when I saw your video. I didn't realize how much I missed it and how much it meant to me spending part of my childhood there. THANK YOU for sharing this video, you don' t know how much it means to me. Cynthia



• Is it just my imagination, or is having various hospitality and travel organizations "sponsor" your trips something you didn't always do? After reading just a few too many rave reviews of places the average travel is never going to go because of the exorbitant price, I realized something was missing: credibility. I thought it was great to have someone review places and sights, hotels and airlines, secure in the knowledge that these were real reviews, not advertising. No conflict of interest with those who paid your bills, comped your flights and hotel stays, etc. Say it isn't so. D.V. - city unknown.
  REPLY: Thank you for your email. I appreciate all kinds of reader feedback. If there’s one thing our newsletter is not missing, it’s credibility. Indeed, many of our trips are sponsored, but we are upfront about it, unlike so many magazine/newspaper writers who claim they don’t take sponsored trips, but in reality, are either on the same, fully-funded trip as we are, or they are accepting media rates which are a joke – a $1,000 room will go for $79, for example. Not only that, most of the time these writers can’t even write objective stories for fear that their advertisers or sponsors will pull the plug. This has never been the case for JohnnyJet.com writers.
  
  To be clear: I have never not reported on the actual experience. I realize that sometimes, as a member of the media, I may be getting a skewed view; believe me, I know when that happens because I used to be on the other side, where I was the one arranging sponsored trips. When that happens, I go out of my way to interview guests or passengers that I meet in the elevator, pool, shuttle – wherever. I can say this with total confidence: No matter what (the airline, hotel, attraction, destination -- you name it), I call it the way it is, regardless who is paying. I believe that this is where the value of my website lies, in truthful, unbiased reporting. Some of my stories offer up rave reviews, others are quite the opposite. Accurate reporting, good or bad, is what matters most.
  
  My overall goal is to provide real, accurate, and useful travel information to people who are planning trips and for those who can’t travel for whatever reason (money, fear, disease ... ) I hope that my newsletter provides readers with an opportunity to forget about their troubles and escape, for the short time they’re reading our stories. At the same time, I strive to educate with tips and lessons learned from our mistakes. I spend a lot of time writing each week and I write as if I am sending my story to a good friend, which is how I think of my readers, and I try to deliver the information in an entertaining and enthusiastic way.
  
  Travel is a gift. I realize that I am one of the luckiest people alive to have my job, my health, my family and friends. I cherish all of the feedback I get (the good, the bad and the ugly) and I always encourage it. Maybe one day, we will make enough money and won’t have to take sponsored trips. But until then, in order to travel and provide our discerning readers with the level of information they’ve come to expect from us, we need to go on press trips. Please understand: the press trips, in and of themselves are not bad. It’s the reporting that comes out of them that matters most. And JohnnyJet.com readers can always rely on getting accurate and critical reviews.
  
  Thanks for logging on!
  Your friend and travel companion,
  
  Johnny Jet
  
  FEEDBACK FOR BUZZY
  
• Your suggestions are thoughtful and wouldn't cost the airlines pittance compared to the effects of lost business cited in your story of what happened with Contintental in Hawaii. ANY time, and especially at the late hour that this fiasco with Continental happened, all available airline personnel on premise should be called immediately to help rebook, and if there isn't sufficient people on hand, enough should be called in PRONTO. Any airline which wants to maintain loyalty among their customers cannot alienate them with poor service whether in the air, behind the counter, or in baggage pick-up. Mary Carlson - Hermantown, MN



• My sympathy for your frustration...which I'm quite familiar with, as are most of us who fly often. It occurs to me, however, that rather than complaining - which is inevitable, given the incompetence of airline personnel, and not just at Continental - we must do something. Ever since the de-regulation of the airline industry and the demise of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), this situation has become worse. What is needed is a concerted campaign to regulate the airlines - which should be grounded unless and until they comply with PASSENGERS' RIGHTS. Those of you within the industry must figure out how to get this done through our elected officials...and then we, your readers, can help in whatever way possible. Cordially, Susan G. - Westport, CT.



• This is one of the most well-written and cogent articles on airline customer service I have ever read. It should be sent to Continental's Chairman, CEO and Board of Directors. Judith G - Los Angeles, CA



• Re: Your horror story on the Continental fiasco out of Honolulu involving the sacrifice of the LA –bound flight so that the Newark-bound passengers could go home: I have never been a Continental customer because their routes and hub have never really meshed with my travel needs. But you can bet it will be a very cold day you know where before I would willingly use their services after having read your story. Isolated or rare as this instance may be, it shows a shocking insensitivity to their paying clientele, already dealing with an airline flight process that has become a tortured experience under the best of circumstances. The attitude adopted here appears to be, “Life would be perfect if it just weren’t for these pesky customers of ours.” The least the public can do is help them lose a few of these troublesome folks! Thanks for reporting. Larry K – Los Angeles, CA



• Right on the mark!!!! 20 years ago flying to your holiday destination was part of your holidays, now we just dread the hassle and if possible drive when ever we can... It is a shame what people are subjected to when they fly. Thank You. Bernie Wagner – Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada



• That was an excellent article and I felt as thought I went thru every painful moment of that terrible experience. It has happened to all of us at one time or another. Shame on Continental! Sandy B - Los Angeles, CA



• I read the story of the Continental fiasco at HNL. I joined the Red Carpet club for reasons such as this – when I have a cancelled flight, I head straight for the Red Carpet Club – there may be a line, but it’s definitely shorter than those in the terminal. Continental must have procedures. Also, Hawaii is very laid back – in this case, apparently laid back and asleep! Geoff O. - San Diego, CA



• Probably the only message these folks will understand is when people vote with their feet. Unfortunately there still isn't enough competition to make this an alternative on all too many routes. Sadly, the reality might be regulation...coupled with huge fines for non-compliance. But getting Washington to do anything sensible is probably as remote as getting the airlines to act sensibly. Joe E. -- Camarillo, CA




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