Triangle Trip

Clear was a good concept. Pay $199 for membership to quickly get through airport security. So what went wrong? (aside from not fixing issues highlighted by yours truly from a previous post). Below are the reasons:

1.  Clear was trying to be something they are not. Clear wanted to participate in TSA-related activities but didn’t have the authority to do the job. Clear couldn’t get you pass security any faster than a traveler with airline status because Clear personnel couldn’t perform screening like a TSA agent. Clear only allowed you to skip the first TSA checkpoint – the TSA person matching  your boarding pass against your driver license/ID. You still had to go through the same TSA scanners, take off your shoes, remove your belt, show liquids, etc. And you’d have to wait for the leisure travelers to get their acts together after the screening process to repack. So Clear probably saved you 2 minutes tops – not to mention you may lose a few minutes because the fingerprint authentication machine didn’t work properly.

2.  Too much talk (marketing) and no execution. I have been getting spammed by Clear since its inception. I was also  spammed as a Clear member to get other members to join Clear. I also see tons of Clear marketing people handing out flyers at airports where Clear operates (mostly JFK). What’s the point of handing out flyers at airports when most of the people there are either Clear customers already or will never pay $200 a year because they are vacationers. Spending all the money on ineffective marketing campaings as opposed to focusing on launching airports led to Clear’s failure (see my previous post regarding issues). All that money in the bank should have gone to launch LAX and other important airport hubs which can ultimately drive membership (aka: revenue). I had a Clear membership but couldn’t use it half the time because I am a frequent traveler out of one of the busiest airports in the world (LAX and ORD). What’s the benefit of being a Clear member when I can quickly get through Indianapolis airport security when there are no lines?

3.  Poor leadership and management. What’s the point of gathering all my personal data when it is not necessary? Why do I see 4 to 8 people at Clear kiosks when the registration process and check-in process should be easy and straight forward? I found the registration process to be extremely cumbersome and unnecessary. Clear did not need my fingerprints to validate my identity. I believe two government issued IDs is sufficient proof. Investment in the fingerprint and eye scanning machines were a waste of shareholder funds. Furthermore, it took two people to register me at SFO.

Instead of wasting all the money and closing up shop now, Clear had a perfect chance to save itself. All Clear management had to do was read Triangle Trip and my open letter to the US Homeland Security Chief and TSA (see post). We sincerely hope the airlines are reading our posts as they are important feedback to the industry. I am sure Clear will also be a business case study at some B-school down the road… here’s a free research paper for the kiddies!

Westin is offering 500 SPG points in exchange for you to make your own bed (or reuse your towels).  Another way to phrase it is:  “500 SPG points in exchange for saving them costs in labor and laundry.”  A third way to put it (as Starwood Corp. would like to tell its customers):  “Help the earth and enjoy a gift from us!”

Instead of the 500 SPG points, you can choose to get a $5 gift card to be used at the Westin restaurant, lounge or gift shop.  I was recently at a Westin in Pasadena, CA and the Westin in San Francisco, and saw the card with the following message upon arrival:

You tidy, we treat

You may choose to decline housekeeping service for the following day by hanging this card on your door before 2am. In return for going green, we will deliver a $5 gift card that you may use towards any Restaurant, Lounge, or Room Service purchase within the hotel. If you prefer, you may exchange unused gift card at the front desk for 500 SPG points.

The catch here is you will need to put the tag out by the door before 2AM.  I guess the Westin staff need to determine which room will not be serviced the following day and issue your card on time.  You will not qualify for this offer if you are only staying for one night.

While Statusmonger has most of the necessary travel essentials in his laptop bag, I would like to add two more items to his list. I believe a true global road warriors should have these two items because no road warrior can live without power. Having traveled across the globe for the past decade, I still cannot live without these two items. With these two items, you can leave all the AC power cords home. All you need is to take your USB cord and AC power adapter for your laptop!

The two items are:

1)  Universal AC wall adapter – Regardless of your AC power plug’s country of origin, this universal AC wall adapter allows your power plug to be connected to any wall outlet in any country. I have used this universal AC adapter in Europe, Asia and Australia. I’ve also lent this universal AC adapter to visitors to the US. The universal AC wall adapter is a cube shape – about 2×4 inches max and very light. The universal AC adapter has two sides. One side that has three different prongs to be plugged into a wall outlet. The other side is a universal wall outlet receiver for your plug power cord. You can purchase the universal AC adapter at Fry’s for less than $20 (or in China). Don’t buy it at Brookstone’s or airport stores because they are opportunists & will rip you off.

2)  Car lighter USB charger – Like the universal AC adapter, the car lighter USB charger allows you to charge your electronics wherever you are in the world. Car lighter chargers are standard across the world – probably the only universal power source in the world. This car lighter USB charger turns your car lighter socket into a USB port. All your need to do is plug one end of the charger into any car’s lighter outlet socket. The other end of the car lighter USB charger has a USB female connector which is for the USB cord (just like a computer USB port). When you are on the road or in another country, all you need is a USB cable to plug into the car lighter charger to ensure your mobile phone, iPod, digital camera, etc. are fully charged during your journey. You can leave the extra AC power cords for your Canon camera, Apple iPod, etc. at home. Leverage your PC or rental car for juice!