Flying from Quebec City to Los Angeles, via New York
Despite half a tablet of sleeping pill last night, I only dozed for about 5h. I didn’t feel too bad when the alarm sounded at 0300. We were out pretty swiftly and headed to Quebec City’s airport nearby where we returned the car.
With 2h before departure, the check-in queue was relatively long, considering it was only a small plane. It moved slowly (as did the security queue) but we still had time for about 30 minutes in the lounge.
Our flight on the Canadian CR900 aircraft was again noisy about two-thirds down the plane, despite the rear-mounted engines. We arrived into JFK about 15 mins early and walked an awfully long way from one of the furthest gates to immigration.
Immigration was swift with plenty of self-service terminals which generated a ticket which one would then present to an officer for some quick questions and stamping. We dropped our bags and went through security and the lounge again before boarding a completely full B757 for Los Angeles.
Airlines staff hadn’t been strict enough with carry-ons and there were plenty of people with a wheelie and a backpack (rather than a small personal item). We managed to stow our stuff. The flight was pleasant and quiet enough on the nicely refurbished aircraft with PTV and blue mood lighting. The Delta crew seemed more hospitable than I had encountered on other US-based airlines.
Time went quickly reading over the shoulder of the woman diagonally in front of me (read more under separate header below), doing some bills/admin and watching a few episodes of the Simpsons.
We arrived into LAX to find that the Super 8 no longer provided a complimentary shuttle. Fortunately we remembered that they’re next to Avis and Hertz, so we hopped into the first of the rental car shuttles that came around. Jaywalking across the road with luggage in tow, an Emirates A380 flew right over the hotel.
We tried getting some sleep but it didn’t work. Our friend Daisuke came in front Frankfurt about the same time and got to the hotel later (due to having to clear CIQ). We caught up and had dinner at Rubio’s after collecting our car at Rubio’s.
Reading some serious bullshit on my flight
On the flight from New York to Los Angeles I sat behind a woman who busily worked away on presentation slides with plenty of inspirational lines. But wait, it leads to some serious bull-shit:
- America, the land of opportunity.
- A rallying cry to bring the nation together, and to embrace diversity.
- Embracing diversity is key to progress as a nation.
- As White Americans give up on the American Dream, Blacks and Hispanics embrace it.
- Brand vision of building a cultural icon of personal progress in America.
- Hispanics; “They were part of our history and they are key to our future”.
- There were also plenty of demographic charts; Hispanics and women are under-represented.
It turns out she is writing marketing strategy for a very famous Scotch whisky company (yep, not beer or wine but spirits – hard liquor).
My thoughts:
- Even though I drink a little and don’t have an issue with social drinking, I feel quite uncomfortable (slightly sickened) with her work. It takes me back to the days when cigarettes were grossly and glossily marketed.
- I can understand wine/beer being cultural icons of France/Germany. But for anyone to say hard liquor (especially a foreign Whisky) is a “cultural icon of personal progress in America”, there’s something seriously screwed up.
- I don’t know how Hispanics are part of the history of a Scotch whisky company.
- It surprised me greatly that they aren’t trying to market more strongly to women. Surely they are a larger untapped market than Hispanics.
What do you think? Any marketing specialists out there?