Blue suit, far right? I only saw him in person once, at our new hire idoc class.

He had a great reputation amongst all employee groups, and I always wondered what would have happened if the BOD had chosen him to replaced Dave Garret in 1987, instead of Mo'Ron Allen. :rolleyes:

This obsession we have at Delta with having to go "downtown" is my biggest pet peeve with many of our layovers. Take RIC for example. We go downtown. It's a pretty crappy downtown to start with, and especially on the weekend there is very little open. The short layover is a Hyatt Place by the airport in a great area with a Gold's Gym right across the street and just about every eating option you could imagine. I would MUCH prefer the short layover in RIC over going "downtown" just for the sake of "going downtown." Same thing goes for JAN. I've been to downtown Jackson, MS. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt... it's a really crappy downtown area!

I know it's in our contract... but jeez don't you think that could have been changed like 20 or 30 years ago when it became obvious in many cities that there are areas that make for a much better layover than downtown?

Don't get me wrong. There are some really nice downtown layovers too. Why can't our contract employ the use of common sense instead of a one-size-fits-all policy??

Okay, had to get that off my chest. Rant over.

I recommend forwarding this rant to the Hotel Committee.

Be careful about opening that box of worms.

At an old airline of mine they did just what you are asking and next thing you know every overnight was walking distance from a mall and little else. We lost some great downtown hotels with pools on the roof and amazing areas.

I understand that a lot of flight attendants don't feel safe walking around by themselves and would prefer that, but one size doesn't fit all.

Dragging through a 36 hour layover in Columbus OH in a giant parking lot next to a suburban mall is painful when you used to stay 15 minutes from campus and next to a brewpub and a great breakfast spot.

I'd leave well enough alone on this one, but either way I hope it works out for you. With all the internet information available these days a downtown layover can jump into a great visit with 10 minutes of searching and a 5 minute cab ride... but if your hotel is on the outskirts that may not be the case.

The new hotel is closer to where this rape occurred (South Jackson) than the old hotel was. This crime had nothing to do with the hotel switch!

Too bad to. There's very little available within walking distance in downtown Jackson after 5pm compared to the old hotel location...never mind the longer ride.

The new hotel is where the Southwest crews used to stay before pulling out of Jan.

I am with Labbats post.

... and when our Flight Attendants carry more than their body weight in luggage with what is assumed to be half the first class meals and all the wine in a third-dozen bags ... what do they need to go out for?

Downtown RIC is actually great if you know where to go. Hint...it's not towards the tall buildings. Head towards VCU. Research the Fan district and Cary Town. You'll find great neighborhoods with equally good restaurants.

Ha....had a flight attendant drop her third dozen bag awhile back. We had fruit and cheese, wine bottles, Kit Kat's, bananas, and about a dozen sliders spread all across the curb waiting for the hotel van.

I guess to each his own. I'd rather be in an area with a gazillion choices of places to eat and a good place to go for a run without having to stop for traffic every block, over a place "15 minutes from campus and next to a brewpub and a great breakfast spot." To me, a layover is all about the following:

#1 - Getting a comfortable night's sleep.

#2 - Having choices (not just one or two and definitely not zero) for a good place to eat.

#3 - Time permitting, having a good place to go for a run without a lot of traffic to deal with.

Many of our downtown layovers do fine with #1. #2 & #3 not so much.

I've given them identical input before. Nothing changes. I guess not enough pilots have a problem with being stuck someplace like downtown Springfield, MA on a Sunday with the only option for lunch being the Dunkin Donuts across the street behind the Marriott. :rolleyes: