HAPPY NEW YEAR/DECADE:
We've posted a FEW MORE FEATURES from the December/January issue of LCT Magazine, all related to the theme of more efficient money-saving group travel.
Most notable is LCT's annual OUTLOOK FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL. 2010 portends at least a slightly more active year than 2009, one of the most devastating to the sector.
As travelers look for more practical ways to get around, COMMUTER MOTORCOACHES are seeing a lot of success in the San Francisco Bay Area.
And with more consumers opting for shorter vacations or staycations, LCT offers 10 CHARTER IDEAS that could spur creativity among charter and tour operators.
FEBRUARY 2010: LCT will distribute its annual "SHOW ISSUE" early at the 2010 INTERNATIONAL LCT SHOW in Las Vegas, now just a few short weeks away on Jan. 25-27. The issue will feature the 12 finalists for LCT's 2010 Operator Of The Year Awards along with their tips for success. Don't forget to register for the Show by Jan. 8 to take advantage of room discounts at the Palazzo Resort Hotel & Casino.
-- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
SAMPLE RUN: Here's a quick review of my first chauffeured ride in a Ford Flex. . .
Read full story
VERY EUROPEAN: The insatiable appetite for all things green, despite the recent Climategate scandal, expands unabated, with a stretched Vespa looking like a possible alternative fuel livery vehicle.
It would be ideal for transporting clients in the narrow streets of European city sectors, villages, and towns, while being obviously green with its fuel economy and spare emissions. So why not mandate it for all Congressional reps, staffers, and federal workers who use chauffeured transportation in D.C.? Such a policy could actually grant some credibility to the global warming believers and cap-n-trade advocates ready to radically remake the U.S. economy. -- M.R.
CYBER HAZARDS: We at LCT can certainly understand what it's like to be the target of vicious and false Internet forum comments, so it's not surprising that in the digital era a competitor would resort to such tactics against another operator. The Pennsylvania operator, ironically called Feel Good Limo, claims to be the victim of malicious fictions. The freedom and anonymity on the Internet often provides safe harbor to hacks out to destroy a business. How to handle, counter, and prevent such communications is unchartered territory, and will keep businesses and courtrooms occupied for years to come. -- M.R.
ANNUAL HIATUS: LCT Blog and E-News will be taking its annual break for the Christmas season. Blog posts will resume Jan. 4; E-News will be back with a special "top stories" edition on Dec. 31. We leave you with some industry high notes. . .
Read full story
CHAUFFEURED HORROR: A breakdown with a busload of passengers near Los Angeles brings me to the brink. . .
Read full story
COMICAL LIVERY:
A batmobile limousine was spotted on the streets of Manhattan.
The carblog Autogespot suspects that it’s built from a Corvette C4.
Any demand for this concept? Is Alfred the chauffeur?
HOLIDAY CLOSER: The Greater California Livery Association gathered for its last function of the year Monday night, celebrating the approach of 2010 much more than the passage of a rough 2009. . .
Read full story
WHAT IS THE FUTURE? It's not a sedan, or an SUV, or a station wagon, but a complete cross-over that emphasizes practical comfort.
The LINCOLN MKT SCORED a favorable review in USA Today recently, which means the vehicle carries a lot of potential moving forward. Ford/Lincoln vehicles obviously get a lot of attention from the chaufffeured transportation industry, as operators await an announcement in the coming year about the future of the Lincoln Town Car. -- M.R.
A HEART FOR SPECIAL MOMENTS: A Canadian newspaper recently profiled an operator who enjoys his job because he gets to share in so many special occasions. THE CHAUFFEUR WHO LOVES HIS CUSTOMERS shows how the foundational market segment of the industry still endures. The wedding market is often the entry point for limousine companies. With the downturn of the last two years, many operators who went completely corporate/business during the industry's growth period are REDISCOVERING THE BLISS, as LCT reports in its December/January issue. -- M.R.
WICHITA FALLS, TX --
Prime Time Limousine is one of the latest companies to get a
BUSINESS PROFILE in its local newspaper. Such articles may sound simple to the industry, but the P.R. value is immense, since such articles help educate the moving public about the benefits of chauffeured transportation. If you haven't pitched every local newspaper, Web site, and city guide in your area, resolve to do so in 2010. -- M.R.
HOW MANY WOULD USE? The NHTSA's recommendation for mandatory seatbelts on motorcoaches gets a mixed reaction in one Pennsyvlania city. At issue is the expense for operators, the usage among passengers, and the need to reduce motorcoach accident deaths and injuries.
WELCOMING A NEW YEAR: The transportation sector could be seeing the
first sustained signs of growing business travel demand, which after a disastrous 2009, cannot be happening a moment to soon. If this trend holds, 2010 will provide some welcome relief to corporate-oriented chauffeured transportation operators that struggled through 2009.
Southwest Airlines, however, does not see a biz travel rebound.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA: We'll take good news about the industry wherever we can get it, so this business newspaper article about the Jacksonville limousine industry looks encouraging. Even amid economic chaos, there are areas, pockets, and specific comapnies that defy the odds and do well. This week, we heard from operators who are up 38% and 46% respectively for 2009. Of course, some of those sizable gains are likely coming from clients gained from another operator who either closed or went out of business. Jacksonville is also home to Dynasty Limousine, a 2010 LCT Operator Of The Year finalist in the 11-30 vehicles category and the first limouisine company in the U.S. launching a public stock offering. -- M.R.
BACK ON THE ROAD: I learned two important things this week while riding along as my son handled a limo run at LAX. . .
Read full story
LEARN about one of the unsafest uses of technology behind the wheel. . .
Read full story
GREEN & PRACTICAL: The Ford Fusion
WINS ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD for its low price, fuel savings, and overall practical good looks. Royale has
EXTENDED THE FUSION, making it the first viable green livery sedan that offers savings and space.
INDUSTRY WATCHES CLOSELY: The outcome of a class action chauffeur wage lawsuit against the largest chauffeured transportation company in Las Vegas will become a leading indicator of how operators should pay chauffeurs.
DETAILED REPORT AND COMMENTS HERE.
CLIMATE CIRCUS: Check out the latest amusements from the global warming Oh! Zone. . .
Read full story
AND THEIR BLACK VEHICLES, TOO:
Populist rage against money-making people not only tanked chauffeured limo demand in 2009 -- it also grounded many private chartered jets. But as some eminently reasonable business titans are EXPLAINING IN FORBES MAGAZINE, private jets are actually one of the most efficient ways to get business travel and consultation done in today's globalized economy. Ditto for the chauffeured vehicles needed to take hard-working private sector executives and managers to and from the jets.
Here's to more private jet-black vehicle combos in the New Year. [SIGN OF A HEALTHY ECONOMY W/PLENTY OF JOBS: "Would you like an Escalade to go with your Gulfstream?"] -- M.R.
WE HOPE IT WAS NOT A RUN GONE BAD: A woman DRIVING AN OLD LIMOUSINE dragged another woman to her death on Los Angeles' skid row, one of the worst in the nation. Not exactly a candidate for Operator Of The Year. -- M.R.
UPDATE: As LCT's Jim Luff reported in his blog column yesterday, a federal judge has awarded a group of chauffeurs
CLASS ACTION STATUS in their lawsuit to recoup wages from Las Vegas-based Bell Transportation, the largest operator in the state.
STRADDLER ISSUE: We finally finished a historic edition of LCT Magazine today and sent it off to the presses moments ago; the Dec. 2009/Jan 2010 issue not only straddles two decades, but it debuts a redesigned look and format for 2010 and beyond. You'll find the new and improved LCT eases the info flow.
This issue, which should be in your hands in time for Christmas, includes LCT's annual new vehicle model guide, business travel outlook, creative pricing strategies, fabulous photos and take-home tips from the 2009 LCT Eastern Conference, and some of the 10 best charter tours nationwide. We'll be posting more features on Dec. 31, but for now, you can check out the following MENU OF FEATURES at www.lctmag.com:
STRIVING FOR SATISFIED CUSTOMERS: The effort never ends. Veteran operator and LCT contributing editor Jim Luff describes a a balanced approach to making sure your customers keep coming back.
PACING YOUR PRICES: It's getting cutthroat out there as clients become more price sensitive and operators still must maintain minimal profit margins to keep their businesses going. How do you adjust your pricing in a tough market?
TAKING HER BACK: When economic times were flush, many operators ditched the wedding market and went almost 100% corporate. Well brides still reign in good times and bad, so some operators are now trying to win them over again and reconnect with the market segment that got them started in this industry.
GRACIOUS PRACTICES: LCT's savvy and seasoned publisher, Sara Eastwood-McLean, puts forth some useful principles on how to appreciate your customers and give people what they crave the most: Recognition.
LCT WEB POLL: How confident are you about your revenue picture headed into a new year with glimmers of recovery? Take poll right on the home page.
GET REAL BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Just add registration to the 2010 International LCT Show in Las Vegas to your holiday TO-DO list. Get it out of the way and look forward to the industry's premiere global event on Jan. 25-27, 2010. What better way to get rid of the post-holiday blues?
-- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
Listening to employees and resolving conflicts are effective ways to avoid costly lawsuits. . .
Read full story