Innovation and Ad-versity

Every day seems to bring another alarming and depressing headline about the economic health in the U.S.  Even innovation, the best antidote for economic doldrums seems to take a back seat these days.  At least in media reports.  Instead we read of marketing gimmicks such as a $25 gas credit on hotel bills.  Certainly no industry is in more dire need of innovation that the airline industry.  So what do we get?  An “innovative” announcement from Delta that it will generate additional revenue from ads on boarding passes that are printed on-line.  Several other airlines say they will follow Delta’s lead.  One spokesman gushed:  “We are eager because we expect to make a nice profit while delighting customers.”  (I didn’t make that up  -  it’s a quote!).  Hello?  We are going to be “delighted” by ads as we suffer air travels interminable waits?  Waits that result from lack of innovation in security screening, baggage handling, flight scheduling and a myriad other poorly designed and executed airline processes?  And that is not even to mention air traffic control that is not only an archaic system, but causes fuel guzzling.  There is a vast ocean of innovation opportunity in air travel.  Spare us the advertizing.