It’s Official, American Airlines has Flushed Away my AAdvantage Miles – What Airline Wants to Win my Loyalty?

To close the loop on my previous post, all of my AAdvantage miles have now officially been taken away by American Airlines based upon their imposed expiration.  The image below tells the story of my zero (0) mile balance as well as my  10 year history as a card-carrying AAdvantage Member.  So, to United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, U.S. Airways and other carriers out there… who’s ready to win my loyalty?

Why I Believe American Airlines is in Bankruptcy – My Final Gasp as an AAdvantage Member

As most of you know, American Airlines parent company, AMR Corp, is currently in bankruptcy .  Without a doubt, I’m sure they would have everyone believe that their embattled airline has been languishing under the oppressive weight of uncontrollable factors, such as the economy and fuel prices.  But in my mind and experience, I believe they simply are no longer a very good airline with a track record of a “can’t do” attitude.

I’ve drawn this conclusion after 11+ years as an AAdavantage member flying American Airlines regularly for business and pleasure.  For the past 2+ years as a business owner.  With that kind of history brings a regular inventory of AAdvantage miles, which brings me to a presentation of the evidence as to why I’m taking my final gasp as an AAdvantage Member and American Airlines passenger.

Exhibit A:  Within the past couple of months I receive this email letting me know that my current balance of American Airlines AAdvantage miles would be expiring on 1/22/12.  Needless to say, I didn’t want to lose what I had earned so I decided to apply these miles toward an upcoming business trip.  Though my destination was Colorado Springs, American Airlines offers a series of one-stop options on their regular schedule, but the only options they offered to me for the cost of 25,000 miles one-way on the first leg was….

Exhibit B:  … only two-stop flights, despite the many one-stop combinations they offer on their regular schedule.  Then, because it’s Saturday they want to charge me 25,000 miles one-way for what is usually a round-trip awards ticket (The weekday return was 12,500 miles)  Now, it’s January and I have a very important meeting on the following day and the last thing any business traveler in their right mind is going to do is roll the dice on two connections during Wintertime travel.  I turned to United Airlines and ended up buying a non-stop round trip ticket for $406 vs. the $508 for the cheapest one-stop ticket American Airlines offered.  Further, out of curiosity, I checked United’s MileagePlus options and they offer non-stop flights to Colorado Springs for miles redemption.

So now, the question is what to do with those miles.  My first instinct was I would simply access the American Airlines AAdvantage Share Miles option and transfer them to my wife’s AAdvantage account, only to discover…

Exhibit C:  … that in order to share these earned miles, it would cost me $191.25 per 15,000 miles to transfer these miles that I had already earned to my wife.  Because I have almost double these miles, the total would have reached nearly $400… the price of my current ticket.

So then, I explored what other options this seasoned and previously loyal AAdvantage Member had to keep these miles from evaporating.  Then I discovered on the American Airlines website that I could reactivate these miles.  I clicked on the button to begin the process and discovered…  Exhibit D:  …that the price for reactivating miles would cost me between $200 – $600, reinforcing the best viable financial decision would be to simply let these miles go off to whatever place in the hemisphere that expired miles go to prevent a big airline from whatever devastating financial repercussion is caused by unused award miles.

With the last gasp taken as I gaze in a nostalgic way at my AAdvantage Card which has taken me through the adventurous lands of Platinum Status, Gold Status, Silver Status and no Status over the years, I bid farewell to American Airlines… but not before I share two additional exhibits that hopefully will save the consumer public from not accepting the economy and fuel prices as the main reason for American Airline’s troubles.  The first being…

Exhibit E:  … the always controversial baggage charges, which actually took me quite a bit of exploration to find on the Baggage area of the American Airlines website.  $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second checked bag, but did you know those additional bags will cost you $150 per bag?  This exhibit proves that those Southwest Airlines commercials are not only funny… they are true.

The final exhibit in this case of the final gasp is perhaps the biggest reason I believe American Airlines is in bankruptcy.

Exhibit F:  A quote from Chairman, CEO and President of AMR and American Airlines, Thomas W. Horton (come to think of it, does it make business sense to place the burden of 3 titles overseeing two companies on the shoulders of one person).  Horton suggests that “customers are always our top priority…” and that we will continue to get the “high-quality service they (we) know and expect from us.”  Well Mr. Horton, here’s the root of the problem… you seem to think that customers are your top priority and that your service is of the highest quality, but simply put in my experience of 11+ years as an American Airlines AAdvantage Member, flying both domestic and international… it simply is not.

To succeed, you must build a business around every touch point of the customer experience and find a way to exceed expectations by putting their needs first at every turn.   Customer impact is the first consideration, not the last consideration.  You must make sure your “house” is in order from an operations standpoint to help you resist the temptation to make your customers shoulder the financial burden of waste and inefficiency.  You must balance Wall Street’s obsession with measuring  success in increments of 3 month quarters, which often creates the temptation for risky short-sighted maneuvering/decisions, with the genuine drive to do what it takes to build a truly loyal and evangelizing customer base for the long-term.  You must create/maintain a business culture which is inspired to “walk the talk” every second of every minute of every day of every week of every month year in and year out.   An airline is a service business as much as it is a transportation business.  You must learn that it’s more cost-effective to maintain a business operation focused on taking care of the customer the first time around than to have costly programs which handsomely compensates bad customer experiences.  Finally, if you truly want to measure the health of any business culture, look to the front lines of customer service at all touch points and observe closely.  While you can pay people to work, there is no amount of money you can pay them to “care” if your business culture fails to inspire, empower and energize.  Ask yourself, is there “life” in these people’s eyes and “fire” in their hearts for what they do and the brand they represent?

If a business cannot do these things due to their corporate hands being tied by all levels of structural and financial barriers as well as organizational dysfunction, then perhaps an iconic business that was once so relevant has arrived at a time in its business history where it is no longer relevant in the marketplace.   However, I believe that those businesses with a genuine passion, drive, motivation and belief for the value they are creating for society can find a way to make it happen.  The question is, how far removed from those days  is the corporate organization that is presently situated behind the American Airlines branding and what is it going take to get back to the days where it was clear that American Airlines took genuine pride in what they do.  Time will tell.

As for American Airlines, when you read this post please resist the temptation to “make it right” by removing the expiration from my miles or offering me travel vouchers.  Instead, share a copy of this post with Mr. Horton, his executive team and the Board of Directors for both American Airlines and AMR Corp in hopes that it might be a small part of the turning point for what was once a great airline.

Von Heidecke School of Ballet Fundraiser October 6 and 7 at Cold Stone Creamery in Downtown Naperville

As many of you know, I’ve been producing  a documentary film about international choreographer Kenneth Von Heidecke for the past few years, who also happens to call Naperville his home as well as the location of the Von Heidecke School of Ballet.

The Von Heidecke School of Ballet is hosting a fundraiser on Thursday, October 6th and Friday, October 7th, 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM, at Cold Stone Creamery in Downtown Naperville.  On these dates, 35% of your purchase will be donated back to the School.

Hope you will considering offering your support to this most deserving local arts institution which sacrifices much to make professional ballet instruction of this caliber accessible to the entire Chicagoland region.  We are truly fortunate to have both Ken and the Von Heidecke School of Ballet in our community.

“Behind Ribfest” Documentary Film to Debut at the Naperville Independent Film Festival on September 18th

Over a year ago, I began production on a documentary film about Ribfest.  Many of us know the festival from the perspective of attendee, but few get the chance to go behind-the-scenes of everything that goes into making this volunteer-run festival a success in raising millions of dollars toward the elimination of child abuse and domestic violence.  This film follows along with the Naperville Exchange Club, the rib teams, the musical entertainment acts, the volunteers and the faces behind the festivals ultimate mission.  I’m pleased to report the film is finished and will debut on September 18th at the Naperville Independent Film Festival at 7 PM at the Ogden 6 Classic Cinemas.  As a little teaser, take a look at the promo below:

Get Ready for Naperville Ribfest, Celebrity Chefs and the Ribfest Documentary Film

Who’s ready for Ribfest 2011!  It’s been an amazing year-long journey since last year’s Ribfest.  As you may recall, I have been working with the Exchange Club in producing a feature-length documentary film about Ribfest, of which production began almost exactly one year ago on June 18, 2010 and after a final shoot a couple of months ago, post-production/editing is in full motion.  The documentary is a behind-the-scenes look not only at what it takes to bring Ribfest to life each year, but more importantly the human stories behind the festival’s solitary mission of donating all net proceeds to area agencies working toward the prevention of child abuse and domestic violence… over $9 million to date.  Stay tuned for our premiere this Fall at the Naperville Independent Film Festival.

I’m also very excited to announce that another non-profit I’m helping out, America’s Chefs, will be featuring celebrity chef-hosted live cooking shows in the new America’s Chefs Kitchen Arena, including a daily hands-on kid’s cooking demo in which kids’ and parents and learn to make and actually prepare a healthy dish together.   The mission of America’s Chefs is to provide a “taste of home” and food/culinary entertainment to service men and women of our U.S. Military across the country and around the world, including events in the Persian Gulf region and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Each chef is an alumni restaurant owner from the hit Food Network series “Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives” as well as numerous appearances elsewhere, including “Guy’s Big Bite”, the “Guy Fieri Roadshow Tour”, ABC’s “Extreme Home Makeover” and two of which are in the process of starring in their own food TV shows.  Take a look at the image posted up above for more details.  You definitely will not want to miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity.  Below you’ll find a couple of episodes I produced for America’s Chefs TV which provides an inside look at their mission.  Ribfest will be America’s Chefs first major civilian event and they are looking to build support and awareness for their non-profit mission.

See you at Ribfest! SM

Hear My Music on the Stuart Meyer Artist Page at ReverbNation

The procrastination has ended and I finally built a social “home” for a portion of my own music library on ReverbNation .  If you are already knew I was a composer and music producer, then simply click hear to visit my page, listen to music and, fingers crossed, help me spread the word .

I composed my first piece of music at age 10 and had originally planned to pursue a career in music.  After several detours in life brought about by fear, insecurity, shyness, false starts and allot of trial/error I’ve spent the last 10 years putting myself and my music out there, mainly through my work in independent film.  Nonetheless, music has been the greatest constant in my life and over the years and regardless of the path I was on, I’ve never stopped composing, writing and recording.

What I’m about to say may hopefully seem more fascinating after you listen to a few of 28 tracks presently posted, but to this day I’ve not made a single cent for my music, volunteering my services for each director/producer I’ve work with up this point… still it remains one of the most gratifying aspects of my life.  I always tell people that if you go into film or music first and foremost to make money, you’re certainly going into it for the wrong reasons.  But if you have a relentless passion, a devotion to your art and focused persistence then one day the opportunities will arise.  This is where I’m at and why I feel the need to get this music out to a larger audience beyond my immediate network of collaborators.

As you’ll read in the bio section of my ReverbNation page ,  I believe there are things in life that we do because we have to… there are things in life we do because we can… and then there are things in our lives we do because we quite simply can’t not do it.  For me… that’s music.  SM

World of Naperville Reaches 110,000 Visit Mark

In May, the World of Naperville will be celebrating it’s 5th anniversary.  To date, this little blog about our small town in a big city has surpassed the 110,000 visit mark.

While there have been months that are very active in terms of content and others not so active, I’m still very proud to be able to provide this volume of content about Naperville.  Like any town or city, we’re far from perfect and certainly have our fair share of flaws, but it’s the celebration of the unique energy, the simple moments and vitality that ultimately matters in the end.

To those who truly know the real spirit of Naperville, you know that the overwhelming majority of us are nowhere near the stereotypes and images perceived by others and depicted in some local publications.  For the most part, we’re just another Midwestern town with an affection for “community”, the belief in helping others and the desire to live in a place which provides many opportunities and ways for us to enjoy life with our friends, families and neighbors.

Given my roots, I live by the belief that there is a little bit of “small town” in every city, no matter how large.   In the end, it’s the human and social capital… the energy, the accountability and the pride of those who inhabit a block, a neighborhood, a town or a city… which makes a community extraordinary and these are qualities which simply cannot be purchased with money at any price.

SM

Zigfield Troy Golf – A Family Tradition of PGA Member Professionals Since 1950

Who’s ready to polish their golf game?  Or, if you’re like me, poised to scrub some of the rust off after years of neglect?  Spring is here and I’m very blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with another family business with a multi-generational legacy in sharing their unique story.

Zigfield Troy Golf is located just down the road on 75th Street in Woodridge (1535 W. 75th Street).  Back in the 1930s, Zigfield Troy Golf was born of the vision of a Chicago South-Sider by the name of Zigfield Troy.  He opened his first driving range in his teens and spent his whole life making the game of golf affordable and accessible to all.  In Zigfield’s own words, he wanted to create a “Poor Man’s Country Club”.  Over the years, Zigfield Troy and his family became familiar names in the PGA as both members and professionals.  Today, the legacy continues year-round at Zigfield Troy Golf where you’ll find an outdoor and covered/heated driving range, a 9-hole precision Par 3 course, a staff of PGA Member Professionals for individual/group lessons, a full service Pro Shop, professional club assessment/fitting/repair, a Jr. Golf Program for kids during the Summer, the Annual Zigfield Troy Open Tournament (last weekend in June), putting/chipping practice greens and more.  In other words, most everything you would expect to find at a private country club, but far less expensive and open to the general public year-round.

In a nutshell, there’s something for golfers of all levels and families where you can enjoy the game of golf without spending an entire day  playing 18 holes.  Green fees range from $7 – $12, they have family buckets of range balls and will even provide you with some clubs to hit if you don’t have them.

There is also a vacation-style miniature golf course by the name of Lost Mountain Adventure Golf as part of the facility.  So, the whole family can come along and have an memorable time.

If you’re interested in getting involved in the Zigfield Troy Golf legacy and would like to interact, get golf tips from their PGA Professionals, exclusive offers, golf trivia/history, free giveaway challenges, connect with other area golfers, updates, see Zigfield Troy Golf videos and more, you should consider becoming part of our Zigfield Troy Golf Facebook Family by CLICKING HERE.

At the end of the day, what excites me about working with Zigfield Troy Golf and will capture your heart as well is the story told in the video below about Zigfield Troy, which was featured on the Golf Channel’s “PGA Today” show.

We are indeed very lucky to live in an area where inspiring and extraordinary family stories are so commonplace.  SM

Naperville’s Vostry’s Mobile Tune-Up and Repair: An Unsung Hero of the Blizzard of 2011

To say the least, when we all reflect upon the Great Blizzard of 2011, our memories will be full of eye-popping snow drifts, jubilant kids and plenty of sweat equity invested in the ongoing removal of the crushing 18-20 inches of snow from our driveways, walkways, sidewalks and all the extra “plowed” in egresses to our residential streets.

If you’re like me, you gave plenty of pep talks to your grossly under-sized and under-equipped little snow blower as you forcibly choked their way through creating nicely squared ice mazes.

We also spent plenty of time helping our neighbors, some of which had no snow blower and were forced to face the icy white depths with only a shovel and empty expressions of overwhelmed bewilderment.

Personally, my last round of snow removal ended across the street helping my neighbor plow the end of his driveway from the icy mounded barriers created each time the city plows would come through.  I asked much of my “little snow blower that could” and while it died many times within the strangulating snow it never gave out until the very end.  Finally, after completing this last round the belt snapped and those tiny paddle blades ceased to move.

I needed convenience and a quick fix.  Truthfully, I wasn’t crazy about taking the time to load “little red” into the mini-van only to take it somewhere that may have taken a couple of days to get fixed.  Even more, I had no idea when the next snow would hit.  Thus, I recall once upon a time hearing about a local service that is a repair shop on wheels and sure enough, after a quick internet search found Vostry’s Mobile Repair and Tune-Up.

I gave them a call and expecting a long waiting list, I actually ended up getting on the schedule that afternoon.  Even more, expecting to pay a big premium for the home service I was very pleasantly surprised to find the cost wasn’t anywhere near what I expected.

After Mr. Vostry finished up, I was so excited by how easy and painless the repair had been that I asked if it would be okay to take a couple of pictures as I told him about the World of Naperville blog.  He was more than happy to indulge and I told him I would continue spreading the word about his outstanding service.  My personal thanks to Vostry’s Mobile Tune-Up for the passion and commitment they put into making these types of services so convenient here in Naperville.

Now as we head into lawn mowing season, I’ll be giving them another call to drop back by for my lawn mower maintenance as well.  SM

Ribfest Documentary Film Update from the World of Naperville

It’s been a very busy 2011 thus far and its still ramping up.  So far, I’m humbled by the amount of progress I’ve made and paths I’ve crossed with so many amazing people as I continue this journey of purpose.   Unfortunately, during this time I’ve also found myself tardy in keeping up with my posts here in the World of Naperville.

The biggest Naperville-related project I’m working on has been my documentary film about Ribfest.  Believe it or not, we actually just concluded the last piece of principal photography at the Exchange Club’s agency luncheon just last week at Meson Sabika.  That’s the event where all the net proceeds have been awarded and each agency shares their mission and stories.  It’s been an amazing journey and I’m excited to continue the editing process.  In the end, we will see a time period between June, 2011 and March 2011.  We’ll have more information about when the film will premiere soon.  In the meantime, I want to personally thank Ray Kinney and the rest of the amazing people at the Naperville Exchange Club for their support and cooperation throughout this project.  It’s definitely a collage of many behind-the-scenes sides of Ribfest that few get to see… with plenty of stories that deserve to be told about the incredible mission behind Ribfest.

Anyway, the weather is getting warmer and I look forward to picking up the pace with the World of Naperville very soon.  SM