Hi Tommy,

Great work on SMD I/II. I was also able to attend the Delta Do in Atlanta about 3 weeks before SMD II, which I have some comments on for comparison. I really don't care where we go (Asia does sound good, but your two proposed itineraries are fine with me!).

Anyway - sure the Boeing plant tour was the highlight, but what I really like is face time with the execs. At the Delta DO, we got an entire afternoon with all the top execs, with a open Q&A with each of them, including Richard Anderson. Although I don't fly US much, I was VERY impressed with Mr. Parker taking the TIME to meet with us in Phoenix and answer some very difficult questions. Delta did the same thing, and although I though some of their people, and their answers, were disingenuous, the amount of time they put into the DO was impressive. Plus, we had the opportunity to go through a two day flight attendant course or be a gate agent!

I was not impressed with United (my main carrier). I would have liked a lot more time and a real Q&A with them. I realize, we did catch them at a difficult time, but by this fall they should be ready to answer ANY questions. And accept some feedback, if we're not happy with the way things are going. So, I really want to get this time, a lot more like the Delta Do than SMD II. I'm much less interested in the alcohol served than I am the Frequent Flyer content. I want more scoop on what's going on at my airlines!

So, again, great work and I look forward to attending SMD III.

Billy Garrett

I vote for option 1.

Reasons in no particular order:

- I find a visit to UA's headquarters (Willis Tower!) very appealing, assuming that UA really rolls out the red carpet for us--I'd hope to see more than the lobby, the cafeteria and a conference room.

- If we're going to visit UA, we might as well visit the "real" headquarters. IAH will remain a major hub, but the parent offices will be in ORD.

- ORD is very easily accessible from anywhere in the world, perhaps even more so than IAH.

- Air Canada is a big North American *A player who hasn't been involved so far. YUL isn't too far away, which should help mitigate costs and encourage participation. Our Canadian friends could potentially start from YUL.

- I'm afraid that GRU is going to be a problem for some--need to obtain a visa (at least for American citizens); some might have potential concerns about South America; cost and duration of the trip; is it "worth" going to South America for less than a day, etc. Not sure if we'd fill up a 767.

Not sure what the deal in DEN is about but I'm excited nevertheless :D

As for a European segment with cheap business class prices, sounds great! :) It'd be nice to see something else than FRA this time around, though.

All in all, I'm very excited. As usual, I believe that announcing approximate dates, costs, fare types, and the partner list as soon as possible would be tremendously helpful and encourage participation. At least knowing which month of the year you guys are considering would help. Most folks need to clear their calendar ahead of time, some may also need to plan from a financial or mileage standpoint.

I slightly prefer I over II. The most important thing is that the kickoff party be held in LA again so we get to hear the news first!

I like Alt II.

I know the Brazillian Visa may be a problem for some. But visitng TAM is going to be great!!^

The Asian part we've tried to price out and it's just not time and cost productive. I'm not willing to take a chance on filling a charter plane in Asia at this point.

How does everyone feel about a new European venture? We still have a lot of European airlines like Swiss, Lot, Turkish, BMI and TAP we haven't visited.

In what way is it not time and cost productive? Is this got to do with how much time spent crossing over to Asia (and using the aircraft, plus "down time" in Asia) + the cost of the charter plane vs. expected rate to fill the plane?

I can understand there are considerable risks in that; a bit of a shame, but understandable.

I'm not adverse to a sortie in Turkey to visit TK, if they have something good in mind.

Sounds great to me!

There're so many 100s of ideas above that I fear adding to the clutter and instead say that all of them are great ideas though money, time and other realistic constraints are what I focus on.

Would be awesome if this was during some break or weekend... The European option doesn't sound bad at all especially with TK and LX.

I'm interested in visiting more of the European *A members.

Although both options sound great, the Canadian option is probably the most feasible, for reasons already stated in this thread.

As for the European part, TK was one that stood out to me in the list for no real reason. I really liked the show OS put on for us in VIE during the Vienna Do, but not sure if they would be comfortable accommodating MegaDo numbers.

What's the time frame for SMD3? Are we still gunning for early November or earlier? It would be nice to know the month (or weeks) under consideration in order to keep the calendar clean.

I’m definitely in favor of Europe over NA/SA. I missed SMD1. :(

It will be the week after Labor day. In order to get cheap business class tickets (like SMD I, around 1400+ r/t) to get to/from the DO, we need can't do it in November.

Hmm, so the week of 12 September. You dashed my hopes for a minute there :( but looking at my schedule I might be able to juggle it in. Thanks for the advance notice ;)

Thanks for the dates! I'll block out 9/3 - 9/18 to be safe.

Uh oh....that's possibly going to conflict with my high school 10 year reunion (date is 16 Sep).

This is what we call a difficult decision....