Time Zones
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: CLT
Posts: 7,249
Time Zones
Are you a stickler about the correct use of time zones?
As a business traveler I feel obligated to keep up-to-date with time zones and Daylight Saving Time observances.
My sales people (even the travelers) don't.
When I send an appointment I typically say "Eastern" to indicate that I'm talking about the current Eastern observance. My coworkers like to use EST all year which I feel is incorrect.
Now we're talking about a client in AZ. AZ is technically MST or "Arizona Time" all year. Sales person talks about "this is the one place in AZ that doesn't observe DST". I'm confused by her comment and proceed to give her a diatribe about time zones for the second time in a week.
Does anyone else who regularly manages multiple time zones for scheduling and catching flights feel the same way?
As a business traveler I feel obligated to keep up-to-date with time zones and Daylight Saving Time observances.
My sales people (even the travelers) don't.
When I send an appointment I typically say "Eastern" to indicate that I'm talking about the current Eastern observance. My coworkers like to use EST all year which I feel is incorrect.
Now we're talking about a client in AZ. AZ is technically MST or "Arizona Time" all year. Sales person talks about "this is the one place in AZ that doesn't observe DST". I'm confused by her comment and proceed to give her a diatribe about time zones for the second time in a week.
Does anyone else who regularly manages multiple time zones for scheduling and catching flights feel the same way?
#2
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,740
I'm sure that it is shortly after 5:30 pm somwhere in the world. Accordingly, I'm going home.
On a more serious note, however, I can see how dealing with multiple sets of time zones could cause some havoc and require attention to detail. Perhaps after some people in your sales team miss their flight due to their EST/EDT (or the like) confusion they'll learn that little details matter.
On a more serious note, however, I can see how dealing with multiple sets of time zones could cause some havoc and require attention to detail. Perhaps after some people in your sales team miss their flight due to their EST/EDT (or the like) confusion they'll learn that little details matter.
#3
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: California
Programs: AS,WN,UA,B6,hotels
Posts: 4,239
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: CLT
Posts: 7,249
#5
In Memoriam
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Easton, CT, USA
Programs: ua prem exec, Former hilton diamond
Posts: 31,801
I always refer to it by state/city name.
If I was doing a call or something with people in Colorado, California, and New York I would say
Noon (New York), 10 am (Denver), 9 am (San Francisco)
But that's because when I was doing it all the time the people I was working with were not smart enough to handle the entire MST DST thing without having to ask.
If I was doing a call or something with people in Colorado, California, and New York I would say
Noon (New York), 10 am (Denver), 9 am (San Francisco)
But that's because when I was doing it all the time the people I was working with were not smart enough to handle the entire MST DST thing without having to ask.
#6
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Chicago 'burbs
Programs: UA 2P, HHonors Diamond, Hertz Gold
Posts: 873
Getting the zone and DST code correct is getting critical these days especially since the recent "tweaks" have the US and the rest of the world in flux twice a year (different change dates).
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: CLT
Posts: 7,249
#9
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: UK
Programs: BA EC Gold
Posts: 9,236
US time is relatively easy - it gets a bit tricky in the UK because most people don't realise that the UK is on GMT only when daylight-saving time is not in effect (this is because GMT, or more correctly UTC, never changes); during the summer, the British Isles are on BST (British Summer Time).
However, on the continent, the time zone is CET all year round even though it changes for daylight-saving time as well.
Let's not even get started on Australia and New Zealand.
#10
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,656
I keep my watch on UTC wherever I am in the world and simply manage calculations as +/- whatever hours from UTC.
When writing times, I always write them in 24-hour clock with "z" at the end to denote Zulu time. It gets questioned sometimes like when signing in/out of a building, but after I explain the Zulu time concept to the security guard they usually shake their head and let me go.
When writing times, I always write them in 24-hour clock with "z" at the end to denote Zulu time. It gets questioned sometimes like when signing in/out of a building, but after I explain the Zulu time concept to the security guard they usually shake their head and let me go.
#11
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Mile-High Club, Marriott Plt, SPG P-75, PC Plt, Hyatt Dia, Carlson Gold, BW Dia
Posts: 1,845
Now we're talking about a client in AZ. AZ is technically MST or "Arizona Time" all year. Sales person talks about "this is the one place in AZ that doesn't observe DST". I'm confused by her comment and proceed to give her a diatribe about time zones for the second time in a week.
#12
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Programs: United MileagePlus Silver, Nexus, Global Entry
Posts: 8,798
All day long I listen to a support rep in an adjoining cube say "That's 8pm PST" when it fact we're PDT right now.
I always just say "8pm Pacific" or "8pm Pacific Time"
I always just say "8pm Pacific" or "8pm Pacific Time"
#14
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: MDW/ORD and the late lamented Meigs Field...
Programs: UA 1MM Premier 1K, Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium/ LT
Posts: 1,229
Indiana - love it or leave it (but be sure to tell people which time zone you are operating on when you do) - Despite the last round of changes, the state is still split between Eastern and Central, though it does observe DST throughout. A couple of state-wide companies I know refer to Company Time, picking one time zone or the other for all meeting announcements. Of course, I always forget which one they use, and have to call to verify each time anyway, but at least there is internal consistency.
Having a history of business travel to AZ, I also enjoy the point on the Hoover Dam where there are 2 clocks, one with NV time(Pacific, does DST), and one with AZ time (Mountain, no DST). So half the year they are the same.
But if you really want inconsistency, check out the time zones in Australia...
Having a history of business travel to AZ, I also enjoy the point on the Hoover Dam where there are 2 clocks, one with NV time(Pacific, does DST), and one with AZ time (Mountain, no DST). So half the year they are the same.
But if you really want inconsistency, check out the time zones in Australia...
#15
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: WI
Programs: HHonors Gold, UAMP
Posts: 895
Indiana - love it or leave it (but be sure to tell people which time zone you are operating on when you do) - Despite the last round of changes, the state is still split between Eastern and Central, though it does observe DST throughout. A couple of state-wide companies I know refer to Company Time, picking one time zone or the other for all meeting announcements. Of course, I always forget which one they use, and have to call to verify each time anyway, but at least there is internal consistency.
Having a history of business travel to AZ, I also enjoy the point on the Hoover Dam where there are 2 clocks, one with NV time(Pacific, does DST), and one with AZ time (Mountain, no DST). So half the year they are the same.
But if you really want inconsistency, check out the time zones in Australia...
Having a history of business travel to AZ, I also enjoy the point on the Hoover Dam where there are 2 clocks, one with NV time(Pacific, does DST), and one with AZ time (Mountain, no DST). So half the year they are the same.
But if you really want inconsistency, check out the time zones in Australia...
I am a stickler for people who don't use the D for daylight time.