Food for thought - How to make the best out of a non-ideal situation?

[kobayashiGT]

2 hours ago, Carbon82 said:

Many companies in the tourism industry is complaining businesses affected by COVID-19, but NOT this one in Japan.

Company uses empty buses to create giant maze after tours drop due to COVID-19

It’s been a tough year for businesses, particularly those tied to the tourism industry, as international and domestic travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic have put a huge dent in financial turnovers.

One of the businesses affected has been Japan’s Hato Bus company. Known as one of Tokyo’s leading tour operators, Hato Bus was forced to put the brakes on business operations for several months during the nationwide state of emergency earlier this year.

While tours started back up again on a much smaller scale from June, the company recorded 20 million yen (US$190,551) in sales during the usually busy summer holiday month of August. This pales in comparison to the same time last year, when figures clocked in at 150 million yen (US$1.4 million).

Like many companies, Hato Bus has had to think outside of the box in order to stay afloat during these troubling times, and they came up with a brilliant solution — using the empty buses at their head depot to create a giant maze.

The maze was made up of 60 buses, all parked tightly together in various formations to create narrow thoroughfares on the grounds of the Tokyo Station depot.

The company decided to offer the unusual maze experience to customers as part of a special bus tour from Tokyo Station to the Small Worlds Tokyo theme park in Ariake, with tickets priced at 4,980 yen (US$47.44) for adults and 3,980 yen for children, including admission.

The promise of a giant bus maze immediately caught the attention of the public, with the head office inundated with calls and tickets quickly selling out before the event.

Speaking to the media about the impetus behind the unusual maze experience, the head of the company’s PR department, Yusei Ishikawa, told news outlets that they wanted to dispel the common misconception that buses aren’t as well ventilated as trains.

Looking for ways to educate the public on the ventilation systems used inside their buses, they decided to create a special tour that included the maze…and an onboard experience that demonstrates how the air inside is exchanged with the air outside every five minutes.

The tour was limited to six groups of 30 and ran during the 19-22 September long weekend. It’s a brilliant marketing plan by the bus company that brought us the single women’s host club tour, and one they’ll hopefully offer again in the future. Because now everyone knows about their ventilation capabilities, bus travel doesn’t look so bad after all!

 

Let's use our A380!!!!!

[Kopites]

21 hours ago, kobayashiGT said:

Let's use our A380!!!!!

Use our runway. Plenty of space there.

Charge each $10 per entry...me and my son will love it.

[Carbon82]

22 hours ago, kobayashiGT said:

Let's use our A380!!!!!

Cannot lah, A380 so tall, people can just go anyway under the plane, how to create a maze?

SIA should take a leaf from Thai Airways instead...  I want to go for the four-day pilot training simulator course!  

Thai Airways opens diner for customers craving in-flights meals

More than 100 diners craving in-flight meals after months of travel restrictions flocked to Thai Airways International Pcl’s offices on Thursday to try a new pop-up restaurant and get a reminder of the forgotten flavors of on-board dining.

The national carrier, which has for months grounded most of its planes, has transformed the cafeteria of its Bangkok headquarters into an airline-themed restaurant and opened it to the public. Diners also get to meet cabin crew, who greet them in full uniform as they enter the restaurant. It is decorated with airplane parts and seats to lend it an authentic aircraft feel.

“Spare parts from engines, windows and fan blades were used as furniture,” Thai Airways Catering Managing Director Varangkana Luerojvong told Reuters. Each decoration has a QR code attached so visitors can look up information about the parts.

Diner Kanta Akanitprachai, 50, liked the idea of a plane meal without having to buy a flight ticket.

“I like the in-flight meals on Thai Airways, but we only get to have it when we fly,” said Kanta. “Today we get to have it here, that’s good because we want to eat.”

 

If you've ever dreamt of being a flight attendant, Thai Airways can now make it happen

Now they're back with another idea. For just about 2,900 baht or around US$91, anyone can become a flight attendant for a day at Thai Airway's flight training school in Bangkok.

The four-hour experience includes explaining safety procedures, dressing up guests in Thai Airways' uniform, and makeup alongside etiquette training. Guests will be able to try on the iconic Thai Airways uniform and hairstyle to have a full blown photoshoot as well.

After training, participants can show off their new skills in a cabin mockup Airbus A380. They will be put to the test by serving and then trying some of the common in-flight dishes served to Business Class passengers. Fancy.

If that's not your thing, they're also offering three other programmes for those curious about the aviation industry.

The programme includes a four-day pilot training simulator course, an emergency simulator training course, and the chance to spend a day in the kitchen with a Thai Airways chef.

Thai Airways is not the first airline to come up with eccentric ideas to generate revenue as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the aviation industry. Many airlines such as Singapore Airlines have considered offering "flights to nowhere" to boost sales.

[SGCM928]

On 9/9/2020 at 11:48 PM, Carbon82 said:

For those who like to take to the social media and air your displeasure whenever you encountered some annoying situation, is that all you can do? Let me introduce you to this short video...

Please pause the video before the 0:50 mark, and think of what would you do if you face a similar situation as this guy...

"Every night I would get an alert from my driveway security camera, and at first I was a bit annoyed, but then I found myself looking forward to the evening alert. And then inspiration struck, in the form of my wife giving me this great idea. What transpired has turned into the best part of an otherwise dreary pandemic summer," wrote CanyonChasers on his YouTube post.

So what was his solution? Maybe you have already seen the whole video clip, but here's what he did, which has also won him a lot of praises from his neighbors and netizens.

He painted a race track on his driveway with chalk so that the kid could follow and ride through it. Every time it rain and the "track" got washed off, he would paint a new and more elaborate one. He even started to put words of encouragement on it. The track soon proved to be very popular, attracting even adults to test their riding skill...

The news and video eventually reach a senior executive at NBC, who reached out to both the YouTuber and the kid to give them NASCAR merchandise from official drivers. Talk about a happy ending for all!

So the next time when an unpleasant situation pops up, give yourself a little time to think if you can transform your problem into something better, maybe not as interesting or entertaining as what this guy did, but at least something which could have save your day.

This guy deserve a Tiger!