Over the years, we’ve been told by some very irate and irrational “travel agents” that travel vendors despise our company. It’s part of a ploy in an attempt to rid the industry of a business model they don’t understand and actually fear because they can’t wrap their small minds around a very basic and simple business concept.

Because they feel this way – everyone feels this way. It ties into their self worth and identity as a “travel professional”.

I hate to break it to these clowns, but I really don’t have to ask. I’ve seen and heard enough from vendors themselves to know that they not only “get” our company and our model – they’re actually very impressed with what we do and how we do it. You need to realize that these vendors are far more business minded than any of these independent critics that you’ll see floating around slamming our company in order to save their own independent business.

I’ve also been told countless times that our company would never make it in it’s current form. This mantra ties right into the many myths and legends that have choked logical thinking for decades when it comes to Network Marketing. Funny thing is – at this time of year (when another year is almost over) these same critics who have been spewing that we’d never make it past 2008 – then 2009 – and then 2010 – they all lay pretty low right about now.

Reality hit these guys pretty hard recently when they finally figured out after a couple of weeks what Sixth Scott, LLC actually was and what it meant for YTB Travel Network. Not only was this a big blow to their spin pointing at this notion that YTB Travel Network isn’t a legitimate travel business, it also threatens to overturn the one company that went out on a limb for these guys back in 2007.

Fast forward to the end of 2011 and we find ourselves with a brand new booking engine thanks to our new partnership with Sixth Scott – but we find yet another travel vendor who has recognized YTB Travel Network as a top producer in the travel industry.

For those of you who appreciate YTB the way I do – please enjoy the following press release.

For those who don’t – it’s yet another example of how you just can’t admit that you don’t have a clue about who we are and what we actually do.

And to Travel Impressions – Please remember that any backlash you may get from recognizing a solid, viable, and legitimate Travel Host is indicative of how badly we not only need new blood in this industry but updated minds in business in order to thrive in these changing times.

YTB TRAVEL NETWORK RECOGNIZED AS A TRAVEL IMPRESSIONS’ ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ TRAVEL AGENCY

FARMINGDALE, NY (Dec. 8, 2011) – YTB Travel Network was recognized recently by Travel Impressions (http://www.TravelImpressions.com), one of the country’s largest tour operators selling destinations worldwide, as a “Best of the Best” travel agency which is given to top performing agencies and consortia partners. YTB Travel Network was invited to attend Travel Impressions 16th annual “Best of the Best” gala event, held Nov. 30 – Dec. 3, 2011 at the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach in Cancún, Mexico.

“Best of the Best” honors are bestowed on a limited number of agencies that are top producers for Travel Impressions, and that are considered to be its best partners.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of Travel Impressions’ Best of the Best travel agency partners,” said Shelly Coppersmith. “We are committed to providing our clients with the very best vacation experience and working with Travel Impressions ensures a high level of customer satisfaction.”

In attendance at the Best of the Best four-day event from YTB Travel Network was VP Shelly Coppersmith. She was able to hear an industry update from Travel Impressions’ President and CEO Steve Gorga as well as participate in round table networking sessions with attending suppliers. A golf tournament and spa pampering at the Coral Beach Gem Spa were also offered.

There were many sponsored events and activities including a welcome dinner hosted by the Cancún Convention & Visitors Bureau and The Riviera Maya Destination Marketing Office, a dinner reception on the second evening sponsored by the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism, and the gala cocktail reception hosted by Mexican Tourism Board.

A performance by The Village People, best known for the disco hits YMCA, Macho Man and In the Navy, was a highlight of the “Best of the Best” gala celebration.

In the spirit of holiday giving, YTB Travel Network participated in Travel Impressions charity program by donating a variety of school supplies to the Palace Resorts Foundation’s Education Committee for distribution to school children in Cancún.

Travel Impressions
Founded in 1974, Travel Impressions is one of the nation’s largest leisure tour operators and a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express. The company offers FIT vacations to over 200 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Dubai, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Islands of Tahiti, Canada, Hawaii and the Continental U.S., and features more than 2,800 resorts, hotels and luxury villas. Travel Impressions has received multiple industry awards for outstanding customer service, best overall operations, best technology, most knowledgeable reservations staff and leading marketing materials – all dedicated to better serving travel agents and their clients.

For more information about Travel Impressions, call 1-800-284-0044 / 631-845-8000, or visit the website: http://www.TravelImpressions.com. Find the tour operator on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/travelimpressionsvacations and follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/travelimp.

YTB TRAVEL NETWORK
YTB International, Inc.’s travel subsidiary, YTB Travel Network, Inc. was recognized as the 34th largest seller of travel in the U.S. in Travel Weekly’s 2011 Power List, based on 2010 annual retail value of travel services booked.

YTB, based in Wood River, IL, provides e-commerce business solutions for individual consumers and home-based independent representatives in the United States, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Canada. The Company operates through two subsidiaries: YTB, Inc. (formerly ZamZuu, Inc., YTB Marketing, Inc. and YourTravelBiz.com, Inc.) and YTB Travel Network, Inc.

Learn more about YTB at http://www.ytb.com or http://www.ytbi.com.

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A couple years ago, I stared swimming laps for exercise. I’ve attempted to exercise off and on over the years, but swimming has been the only form I’ve been able to really enjoy and stick with over time. Our entire family really enjoys the water and swimming’s low impact – full body workout has been perfect in giving me the endurance and stamina I need for work and family life.

In all, I’ve been swimming a mile and a quarter five days a week for the last two years. During the winter I have enjoyed the indoor pools that Gwinnett County offers at a very reasonable rate between Labor Day and Memorial Day. About the only issue I’ve had with this indoor option are the supper high levels of chlorine and the limited hours I’ve been able to get my workout in.

This season, with the new business and increased demands on my schedule, I needed to find another option. I just wasn’t making it to the pool for days at a time, and I felt horrible. I’m not just talking about feeling guilty about missing my exercise, I’m talking about just feeling physically drained and worn out at the end of the day. A body in motion tends to stay in motion, and while I was extremely busy and moving all day long, by the end of the day, I was simply worn out without much left in my tank for family and personal time.

For one reason or another, I’ve always felt gym memberships were overpriced and a waist of both time and money. It’s one of those limiting beliefs I’ve had that was embedded somewhere along the line, and I’m not exactly sure how or why it was planted there.

My beliefs about money has changed drastically over the last seven years now that I know I’m not limited to what somebody else tells me what my time is worth. Today, I create my own net worth and I’m paid in direct proportion to the amount of time and effort I put in.

Because money has long been eliminated as an obstacle, I came to the conclusion that I need to change my limiting belief about wasting my time at a gym. A good start was the fact that our local LA Fitness has an indoor pool designed specifically for swimming my laps to get back into the shape and recapturing the endurance I was looking for. A dry sauna also added value to the membership, as I’ve always enjoyed the benefits of opening up my pores, sweating out toxins and increasing my metabolism.

Much like everything else I get involved in, I not only wanted to do this gym thing right, I wanted to take full advantage of my membership. You can’t help but notice all the other equipment as you walk in that are designed to help you get into shape. Problem is; it’s been decades since I’ve used any of this equipment, and much of it has changed since the last time I’ve even seen equipment like this.

I noticed a segment of the members there that appeared to be wondering from machine to machine with very little in the way of results. We all attain this attitude at the age of 2 or 3 that “I can do it myself” – and some just never grow out of that mentality. We think we should know it all by the time we’re adults.

It’s an ego thing.

When I first got involved with YTB and wanted to learn about travel. I sought out the expert knowledge of Carnival, Marc Mancini, CLIA, and Travel Agent University. When I wanted to change my financial outlook, I gathered the expertise of millionaires like Coach Tomer, T. Harv Ecker, Robert Kiyosaki, and Donald Trump. I did the same with this blog. Experts like Yaro Starak, Darren Rowse, and Brian Clark taught me the ropes and enabled me to attain a permanent place on the internet that gets its fair share of traffic.

Of course, we can’t forget MLM, and Network Marketing. Coach and Scott Tomer, Tim Sales, Mike Dillard, Doug Firebaugh, and Len Clements provided great information and resources on building an MLM business the right way.

The point here is that in every instance I acquired the expertise and knowledge of an expert in their respective field. If I’m going to do something, I wanted to make the most of it – I didn’t want to be just average. Nor did I see the need to be so arrogant to think that I could figure it all out on my own. Not when there’s a wealth of information and people who sincerely want to help.

So it shouldn’t be a big surprise that both Ronda and I have retained the services of a personal trainer at LA Fitness to help educate us on the proper way to use the vast assortment of equipment and exercises in an effort to take our personal fitness to the next level. We simply applied the same thought process and willingness to ask for help from true experts like we always have.

There’s a term in personal fitness and training that I’m sure you’ve heard of.

“No pain – no gain.”

I can tell you that right now, that I have muscles I didn’t even know I had. Every inch on my body is feeling a high level of pain right now. While I give certain muscle groups an opportunity to recover and heal, another group kicks in during the circuit training that brings a whole new meaning to the word pain.

It really doesn’t matter if it’s personal training for fitness – or if the pain comes in the form of personal finance, business ownership, or improving your mindset and thinking. It often involves pain or at least discomfort to some extent because it includes change. A change in attitude – a change in habit, or a change from just thinking about it and actually doing it. It’s uncomfortable and rather awkward when you first get started.

If it weren’t, you’d already be doing it by now.

As adults, we often settle for the status quo or just average. Somewhere – deep inside, always wanting to advance and grow to better ourselves. Some never really take the time or energy to achieve that next level. We all talk a real good game, but fewer and fewer it seems actually walk the walk. Limiting beliefs and excuses always seem to get in the way.

It’s just too hard.

That’s why I thought it was wise to find someone outside of friends and family to hold me accountable – to help with this next level. Like I’ve learned in years past, I found an expert in this field who can show me how to do this the right way for the best desired results.

Results.

What a word.

If the result I wanted was pain – I certainly acquired it.

Don’t misconstrue or take this out of context – but I’m loving it. I’m looking past the discomfort and awkwardness right now and focused on the end result. Results  I haven’t seen in years when it comes to being physically fit and in shape. As I’ve learned so many times before in the area of finance, business, marketing, and personal development, this discomfort and awkwardness is a small price to pay on this journey we call life in an attempt to achieve our desired outcome.

Now if you’ll excuse me – I need more ibuprofen.

Until next time.

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Our family spent this past weekend in the mountains. The fall colors were magnificent. Every little mountain town was packed with people who were enjoying the fall festivals and fairs surrounded by gorgeous fall color and cooler temperatures.

Festivals and fairs are a huge part of the fall program. YTB is getting into the action starting tonight @ 8:00 pm Eastern, 7:00 pm Central and runs through Midnight on Thursday, October 20, 2011. You can check it all out on ZamZuuTV.com.

This year we’ve got more than just e-commerce deals – we’re combining it with travel for some spectacular savings during CLIA’s World’s Largest Cruise Week. You can join a local party which are being held all over the county – or you can simply log into ZamZuuTV.com and check things out from the comfort of your own home. You can also text the word ‘ZamFest’ to 58203 for a chance to win great prizes.

New to ZamFest this year are travel deals. In years past, we’ve always separated the two events, and you may already know about CLIA’s World’s Largest Cruise Week. Just about all the cruise lines are offering great specials and attractive offers this week. YTB is highlighting two in particular with MSC Cruises and Holland America. You can find more information about CLIA’s World’s Largest Cruise Week and specific vendor promotions here. Information for Holland America’s sale can be found here.

Globus is also offering a really good deal this week, where you can save $800 per couple on all 2012 Europe air-inclusive vacations. More info can be found here.

Make sure you check out our Doll Jeanie Sharpless while on the webcast. Jeanie will offer up an incredible perspective and help you pick just the right cruise experience during the ZamFest webcast. And since we’re also talking Europe and Globus, YTB Founder Coach Tomer makes an appearance with his wife to share experiences from their recent travels in Europe. Both will be fantastic insider experiences.

If shopping is your pleasure – we have deals for you on that as well. Here’s a list of national companies we’ve been able to contract with for Zamfest this week.

Check this out…

Looking for a concert great theatre experience or sporting event this year? TicketsNow is your connection to all the fun and excitement of live music, theater and sports. TicketsNow is an event ticket resale marketplace where fans of live entertainment buy and sell tickets. The marketplace provides safe and convenient access to hard-to-find event tickets. This week, find the best tickets at a discount. Use the code ‘ZAMFEST’ when placing your next order for 10% off. With TicketsNow, it’s on. This special sale lasts through October 31.

Take advantage of huge savings for a limited time online at Brookstone. Use promo code ‘ZAMFEST2′ now through 10/22/11 and get 20% off site wide at Brookstone. (Some exclusions apply, see their site for details.)

Looking for lighting fast Internet speeds? Do you want the ability to roam with your Internet connection? Or how ‘bout making the leap to VoIP? We’ve been using Clear products for the last two years and LOVE it. It’s fast, reliable, and they’ve got fantastic customer service. Receive 15% off your order with code ‘coach’ October 18 – 20, 2011.

Try out a new restaurant this fall and save with Restaurant.com. Save 60% off most purchases with code ‘ZAMFEST’! October 18 – October 20.

InkGrabber: October 18 – 20th enter code ‘ZAMFEST’ and get 10% off your order!
(Excludes OEM Items)

And of course, we can’t forget our ZamZuu partners. These folks launched exclusively with ZamZuu and that’s how they got their business launched. Word of mouth advertising from thousands of ZamZuu faithful really help their bottom line. Ask any of these companies and they’ll tell you, you can’t find a better ROI than a company like ZamZuu.

Chaé Organics is making this Zamfest extraordinary by letting you have access to all open stock items at 50% off! Enjoy organic, ToxicFree® products for every aspect of your life. Choose from household cleaning supplies, a full pet care line, basics for babies, advanced high performance skin and body care as well as hair care for any texture and color! During ZamFest, when you order from Chaé Organics you will get a FREE gift. We’ll enclose a quarter ounce (0.25 oz) Vitality Serum and VitalEyes, a combined value of $18.00. Chaé Organics always covers your cost of freight with a free gift!

Personalize That: Receive 20% off your order! Use Code: Fall into Savings

Crystal Memories: Receive 20% off! No code required; order online through a ZamZuu
Shopping Site

pH Perfect: Ionizer – The best deal ever at only $750! Normal Retail Price: $949! While supplies last.

ZamZuu Nutrition: Receive four for the price of one! Stock up on the best daily nutrition product available through our ZamFest promotions.

Ganovia Coffee: Great Package! Get one bag of Ganovia Classic Black, one bag of Ganovia Arabica Black, and a pH perfect water stick for $49.99! (The pH perfect water stick retails for $69.99 alone!) Call in to order at 618-216-4322. Just ask for the Ganovia and pH perfect stick combo!

Tune in beginning tonight on www.ZamZuuTV.com @ 8:00 pm Eastern 7:00 pm Central. If you happen to miss it, no worries. We’ll be rebroadcasting every hour on the hour until October 20 @ Midnight Central time.

Enjoy your savings!

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YTB Travel Network welcomes Sandals to its growing list of vendors to host yet another Sale-A-Thon Tuesday night June, 7 2011. I’m particularly pumped about this Sale-A-Thon for two reasons. One – it consists of white sandy beaches and warm turquoise waters in the Caribbean. And two, Sandals happens to be a true leader in “Eco-Friendly” vacations in our industry.

If you’ve participated in one of the many other Sale-A-Thon events we’ve hosted with other partners in the industry, you know how easy this is to participate. The live broadcast starts at 7:00 PM Eastern and 6:00 PM Central time. Just hit our booking engine, and you’ll find a link to the webcast to view on your computer.

Once there, you’ll find exclusive Sandals deals and specials, and you’ll be able to learn a little about Sandals with a pretty cool trivia game that we play on Facebook. (You could even win a prize if you participate and answer correctly!) Past Guests and YTB Travel Agents alike have been sending in pictures and testimonials of their Sandals experience that will be showcased during the webcast.

Very cool for firsthand accounts of what a Sandals All-Inclusive is all about.

I mentioned at the top of this article that Sandals has implemented environmentally-friendly practices throughout its properties. They started with Negril Beach Resort & Spa back in 1998 and it was so successful, they’ve expanded the practice to all their properties in the Caribbean. Negril was the very first all-inclusive resort to earn the Green Globe Certification at the time, and in 2008, Sandals Negril achieved the highest possible level of certification (Platinum), becoming the first and only hotel in the world to do so.

Currently all Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts have been Green Globe Certified and the effort has reduced their average resources dramatically. According to SRI (Sandals Resorts International) they’ve seen savings achieved by a 40 percent reduction in water, 55 to 60 percent reduction in waste, and a 40 percent reduction in energy.

That’s good for Sandals and good for the Caribbean.

Suppliers and business partners have also adopted environmentally friendly practices in order to continue to do business with the resorts. Those who change and adapt remain on Sandals preferred vendor list. Those who don’t conform are replaced with someone else who understands the importance of preserving the Caribbean which Sandals calls home. The concept and desire for a more sustainable future has spread. Nestle, a preferred supplier of Sandals for example, no longer books events with conference venues who don’t meet sustainability policies or assist in reducing their carbon footprint. All because the folks at Sandals showed them there was a better way.

If you’re looking for a “green vacation” with all the pampering and luxury you want, you can’t go wrong with Sandals.

To find out more about their properties and why they call them ultra-inclusive vacations where luxury is included tune in tomorrow night to find out. You just might find a perfect vacation for the family at one of their Beaches resorts, or a romantic getaway for two at Sandals.

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Maybe it’s my 70′s gen rock and roller coming out – but the first thing I thought of when I saw this announcement was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me The Breeze“. For me, that’s what cruising is all about – just laid back rock and roll that’s a ton of fun, and very – very cool.

Day before yesterday, Carnival announced the name of its 24th ship to set sail in the spring of 2012 – The Carnival Breeze. It’s the third ship of the Dream Class and like the Dream and the Carnival Magic, Carnival’s Breeze will debut in Europe for a while before finding a home in the Port of Miami in November 2012.

We’ve yet to set sail on a Dream Class ship, but have plans to enjoy a family vacation on the Carnival Dream out of Port Canaveral in April of next year. (That is, if the kids Spring Break works out the way we think it will – but we’ll find out in a couple of weeks.)

I really miss the days when it was just Ronda and I sometimes – or even before the kids were in school. Now, everything revolves around school and activities.

Don’t get me wrong – I love these times and the kids need school and these extra activities, but the more I promote this Class of Ship – the more I want to experience it for myself.

There was a time when a new ship would come out, and we would find a way to set sail on the latest and greatest Carnival had. Victory, Triumph, Legend, and Glory where all like that. Now it’s just a pain in the “you know what” to find the time with the kid’s schedule – especially a 7 day, even during the summer.

We might have to steal some time, even with the shortened summer this year. After reading this press release and talking about it, I’m starting to twitch again. ;-P

Here’s the Press Release Direct from Carnival:

Carnival Cruise Lines’ New 130,000-Ton Ship to be Named Carnival Breeze

Carnival Breeze has been selected as the name for the line’s new 130,000-ton cruise ship scheduled to enter service in spring 2012.

To be constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, the 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze will be the third in the line’s Dream class. The series’ namesake vessel, Carnival Dream, entered service in 2009 and a sister ship, Carnival Magic, is currently under construction at Fincantieri and is scheduled to debut in Europe in May 2011.

Carnival Breeze will offer many of the popular innovations featured on Carnival Dream as well as some exciting and unique new elements created just for this vessel that will be detailed at a later date, along with homeport and itinerary information.

“Carnival Breeze promises to be a spectacular addition to our fleet and its name reflects the continued evolution of our brand while conveying the fun and carefree spirit associated with a Carnival cruise,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.

Signature Dream-class elements featured on Carnival Breeze will include expansive facilities for children and teens, a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa and The Lanai, an outdoor promenade featuring cantilevered whirlpools that extend over the ship’s sides.

Other features will include a WaterWorks aqua park with a 300-foot-long corkscrew water slide, a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza and a wide range of staterooms including deluxe ocean views with two bathrooms, some of which feature five berths and hold particular appeal for families.

Carnival Breeze will be the 24th vessel in Carnival Cruise Lines’ fleet, which operates three- to 15-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Bermuda and Europe.

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This is another topic I’ve wanted to write about for some time. I remember reading about this mission some years ago, and today it’s become a reality.

Earlier this year, InterContinental Hotels Group, (IHG for short who owns Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental among other brands) became the first hotel company to receive an LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) volume precertification established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

Honestly, they could change their name to “Innovation Hotels Group”, which is a more accurate reflection.

See – In 2008 IHG launched the Innovation Hotel, an idea of what future hotels might look like if they used green technologies. Today, that idea has spread throughout the hotels in the chain who have registered for Green Engage. When the program is complete, all 4500 Hotels in the chain could save $300 million in reduced energy costs annually.

The company currently has around 1000 hotels that participate in the Green Engage program, which helps each hotel measure, manage and report their environmental impact. (You can find a current list of hotels here.) More hotels will become certified in the Green Engage program this year.

Hotels input their site data into Green Engage. Then, the system automatically generates reports and benchmarks against similar hotels across the world. Green Engage then advises both new-build and existing hotels on the specific actions they need to take to reduce their impact, depending on their climatic location. It’s not only a very bold program, but one that can make a huge impact. IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, with 650,000 guest rooms in 100 countries.

I first heard about Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design back in 2007, at the YTB National Convention. The plan was to make the YTB Home Office LEED compliant. That too was a bold plan, and we all loved the initiative, including the surrounding area which hopped on board with future plans of their own in the community. Unfortunately, YTB was doing too well at the time, and it freaked some people out. According to ignorance – Direct Sales Companies can’t do what we do without something being wrong with them. MLM is a bad place to be, especially when you’re successful and don’t conform to irrational people who for one reason or another not only detest our model, but have to shove their beliefs down everyone’s throat.

Instead, our success was attacked by a supplier who dropped us, viscous hate blogs and boards popped up smearing the company. And the best part – California pilfered $875 thousand in a bogus lawsuit they could never prove – but ended up getting a financial windfall in a settlement. (While the collective victims it claimed to protect got 0.005% of what the suit was filed for.)

Nope. Legal fees and pure ignorance in this case put the kibosh on YTB and environmental leadership because jerks will be jerks with their own fantasy that YTB and people like me are the bad guys.

Anywho…

I love innovative and bold companies like IHG and YTB. Not only is IHG (and YTB at before the attacks) able to show that responsible tourism can be done well, and with a profit – but they show a corporate conscious that unfortunately is rare. Although, I see more companies like IHG getting on board. And others should. Consumer research confirms that people are more interested in sustainability issues than ever before.

So, the next time you’re looking to book a hotel, try IHG’s portfolio of hotel brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

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Last week when I started to bone up on eco-friendly travel, I bookmarked this article about Boeing.

According to the article, the industry plans to have a viable, renewable source of bio fuel for aircraft by 2015 so they can wean off petroleum, or fossil based fuel completely by 2020. A bold objective to be sure, but if successful, it could make flying the friendly skies completely carbon neutral.

Boeing isn’t the only company looking into a renewable source of fuel for its aircraft. Australian based Qantas recently partnered with Solazyme to supply an unspecified amount of Solazyme’s algae based aviation fuel, “Solajet”. According to Solazyme’s website, Solajet jet fuel “has passed all of the eleven essential tested specifications required to meet the ASTM D1655 (Jet-A1) standard. It is the world’s first microbially-derived jet fuel to do so.”

The US Military is also getting into the act with aviation biofuels. The Air Force recently certified the C-17 Globemaster III for unlimited usage of renewable jet fuels. The Navy has also tested the “Green Hornet,” an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet as part of its effort to confirm that this new generation of biofuel makes no difference in performance.

According to the report:

“The aircraft flew exactly as we expected- no surprises,” said Weaver, F/A-18 project officer for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 and pilot for the Earth Day flight test. “The fuel works so well, all I needed to do was just fly the plane.”

Every report I’ve dug up over the last two years says pretty much the same thing. That’s important because, while I really like a lot of the new technology coming out, when it comes to transportation such as planes, trains and automobiles – we need to figure out a drop in replacement. Think about it. Electric cars for example are a great idea – but what do you suppose we do with the millions of cars already out on the road? I heard about a new propulsion system for ships on a podcast the other day. Great idea – but what do we do with the brand new cruise ships that were just launched? Scrap Royal Caribbean’s Oasis and Carnival’s Dream?

Don’t think so.

Aviation is no different. You may recall that Boeing has unveiled its latest ‘environmentally friendly’ passenger 747 jumbo jet. Granted, it’s ‘environmentally friendly’, but it’s still fueled by fossil fuel, not hydrogen, electric, or some high tech propulsion system. Here’s what aviation is looking for when it comes to “alternative fuels” according to the research I found last week.

• The fuels have to be chemically identical and perform the same as existing fuels, and be approved for use.
• Enough sources for the fuels have to be available and at a suitable cost.
• Airports must be able to handle the fuels without having to make major changes in storage tanks, pipelines and other infrastructure.
• Commercial production must start, and enough made at a price that compares favorably with petroleum-based fuel.
• The fuels have to be sustainable, and not compete with food sources

That’s not only the smartest way to approach this, but it’s also the cheapest. Based on news articles and reports I’ve been able to gather and read over the last few weeks, it looks as if we’re heading in that direction at a rapid pace – and it’s gaining momentum.

This could be a real game changer for the airline industry. Travel Agents have been hammering the airlines for the last decade because the industry cutting off commissions. More recently, the general public has been in an uproar as they reluctantly dish out added baggage fees with disdain. (Losing the baggage certainly doesn’t help matters, now does it?)

The industry doesn’t have the best reputation.

When the airlines do go green, it won’t change everyone’s attitude. Some can never forgive – or forget. But it will be a shining example in our country that cleaner and renewable energy can be done successfully without changing the entire infrastructure – which in turn will keep our world moving.

That’s human ingenuity at its best.

I’m looking forward to the chance of flying some 30,000 feet in the air on green fuel. I may not notice any difference in performance, but I will know the population below will be breathing a little easier as biofuel takes to the skies.

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