Limo drivers strike back!

[Lord Fantasius]

Has anybody seen this most recent news release...

Press Release Source: The Greater Orlando Livery Association


Limousine Drivers Host News Conference at Orlando International Airport
Tuesday October 11, 2:00 pm ET
- Say Disney Airport Contract Forcing Them to Run on Empty and Destroying Viable Small Businesses -


ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ --

WHO The Greater Orlando Livery Association, the largest membership
organization of limousine operators serving Florida. Some 200
member-companies operate a fleet of more than 600 vehicles
registered and permitted at the Orlando International Airport. Its
white-glove service caters to corporate and leisure travelers to
and from the Orlando International Airport.
Members of GOLA's coalition against unfair business practices.

WHAT NEWS CONFERENCE to announce new members to GOLA's coalition
against unfair business practices.

WHERE Terminal B - curbside level 3 of the main departures building,
Orlando International Airport

WHEN 2:00 PM, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005

BGRND Citing unfair business practice at the Orlando International
Airport, GOLA is calling for the termination of an airport ground
transportation contract with the Walt Disney Company and for a
halt to an unfair business practice that it believes gives the
Disney Company "exclusive and unprecedented access to travelers."

The Colleton Law Firm, P.A. has been retained by (GOLA) to assist
it with respect to what the Association believes to be unfair
business practices by the Aviation Authority.

GOLA members have seen a significant reduction in their business
since the contract's implementation and there is great concern the
contract provides Disney with a monopoly.

GOLA says the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority has failed to
recognize the potential long-term negative impact on the city as a
whole and is inviting anyone similarly affected to join a
coalition against this unfair business practice. They can contact
GOLA by email at GOLA@GetAroundOrlando.com or by calling
(407) 857-0886.

MEDIA CONTACT Mark Hopkinson, NewsMark Public Relations
tel: (561)289-6852
email: mhopkinson@newsmarkpr.com

Any comments or thoughts...do you think this will change Disney's Magical Express service?

 

[safetymom]

Wonderful. I have to walk through all that tomorrow. The limo drivers are striking out in several directions. They have to decide who the bad guy is.

Mears is charging their drivers more for their weekly rentals, so they are protesting that and the Disney DME transportation.

I think you will see a lot of talk by the limo companies but not a lot by Disney. Some people can't afford or don't want to pay the prices the limo companies charge.

I am sure all the Disney bashers will be along shortly to defend the limo companies. It's a free market. Everyone has an opportunity to transport guests from the airport.

 

[Nebsky]

Why am I not surprised this vocal group is going to take this to court.

Be a nice waste of time for everyone involved.

I dont think this will change a thing in regards to Magical Express.

I have done them both. I preferred the Magical Express. It was cheaper (Free) and it didn't take but maybe 10 more minutes than the limo. Sure with the limo I can get a grocery stop. But I can also call that order in and have it delivered.

 

[Lewisc]

It's not a free market when DME is the only group allowed access to level three, the only group allowed access to incoming luggage, is paying lower airport fees and gets preferential locations in the airport. It's also not a free market when a company (Disney) prices a service below cost (FREE) for a limited period of time as a way of driving the competition out of business.

It's all irrelevant, MCO isn't going to stop Disney and other companies can't compete with free. I guess all the protests might cause MCO to eventually charge Disney more money when the contract comes up for renewal. DME guests would otherwise be taking a limo, rent a car or even take Mears. It sounds like MCO gets paid more money under any of those alternatives.

 

[safetymom]

DME was force downstairs now so that can't be part of the complaint.

What is everyone going to say when Disney starts charging for the service? There will always be someone that cries foul when it concerns Disney.

 

[Nebsky]

What is everyone going to say when Disney starts charging for the service? There will always be someone that cries foul when it concerns Disney.

100% correct!!!


Like I said. Ive done it every way...
1st with Mears Transportation NIGHTMARE!!!! Took 2 hours to get there. Funny thing is...its Mears running DME...

2nd rented a car. Would have been more fun slamming my head into a brick wall than waiting that long to just get the car.

3rd Limo Service with Tiffany. Ok with the grocery stop. Driver wasnt very talkative. Back and forth to airport was fine.

4th Magical Express. Great experience. Walked onto bus drove away. My hotel was first. At park within 1hr and 30 mins.

My ranking would go....ME, Limo, Car and Mears bringing up rear.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

So how does this compare to cruise lines that do the same service (even though some charge for the transfer)? Since DME service is only for those people who have made reservations at the resorts it really can't be considered an unfair business.

Admittedly, I have no delusions that this will be "free" forever, but once Disney does start charging directly for the transfer most people will start comparing costs again and it will have to be as competitive as anyone else.

Now if we can just get Wal-Mart to open up next door to the Magic Kingdom...

 

[Lewisc]

You can do a search. There have been many threads on this topic.

Mears is selling vouchers so people not eligible to use DME can ride DME buses. Resort guests without reservations are being transported for free. The CMs with the mickey hands are directing guests to Mears counters to buy vouchers.

Cruise lines generally charge for the service. Famlies can book a taxi or towncar for not much more than the cost of the transfers.

So how does this compare to cruise lines that do the same service (even though some charge for the transfer)? Since DME service is only for those people who have made reservations at the resorts it really can't be considered an unfair business.

Admittedly, I have no delusions that this will be "free" forever, but once Disney does start charging directly for the transfer most people will start comparing costs again and it will have to be as competitive as anyone else.

Now if we can just get Wal-Mart to open up next door to the Magic Kingdom...

 

[vicb]

Huh??? Does this mean if I use Tiffany that it will be any different than prior years? We would come down that escalator and the driver would be there waiting for us..... anyone know?

 

[goofy4tink]

Huh??? Does this mean if I use Tiffany that it will be any different than prior years? We would come down that escalator and the driver would be there waiting for us..... anyone know?

It's only going to change where the DME people are allowed to be. They used to be on the third level, as soon as you came off the monorail shuttles into the 'main' terminal. It seems that they have been soliciting those with no transportation already arranged. The limo (towncar) drivers have always been in the baggage claim area, at the bottom of the escalators. This won't change. They will still be there.

Now, I wonder...are the DME white gloves in the same area as the towncar drivers are now?? In the baggage area, directing people to the next level down??

Yes, it does reek a bit of the ole Wal-Mart story I guess. My only problem is that the two times I have been at MCO since DME started, I have had to look very hard to find someone with those white gloves. I have had to amble around and figure it out for myself.....only because I have always used side B, never side A. I would actually prefer just having signage there to direct people...especially now that the service has been in place for months.
I have to say that when Disney does start charging for this service, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I used Mears shuttle once and it wasn't terrific...got a van with about 6 other people, plus the three of us. At least we were all going to the same resort Then I have used towncar services for about 5 or 6 times now and have varied experiences. Used DME twice and both times it has been good.

So, if it makes the towncar drivers feel better to have everyone on the same level, so be it. I don't think it's all that big a deal.

 

[seashoreCM]

The white gloved Disney folks up on the third level saved the airport's own staff from having to keep answering the same questions over and over.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/magicx.htm

 

[kathylovesdisneyworl]

DME was force downstairs now so that can't be part of the complaint.

When did that happen. I didn't read about that. If everyone one is on the same level at least the customers without reservations with ME are fair game to all modes of transportation.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Beth Kassab | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 11, 2005
Beeline Ground Transportation, one of two companies with shuttle concessions at Orlando International Airport, said Monday it would lay off as many as 20 people this week as it struggles to compete with Disney's Magical Express.

Mears Transportation Group, Beeline's competitor, holds the contract to operate Magical Express, a free shuttle service to and from the giant Walt Disney World resort.

Beeline is the latest in a string of companies that have complained Magical Express is hurting business with what they consider to be a sweetheart deal involving Disney, Mears and the airport.

While passengers and airlines applaud the service as a hassle-free way to travel between the airport and Disney World, airport executives say they are studying the free shuttle's effect on the airport's bottom line.

Michael Gerloven, Beeline's general manager, said the company did not know about Magical Express when it began operating at the airport about nine months ago.

"Business is less than half of what we anticipated," Gerloven said. "We based our numbers on the airport's projections pre-Disney Magical Express."

The latest airport figures indicate that other transportation businesses may be hurting as well.

Figures show that rental-car sales at the airport have been declining -- as much as 5 percent in June -- despite an overall increase in passengers using the airport.

The decline started in April, a month before Magical Express began. However, Disney tested portions of the program in April. "We're trying to analyze what the numbers are really telling us," OIA Executive Director Bill Jennings said. "There could be a number of reasons why rental-car revenue is down."

Jennings said he hopes to have a better sense of the shuttle's effect within two months.

In the meantime, he's been forced to fend off criticism that Disney was granted unfair access to passengers in the airport's main terminal.

Disney's greeters have been allowed access to areas of the terminal off-limits to other transportation companies. Jennings recently ordered that the practice must be halted by the end of the month.

Disney Senior Vice President Jerry Montgomery said the practice of greeting passengers on the terminals third, or upper, level accounted for only about 2 percent of the shuttle's total passenger load.

About 5,000 people ride Magical Express every day, Montgomery said.

He said the program is helping the airport run more smoothly and is reducing traffic on Central Florida's congested roads, with busloads averaging 37 people.

In addition, he said, airport security and airlines benefit from the off-site screening of luggage that is transported by Magical Express.

The buses have flat-screen televisions that show passengers videos about the airport, including a commercial that promotes airport food and retail shops because passengers arrive for their flights about two hours early on Magical Express.

Airlines also have lauded the program, saying it's already being repeated elsewhere in the country.

"We've seen an improvement in the congestion in our lobby," said Josh Weiss, Delta Air Line's director of customer-service operations and strategy.

American Airlines' Mark Mitchell said the service helps passengers move through check-in lines faster.

"It's running way above expectations," he said.

But criticism from taxi and luxury-sedan drivers is expected to peak at a rally planned for later this week.

Last week, a group of taxi drivers staged a strike to draw attention to how they say their businesses have been crippled by the service. Taxi fares from the airport to Disney run at least $40, making it hard to compete against Disney's free shuttle.

On the same day as the strike, at least six Mears taxis and vans sustained flat tires as dozens of nails were found scattered in their traffic lane at the airport, according to an airport operations incident report.

The report stated that 35 to 40 nails were found at the entrance and exit of the "bull pen," the taxi holding area.

Mears chief executive Chuck Carns said he thinks the nails were targeted at his company's vehicles. A police report was also filed, though there are no suspects.

Jennings called the antic "counter-productive" to solving the problem.

"I think it's the airport's responsibility to ensure that passengers arriving at the airport have a variety of modes of transportation to leave the airport," he said.

 

[Aisling]

It seems that they have been soliciting those with no transportation already arranged.

I wonder how many people book a flight to WDW and not make transport arrangements beforehand. I would bet that number is EXTREMELY low. Solicitation is not a strong reason for towncar companies to complain.

I am hoping it doesn't affect DME.

 

[Disney_1derland]

I have used three different town car companies in the past year. Perhaps the owners of these companies and the Livery organization should consider the fact that part of the problem lies with them, their past performance and the fact that they have been smugly providing downright poor to barely acceptable service all along. They got too comfortable with their 'rights' to Disney travelers. They became complacent and the service has gone downhill. 2 out of 3 trips in the past year the town car service has been completely unacceptable and has resulted in having to fight for refunds for bad service. In years past it has been better, but I've seen it going downhill increasingly in the past 4 years.

We are using a town car on our next trip but only because it is a complimentary 'do-over' from our last trip. Otherwise, I was more than ready to give ME a try, after all, it couldn't be any worse than the bad 2 in the last year.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You can do a search. There have been many threads on this topic.

Mears is selling vouchers so people not eligible to use DME can ride DME buses. Resort guests without reservations are being transported for free. The CMs with the mickey hands are directing guests to Mears counters to buy vouchers.

Cruise lines generally charge for the service. Famlies can book a taxi or towncar for not much more than the cost of the transfers.

Is this what you meant to say? It doesn't quite make sense - "Mears is selling vouchers so people not eligible to use DME can ride..." and "Resort guests without reservations are being transported for free".

I guess I don't understand to whom Mears is selling vouchers. If somebody's not eligible for DME, isn't that because they're not staying in a Disney Resort, and isn't that how Mears operates ANYWAY? By selling shuttle or bus transportation from the airport to area hotels and back? And if Resort guests are being transported free is part of that same statement, well then they're not being sold vouchers?

I'm SOOOO confused....

 

[Lewisc]

That's exactly what I meant to say. One person riding my DME bus was staying at CSR but went back to MCO to return a rental car. He was told he couldn't ride DME for free since it wasn't his arrival day but could pay Mears and ride the bus. Another person was a local who said her son didn't get off work for a few hours it was easier for her to take the bus to AKL so her son could pick her up there. She specifically said it was cheaper than taking a taxi.

The CMs on level three are telling people without reservations to go to the DME desk and evidently the Mears desk.

DME is only suppose to be transporting guests who made prior arrangements.

Is this what you meant to say? It doesn't quite make sense - "Mears is selling vouchers so people not eligible to use DME can ride..." and "Resort guests without reservations are being transported for free".

I guess I don't understand to whom Mears is selling vouchers. If somebody's not eligible for DME, isn't that because they're not staying in a Disney Resort, and isn't that how Mears operates ANYWAY? By selling shuttle or bus transportation from the airport to area hotels and back? And if Resort guests are being transported free is part of that same statement, well then they're not being sold vouchers?

I'm SOOOO confused....

 

[goofy4tink]

I wonder how many people book a flight to WDW and not make transport arrangements beforehand. I would bet that number is EXTREMELY low. Solicitation is not a strong reason for towncar companies to complain.

I am hoping it doesn't affect DME.

Yep, that would be my point!!! I really don't believe there are all that many people that just show up at the airport and don't have a ride.
We also have had mediocre service from the towncar services in the past few years. It used to be wonderful. But now....with having to actively go in search of your driver rather than him/her being at the bottom of the escalator, the driver giving some dubious reason for no grocery stop, attitude from drivers and then the pricing of some companies....well, I intend to take advantage of a free service and quite possibly continue using it if comes out to be cheaper than a towncar. At least I know what I can expect with DME....towncar service has been somewhat hit or miss for my family in the past 18 months....and I have used FL Tours and Tiffany-both companies with pretty good reputations.

 

[Lewisc]

A lot of people, particularly those who travel for business, just grab a taxi when they get to the airport. People who do research know pre-reserving a towncar is actually less expensive but a lot of travelers know every airport has a line of cabs ready to take vistors to their hotels.

At least some of the passengers without reservations would have grabbed a cab if the DME employee didn't direct them to the DME desk in level one.

I don't think that a lot of people fall into this category but probably more than we realize.

Yep, that would be my point!!! I really don't believe there are all that many people that just show up at the airport and don't have a ride.
We also have had mediocre service from the towncar services in the past few years. It used to be wonderful. But now....with having to actively go in search of your driver rather than him/her being at the bottom of the escalator, the driver giving some dubious reason for no grocery stop, attitude from drivers and then the pricing of some companies....well, I intend to take advantage of a free service and quite possibly continue using it if comes out to be cheaper than a towncar. At least I know what I can expect with DME....towncar service has been somewhat hit or miss for my family in the past 18 months....and I have used FL Tours and Tiffany-both companies with pretty good reputations.

 

[jackmac]

I have always used towncars or cabs to get to and from Disney. This trip in October and my next trip in January I'm using DME. This will be about a $100 savings for me and more than pay for an extra night when you factor in differences in airfares.

When I used Limo's or Mears (hated Mears and swore never to use it again) I had made the reservations a long time in advance. When I used rental cars I had made those reservations in advance. The times I used cabs were the only times I did not have a reservation to get to Disney and that would be the only time that I would be swayed by someone offering free transportation. I don't see how anyone on the 3rd. floor advertising a service, like Disney has always done for it's cruise line transportation and no-one has complained about that, would impact the limo's. Cabs may have a legitimate complaint. I do see where Disney advertising it's DME service with people that book with them would impact rentals and limos. No-one is complaining about that.

In a lot of ways this is the typical Wal-Mart marketting strategy. Undercut the competitor and lose money for a period of time and then charge when you have developed brand loyality. It's an unfortunate situation that some companies will lose out in the short term. I know that when Disney starts charging for DME then I will evaluate which is faster to get me to my destination and what the cost difference is. Hopefully I will have choices then.

What is interesting is that other industries are not complaining about Disney. With the drop in rental cars more people will be staying on site for all of their meals. What has the impact on area restaurants been with DME? With free dining this would also have kept people on site for all of their meals. Disney seems to be striving to keep all of their guests dollars on site. That's ok with me as I don't want to drive when I'm on vacation and I want an all-inclusive resort. Others may not want this.

About a year ago there was talk of a light rail train from the airport to Orlando. It seemed that Disney was willing to put up money to develop this with the idea of having it stop at Disney. I don't remember all of the details. A few weeks ago it was reported that Disney was paying for a new exit off of I4 for the benefit of it's guests. Disney seems to be willing to pay to increase the infrastructure of Orlando, along with increasing it's access to guests. This is a win win situation. Unfortuately, small business will suffer. Giant corporations always have a cost advantage, small business must compete with service.

One big hole that I have noticed in the transportation issues around Disney is transportation to Universal or SeaWorld or other golf courses. This may be an area for the limo companies to focus on to pick up some business from Disney. Other areas may be in trips to dinner shows or other dining options. Putting a package together to bring people from Disney to other local attractions may make up for some of the lost revenue.