Hi Alex.  Alright, now that we've reconnoitered the population you're aiming for, the next step is to actually work your way inside one of these fancy airline clubs.  As I noted before, in my time each airline has a different name for their club, The Red Carpet Club, The Crown Room,  The  Admirals Club and The Presidents Club, to name a few in the United States.  (That's the country I was born in, although as I write this I am in New Caledonia.)

Step One: look attractive and professional--and frustrated.  The play is this: you'll need to stand just outside the doorway to your preferred airline lounge and look as though you've lost your membership card. 

Remember, you simply must look professional.  Alex, I've no idea what types of clothes or styles you'll have in 2101, but here are three quick tips:

• tilt your hips just a bit

• show your calves

• let your hair drape down in front of your face a little

You'll be looking down as you rummage through your purse or clutch or briefcase, acting like you are searching for that wretched membership card that you just must have left in your other business card case when you were in such a dreadful hurry to leave this morning because you'd been up until Midnight perfecting your PowerPoint presentation and you had to roust yourself up at Three this morning to drive (your car) to the airport and you just must have forgot it.

You understand the idea.  Just get your storyline down, put it into your own words and make it tight about the edges, then practice it a few times in the mirror at home before you ever go on your trip. 

It is absolutely critical you nail the first two seconds.  Everything that's vital happens in the first two seconds of the encounter with that prospect who can get you in that door as his guest.  Two seconds.  And it's not what you say that's the most important; it's what you do and how you look.

You must appear attractive enough to play to his male-ness, but also look sufficiently professional and frustrated to play to his road warrior sense of duty.  You shouldn't seem distraught, like you're going to fall apart, nor should you appear frantic, as though you might cause a scene.  Remember your target will have an agenda in that club, usually getting a drink and making calls and checking emails (if you have those in 2101; you may be better off if you don't, but that's a subject for another TimeCap, Alex).

Because your man has that agenda, he won't want to have anything to do with you once you get inside.  He is simply helping out a fellow road warrior.  Occasionally you'll run into a creep; just ditch him once you're inside.  The easiest way to do that is to go into the ladies room right away.

Casey's Tip: Remember--single males are your target.  They are by far the most likely to help you into the club.  Good hunting, Alex.

Hi Alex.  OK, the simplest way to get into an airlines club is to spend two or three days' pay and buy an annual membership.  Or you can fork over less, and buy a day pass.  But that's boring and unnecessary.

See, if you're a girl and anywhere under forty and men are still flying in airplanes in 2101, then Alex, that's a waste of your money.  There's a much better way.

All of the airline lounges, such as The Presidents Club, The Admirals Club, The Crown Room and The Red Carpet Club allow the club-member to bring in one or two guests.  And there's nothing in the rules that requires a set amount of time for the guest to know the person.

Thirty seconds will do.

Notice, I said: "…and men are still flying…"  Dear, this assignment calls for a man's help.  Yes, I know; if you are anything like me needing a man for anything probably cuts right to the quick of your soul.  Trust me: this won't hurt a bit.  Not even your pride.

OK, it might knock your pride back a teensy-bit, but you'll get over it.

If you've never been in a club before, then the first thing to do is ask for a tour.  The attendants at the club will be happy to accommodate you--but please, make sure you dress the part of a business woman.  You can choose any airport.  Scout around, but don't focus on the all the club features like overstuffed chairs, free coffee, and lots of magazines (none of them are aimed at women, anyway).  No.  You are really there inside that club to scope out your target audience: the average business traveler.

Note: don't do this on a Saturday or Sunday, as you won't find a true representative sample of the population you are stalking.

Look around.  Notice what your targets wear, and what they are doing.  And--this is paramount--notice how they are doing it.  The number one thing you notice about these people will be that they are very, very busy or trying to look busy.  Many of them are so used to looking busy at the office that even when they are on the road they keep the busy-ness façade plastered across their faces. 

And it's not a lie, Alex.  Not really, because they believe it.  Their minds are kicked into high gear, even there in the lounge, which is the once place they should be able to relax.  But they can't; they have to be on, even in the clubs.   But, you can use this to your advantage.

Notice the other thing about this population: they are professional, usually they are out there on the road representing their companies because they have decent people skills and, if they've been a road warrior long enough, there will have developed empathy for their fellow business traveler.

And we're going to use that road warrior Ethos of Empathy to get into the lounge.

Casey's Tip: Remember, you only need one man for one minute to get into an airlines lounge.

Hi Alex.  I hope they still have airline travel in 2101.  It is simply the easiest way to cover long distances.

If you do still have airline travel, then you'll probably still have big airports.  In 2006, most of the airports in cities like Tokyo or Hong Kong or Chicago have airline clubs.  Alex, you simply must learn how to freeload your way into these clubs.

In my time, the early 21^st Century--I call it C21--we had clubs named The Red Carpet Club, The Crown Room, The Presidents Club, and the Admirals Club.

First, about the clubs: airports of my day are very public places, designed for high-volume use.  Sometimes you might be stuck on a "layover", or time in between two flights, for several hours.  I've personally been stuck for more than thirty hours at an airport, but that's pretty rare.  Usually you'll be in-between flights for thirty minutes to three hours.  But the public seating available in most airports, while padded, isn't very comfortable.  Let's face it--it basically sucks.  You can't lie down, you can't even lean back comfortably.  It's the type of seating built for the janitors because it's easy to clean around and durable.

And so the airlines at the big, hub airports have built "members-only" clubs or lounges with all sorts of amenities: free coffee, soft drinks, snacks--and your very own comfortable chair.  And, these little mini-sanctuaries are quiet.  There aren't the hordes of tourists pouring through, although you will have to put up with frenzied businessmen speaking angrily into their cell phones and trying to look important and busy to all the other people in the club.

But, these airline lounges cost money.  An annual pass will cost you two to three days wages, or more.  The alternate way to pay for them is with airline miles, which are reward points you accumulate for flying on an airline.  If you fly around the world a couple of times on the same airline, you'll build up enough points for a club.

But, if you don't fly much, then there's no way you'll have enough points.  You could buy a day pass, but those can also cost upwards of a day's wages.  That's just too much money to spend when you can use a couple of techniques and get in for free.

Casey's Tip: There's a simple way to get in free.  But Alex, you'll need to find a man.

Hey there

Check this out if you have a few spare minutes.  It's something I did a while ago, but I just came across it on my old files. 

http://www.journeytoday.com/docs/caseyscoolfacts.htm