With autumn in the northern hemisphere just around the corner, and winter arriving not long behind that, it’s a fair bet that this summer’s viral sensation – the Ice Bucket Challenge – might soon be nigh.
Whether you are a proponent of the challenge, which has undoubtedly raised awareness of ALS and led directly to substantially increased donations to the cause, or an opponent like journalist and television producer William Foxton who describes the fad as “a middle-class wet-T-shirt contest for armchair clicktivists“, you are first and foremost a traveler, right?
And what traveler wouldn’t enjoy watching the CEOs of major airlines, hotels and alliances get in on the act of getting doused in freezing water, possibly just before the entire thing becomes passé?
So thank you Jeff Smisek, CEO of United, for taking the challenge and passing it along to another travel industry CEO. Truthfully, I’m not sure if you are the first airline or hotel executive to take part in the challenge, but you are arguably the biggest and your involvement should propel the movement forward throughout the industry.
In the comments section below, list which airline, alliance, hotel or other travel-industry executive you would like to see get wet next. Or alternatively, please post links to videos of those in the industry who have already taken the challenge.
Read the thread in its entirety: Jeff gets wet
There’s a severe drought in northern California so forgive us if we choose to sit this one out……..perhaps the dirt bucket challenge or as the Chicago Tribune posted:
1. Do not fetch a bucket, fill it with ice or dump it on your head.
2. Do not film yourself or post anything on social media.
3. Just donate the damn money, whether to the ALS Association or to some other charity of your choice.
And if it’s an organization you really believe in, feel free to politely encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Congratulations! Not only have you contributed to a good cause, but you’ve done your part for the environment by conserving the energy and fresh water required to make and transport large bags of ice.
Be warned, though, the #NoIceBucketChallenge is not for the faint of heart. It requires real fortitude to give away your hard-earned cash without the promise of receiving piles of Facebook likes in return.
AA CEO Doug Parker: http://www.azcentral.com/story/nowdeparting/2014/08/21/american-airlines-ceo-doug-parker-latest-to-join-ice-bucket-challenge/14305685/
Boeing CEO Ray Connor: http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2014/08/boeing-ceo-ray-conner-takes-ice-bucket-challenge.html
Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza, who lost his mother to ALS: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/22/4304136/ice-bucket-challenge-makes-a-splash.html
Alaska CEO, Brad Tilden: http://blog.alaskaair.com/2014/08/21/alaska-airlines-ceo-does-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge/
JetBlue employees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqHgqsXFxYY
Peter Greenberg, travel writer: http://petergreenberg.com/2014/08/21/peter-greenberg-answers-als-ice-bucket-challenge/
Expedia CEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyJ7i3Zaus
Orbitz CEO: http://www.orbitz.com/blog/2014/08/orbitz-ceo-barney-harford-accepts-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge/
Great list Carol. A few more I just saw today on BoardingArea:
Frequent Flyer Guru Randy Petersen, PizzainMotion’s Ed “Pizzaman” Pizzarello, View from the Wing’s Gary Leff, and Frugal Travel Guy Rick Ingersoll: http://pizzainmotion.boardingarea.com/2014/08/24/wimping-als-icebucketchallenge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wimping-als-icebucketchallenge
Milepoint co-Founder Tommy Danielson: http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/08/24/taking-icebucketchallenge-bath-tub-park-hyatt-vendome/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=taking-icebucketchallenge-bath-tub-park-hyatt-vendome
And now Willie Walsh of British Airways has done it. I thought he’d challenge Richard Branson, but it was Richard Anderson of Delta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMH7bwdBbak
Richard Branson, Virgin: http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/my-ice-bucket-challenge