Baggage Requirements: What Delta’s Customer Experience Manager always contributes on business trips
Allison Ausband started her career at Delta Airlines 1985 as a flight attendant. Over the past 37 years, she has steadily risen through the ranks at the Atlanta-based airline, including leading over 20,000 Delta flight attendants as senior vice president of inflight services as well as held the position of Vice President of Sales, Reservations and Customer Care. , where she is responsible for over 37 million customer contacts across 10 engagement centers in four countries.
Now, Ausband is executive vice president and head of customer experience at Delta. Needless to say, she’s one of the most experienced executives in the travel industry — and also an expert in business travel preparation.
Ausband recently shared more with Luck about must-haves that she never leaves the house without.
Trusted technology
I started my career at Delta as a flight attendant and had some hard-to-break packing habits. One lesson that has stuck with me all this time is reliability – although I’m not a deep sleeper, I never want to be late for a trip as a flight attendant. It is imperative that I have an extra alarm clock as a backup for the hotel room alarm clock and alarm clock. Obviously, technology has come a long way since then, so I’ve moved from packing a physical alarm clock to making sure I have a power cord. Now, I organize all my chargers and adapters in Someone somewhere Comfort items; I have one in each bag. And I never leave the house without iPad.
Minimalist packaging style
I’m a minimalist when it comes to most of my travel; It’s another habit that has stuck with me since my days as a flight attendant. I usually fly for work, so I pack only what I need — whatever I fly to is brought in at night. No need for extra weight in the suitcase. And hey, less weight means more fuel economy on board. A set of packing block always comes in handy, so I can separate what I need and see it all clearly in my suitcase.
Transitional power suit and sneakers
I truly believe that a good piece of clothing can act as armor and it’s one of my favorite pieces to style. But the key here is that it transitions. I always pack a suit that can go with the shoes that I wear at home. Sneakers are my newest best friend with suits. I’m definitely getting ready to step in on my airport visits, and these platform sneakers usually what you can find in me. They’re functional and comfortable, and they fit well so I can wear it to meet clients and colleagues during the day and then have dinner at night.
Breathable workout clothes
I’m sure other road warriors can relate to the struggle to find time to train. I know my own Apple Watch keeps reminding me to close those annoying hoops! So now, Lululemon Running leggings are a packing essential for any travel, work, or fun. It was the only item that I didn’t think of. Having comfortable clothes that make me feel comfortable makes completing the exercise much easier. And luckily when I didn’t get to the ground practice, I was still able to get a little nervous on the train with one of the Peloton classes on Studio Delta.
Airplane-friendly skin care
Frequent flyers know that hydration is key at 30,000 feet, so another essential for me is plane-friendly skin care. We recently brought in the clean beauty brand The alchemist has grown up on the train. They’re helping us deliver Delta One kits with 100% natural, cruelty-free plant-based body and skin care products. I’m addicted to their Vanilla Watermelon lip balm to keep my lips moisturized during travel — it has a permanent place in my carry-on.
This is part of Take the luggagea series that showcases celebrities from all backgrounds and professions, revealing what they always bring when they travel, whether for work or pleasure.
