From the CEO’s Desk

            Over the course of our ten year tenure, we have always enjoyed the loyal and active participation of our Canadian customers.  They have implored us to cultivate a larger base of products within their country, not just so they could bid on them, but so our entire membership could visit our beautiful neighboring country to the North!  While we have offered a few products we had never really gained much critical mass throughout Canada.  I am happy to say that we have now rectified that situation and we offer more product in Canada now, than at any time in our companies history.

We have hotel product in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Waterloo and Vancouver now on auction at some very top level properties.  We have rail passes and dining certificates available throughout the country as well as inclusive stays at fishing lodges and fitness spas in what I think are some of the most beautiful locations in North America!  If that isn’t enough, I might just have to take a week at Mont Tremblant during ski season for myself, because we have plenty of two bedroom vacation rentals available throughout.

To all of our loyal customers in Canada, thanks for your business and thanks for encouraging us to develop your homeland into, what we hope is one of our best destinations this year.

Check out our Canada offers.

I am thrilled that so many of our members have taken the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences with our management team by responding to our blogs!  You should realize that we have been listening and we have prioritized your input and we are turning this valuable information into a plan of action that will help shape the future of our company.

Reserve Bid Auctions:  This is an endangered species on SkyAuction and most reserve bid auctions have been phased out over the last few weeks.  You said you didn’t like them and we took action about it.  It will not be eliminated entirely as there are positive uses of reserve auctions that benefit us all.  We will use reserve auctions to demonstrate to our suppliers the real market value of their product. As a result they will hopefully provide us with products with the right pricing that will sell.

Surcharges:  It is a daunting challenge to find a way to engage lots of people from many different places to travel to many different destinations at all times of the year and do it all in the same offer.  Surcharges in the travel business are nothing new and certainly aren’t exclusive to Skyauction.com.  We are studying a way to offer more “point to point” product that will limit departures from a more specified region over a more specified period of time, thus significantly reducing the need for surcharges.  It won’t be easy but we will be starting a new base of auctions in which we will do our best to restrict any necessary surcharges to the bare minimum.  Please give us your feedback on our efforts. 

Customer Service:  I think some of our blog respondents were very surprised that we became actively involved with all issues raised in our comments area.  Our management team takes customer service very seriously and we are not afraid to discuss and or action any issues that our customers feel are important.  We monitor the flow of reservations and emails continually and while no one is perfect, we do all we can for our customers at every juncture.  Remember, we are travel guys doing business on the Internet, not Internet guys doing business in travel!

Future Vision:  In short, if you keep making suggestions, we will continue to evolve our site into one that is more user friendly than ever before and contains more products you want to purchase.  The key is your participation.  Read the blogs and give us your impressions, good or bad on what we are doing.  The future of our company is bright and with your help we can continue to grow meaningful job security for us and better and better deals for you!

Something to look forward to:  Ok, man cannot live by traveling alone so that is why we made Skyauction.com into more of a “lifestyle” site over the past few years.  We are going to take that process even further with the introduction of “Stuff from Sky”.  What is it, you might ask?  It can be virtually anything from furniture for your home to laser hair removal or salon treatments at some of the swankiest salons around.  We have access to so much good stuff we just had to let you in on the deals so keep an eye on our specialty auction area for this new and exciting development from Skyauction.com. 

Again, thanks for your valued business and input. 

Michael N. Hering

For those who don’t know me, I am Michael N. Hering, a founder, investor, CEO and President of SkyAuction.com.  My background goes way back in the travel industry to my college days when I was posting flyers on College Campus promoting “Europe for the Poor! Just $75.00!”  Even back then I was working hard to bring real travel value to all of those struggling students who just needed to get away.  I would like to think that in some way I helped them to relax and come back to school and to go on to academic greatness, or at least to have a really good time.  Either way, I am still in the game, and I am still doing all I can to bring all of you the best deals I can find for travel and I am still enjoying myself.

SkyAuction.com was conceived in 1998 and launched in February 1999. It’s hard to believe that we are now in our 10^th year of business.

SkyAuction’s success is in a large part due to you, our member.  You’ve believed in our company, bid on our products, came back again and again and have told your friends and business associates.  Skyauction works with a limited marketing budget so telling your friends about us is really important.  It doesn’t mean that the bids will be higher, it means we can contract for more and better products to be offered on our site.  You can read a little more about our refer-a-friend program on our “Skyauction for Dummies” blog, but I have a little secret to share.  I happen to know that we are going to have a little contest coming up for all of you who have been holding out on participating and it is going to be one, special prize for the person who wins.  Any way you look at it, you refer, you get paid.  Man, that’s easy!

During our tenure we have been fortunate enough to have acquired members who have really diverse tastes in their travel preferences.  We heard you loud and clear when you wanted more “close to home” and “lifestyle” offers and now we have many local attractions, theater ticket, dining discounts, spas and more.  Some are even classifying us as a lifestyle site these days!

It is because of you and your feedback that we have been able to understand what products you want and for that we are grateful.  We’ve created these blogs to increase the communication between our members and our staff so we can continue to grow our product line based on what you want.  So please, feel free to give me the good, the bad and if you have to the ugly because I will be listening and if I have to, so does everyone else!

Thank you for your valued business.