Rating: 
Summary: It's Not About Flying or Airlines
Review: Henry Mintzberg has some things to say that a lot of people are not going to like. See his interview with David Creelman at HR.com where he takes some good shots at MBA's as well as management fad techniques. http://www.hr.com/HRcom/index.cfm/WeeklyMag/DEC88F25-3F2C-11D5-9AC1009027E0248F?ost=wmFeature
Rating: 
Summary: Will this be the beginning of a new career for Henry? Naw.
Review: Henry's book fills a much-needed gap in the literature. Actually, in spite of the publisher's request that I write an "undorsement" of this book, I read it cover to cover. Now, if they'd only sent me the text, too, I could have read the rest. But in any case, I laughed! I cried! And then Henry's goons put me down... Do me a favor. If you see me reading this book in public, don't tell my students.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this and go ahead ON BOARD!
Review: Highly recommended and very good book, "Why I Hate Flying" allows readers to feel the insight of the frequent travellers. This book will make you realize that is not only a jet-legged persona but it is really cool to be on stand by flyers. This book is so cool to be read while you waiting for your next flight. Read it! Its a MUST for all flyers.
Rating: 
Summary: This book makes your flight seem even longer!
Review: I don't fly often. But I went ahead and read this book, expecting a short read that would offer a few chuckles. It ended up being very few indeed. Perhaps I chuckled twice and smiled two more times. He's just not that funny.
Rating:
Summary: Not Funny
Review: I don't fly often. But I went ahead and read this book, expecting a short read that would offer a few chuckles. It ended up being very few indeed. Perhaps I chuckled twice and smiled two more times. He's just not that funny.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but better books out there
Review: I found this book enjoyable, as it is good to find a kindred spirit who is also fed up with the airlines and flying. But he isn't very informational on how to overcome some of the difficulties we all have, like Celentino's "Combating Air Rage", but it is still interesting. Plus, Celentino's book is more humorous for us extreme "extremies" travelers.
Rating:
Summary: This book makes your flight seem even longer!
Review: I grabbed this at an airport bookshop (of course) thinking it would be humorous, light reading for my flight. Ugh. Humor-free, sad and not insightful, with multiple tricks to fill pages to justify it as a book, not a pamphlet. Look for this book in your seat back pocket--that's where I left mine.
Rating:
Summary: Theory vs. Reality
Review: I started reading this book in one of the lounges at JFK's Terminal One (and continued reading it over an excellent glass of wine on my way to Frankfurt). Hence the atmosphere was right somehow). Mr. Mintzberg is one of these "Professor of Economics Guru" who's frequently travelling and knows all about the world - except the real one. The "real one" in today's economics is surviving, especially for the airline industry. Airlines do have to fill their planes and make more revenues than they do have cost - as simple as that! Obviously Mr. Mintzberg has a hard time to get used to the fact that airlines can't give away anything for free. He's one of these guys spending 150 bucks for going overseas and expecting - of course - an upgrade for free including all the good stuff served in Business and First Class. Since that does not happen all the time he's blowing out all of his frustrations in this book. I feel sorry for having spent the money for this book, it's not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: It's humor but it's not fiction
Review: I was at the bookstore buying more serious books on Six Sigma when this little gem jumped out at me. By the time I got to the chapter dealing with food I was weeping with laughter. Just about everyone cops a swipe in this book and as an Australian, MBA qualified manager who used to work at Sydney Airport, I felt a few barbs myself. Henry is working outside of his normal style and doesnt always pull it off but I nonetheless was refreshed to see that this world-wide authority on management shares some of my own misgivings about Globalism with a big G and Management with a big M. The insights are a useful whack on the side of the head for anybody involved in managing any business. Readers who have travelled only a fraction of Mintzberg's air-miles are also bound to identify with at least some of his anecdotes, as I did. By the end of the book you should understand the difference between Customer Service and customer service. So, if your management-reading palate is a little jaded then treat this as sorbet-for-the-management soul.
Rating:
Summary: Self-indulgent rant
Review: Mintzberg may be one of the world's great management gurus, but he doesn't show it here. This book is exactly what it is billed to be---why Mintzberg hates the airlines. In particular, it is NOT why Mintzberg hates the airlines and what brilliant insights he has into how he would fix things. This is quite a disappointment, because, of course, to the extent that Mintzberg has a claim to fame, it's as a management guru, not a comedian. Moreover the airlines really do need some help from someone like Mintzberg. But because he's not a comedian, it's not a terribly funny book either (he tries hard, too hard), so it's not interesting on that score either. Any editor with sense would have told Mintzberg not to waste his time. Don't waste your time (or money).
| 
