The invitation below was sent out by Gerald R. Thornton, Assistant General Sales Manager and brainstorm chairman, to panel members. The fourteen members included the advertising director, an advertising agency vice-president, two TWA vice-presidents, the director of customer relations, an executive secretary, and assistant supervisor of hostesses. In all five women attended the luncheon session in a company conference room.

Thanks for agreeing to serve on the next Brainstorm panel May 31. We will get together at noon in the conference room for lunch and should finish by 2 p.m.The question to be brainstormed is "What changes would you make in the TWA timetable?" We want to consider changes in format, use, size, shape, design, or any change that would make the timetable a better sales tool for TWA.Some changes were made in April, including new typography and additional condensed schedules. What other constructive changes would you recommend?About ten issues of the timetable are printed each year in order to keep schedule information up to date. About 200,000 copies per month are used in our own offices and in flight packets on our planes. From 125,000 to 200,000 of each issue are mailed to important accounts, travel agents, and other airlines.Attached is a copy of the June 1 timetable.

To those ten of the fourteen who were attending their first brainstorm he attached the following P.S.Since this is the first time you have served on a Brainstorm panel, I am attaching some information on the subject. You should read it over before our meeting so you will understand the brainstorming technique.

When the list was copied after the brainstorm he sent out the following note to each memberwith the unorganized list of the ideas just as they fell in the session.Thank you for participating in our Brainstorm session on Thursday. You can all feel very pleased at the large number of ideas produced!The full list of 152 ideas is attached. You will notice that all hitch-hike ideas are preceded by the symbol "HH" and directly follow the idea, or ideas, to which they are hitching. If you can think of any additional ideas, let me know within the next few days. We have already had several of these "after thoughts" and have incorporated them into the list.

A small committee will be meeting this week to condense this list to a few ideas that can be submitted to the Advertising Department. I will keep you advised of the final results.

Hope we can get together for another Brainstorm session soon!

This is a long transcription, but it is vital to include it because this is the only way you can see the brainstorm in action. This is the way fourteen persons reacted when faced with a problem and were allowed to speak without inhibition. This is the chain reactionnot in a classroom experiment, but in a real situation when a group of tough, practical businessmen sat down to solve a company problem.

Map, page 15, show our routes in colorred.Put map inside covernot in center.Use different color combination for covereverybodyhas red and blueuse distinctive, different colors.Change color each issue.On cover, indicate timetable is effective from untilso passenger knows whether he has latest timetable.Back covershow four or six months' worth of calendar(many bookings made far in advance).HFIshow four monthsone current, three aheadeliminate all advertising and give room for expense accountand other notations.Front coverhave testimonial and autograph of famouspersontwa traveler.9. HHhave whole lot of autographs on front cover, all celebrities. Have picture of globe on front cover.Page 15at base of maps show total mileageboth inU.S. and Europe.Front coverreverse logored on white for better legibility.Cheesecake on front cover.14HHhave picture on light side.15 Print map in back.16 HHprint map on back cover.17 Front picture of twa servicehostess, reservations agent, ticket agent, etc.18 Front picturea number of top twa executivesbetween them, they have years of service and experience.19 HHcaptains.HHhostesses.HHand hostesses' telephone numbers.HHairplane pictures.Front pictureplane flying over the clouds.HHhorizontal picture.HHunder clouds put "100 flights per week to Europe."Off-seasonfront picture of Marilyn Monroe in a SleeperSeat.Advertise we are only carrier with both U.S. and Europe, and through service.HHshow on front cover that we operate both domestically and overseas.29 Eliminate term, "Domestic"use rather, "U.S."Plug travel agents.HHbig agents who use a lot of timetableshave theirnames imprinted. Fold timetables the other wayflip more easily to pagedesired.Call attention to new improved timetable, or new handytimetable.For womento fit better in pursesmaller edition, abouttwo inches shorter than present timetable.HHperfumed timetables for women.HHtimetable to be tied with pink ribbon instead ofstapled.Have every page perforated for easy removalsegmenttimetables only to be printed.HHperforate pages of condensed schedules for easy removal.39 HHput these in padsall page 1, or page 2, etc.Have small timetableand little counter rack similar toMary Gordon leaflet rack.HHhave small timetable showing only that flight segment on overseas flights (show idlpar on idlcai flight forthose only going to Paris).Condensed schedules, all segments, east and westbound.HHsegments to show two cities only (not phl-pit-chietc.).HHindividual timetables, segments, for major stationsno fares shown.Keep all condensed segments together, put page 14 withfirst 3 pages.Have explanation on how to use timetablecondensedsegments.47 Domesticeliminate "Condensed"call them "Express"flights. 48 Eliminate separate Constellation schedules, pages 4and 5. Eliminate condensed schedules altogether.Indexlist cities, followed by page number where schedule is found. Also, page numbers to be bigger.More pictures of planeshave Connie pointing to pagenumbers.Right inside foldtable of contentsmake more readable, show subject and page in two columns.53 Eliminate table of contents.Let "L" stand for lunchcorresponding symbols to applyfor other meals.Bottom of pagesymbol for meals to be crossed fork andknife, cup and saucer for snack, etc.56 HHall references, footnotes, to be consolidated in one place only.Page 13eliminate footnote "g."Make up separate domestic and international timetables.Have separate section for tourist and first class.List all tourist flights together and all first class flights.HHshow multiple service in both tourist and first classsections.Have separate segmental schedules for three regions.Keep flight departure time and flight number constant.Keep directions consistent and not NYC-oriented (Domestic wb & eb, International wb & eb ).Number flights in more logical fashion.Use low numbers for flightsstart with 1 and 2 and keepthem low.Arrange major common destinations on even and consistent hours (all pit flights at quarter past the hour, alllax flights on the hour, etc.). Show statisticshow many 104QS we now have, what ourgoal in number of joys is, etc.Publish by service, first class or touristinclude "from"and "to" and fares.70 Use logical wording"Leave nyc-lca."71 List International Airport first to eliminate emotionalblock of considering idl as further away than lga. y2 72 72 Print plane plan and seat numbers for passengers' choiceof seats.On International schedules eliminate Note D showingplus or minus how many hours.Domesticeliminate connecting flightslook like "bugtracks."75 HHfor greater legibility, especially with little light,print in black and white.76 HHprint westbound schedules in left-hand fold. 77 Do more to distinguish between a.m. and p.m. 78 HHprint a.m. and p.m. in red and blue for contrast,79 Eliminate little dashes for cities where flights do not stop.If room, indicate state after citiestwo- or three-lettercode.HHprint name of country after city.HHfor twin cities, show which one we land at.HHprint city names all in caps with first letter larger.HHindent cities after first of each section listed.HHtreat domestic schedule like internationalwitheverything printed bigger.Print Ambassador symbol (top hat, gloves, and cane)at heading of each Ambassador flight.87 Eliminate shading of Sky Tourist column. 88 Shade columns for tourist flights on domestic as now done on international.

89 Eliminate shading in all tourist flight columns, go Use color designations for Gs, perhaps also 10490 {possibly all first class).At top of column, indicate type of equipment in wordsConstellation, Martin.Indicate flying time between stations.Eliminate "Easibound" and "Westbound" captions ontimetablesconfusing for small hops in midwest.Page 14eliminate bargain air freight.HHeliminate all page 14 schedules, yip, cvg, etc., toolocal.With air freight schedule, indicate cost.HHindicate cost of air parcel post and air express.HHhave one whole page on air freight, etc.Pages 16 and 18eliminate all connections with Ethiopian.

HHshow connecting schedules to more popular offline points.HHshow connections in condensed schedules onpage 3.Eliminate type of schedule as exemplified by pages4-13, have only box segment type.Page 17, boxshow connection time to ewe too.Show helicopter connections at lax, nyc, etc.105 HHinclude helicopter connections to ewh, lga, idl.Page 14, eliminate schedule for nyc to hou via Memphis,Shreveport, etc.Eliminate italics on connecting flights (like San Diegoand Baltimore) confusing.Page 3nyc, Chi, phx, las indications misleading.Don't print once-a-week flight in condensed schedules-misleading. 110 Page 21International offices, cut out repetitions (Paris four times, London twice).Page 21eliminate International sales informationunnecessary columns, such as name of District Sales Manager, etc.HHpages 20 and 21, eliminate all off-line ticket officesleave more room for vital information.Page 20, left side, eliminate cable address, auto rental,etc.Eliminate last six columns page 20 domestic information(ticket office, ticket office hours, airport miles from city,city to airport transportation time, fare inc. got), tax).115 Pages 22 and 23clarify Domestic and International for General Passenger Information, misleading as stands, looks like 22 is domestic and 23 international.116 HHGeneral Passenger Information should be streamlined into one half the present words.117 Page 22rehead: "Helpful passenger information" or "Timesaving passenger information."118 Pages 18 and ig, stress international and domestic connections.119 Pages 22 and 23, eliminate "in U.S. currency" and dollar signsthis is domestic schedide.Indicate more clearly that ticket office hours are not sameas reservations hoursreservations usually open 24 hours.HHprint columns for office hours and telephone reservations closer together.Page 23, Faresprint fares in two colors to distinguishmore readily between tourist and first class.With faresexplain Time Pay Plan.124Have something lightanecdote, cartoon, each issue.125 Each issue, have limerick, advertising twa, to be completed, entry blank in flight packet on plane. Advertise and announce last timetable's winner.126 Sell advertising in timetables.127 Print four-color wrapper and four-color center section.128 Put more emphasis on baggage allowance and restrictions.129 HHprint timetable so that it unfolds to tape measure and indication of how large carry-on luggage may be.HHcartoon showing overburdened passenger with $$$signs (excess baggage charge).Mailinghave dignified, first class envelope, markedPERSONAL.HHhave envelope of thick enough paper that timetable doesn't shine through.HHshow photo of Super G on back of envelope.HHno envelope; address on timetable.HHuse cellophane envelopes.HHuse envelope to promote current featuresSleeperSeat, Family Plan, Time Pay, etc.Include coupon to send in for Skyliner Tours and MaryGordon leaflets.HHsend names of friends.139 HHpassengers' names to be put on mailing list.HHexplanation of atp.HHcoupon for hostess applicants.HHrotate above five inserts."If you please" letter to Collingsinsert in timetable.Feature a different noncompetitive interline carrier eachmonth.Limit distribution of large timetables to ticketed passengers. 146 Issue only seasonal timetableshave changes picked upby Reservations. 147 Name flights.HEmore nameslike "Royal Coachman," names byclass of service, or nonstops, etc.When this list of improvements has been screened, haveboard of outsiders (atp accounts, other frequent users,and seasoned travelers) advise whether final suggestionsreally are practical. This to be done only twice a yearor so.HHhave secretaries of important businessmen givetheir ideas on timetable improvements (perhaps prizefor best suggestions).Make timetable easy to read.Activate everything next month.A screening committee boiled that list down to sixty-two ideas. Many of the ideas on that screened list were put to use, and the new table was startlingly improved. It was more attractive; it gave the customer more information more easily than the old one; it carried out the airline's advertised promise of service; in short, the brainstorm session did accomplish its mission: it made the timetable a strong TWA selling point.