Business Traveller magazine: relevant articles

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This weeks issue

Change of plan for all business-class airline

6 October 2005

The race to offer all business-class flights from Stansted to New York has taken another twist, with Eos moving its launch date forward by two weeks. The US-based carrier had originally announced flights would begin on November 1, the same date as rivals Maxjet. But following final certification from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the UK Department for Transport, the first flights will now depart on October 18.

Eos and Maxjet will be competing on price and seating, with the former offering 78-inch flatbed 'suites', and prices starting from £3500 for a return ticket (£2500 for those booking before October 16).

Maxjet is offering a more modestly priced return ticket from £1278, in business class seats arranged six across (2-2-2) featuring 60 inches of legroom.

Both airlines will initially offer one flight daily in each direction, although Eos plans to add a second flight from January 3.

The Eos flight will leave Stansted at 10.30am and arrive in New York at 1.29pm, with Maxjet's flight departing half an hour earlier. The Eos return service departs New York at 7.05pm and arrives in Stansted at 7.30am, again half an hour later than the Maxjet flight.

Both services will face stiff competition from the frequent New York flights with rival airlines from Heathrow and Gatwick. But a spokesperson for Eos believes the proximity of Stansted to Canary Wharf and the City, as well as reduced baggage handling times and a dedicated lounge for Eos passengers, will prove enticing for business travellers flying to New York.

Maxjet, meanwhile, is confident that its cheaper prices will compare favourably with other airlines, particularly for passengers booking at the last minute.

Report by Mark Caswell


Asian hospitality comes to the US

6 October 2005

Hong Kong-based hotel group Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will open hotels in Miami in 2008 and Chicago in 2009 as part of its North American expansion, it was announced this week.

The 147-room Shangri-La Hotel, Miami, located on Biscayne Bay, will form part of a $480m mixed-use Island Gardens project including a 50-slip "super-yacht" harbour, sophisticated shops, restaurants, galleries and gardens.

Designed by concept architects Eric Kuhne and Associates, with interiors by renowned designer Piero Lissoni and Associati, the hotel will be shaped like a stylised lighthouse.

Shangri-La will also manage 105 Living Shangri-La residences on the top floors of the tower. These spacious two-four-bedroom suites will be privately owned but periodically will be available to hotel guests.

The Shangri-La Hotel, Chicago, will open in early 2009 in the new Waterview Tower located along the Chicago River at the corner of West Wacker Drive and Clark Street. The 200-room hotel will be on floors 12 through 27 of the 90-storey tower, within walking distance of the Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Lake Michigan, and the city's central business district.

Guests at both hotels will have round-the-clock butler service, wireless internet access, luxurious bathrooms and Shangri-La's signature beds and bed linen.

Report by Beverley Fearis.


The drinks aren't on us

6 October 2005

Bmi economy passengers will soon have to pay extra to enjoy a glass of red wine on long haul flights.

The UK-based carrier is to introduce charges for alcoholic drinks from January 3.

The airline will be the first European carrier to make such a charge, which will apply to all alcoholic drinks, including those served with the in-flight meal.

A spokesman for BMI said: "A number of US carriers already charge for alcoholic drinks on their flights, so this move will bring us in line with them."

He added that the charge would also enable Bmi to distinguish between its long haul economy and premium economy cabins, with the latter continuing to offer complimentary alcoholic drinks. Business class passengers will be unaffected by this change.

In addition to the new charges, BMI is to introduce a paid-for snack range on long haul flights. From November, passengers will be able to purchase sweet and savoury snacks from the voyager onboard shopping guide.

Report by Mark Caswell


You've got a friend

6 October 2005

A new VIP 'companion' service has been launched in London for female business travellers and the wives and partners of visiting executives.

My Friend in London gives clients, or small group of clients, a tailor-made itinerary incorporating some of London's best-kept secrets. It was conceived by lifelong Londoners Sharon Glanville and Stephanie Archer, whose 'insider tips' were constantly sought by friends and colleagues looking for something to do in the capital.

"We will open up a broader experience for the discerning woman who is travelling alone with limited time. The accent is not necessarily on 'alternative' London but 'quality' London - and we will provide the companionship to enable a client to explore it fully," said Archer.

"London is a vast and diverse city and visitors risk missing out on so much if they don't know where to go."

My Friend in London also offers a gift-buying service (open to men too), and assistance for executives and their families who are re-locating to the city. See a review of this new service in Business Traveller magazine's October issue out now. See their web site


Private jet 'light'

6 October 2005

Businesses looking for a flexible way to fly employees around Europe might like to consider the new Jet Membership 'Light' Card from Bombardier Skyjet.

Until November 30, Skyjet is offering 25 hours flying time anywhere in Europe, in a light business aircraft, for around £76,000.

The flying time is valid for one year from the date of purchase, and guarantees the availability of one of Skyjet's range of aircraft.

One of Skyjet's selling points is that it does not charge a positioning fee, meaning that you pay only when you are in the air in one of its four types of business aircrafts (which seat up to six people).

Judith Moreton, managing director of Bombardier Skyjet International, hopes that the 'Light' Card will encourage business users to consider an alternative to scheduled airlines.

"Passengers flying with Skyjet avoid the congestion and time wasting of normal commercial airlines. By calling us before 4pm the day before travel, they are guaranteed an aircraft from our fleet, and our 24 hour support team will ensure a stress free travel experience," she said.
Skyjet has access to the major London airports, including Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted, as well as many smaller regional bases. The 25-hour card should cover around 10 return flights depending on where within Europe you are flying.

The company hopes that frequent leisure users will also be attracted by the new simple pricing structure and the offer of flexible travel, particularly for family groups looking to avoid summer airport chaos and delays.

See the SkyJet web site.

Report by Mark Caswell


Lansdowne Hotel opens in Brighton

6 October 2005

Brighton has yet another new hotel for style-conscious visitors. Lansdowne Place, located just off Brighton seafront, opposite Hove lawns and formerly the Dudley hotel, has 84 rooms,(including six single rooms) a spa, conference facilities and restaurant.

Designed to go against the minimalist trend set by so many modern design hotels, it has classic wallpapers, lacquered wood and elegant richly-coloured furnishings.

Rooms are fully equipped with baths and power showers, fine Egyptian cotton bed linen, LCD screens and broadband internet connection.

The 90-cover restaurant, The Grill at the Lansdowne, features classic dishes made using locally-sourced organic and free range produce and its head chef, Michael Savva, was previously executive head chef at the Hempel, London.

Seven conference rooms include a ballroom for 150 seated, a conference room with capacity for 200 featuring an LCD projection screen, and the 80 seated Regency Suite.

All private rooms have built-in sound systems and plasma screens, and the hotel also features wireless broadband internet throughout.

And, after all the work is done (and if the weather is good) business guests can chill out on the first-floor sun deck or ask the concierge 'beach service' to arrange a Lansdowne Place deck chair on Brighton's pebbly beach, picnic hampers or bicycle hire.

Rates start from £157 for a standard double (room only) inc VAT.

Brighton is a 35-minute train journey from Gatwick and one-hour from London.

 

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This weeks articles

Northwest down to one UK flight

Northwest Airlines has scrapped flights between the UK and Minneapolis after 25 years operating the route.

From October 30 the London Gatwick-Minneapolis route will be suspended until further notice, leaving Northwest with just one UK flight, operating from Gatwick to Detroit.

Passengers with bookings to Minneapolis after October 30 will be rebooked with KLM flying via Amsterdam, but passengers inconvenienced by the change of schedule, change of departure airport (from Gatwick to London City Airport or Heathrow) or by the extra connecting flight, may apply for a refund, although a spokeswoman told Businesstraveller.com that it would not be a full refund.

Northwest once operated three flights out of the UK, the third to Boston, but has had to scale-down services further since entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in recent weeks.

Report by Ginny McGrath


TravelClub scrapped

Swiss has ditched its frequent flyer programme following a merger with Lufthansa's scheme.

Swiss TravelClub will be terminated on April 1 2006, with all members being invited to switch to Lufthansa's Miles & More. According to Swiss, its TravelClub members will not lose out, with their mileage balance transferred one-for-one to a Miles & More account on March 31 2006.

These miles remain valid for three years and any status awarded will be valid for two years. TravelClub members will also maintain their equivalent status in Miles & More.

TravelClub members can continue to collect and spend their miles until March 31, 2006. Advantages for TravelClub members is that once they are a part of Miles & More they can choose to redeem and earn miles with the other 16 airlines in the Star Alliance.

As well as being Lufthansa's frequent flyer programme, Miles & More is the frequent flyer programme of Adria Airways, Air Dolomiti, Air One, Austrian Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Luxair. With 11 million members it is Europe's largest.

According to Ravindra Bhagwanani of Global Flight Management, a frequent flyer programme consultancy, TravelClub members flying longhaul will benefit because longhaul award flights are cheaper with Miles & More than TravelClub. Conversely he says TravelClub is cheaper for award flights in Europe.

TravelClub members should register for Miles & More by November 15 2005 using their membership number and personal code at this web site.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Security tops the agenda

Companies concerned of the whereabouts of their staff during global security alerts are being offered a new service that uses mobile phone technology.

The service, launched by FCm Travel Solutions UK, works when a company sends a text message to a central server containing details of a country or region and within 60 seconds a message is automatically returned that tells the company how many staff it has in the region and how many are due to travel there. This is backed up by an email that gives names and travel details of the employees involved. The client must enter a security code in order to use the service.

The travel management company launched the IRRIDIS system in response to the increasing demand from its clients for improved security for their travelling staff.

In addition, in response to major incidents, such as the recent Kashmir earthquake or the terrorist attack in Bali, the IRRIDIS server will send a text message to a nominated mobile phone within a company containing details of any staff in the region and anyone planning to travel there.

The system also provides travellers with a detailed itinerary of their trip, sent by email, which includes flight numbers and routings, hotel names, and car hire details including pick up and drop off points. Travel bookings must be made through FCm in order for companies to benefit from these alert services.

Subscription to the service costs £750 a year for the first mobile phone user, and £250 for each additional user, but companies subscribing before the end of November save £150 on the first mobile phone registration if they sign up two or more users.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Business booms for Bmi

Since Bmi launched thrice weekly non-stop flights from London Heathrow to the Saudi capital of Riyadh on September 1 the carrier has seen strong bookings in both standard and premium classes. It now hopes to add a further thrice weekly service to the port city of Jeddah by Spring 2006.

Currently Bmi is the only British carrier flying into Saudi Arabia following the withdrawal of British Airways earlier this year for commercial reasons. BA had latterly been routing its services via Kuwait (where the crew were based for security reasons) and this had pushed up costs and led to unattractive scheduling. In a part of the world where loyalty is so important, BA's decision to pull out wasn't popular with the Saudis.

Bmi has been welcomed with open arms. Riyadh has limited air connections to Europe and this means that seats are in short supply. At busy times passengers must route themselves to Europe via Bahrain or Dubai which adds hours to the journey time.

Bmi is operating wide-bodied A330s configured for business, premium economy and regular economy. Business class gets a six across (2-2-2) layout with conventional seating offering 60 inches of legroom and a 160 degree recline. Premium Economy is basically the same seating as in regular economy deposed eight across (2-4-2) with 38 inches of legroom as against 32.

But Bmi's seat configuration isn't ideal for the Saudi market. There's no first class (in a part of the world where there's still a good demand) while Saudi travellers aren't familiar with Premium Economy which they also regard as too expensive in relation to the cost of business class. Says Bmi's CEO Nigel Turner, "we do have a different product to what BA was offering but we do have the best crew in the world and they do make passengers feel more comfortable."

However, Bmi will need an extra plane to serve both Riyadh and Jeddah (the single A330 currently used also covers Mumbai) and the carrier indicates that this aircraft may be reconfigured for the Saudi market.

Flights currently depart Heathrow every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 09.35 returning from Riyadh at 00.40 the following day. From November 1, the flights will be rescheduled to leave at the same times every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday returning from Riyadh on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Return fares start at £230 in economy class including taxes and charges. Premium economy costs £1,624 with business class priced at £1,962. For more information go to bmi web site.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Milan base for Easyjet

Easyjet continue to spread their wings across Europe, with news of the introduction of its first base in Italy.

From March 26 2006, Milan's Malpensa Airport will become the airline's 16th European hub, serving Athens, London Gatwick, Madrid, Malaga and Paris Charles de Gaulle, in addition to Berlin and Dortmund, which commence at the end of October.

Easyjet will use three new Airbus A319s to service the seven new routes, and expects to carry around 1.2 million passengers through the base in the first 12 months. Easyjet currently operates flights to nine Italian airports, and the base will be its sixth to be situated outside the UK.

The low cost airline will face stiff competition from British Airways and Al Italia, both of whom have established bases at Milan Malpensa. The airport is located around 29 miles from the centre of Milan, significantly further than Milan Linate (from where Easyjet already flies to London Gatwick and Paris Orly), but closer than the city's third airport, Bergamo, used by low cost rival Ryanair. Transport links from Milan Malpensa to the city centre include an express rail link and shuttle bus.

Ray Webster, Easyjet chief executive, said: "We have been focusing on growth in Italy over the last year. Our move into Milan Malpensa's airport demonstrates our commitment to provide low-cost efficient services in Italy."

Flights with Easyjet from Milan Malpensa can be booked from October 15 at Easy Jet.

Report by Mark Caswell


Paddington hotel for Guest Invest

The company that offers hotel guests a share in its properties is opening a second hotel in London.

Investors can register their interest to buy a room in the hotel near Paddington Station, due to go on sale in early 2006.

In return for an outlay of around £200,000, buyers will receive a 999 year leasehold on the room, and 50 per cent of its income. They will also be entitled to stay in the room for up to 52 days per year, for a nominal fee of £10 per night.

The Paddington hotel will be the second to be opened by Guest Invest, after the success of Guesthouse West in Notting Hill last year. Ideally located for travellers arriving from London Heathrow, the rooms will be tailored to the needs of the business traveller, with amenities such as broadband and wifi internet access.

A spokesperson for Guest Invest said: "The latest offering is designed to provide a viable alternative to the London pied-a-terre market, where investors can buy their own room in a hotel, without the hassle of maintaining a second home, and reap the revenue from their hotel room for the rest of the year."

To register interest in the Paddington property, or for further information go to web site.

Report by Mark Caswell

 

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This weeks' articles - 21 October

Delta announces new routes to become world's largest transatlantic airline

Delta Airlines this week has announced 11 new transatlantic routes for 2006, including a new daily Manchester to New York flight and an Edinburgh to Atlanta route. The new services will be from its two transatlantic gateways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Edinburgh to Atlanta service will begin operating on 5 May 2006 with a wide-bodied 767-300ER configured in two classes – BusinessElite and Economy and a total of 204 seats. The Manchester service will begin with a 767-400 with an all economy product, which will then be reconfigured into the two-class product during the course of the year.

The new routes are as a result of Delta reducing capacity in its domestic market and moving more of its wide-bodied planes onto international routes where competition is less fierce and yields are higher.

Other new routes Delta will fly to next Spring include:
Athens, Greece – Atlanta (effective May 30)
Nice, France – Atlanta (effective May 10)
Venice, Italy - Atlanta (effective June 7)
Budapest, Hungary - New York/JFK (effective May 9)
Dublin/Shannon, Ireland - New York/JFK (effective May 16)
Manchester, England - New York/JFK (effective May 16)
Kiev, Ukraine - New York/JFK*
Tel Aviv, Israel – Atlanta (previously announced to begin March 28)
Düsseldorf, Germany - Atlanta (previously announced to begin April 4)
Copenhagen, Denmark - Atlanta (previously announced to begin May 2)
(*The Kiev-JFK service is subject to U.S. and foreign government approvals. All remaining routes listed except JFK-Manchester are subject to foreign government approval.)
Delta is also increasing the seasonal capacity between Atlanta – Shannon, Ireland and between New York (JFK) and Rome, Italy.


Report by Tom Otley


Virgin Trains ticket sales rise

Virgin's train division is selling 5,000 additional Value tickets a week since it simplified its booking procedures (see online News August 18).

Until six weeks ago, the train firm's best priced tickets had to be purchased three, seven or 14 days before travel. But at the end of September, Virgin Trains extended the booking deadline to 18.00 the day before travel and in doing so it has cut the cost of doing business in the key cities it serves which include London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. It called these low priced tickets Value tickets, and it seems that travellers agree.

Says a spokesperson for Virgin Trains, "We're now selling 75,000 Value tickets [compared to 70,000] every week and the new booking concept has gone down rather well. What we are finding is that canny passengers are learning to 'mix and match' their journeys by, for example, booking a more expensive ticket for a peak hour outward trip and then benefiting from a lower off-peak rate for their return leg."

When Business Traveller checked journeys on Wednesday (Oct 19) for travel today (Thursday Oct 20) it found that a peak hour one-way first class ticket from London to Glasgow was available for as little as £38.

When it came to booking day trips, a peak time standard class London-Birmingham return which normally costs £100 could be reduced to £60.50 by combining a one-way Business Advance ticket with a Value rate in first class when returning in the late afternoon. A similar ticketing method for London-Manchester, usually costing £187 standard class, could be cut to £90.50. Savings of this magnitude weren't previously possible for short notice bookings.

Virgin has more empty first class seats available in its off-peak trains. So, interestingly, at these times it can be cheaper to book first rather than standard class.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Oneworld welcomes Royal Jordanian

Royal Jordanian is to join oneworld making it the first carrier from the Middle East region to enter a global airline alliance.

The Jordan-based airline will become a fully-fledged member at the end of 2006 and has already satisfied the initial criteria for membership. Work will now begin on connecting its IT systems to those of its new partners and aligning its services.

Currently, BMed is the only oneworld member serving Royal Jordanian's home market, with daily flights from the capital Amman to London Heathrow. Iberia is the only oneworld airline that has a code sharing agreement with the new member, but agreements are likely to follow with other members.

Royal Jordanian's membership will benefit passengers in the Gulf buying round the world tickets who will no longer need to travel into Europe to access the oneworld network; instead they will be able to travel via Amman to all points east into Asia.

Residents of northern Europe will be able to make stopovers on the Royal Jordanian network – for example, Tunis, Cairo, Damascus or Beirut – on their way to the Middle East and may be able to take advantage of special fares to the Gulf via Amman.

Existing members of oneworld are American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus. Hungary's Malév signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2005 as a first step towards joining.

Report by Sarah Maxwell and Alex McWhirter


BA and Lufthansa move to inclusive pricing

Two major airlines, British Airways and Lufthansa, have quietly adopted all-inclusive pricing for online bookings.

Passengers using either of their respective websites are now being quoted fares which include taxes, fees and charges from the very start of the booking. Says a BA spokesperson, "We've added more transparency to the booking process. Our passengers have told us they want to see everything presented up front."

Passengers making a booking with almost all airlines worldwide are initially presented with prices which exclude the extras. Airlines prefer to display net prices because it flatters their headline rate. It is only when passengers reach the final booking page that the full cost of their ticket is revealed.

What has prompted this development is the fact that since the advent of fuel surcharges the cost of extras has rocketed. The traditional airlines routinely add £40 to £60 in extras for a short-haul return flight while a trip to Australia might have an extra £120 to £200 tacked on.

By quoting all-inclusive prices BA and Lufthansa are falling in with the AUC's (Air Transport Users' Council) recommendations for simpler pricing. "This is welcome news," chief executive Simon Evans told Business Traveller online, "but it would be nice to think we could shame the others into following suit."

There were opposing viewpoints from two other UK carriers. A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said that the carrier already operated simple pricing with the final rate, including the extras listed separately, shown at the end and not at the beginning of the booking.

According to an Easyjet spokesperson, "This is something we would like to introduce at some point but we don't feel that now is the right time because the market is so competitive. We feel that presenting a higher up front fare could be discouraging for customers."

Report by Alex McWhirter


Bangalore gains new flights

Bangalore, the software centre of India is getting better air links with Europe and the outside world. Until now travellers have had to rely on Lufthansa, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways or irregular Air India services. From October 30, British Airways and Air France will launch five times a week direct flights from London Heathrow and Paris CDG respectively. At the same time Northwest and KLM will begin operating a joint service from Amsterdam. Passengers using these airlines' hubs can make connections to elsewhere in Europe plus North America and Africa.

But travellers arriving in Bangalore will be faced with an acute accommodation shortage with room rates at four and five star hotels having rocketed by 42 per cent over the past year. It means that short notice bookings are problematic and hotels charge London prices.

According to global travel agency chain BTI, Bangalore's hotel rates are the third highest in the world after Moscow and Rome. According to BTI's CEO in India Vijay Chadda, "This is hardly surprising as hotels in Bangalore get whatever prices they want since demand far outstrips supply." Says expat interior design consultant Carlito Lo Sosito, "Even smaller, less comfortable hotels can now get away with charging an arm and a leg. We tell our clients visiting us here to let us know at least a week ahead otherwise we won't be able to accommodate them."

The Leela Palace, widely regarded as the city's best hotel, has "rates ranging between US$350 and $450 with the average price being $400 all plus 10 per cent tax," says sales executive Amit Reddy. The Leela is building a 140-room extension but it won't be ready until April 2006. Other options for business people include the ITC Sheraton Windsor, The Taj, and Oberoi.

The room shortage has prompted some firms to build accommodation blocks for visitors and staff. Other executives have no option but to commute in from Chennai or Hyderabad some 200 or 300 miles away.
The situation should ease from 2007 when Shangri La, Marriott, Hyatt and ITC Sheraton plan to add a raft of new properties.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Brown's returns to London hotel scene

London's famous Brown's Hotel is set to reopen on December 12 following an extensive refurbishment.

Since taking over the well-known Mayfair hotel in 2003, Rocco Forte Hotels has performed a £19 million makeover – which was overseen by Sir Rocco Forte's sister and hotel designer Olga Polizzi. The new Brown's will have 117 guestrooms and suites in contemporary design, six private meeting rooms, three spa treatment rooms and a 70sqm fully-equipped cardiovascular gym.

Guests will dine in The Grill under the watchful eyes of Maitre d' Angelo Maresca, previously of the Savoy Grill, while the kitchen will be at the helm of executive chef Laurence Glayzer of The Ritz and Savoy Grill.

Brown's first opened in 1837 and is enshrined in London's cultural history with a host of famous guests, including Alexander Graham Bell, who made the UK's first telephone call from the hotel in 1876, Rudyard Kipling and a procession of Roosevelts, from Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor.

Report by Sarah Maxwell


SPECIAL REPORT

Expense and sensibility

Firms may be sending employees abroad again, but the strict controls over expense claims brought in after September 11 remain, finds Tom Otley...

In every job there are tasks we grow to hate, particularly the repetitious type, and top of the list for many business travellers is filing their expenses. Travel and entertainment out of the office is part and parcel of working life, but keeping track of it can be a real headache.

Whether it's completing an Excel spreadsheet or matching receipts to the tally on your corporate card and matching both to a faulty memory, expenses are an unengaging mix of boredom and panic. Boredom because you could be doing better things. Panic, because you have to get it right. As the saying goes: "they can always get you on expenses".
And now more than ever that's true, as shown by several new surveys.

The first, by American Express found that companies are cracking down on travel and expenses (T&E) spending by introducing tighter policies for staff. In the poll, 45 per cent said that their companies' policies have become "somewhat" or "a lot" tougher over the past two or three years. And many business travellers are taking heed of the new directives. Nearly one-quarter of all respondents said that, compared to two or three years ago, they were "somewhat" or "much" more careful in adhering to their firms' T&E spending rules, while more than one-third said that in the same period their companies are "somewhat" or "much more careful" in reviewing travellers' expense reports. Yet for all this, the survey also suggests that padding corporate travel expenses is common.

Most professional investigators and risk managers would agree. Deloitte Forensic polled 125 delegates at the 2004 Asia Pacific Fraud Convention and 82 per cent said they had experienced an increase in corporate fraud in the last year, with 36 per cent saying there had been a major increase. The survey revealed that the three most common types of workplace corruption were intellectual property theft, theft of common property and employee expense fraud.

Of course, whether you think expense padding is fraud depends on whether you are the one doing the claiming, or having to settle the claim. Business Process Outsource provider GlobalExpense found that around 2.5 million employees believe it is acceptable to exaggerate their expense claims at work. Its survey also found that of the UK's 27.9 million workforce, 27 per cent believe their colleagues sometimes inflate their expense claims, and over a million people have such low regard for their workmates that they think they over-claim all of the time.

"The fact that a quarter of those who claim expenses think that exaggerating their figures is acceptable is quite disturbing," said Ashley Whittaker, CEO of GlobalExpense. "British industry must tighten up its procedures to prevent such a loss of revenue and a negative culture of petty theft in the workplace." Employers in the US might want to address this too – a book published there called How to pad your expense reports probably won't help matters.

But is padding your expenses really fraud? Some seem to think it depends on the amount that you over-claim. GlobalExpense's survey showed that while 39 per cent of those who inflate their expenses would only do so by up to 10 per cent of the amount, only 8 per cent would be happy to exaggerate by at least 50 per cent.

Ashley Whittaker added: "Taking into account the amounts that individuals claimed they would exaggerate, we can very conservatively estimate that at least £230 million is claimed in inflated expense claims in the UK each year. However, from my time working as an auditor, I suspect the figure is substantially higher."

So why do people do it? For the money would be the obvious answer, but since very few of these people steal from work in any other way, perhaps it's something a little more subtle. Steve Flatt from the Psychological Therapies Unit at Liverpool University said: "You could argue that it's possible to polarise these people into two groups; those that are too lazy to fill them in properly, and so allow inaccuracies to creep in, and those who are meticulous. Of the two, it's the second who perhaps think about the possibilities that an expense claim offers them for padding."

It's the former who make matters worse by dragging their heels when it comes to claiming, though. In the latest Barclaycard Business Travel Survey 2004/5, it was found that 46 per cent of employees take up to a month to claim expenses. What's worrying is that employers take nearly as long to process them (41 per cent take up to a month). In addition, employers appear to have a lack of control over the way their money is being spent – 63 per cent of employees say they can reclaim expenses without a receipt. Since the average value of a lost receipt is £128, the amounts soon add up.

So how should companies combat this? Said Kristine Olsen of American Express: "The important thing is to have a policy, communicate it, and then enforce it." Adrian Leng, who oversees T&E at Citigroup, agrees. He said: "The policy needs to articulate which hotels and airlines employees can use, what the approval process is for getting T&E signed off and what the submission requirements are – if the bill amount is above £25, say, a receipt has to be attached to the expense report, and the time period within which an expense claim has to be submitted. If an employer can communicate these messages, then it's the beginning of minimising fraud because employees know what is acceptable and what is not."

It's a message that Brian Provost, chief operating officer for Gelco, a business service provider specialising in T&E, agrees with. "You have to distinguish between employees who don't understand the policy, and those who are fraudulent. We've found that most employees don't understand their company's policies." Leng added: "The whole basis of having a standard out there is to avoid ambiguity and the potential misbehaviour of an employee." But he added: "The environment of the company is very important. Policies forced down people's throats might cause resentment and that in turn can cause problems."

According to the survey by GlobalExpense, the most popular reason for employees hiking up their expense claims is the fact that the company doesn't cover all their costs. Other reasons include employees thinking they are not being paid enough; the boss being too slow to pay; they don't like their job; or they don't like their boss. The younger the person, the more likely they are to believe that exaggerating their expense claim is acceptable.

GlobalExpense's Whittaker added: "The fact that over one million people don't know exactly what they can claim for is also worrying. A huge culture change is essential for British businesses to move forward. Employees need to be clearly told what is acceptable and what is not. There is no need for every employee to be treated as untrustworthy – most clearly aren't. But a sizeable minority are systematically cheating their employers."

One simple way of minimising fraud is for a company to issue corporate cards. Said Olsen: "A company credit card can take a lot of the hassle out of expenses for employees. It means they are not settling the expenses themselves and then having to look to the company for reimbursement. It stops them from providing the company's cash flow."

It also allows the frequent traveller to keep track of all his or her expenditure. "If you rely on receipts alone, there's always the chance you'll forget something, but having it all on a card stops them from missing out on being reimbursed." American Express encourages use of its cards with a rewards scheme – one for the company itself and another for individual cardholders – while Barclaycard has other benefits such as insurance and access to airport lounges through the Priority Pass programme.

The advantages for companies are clear. The cards allow a company to keep a very detailed record of the business expenditure of its employees, and to spot patterns that may help it with an expense management programme for its frequent travel employees. Said Olsen: "It automates a lot of the process and means that the spending patterns can be integrated into an expense management tool, then straight into a company's accounting tool. The rest will be cash transactions, such as taxi fares or perhaps mileage on cars. Cash is the enemy. It's hard to track, hard to measure and easy to abuse."

There will never be a 100 per cent accurate method of catching fraud, but in major cities such as New York or London certain expenditures are predictable, and Amex produces figures for companies to give them both a general and relative idea of costs. Whether companies allow employees to get cash advances on their corporate card plays a part in tracing overall expenditure, since having the card as a single point of capture for both cash advances and card transactions reduces the hassle of having to go to an exchange bureau, and allows the expenses of doing so to be captured by the card.

How employees regard the corporate card – as something which takes away the majority of administration from their expenses claims and makes them feel safe, or as a spy in their pocket – depends on both the individual and the organisation to which they belong. Mike Vallance of Business Barclaycard explained: "For many companies there's an element of recognition and status for employees to be offered these cards. Some companies positively make it so through the design of the card and the top level spending amount available."

So which card should you choose? Vallance says it is worth shopping around for the best deal, but cautions on going on price alone.
He said: "Depending on the firm's particular needs, it's worth looking closely at the value-added offers that come with a card beyond the card fee."

As an additional security against fraud, companies can make use of firms such as Concur or Gelco, a business service provider specialising in the area. Gelco's expense reporting system, ExpenseLink Intelligent Workflow, allows travel managers to identify potential cases of abuse and misuse of funds, the theory being that they can then focus on making sure people comply with expenses policy. The method is automating the expense report process, so that expenses outside company policies are immediately identified.

Gelco's Provost said: "Employees prefer it. They are paid quickly and it stops them providing the cash flow for their company." As a result, Gelco says companies see an increased percentage of T&E going on the corporate card, because employees see it as the easiest way of dealing with expenses. "Most card companies hope for 40 per cent on the card. We know they get a 22 per cent increase of spend on the card when they use additional software such as Gelco's," said Provost.

In the end, no one thing will solve expense fraud. As Geoff Cronin, vice-president of solution marketing at Gelco explained: "Fraud detection is a process, not an event. You identify possible fraud opportunities and build a whole cycle to both resolve those opportunities and verify that it isn't going to happen. An automated process alone can't do it, so you need a manual check process in there at some point.

Fraud can mean different things to different people. Is it fraud if a business lunch is actually two colleagues talking about work? And what about if they talk about work for the first 10 minutes, then go on to discuss their weekend plans? Increasingly, employees have to give a reason for the lunch and the topic and, depending on the policy, two colleagues wouldn't count as such.

"In the end, it's down to the culture of the company," said Olsen. "In one, what is considered a business meeting wouldn't be in another. Some companies use T&E as a form of reward, while for others it's strictly business."Still, it's best to know the official policy before trying to use your expenses in this way. One thing is for sure, companies are scrutinising more closely than ever.

For further information, go to:
www.americanexpress.co.uk
www.deloitte.com
www.globalexpense.com
www.barclaycardbusiness.co.uk
www.concur.com
www.gelco.com

Business travellers confess...

"We had to have a quiet word with one employee who had put in a series of claims for work-related telephone calls while he was out of the office. When we pointed out that they were all to his home number, he claimed that on each occasion he was calling his wife to ask her to get important files from his study!"
Human resources manager, Birmingham

"I've put entire 'affairs' through my expense accounts. Admittedly, he was initially a client, but it meant I could claim back for everything from hotels to meals to holidays. And I once ran a little scam where I put cigarettes and pashminas through expenses (no one could read the Indian and Thai receipts) and then I'd sell them on to friends."
Public relations executive, London

"When I used to work in Aberdeen, in Scotland, we had around 8-12 guys arrive at Dyce Airport every Monday morning and then catch a cab (normally four in a cab) from the airport to the office. But when expenses time came they all submitted separate £7 taxi fares, on blank receipts bought for a fiver from the cabbie. When the company finally sussed out that 12 guys arrived at the same time but never shared a taxi, the guys had to make up all kinds of excuses: 'I always went for breakfast first before going to the office','I went to the hotel first','I had to stop and book the return flight.' Eventually the company hired two rental cars to be used to and from the airport."
Engineer, Southampton

"On my first ever press trip, I was schooled in the ways of the expense claims by the older journalists. We were in Atlanta and went on a massive bar crawl, in a horse-drawn carriage! The final bill came to around $300 which, thanks to some friendly cab drivers, I ended up putting down as several different taxi fares."
IT journalist, Brighton

"One guy I used to work with spent a weekend in a suite at a top hotel in Hong Kong. He hired a couple of high-class prostitutes, and to cover the cost he put in a false claim for a return flight to Shanghai instead."
Marketing manager, telecommunications, London

"It's common practice to add a zero on to a taxi receipt, or to ask for a blank one and make it up. Surely everyone does that, don't they?"
Trader, London

"We used to run an industry event for premium content providers, you know, the online cough companies and so on. Some of them were into their recreational drugs and would expect us to go and score it for them. We'd end up coming back to the UK several hundred euro short and obviously with no receipts to show for it. Then, one year, we discovered these beer mats in a local bar, which had all the details of the German brewery on them, and then just enough white space on the top for us to write in an amount. We photocopied lots of these and put them through as entertainment receipts and the problem was solved."
Public relations director, London

"When you come back from the States you always end up out of pocket on receipts because of all the tipping. One company I worked for allowed you to add 10-15 per cent
on top of your total bill to cover this, so we'd just claim this but never bother tipping!"
Recruitment consultant, Winchester

"I claimed on my company's insurance for a pair of brand new designer glasses that I left in a hotel room when I was on a conference trip. When I got the money back I went and bought a new pair, which to be honest with you, weren't as expensive, but then a few weeks later I found the original pair in the boot of my car. Whoops!"
Marketing consultant, Brighton

"A guy I used to work with was a bit of a character. On overseas trips we were given a generous cash advance, and then we'd have to produce receipts or give the cash back. He came back from one trip to Bangkok having spent all of the money, but with few receipts to show for it. He claimed he'd been mugged by two 'drug-crazed prostitutes' in the hotel elevator. When management made it clear they didn't believe it, he then wrote a very detailed letter describing every detail of the incident, and also citing other people who were on the same conference who could vouch for him (obviously his mates). In the end, it was his words against theirs, so they had to let it go."
Tour operator, Sutton

"In an old job, I went in to see my boss to ask for a much-deserved pay rise. She told me that she completely agreed with my reasons but that there was no way her boss would agree to it, so instead she advised me to treat myself and my boyfriend to a nice meal each week, and put it through on expenses. I said that this wasn't going to help pay my mortgage, but did as she advised anyway. It turned out that everyone else was, so I didn't see why I should be left out."
Editor, London

"A client of mine was on a trip in the Middle East and as part of a hosted bedouin event in the desert, he took a short trip on the back of a camel. Unfortunately, halfway through, the camel (incidentally a very old one), keeled over and died. The camel owner insisted that not only did my client pay the cost of the camel 'hire' but he also paid for the dead camel, which certainly raised a few eyebrows in the accounts department!"
Civil engineer, Kingston, Surrey

Beverley Fearis

Ten tips to help your employees manage their expenses

1. Review your expenses management regularly to ensure both company and employees are getting the most out of the system
2. Introduce simple everyday processes to save money, remove stress and cut back on wasted staff resources
3. Make staff aware of the role their actions play in the expenses claiming chain
4. Institute refresher training courses or even incentives for prompt expenses submissions
5. Ensure staff include receipts with claims wherever possible — even if the expenses claim was for a bill paid using a company corporate card
6. Have clear spending guidelines and a mutual understanding between company and employees, which will make the whole travel and expenses process more effective
7. In addition, have a clear company policy on travel and entertainment to prevent overspending by employees
8. Find the right corporate card provider. Look at all the benefits that come with that card, not just the price of it
9. Use the card for payments to internet businesses — a safe way to do business, and to pay one-off suppliers. It avoids setting up a new account which can be time-consuming
10. Listen to feedback from employees. They are the ones having to comply with the policy.

Tips provided by Barclaycard Business

 

[BlacKnox]

Re: This weeks' articles - 21 October

Well done Lindsay Wilson. I read your updates religiously and find this issue especially informative.

BA and Lufthansa move to inclusive pricing

Two major airlines, British Airways and Lufthansa, have quietly adopted all-inclusive pricing for online bookings.

Passengers using either of their respective websites are now being quoted fares which include taxes, fees and charges from the very start of the booking. Says a BA spokesperson, "We've added more transparency to the booking process. Our passengers have told us they want to see everything presented up front."

This is great, and I hope others follow suit.

But travellers arriving in Bangalore will be faced with an acute accommodation shortage with room rates at four and five star hotels having rocketed by 42 per cent over the past year. It means that short notice bookings are problematic and hotels charge London prices.

According to global travel agency chain BTI, Bangalore's hotel rates are the third highest in the world after Moscow and Rome. According to BTI's CEO in India Vijay Chadda, "This is hardly surprising as hotels in Bangalore get whatever prices they want since demand far outstrips supply." Says expat interior design consultant Carlito Lo Sosito, "Even smaller, less comfortable hotels can now get away with charging an arm and a leg. We tell our clients visiting us here to let us know at least a week ahead otherwise we won't be able to accommodate them."

I plan to be there early next year for the first time and appreciate the heads up :!:

 

[QF WP]

This weeks' articles - 28 October

Rail firms up the ante

Two of Europe's leading train companies Eurostar and Thalys are to form a marketing alliance branded Rail Team. Eurostar operates high-speed services linking London Waterloo with Brussels Midi and Paris Nord. Thalys also operates high-speed trains but these run from Paris Nord via Brussels Midi and on to Amsterdam and Cologne.

Both rail firms say they will cooperate on ticketing and scheduling. This will make it easier for passengers to switch from one train to another, especially at Brussels Midi, where both services meet. Until now, making a connection has been a hit and miss affair because Eurostar and Thalys schedules don't always match. It will also make it possible to include Eurostar journeys on Thalys tickets and vice versa. In other words, it will be possible to incorporate the popular triangular route of London-Brussels-Paris-London on one ticket. They also say they will link their loyalty schemes.

Both rail firms continue to face fierce competition from the airlines. Although Thalys has captured almost all the Brussels-Paris market, the airlines are strong on routes like London-Cologne, Paris-Cologne and Paris-Amsterdam.

Why has the arrival of Rail Team taken so long? After all, the airlines have been forging alliances for years and Eurostar and Thalys are a natural fit because they don't compete.

When Business Traveller poised these points to Eurostar, a spokesperson responded, "Yes, what you say is correct. I can say that over the years we've had so much customer feedback on this issue. The problem has been that both ourselves and Thalys use different systems. But we now have a strong commitment to proceed together, to develop services for passengers and to compete more effectively with the airlines."

Eurostar has no timescale for Rail Team. But the spokesperson said matters were proceeding "as a matter of priority." For more information go to Eurostar and Thalys.

Report by Alex McWhirter


All-business fares to NY plummet

All business class carrier Maxjet has slashed the price of its soon-to-be-launched transatlantic service. The US carrier launches a six times weekly service between London Stansted and New York JFK on November 2 (the eastbound flight starts on November 1). Maxjet hopes the lower price of £854 return will encourage more business people to try the flights. It will certainly appeal to the many small to medium-sized firms located within the Stansted catchment area.

Maxjet CEO Garry Rogliano told Business Traveller: "For the same price as a flexible economy ticket you can now fly business class. Our aim is to make business class more affordable and attractive to a larger market."

Rogliano believes that transatlantic business class passengers have been getting a raw deal from the big carriers. "We analysed 15 different UK-US routes and we saw that 8% of the passengers were providing 50% of the revenue."

Maxjet expects most of its passengers (60%) to come from the UK/mainland Europe with the remainder from the US.

Although some UK travellers may view Stansted as inconvenient that view may not be shared by travellers on the other side of the Atlantic. Says Rogliano: "US travellers will find they can reach the City in 45 minutes by the Stansted Express. Stansted will offer US passport holders faster clearance. The other morning [as a US national] it took me 90 minutes to clear passport control at Heathrow."

Maxjet will operate with a 102-seater wide-bodied B767. Seating layout will be six across (2-2-2) with 60 inches of legroom. Flights depart Stansted at 10.00 returning from JFK at 18.30. The carrier says it will offer Stansted passengers use of Fast Track along with the SAS lounge. Passengers leaving JFK will have access to the Korean Air lounge. When they reach Stansted they'll be able to use an arrivals' lounge at the adjacent Radisson/SAS hotel. For more information go to Maxjet web site

Report by Alex McWhirter


Get inches for pounds

Passengers travelling with Flybe can now pre-book a seat, including seats with extra legroom, for a charge.

The cost of pre-booking a normal seat is £5, while reserving one with extra legroom costs £15, both through Flybe. Passengers travelling in Flybe's premium economy class can pre-book their seat online at no extra charge. The seats can be pre-booked at the time of booking or up to the day of departure.

Other online improvements from Flybe include the ability to book flights through its website on the day of departure, up to two hours before scheduled take-off. previously this had to be done over the phone or at the airport.

Flybe is not the first carrier to enable passengers to secure an emergency exit seat, and the extra legroom that goes with it. Bmibaby customers can book the extra legroom seats for £10 online on a first-come-first-served basis. The £10 charge is per flight, per passenger, and with only eight emergency exit seats on the carrier's Airbus 737-300 aircraft and 12 on Airbus 737-500 aircraft, you need to be quick. Go to bmibaby.

Other carriers offering extra legroom seats for a fee are Monarch Scheduled and Thomsonfly, which charge £15 per flight to reserve the seats online. Both also charge £5 to book standard seats online. Go to Thomsonfly or Monarch.

Virgin Atlantic offers extra legroom seats for £50 per passenger, but this can only be done at airport check-in.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Brussels route saved

Domestic carrier Eastern Airways has snapped up the Southampton-Brussels route after the departure of VLM from the south coast airport.

Eastern Airways will launch flights on November 1 and says its twice-daily schedule is more convenient for business travellers than the schedule of its predecessor. Flights leave Southampton at 7.10am and 5.50pm and return from Brussels at 10.10am and 8.40pm, making a day return to the political capital of the European Union possible.

Fares start at £265 return including taxes and charges.

The Brussels route is the first international service for Eastern Airways, which currently operates from 16 UK airports. Its existing routes out of Southampton are to Leeds Bradford, Newcastle and Aberdeen. The carrier also operates out of Stansted to Manchester. For details go to Eastern Airways.

Report by Ginny McGrath


JAL eyes Oneworld

Oneworld is set to recruit the largest carrier in Asia Pacific, the second new member to join the airline alliance this month.

Japan Airlines (JAL) would be the largest carrier in the alliance in terms of group revenue, and would join American Airlines and British Airways as the alliance's largest three airline members, according to other measures such as fleet size and route network.

Five Oneworld members already operate in Japan, but the move by JAL, which is still subject to the necessary agreements and procedures, would bring a 10 per cent expansion to the Oneworld network, adding 68 destinations including 56 in Japan and five in China.

JAL already operates to seven Oneworld hubs: London Heathrow, New York JFK, Hong Kong, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, Singapore and Sydney, and has bilateral agreements in place with six alliance carriers: American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Iberia, Cathay Pacific and LAN.

As reported by Businesstraveller.com last week, Royal Jordanian made history as the first carrier from the Middle East region to enter a global airline alliance, and in May Hungarian carrier Malev started proceedings to join the alliance.

Other existing members of Oneworld are Finnair and Aer Lingus.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Westin comes over all W

It appears that elements of the trendy W hotel group, with its quirky extras and concepts, are rubbing off on its sister brand, Westin. As part of an overhaul of the Westin brand, Starwood Hotels and Resorts is introducing new minibars to its Westin properties.

Among the healthy gadgets, snacks and gizmos going into the minibar, which has now been renamed the "Purification Station", is a stress relieving spray, sweets that revitalise your skin, and a pure oxygen dispenser.

The first Purification Station will debut at the Westin New York at Times Square, in its Renewel Suite, a $2,000-a-night suite that features a decompression chamber, spa bath, gym and music, light and water features, all designed to soothe the weary traveller.

Among the products on sale in the Purification Station are:

- Essential oil patches called Naturopatches, including bergamot to relieve stress, and arnica to ease aches and pains
- BORBA's Skin Balance Gummi Booster Confections, which are intended to revitalise skin with an organic cultivated bio-vitamin complex
- Skyn Iceland Anti-Stress Oral Spray, which is sprayed into the mouth like a breath freshener, and should ease tension
- Dr. Hauschka Jet Set Essentials kit, which includes pampering face and body products from the popular organic brand

Despite these holistic additions, guests who head for the minibar because they're peckish will not be disappointed – alongside these products will be organic wine, beer and cookies. The new minibars, or elements of them, will eventually be rolled out across the Westin brand globally.

Even the humble bedtime mint on the pillow is being scrapped in favour of something more wholesome – instead guests will be presented with a Moondrop Homeopathic Sleep Therapy Lozenge, which contains sleep-inducing natural ingredients.

Report by Ginny McGrath

 

[QF WP]

This weeks' articles - 3 November

Secrecy surrounds SIA's super jumbo

Singapore Airline's (SIA) plans to launch its first double-deck Airbus A380 service in November 2006 remain on track.

The carrier, which has firm orders for 10 aircraft, will be the world's first operator of the European-built "super jumbo." The first plane will be deployed on its blue riband London Heathrow-Singapore-Sydney service.

SIA remains tight-lipped regarding the A380's interior configuration but an airline spokesperson in Toulouse (where SIA's A380s are currently on the production line) told Business Traveller: "Our first and business classes will be very different to the "SkySuites" and "SpaceBeds" that are in service now.

"It's such a competitive market that we will not disclose details of the interior until mid-2006. But we will provide the next generation of cabin products and in-flight service. However what we offer must be economically viable and so passengers will not find amenities like showers and bowling alleys." The airline has held a number of customer clinics around the world to gauge reaction to its proposed seating.

All passengers will gain more space (although those in the premium classes get the most) because SIA is installing no more than 480 seats (roughly 100 more seats than the B747) in a three class (first, business and regular economy) layout whose theoretical capacity is 555. "Ticket prices will remain competitive and very relevant for our customers," claims SIA.

Meanwhile, Airbus is satisfied with sales of the giant plane to date. "We've no delivery slots left before 2010," says Charles Champion who heads up the A380 programme.

Emirates and Qantas will take delivery of the A380 in Spring 2007 followed by Malaysia Airlines. Airport authorities are busy upgrading their terminals to take the super jumbo. Says Champion: "By 2006 there will be 23 airports ready to accept it and 60 by 2010. These 60 airports handle 80 per cent of today's B747 flights so the major ones are covered. We are working on India as a priority following the order from Kingfisher [a new local airline]."


New class for Air NZ

This weekend sees Air New Zealand (ANZ) rolls out new premium products for its prestigious London Heathrow to Auckland service which operates via Los Angeles. First class is dropped in favour of a new three class layout with vastly improved seating in business class and the introduction of a premium economy cabin.

"We've leapfrogged our rivals in terms of the product," Rob Fyfe, ANZ's CEO told Business Traveller, "it will be at least two years before our competitors catch up."

New Zealand's national airline is going the whole hog and installing 46 fully lie-flat seats in business class. These are identical to Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class suites and adopt the four across "herringbone" layout where seats take an east-west (rather than north-south) configuration. Legroom is 79 inches and the seat is 33 inches wide at shoulder level. Pricing is similar to the old business class.

Says Rob Fyfe, "To cut development time we've licensed the seat from Virgin Atlantic. We opted for this design because we've heard a lot of negative feedback from the angled lie-flat seats used by most other airlines. Passengers have told us they feel as if they are sliding forward on these seats. Larger and taller passengers have remarked on their lack of shoulder space."

"Our new business class seats don't have these drawbacks. But they are expensive. They cost three times more than the angled seats fitted by SIA. So we need to carry a couple more passengers per flight to recoup the extra cost. But the experience from Virgin indicates that passengers are prepared to choose a flight with this seat because its design offers more privacy and comfort, especially for taller passengers."

The 23-seat premium economy cabin features more spacious seating in a five across 3-2 layout on the B747's upper deck. ANZ says that initial demand (these seats are already installed on the Auckland-San Francisco route) shows that passengers are prepared to pay for extra width plus 38-40 inches of legroom as against 34 inches. Says Rob Fyfe, "It's a compelling proposition. I can get all this extra space for a 25% premium over the normal economy class price."

The new seats will begin appearing on daily flights NZ1 and NZ2 from Heathrow on November 6. All these flights will have the new seating by December 16.


Eastern promise

British Airways has almost doubled the number of flights it offers between Heathrow and India.

The carrier has taken its weekly India services from 19 to 35, and is predicting further growth for the next four years.

The new schedule, which came into affect on October 30, includes an increase in flights to Mumbai from one to two per day, a new service to Bangalore operating five time weekly, and increased flights to Chennai, up from two to six per week.

BA will continue to operate to Kolkata tree times weekly and to Delhi daily, but there are plans to boost Delhi to double daily from summer 2006.

The move by BA follows liberalisation of aviation regulations operating between the two countries has enabled the carrier to boost frequency, but has also allowed new entrants, including Virgin Atlantic, Bmi and Jet Airways, to launch flights between the UK and India.

Return fares for the India services start at the following prices, including taxes:

Heathrow-Bangalore £455
Heathrow-Chennai £399
Heathrow-Delhi £455
Heathrow-Kolkata £505
Heathrow-Mumbai £399

For more information go to BA web site.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Air Berlin takes on Easyjet

Air Berlin has been the unlikely candidate for the launch of two UK domestic flights.

The German low cost airline, which already operates out of Stansted to nine European destinations, plans to launch flights from the Essex airport to Glasgow and Manchester.

The UK domestic routes, a first for Air Berlin, will launch on December 16, with fares from £19 one-way including taxes, which also includes in-flight refreshments. The carrier faces stiff competition though, from Easyjet and Globespan on the Glasgow route and from Eastern Airways on the Manchester route.

Air Berlin hopes passengers will use the new domestic flights for economical travel between Germany and both Manchester and Glasgow. The carrier claims to be the first to use Stansted as a transfer hub, meaning passengers transitting through the airport on Air Berlin flights will be able to do so without retrieving bags and checking in for the new flight. It expects transfer times to be no longer than one hour.

Air Berlin is not the first non-UK and Ireland carrier to operate domestic flights. Belgian carrier VLM operates domestic flights from London City to Liverpool and Manchester, but without any geographical leaning implied in its brand name, it has had less of a marketing challenge to overcome than Air Berlin.

Air Berlin is well established in Germany and already operates flights from Stansted to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hanover, Leipzig, Munster-Osnabruck, Nuremberg, Paderborn, Palma de Majorca and Vienna. For more information go to Air Berlin web site.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Regional airports get connected

Flybe will launch a raft of new services from Exeter, Norwich, Birmingham and Southampton over the coming weeks.

The carrier will launch flights from Exeter International airport to Geneva and Chambery on December 17 and 24 respectively. It also launched flights to Murcia (one-way tickets including taxes from £30) and Faro (from £40) on November 1.

The Geneva route will start from £37 one-way including taxes and Chambery from £60.

Flights that also launched on November 1 were Norwich to Geneva, Aberdeen, Dublin, Malaga, Chambery and Alicante; Birmingham to Berne and Southampton to Berne.

Flybe hopes the mixture of winter sun, city and ski flights from UK regional airports will build on the success of last season's winter routes, which include flights from both Southampton and Birmingham to Chambery, Geneva and Salzburg, and are being reintroduced this winter.

The improved routes will be a boost for Birmingham, following the decision by British Airways to suspend flights from the airport operated by BA CitiExpress to Rome and Vienna, as part of changes made to its winter schedule.

Report by Ginny McGrath

 

[QF WP]

Amman hotel bomb blasts

Terrorists have targeted three western hotel chains in a series of bomb attacks in Jordan.

The bombs exploded at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels in the capital city, Amman. There are 67 confirmed fatalities and at least 300 people have been injured.

The city, which is served by direct flights from the UK with Royal Jordanian and British Airways franchise partner BMed, was also the subject of a hotel bomb attack in April 2003. In a statement BMed said: "Following yesterday bomb attacks in Jordan, flights continue to operate to schedule."

A spokesman for BA added that the airline will continue to take advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Current FCO advice warns of a high threat of terrorism in Jordan, but does not advise against travel to the country.

The general manager of the 110-bedroom Days Inn in Amman, Khaled Abu Ghoush, has confirmed that four guests were hurt, three seriously, and that guests registered at the time of the attack included citizens of China, France, Spain, the UK, the US and Israel. He added: "The hotel remains open, having sustained relatively minor damage, primarily broken windows on the ground level and first floor. Two large groups decided to leave the hotel, a number of other individual guests checked out and some rooms continue to be occupied. The hotel is expected be fully operational in three or four days, and is currently protected by a significant contingent of military and police units."

Rezidor SAS Hospitality, partner of Radisson Hotels & Resorts, confirmed that an explosion took place in the banquet hall of the Radisson SAS Hotel, Amman during a wedding reception, and says no in-house guests were among the casualties. Most of the casualties of the other two bomb blasts were also Jordan nationals.

According to the Jordan Tourism Board there are no reported injuries to British tourists, with November a relatively quiet month for UK tourism to the country. In a statement the organisation said: "Amman is essentially a gateway city into Jordon, with most UK tourists passing through the city to visit tourist sites such as Petra, which is over 200km to the south of Amman."

Report by Ginny McGrath


Isle of Man flights on the up

Flights between England and the Isle of Man are to receive a major boost this month when three new airlines launch on the route.

The arrival of services from VLM, AlphaOne, and Aer Arann is anticipated to spark a drop in fares to the Isle of Man, which is currently served from London only by Euromanx and British Airways.

The first to launch the new services was VLM, which launched daily flights between London City and Ronaldsway airport on the Isle of Man on November 1. The service supplements existing flights from London City to Jersey, Liverpool and Manchester with VLM. Fares start at around £190 return including tax. Flights depart London at 9am, arriving at 10.15am and leave Isle of Man at 5pm, returning 6.20pm.

Next to launch will be AlphaOne, the airline that has received extensive publicity owing to its 19-year old founder, Martin Halstead. The launch of flights between Southampton and Isle of Man has been put back to November 21, due to delays involving pilot training. When the service launches it will operate twice daily Monday to Friday. Fares are being advertised from £49 one way excluding taxes, and bookings are currently only being taken over the phone, at 08703 833 324.

The final service is being launched by Aer Arann on November 24 from Luton. The carrier already operates to the Irish Sea island from Dublin. The airline will operate two flights per day departing London Luton at 11.15am and 7.15pm, and the Isle of Man at 9.30am and 5.30pm. Fares start at £30 one-way including taxes.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Members-only airline to launch to NY

Another all-luxury flight is launching to New York, with helicopter transfers and in-flight email among the services available to passengers. Called Milano Manhattan, or Mima Club for short, the flight will operate between Milan Linate and New York JFK, and is expected to launch in February.

The service is available only to members, who pay an undisclosed annual fee. The flight will operate six days a week, using an A319 aircraft with 48 seats and a seat pitch (distance between seat cushion and the next seat back) of 58 inches, which is one inch shy of British Airways' Club World seat pitch.

Mima Club offers a 24-hour concierge service to organise flight bookings, check–in and hotel bookings, and passengers can choose from airport transfers by car or helicopter. In addition the concierge can arrange restaurant reservations, tickets for events, theatre, and exhibitions, and spa treatments in both cities.

Passengers enjoy airport "Fast Track" service, in-seat power supply, in-flight entertainment systems with SMS and email, on–demand audio and video, magazines and newspapers and in-flight meals and drinks. The announcement comes just days after the launch of transatlantic all-luxury flights operated by Maxjet and Eos from Stansted to New York.
For more information and to apply for membership, go to Mima Club.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Bliss in Chicago

Bliss, the spa company famed for its oxygen facials and brownie buffets has opened a sixth outlet.

The opening of Bliss Chicago in the city's W Lakeshore hotel last month follows the opening of the fifth sybaritic outlet in the W San Francisco this summer.

The spa, located on the eighth floor of the Chicago hotel, is 9,000 square feet and includes 16 treatment rooms, a beauty products boutique, four movie-while-you-manicure stations, and separate men's and women's lounges. The background music is rhythm and blues.

Guests staying at the W hotel get samples of Bliss products in their bathroom, including Bliss Spa's foaming face wash, lemon and sage shower gel, moisturising body butter and supershine shampoo in a neat amenity bag.

The Bliss brand gained notoriety in the late 1990s as its spas became celebrity haunts and for its signature offerings, which include the Triple Oxygen Treatment facial (135 for 85 minutes), and brownie and wine buffet – both of which will be on offer at the Chicago spa.

Bliss operates four other spas – one in London and three in New York. More Bliss spas are in the pipeline, with openings planned for Dallas and Los Angeles next year. These spas will be located in W hotels, the fashionable boutique brand owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which bought Bliss in 2004 from luxury retailers LVMH.

For more information go to Bliss Spa.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Airport security at Paddington

Passengers on the Heathrow Express will soon face airport-style security procedures before boarding the train. The four-week long trial at Paddington Station is expected to take place next year, as part of a bid to counter terrorism on the UK transport network.

Passengers can expect random bag searches and scanning, which may use a scanner machine, portable trace equipment or sniffer dogs. The screenings will also be extended to parts of the UK national rail network and the London Underground. It is the first time such measures have been taken on the UK rail network, and if successful could be rolled out to other stations.

Commenting on the announcement from the Department for Transport, Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling said: "Around three million people travel on the London Underground and well over two million travel on the UK railway every day. We cannot operate a closed system like we do at airports. But it is important that we reduce the risk to those passengers whilst recognising that people need to get about on the tube and railway."
The extra security measures are not expected to cause delays to the airport train service.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Paris hotel changes hands

The InterContinental Paris, one of the city's largest luxury properties, has reopened as a Westin hotel.

The hotel, which is located in Place Vendome and overlooks the Jardin des Tuileries, is well placed for the shops, attractions and businesses of central Paris, and is just a few steps from the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.

The Westin Paris underwent a soft opening this month, but following a E12 million refurbishment, it will open officially in the first quarter of 2006, equipped with the hallmarks of the Westin brand. This includes Westin's Heavenly Beds, Heavenly Baths, and WestinWorkout Rooms, which come with exercise equipment. In the meantime rates have been slashed to E249 for bookings up to February 28.

The 438-bedroom property has 78 suites, with rooms overlooking either the Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendome or the hotel grounds. Rooms have high-speed wireless internet access and there is internet access through the television for guests who don't bring a laptop.

The hotel has 12 meeting rooms and a ballroom of 400 square metres. The gourmet 234 Rivoli restaurant extends in the summer to encompass La Terrasse Fleurie, and there is a coughtail bar, Tuileries Bar, which is open for snacks from 10am.

The InterContinental group has maintained a foothold in Paris with the InterContinental Le Grand Hotel Paris, a nineteenth century hotel that overlooks Opéra Square.

For more information go to Westin Paris.

Report by Ginny McGrath

 

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£'s earmarked for Club World overhaul

British Airways has announced it will be replacing its entire existing Club World product starting in 2006. The replacement is part of a £GBP100 million investment which will include a new Inflight Entertainment system for all cabins. The new seat, which has been designed by B/E Aerospace, and will be fitted on the first of the airline's fleet in mid-2006. Speaking to Business Traveller, chief executive Willie Walsh said that the 5,400 Club World seats in the fleet would be arranged in the same ying/yang configuration and would 'confirm the Club World seat as the best business class product in the world."

At the same time, a new Inflight Entertainment (IFE) System with Audio and Visual on Demand is being introduced, allowing for a greater selection of programming, and the ability to stop, start and pause programming, essential for those business travellers on long haul who find themselves falling asleep in the middle of films, only to wake up to discover it has finished and will not be running again for several hours, if at all.

Exact details about the seat and IFE system are not being announced until early next year, though wifi connectivity will not play a part, nor will the ability to make voice calls. Willie Walsh said that he believed that such enhancements will come with the next generation of aircraft such as the Boeing 787, and that he did not believe it was right to delay the introduction of the new IFE system until wifi was widely available.

British Airways has a total of 115 long haul craft (57 Boeing 747-400, 43 777 and 15 767 aircraft), all of which will be fitted with the new seat. The roll out of the present Club World seat has only just been completed with the final Boeing 767 on the Manchester New York route, but commercial director Martin George promised that the roll out of the new seat will be completed in a considerably quicker time scale.

Report by Tom Otley


Muscat could be next for Virgin

Virgin Atlantic is looking at extending its forthcoming Dubai service to cover Muscat (Oman) which is becoming an increasingly popular destination with business and leisure travellers.

But first of all Virgin will raise the stakes on the competitive London-Dubai route by offering executives the chance to bed down on its Upper Class Suites. It will also offer cost-conscious travellers a premium economy class.

Pitching it as a "first class product for a business class fare", the fully lie-flat leather seats come with a proper mattress, private onboard bar and private massage area as well as an inflight entertainment system with up to 300 hours of video and audio on demand.

Each of the 34 Upper Class Suites on board the three-section A340-300 aircraft has its own laptop power supply. A premium economy (38 inches seat pitch) and economy (31 inches) section are also on board. Virgin Atlantic will launch the route with four-a-week services from March 27 2006, rising to five-a-week from May 1. The service goes daily on A340-600 aircraft (45 Suites) from June 1.

Flights depart Heathrow from 20.10 and arrive in Dubai 06.20 the next day, returning from Dubai at 1500 and arriving Heathrow 19.30. It's unusual for airlines to leave state-of-the-art planes on the ground at overseas airports for so long between flights. Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic chairman, told Business Traveller's Middle East edition this week that he would be looking into tagging on another destination – possibly Muscat – rather than have the aircraft standing idle on the ground in Dubai. Although the priority is to establish the Dubai route, he envisaged flying into Abu Dhabi "one day" as well as Qatar.

Competition-loving Branson praised the Dubai authorities and the airport's open skies policy, which ironically sees Virgin fly head-to-head with government-owned Emirates. "I think it's best to compete hard in the daytime and be friends in the evening," he said. Branson envisages that the route will contribute around AED 560 million ($158 million) to the Dubai economy each year.

The airline is likely to share lounge access with other carriers at Dubai initially although a stand-alone facility may be built in future. Emirates isn't worried about the fact that Virgin will be offering a superior business class and the ability to book a superior economy class. Keith Longstaff, the carrier's senior VP commercial operations for Europe told Business Traveller, "We welcome this competition from Virgin. We thrive on it."

Report by Dominic Ellis


Oman opening for Shangri-La

Shangri-La will quietly open its first hotel in Muscat next month, cementing the city's reputation as a business and leisure contender to Dubai. The Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa will get underway near the Oman capital at the start of December, although this is a "soft opening", which will see the hotel operating under capacity until early January, when it will officially open.

Located 40 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes out of town, the resort hotel is set in 124 acres of landscaped gardens in a private bay. The resort complex incorporates three hotels, a heritage village championing local arts and culture, and a river linking its two outdoor swimming pools. There is also a 1,000 seat amphitheatre, a business centre, free shuttle bus to shopping and business districts, and 11 meeting rooms plus a ballroom.

The hotel will also have extensive leisure facilities including an outlet of the Shangri-La spa brand, Chi Spa (like the one in Bangkok, pictured), with 12 treatment rooms, a dive school, water sports centre, gym, tennis courts, private beaches, and 19 different food and drink outlets, offering a range of formal and informal dining options.

The three hotels are geared towards different guests, with a family hotel, five star option and deluxe five star, where all guests have their own butler and the hotel has a private gym, beach and infinity swimming pool. All rooms have sea views and private terrace or balcony, plus broadband internet access, electronic safes and satellite television. Rates start at £126 at the family hotel, Al Waha, £168 at the five star property, Al Bandar, and £238 at the top hotel, Al Husn.

Other Shangri-La hotels in the pipeline include properties in Chiang Mai and Suzhou, set to open next year and an extension to the Shangri-La in Beijing, the group's first London hotel will not open until 2009. For more information go to Shangri-la website.

Report by Ginny McGrath


SAS website too 'sluggish'

SAS will soon launch a revamped website to capitalise on its new business model. Scandinavia's national airline recently launched new one-way pricing within Europe which has led to the cost of one-way flights from London Heathrow to Copenhagen or Stockholm falling to as little as £45.

"One-way pricing has been a tremendous success for us," Jorgen Lindegaard, SAS' president and CEO told Business Traveller, "we are now carrying 15% more international passengers out of Copenhagen."

But the SAS website lets the side down by not making it easy enough for passengers to book the cheaper tickets. Compared to the budget carriers and the likes of British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and KLM, the SAS website is sluggish and it complicates matters by making potential passengers select a country before selecting the destination. To his credit, Lindegaard admitted as much to business traveller.com "You are right, that is why we will be unveiling a new website in the first half of next year. It will have a four-click booking engine to speed matters up."

"Nevertheless," adds Lars-Ove Filipson GM for SAS in the UK, "despite the difficulties we find that 35% of UK passengers book online with the existing website."

SAS also revealed it will match any online booking fee which British Airways is likely to charge in the UK and that it will want to launch twice daily non-stop flights from London City to Stockholm in summer 2006.

Report by Alex McWhirter


LCY's rail link to open ahead of schedule?

Airline officials at London City are optimistic the airport's light rail DLR extension will open at the end of November, two weeks ahead of schedule.
The 4km link means that airport users will get their first rail service to Canary Wharf (14 minutes away) and the City (Bank 22 minutes away). The DLR will also feed into the Jubilee tube line at Canning Town providing faster and easier access to Westminster and the West End. Trains will run every seven to 10 minutes and London City will be within Travelcard Zone 3.

A spokesperson for DLR was more cautious, "Although all the facilities are now in place and trains are being tested we still can't provide an opening date because the system has to be signed off by the railway inspectorate." However, previous DLR lines opened ahead of time and this is expected to be the case here.

What is definite is that London City will soon get its first hotel. Budget chain Travelodge opens a new 157-room Travelodge at the airport entrance opposite the executive aviation centre (about 800 yards from the main terminal) on December 2. Rooms normally cost £60 a night but there is currently a special online rate of £26 falling to as little as £10 at slack times. Parking at the Travelodge costs upwards of £5 per night which is cheaper than the airport car parks.

For more information go to DLR website and Travelodge website.

New early and late Air France flights to Paris Orly provide a longer working day in the French capital. The first flight of the day now departs City at 06.35 reaching Paris Orly at 0850 while the return service leaves Orly at 20.20 to reach City at 20.20. For more information go to Air France website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Manchester to get direct UAE flight

Etihad Airways is set to launch flights from Manchester to its UAE-hub next year.

The daily flights will launch in March 2006, with Eithad hoping to carry point-to-point traffic as well as taking passengers from Manchester onto Asia, including destinations such as Bangkok, Colombo, and New Delhi.

The northern city is the third UK departure airport for Eithad, which also operates flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Abu Dhabi.

The airline will operate the route using Airbus A330 aircraft, configured in three classes, Diamond, Pearl and Coral, which equate to business class, premium economy and economy.

The only existing flights between Manchester and Abu Dhabi are operated via other destinations by Emirates, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways. Eithad has not yet released fares for the route.

The carrier currently operates to 19 destinations but hopes to expand this to 70 by 2010. Etihad has ordered five Boeing 777ER aircraft, which it will receive in January 2006, plus 12 Airbus 330s and 12 A340s, to arrive early next year, in addition to four of the Airbus "super jumbo" A380 aircraft, which are currently being used in test flights, and will be delivered in January 2008. For more information go to Etihad website

Report by Ginny McGrath

 

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Krakow arrives on the aviation map

The popular business and tourist destination of Krakow receives a big boost in air service next year.

The Slovakian budget carrier Skyeurope will connect this Southern Polish city with eight new destinations including major cities in the UK and mainland Europe. The new weekly schedules, which will be phased in from the start of the summer season on March 26, include Athens (two flights), Bologna (three flights), Brussels (three flights), Naples (two flights), Stockholm (four flights) and Turin (three flights).

The two new UK destinations are Birmingham (two flights from April 12) and the Scottish capital of Edinburgh (three flights from April 13). Skyeurope wants to cash in on the growing visitor and worker traffic both from and to Krakow. Services to Birmingham. Bologna and Turin are likely to be popular with the motor industry (there's a joint Fiat/GM engine plant and Fiat vehicle factory near Krakow).

Tickets will be keenly priced. For example, in April Skyeurope is charging from £80 return from either Birmingham or Edinburgh. Existing Skyeurope services operate from London Stansted, Manchester, Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona (Summer season only), Milan (Bergamo), Paris (Orly) and Rome.

Other flights to Krakow from the UK are flown by British Airways and Central Wings from Gatwick, Ryanair from Stansted and Easyjet from Luton. For more information go to Skyeurope web site

Report by Alex McWhirter


Eos reschedules JFK service

Eos, the US all business class airline, will put back the timing of its London Stansted to New York JFK flight starting from the beginning of next month.
Currently the westbound flight by 48-seater B757 departs London Stansted at 10.30 but from December 1 it will leave at 19.05 to reach JFK at 21.09. The inbound service will continue to run to existing timings: 19.05 from JFK arriving Stansted at 07.30.

A spokesperson for Eos told Business Traveller, "The time change has been driven by customer demand. Passengers have reported that they would rather leave London later in the day and arrive in New York in the evening rather than mid afternoon."

On the other hand it could be argued that Eos' later departure time no longer conflicts with rival Maxjet (another US all business class carrier using a 100-seat B767 whose westbound flight leaves Stansted for JFK at 10.00). Also the later departure will provide recovery time should the inbound flight be delayed.

Both Eos and Maxjet suffered delays at Stansted earlier this week owing to foggy conditions at the Essex airport. Schedules are now back to normal although Maxjet says it will not be operating any flights to or from New York over the Thanksgiving period. There was no Maxjet flight from Stansted today. Its next service resumes on Sunday November 27. Eos says it will continue to operate over Thanksgiving.

For more information go to Eos website or Maxjet website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Emirates B777ERs to offer more premium class comfort

Emirates will begin offering UK premium ticket passengers more comfortable first and business class seating from mid-December.

Keith Longstaff, the Dubai carrier's senior VP commercial operations in Europe revealed to Business Traveller that new B777ERs will be arriving on selected routes. "They will be taking over flights currently flown by smaller A330s which will mean we will be able to offer 60% more seats overall."

Premium fare passengers benefit the most because first class passengers will get fully lie flat beds. And while Emirates still hasn't gone down the lie-flat (or even lie-flat style) route with business class, the seat pitch on the B777ERs will be increased from 50 to 60 inches. Adds Longstaff, "Glasgow-Dubai will be the first route to see the B777ERs from December 15. London will follow in the first quarter of next year. This plane will also take over one of our two daily flights from Manchester."

Emirates departs for Dubai from five UK airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. The carrier claims that between 60% and 70% of UK passengers are making onward connections at Dubai for destinations in Asia, Africa and Australasia.

For more information go to Emirates website

Report by Alex McWhirter


The LCY hub

Belgian airline VLM is speeding tens of thousands of business people between airports in the Benelux countries and Manchester, Liverpool, Jersey, the Isle of Man and vice versa.

VLM's commercial director Peter Kenworthy told Business Traveller, "We already serve a number of key cities from London City but now we are seeing an increasing number of passengers using our network to make connections via City. On some flights we find that 20% of passengers are making connections either to another VLM flight or to a different carrier."

The airline claims that passengers will transfer at LCY even in cases where there are direct flights because the timings can be more convenient. Says Kenworthy, "We can get a business traveller from Brussels to Manchester via City earlier than the first non-stop flight. With VLM you can depart Brussels at 07.15 and following a 50 minute transfer you would reach Manchester at 09.05. The first non-stop flight doesn't depart Brussels until 09.30 so you wouldn't reach Manchester until 09.50."

Schedules are geared for productive day trips on routes like Manchester-Rotterdam, Brussels-Isle of Man and Liverpool-Antwerp.

Benelux cities served by VLM are Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Luxembourg and Rotterdam. The carrier operates over 40 flights a day from London City and carries over 550,000 passengers a year with a fleet of F50 turbo-props.

For more information go to VLM website


Rezidor SAS to launch lifestyle hotel

Rezidor SAS has announced a new partnership with Italian fashion house Missoni with a view to launching a new lifestyle hotel.

The worldwide license agreement means that Rezidor expects to open three Hotel Missonis in 2007 and have 30 completed or under development by 2010. The UK is expected to be the location for one of the first of the new hotels.

The new Hotel Missonis will reflect 'a contemporary Italian life and style'. resident and CEO of Rezidor SAS Kurt Ritter said: "It's a very unique brand, with a great heritage, a very identifiable look, and real family values. I'm sure when we launch in 2007, Hotel Missoni is going to create quite and impact on the market."

It's not the first time that Rezidor has attempted such a move. Rezidor was previously linked with Italian label Cerutti only two years ago, and launched five hotels. At the time of going to press, there was no comment as to the future of that brand.

However Rezidor is confident the Missoni partnership will develop. Gordon McKinnon, senior vice president marketing, brand and corporate communication said: "This process will be very interesting because it is a long term relationship."

Report by Felicity Cousins


Seafrance introduces fast track

Cross Channel operator Seafrance will offer a fast track facility from next week.

The ferry company, which has frequent crossings between Dover and Calais, will offer expedited boarding and disembarkation facilities for motorists prepared to pay a £5 fee in each direction. Customers wishing to use the new service can check-in as usual. They are then directed to a priority boarding lane.

Bill Laidlaw, sales director of Seafrance says, "The priority boarding and unloading means our customers can drive on to the ship quicker and disembark equally as swiftly. It also means they have more time to enjoy the onboard facilities."

The service starts on December 1 and Seafrance says it will limit the number of priority passengers to ensure integrity. It is expected to appeal to those business people who regularly take their cars to France when visiting clients within easy reach of the Channel ports.

The price (before adding £10 for priority boarding) to take an average-sized car from Dover to Calais with Seafrance is £75 return based on travelling at peak times next week and staying away one night.

For more information go to Seafrance website

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

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This weeks' articles - 2 December

Paris hotels fined for price fixing

The six luxury Parisian hotels fined this week for colluding over room rates, are planning to appeal against the fine.

The hotels were found guilty by the French Conseil de la Concurrence of fixing their room rates after managers were accused of being in regular contact over marketing strategies.

The six hotels, dubbed the "Palaces Parisiens" are Le Bristol, Le Crillon, Four Seasons George V, Le Meurice, La Plaza Athénée and Le Ritz. These iconic Parisian hotels have been given fines of between E55,000 and E248,000, the highest going to Le Crillon.

A spokesperson for the George V told Businesstraveller.com: "As this matter is under legal investigation, the hotel cannot comment on the case for now, however it does believe it is being unfairly charged and plans to appeal against the fine."

The hotels have been under investigation since December 2001. According to the Conseil de la Concurrence, the hotels have been charging upwards of E500 for their cheapest rooms, while charging up to E6,000 for superior suites. While the hotel managers say they do meet up on a regular basis, they claim not to collude over pricing.

Report by Ginny McGrath


Trains go low cost

The train companies are copying the airlines and launching low-cost alternatives with streamlined booking systems.

First off the mark was French Railways which last year launched a cut-price TGV high-speed service linking Paris with Marseilles. This iDTGV service was recently extended to cover Paris to Montpellier near the Spanish frontier. Passengers are not required to travel the whole length of the route. If you board in Paris it's possible to alight at Avignon, Toulon or Nimes. One-way tickets cost from 19 Euros in standard and Euros 39 in first class. Passengers book online with the tickets either printed out on a pc or at the station from self-service stands. The site was originally only in French but, following demand from overseas visitors, it's now also available in English.

Italy's rail system has followed suit with TrenOK. This runs on the prime business route between Rome and Milan (passengers can alight in Florence or Bologna) also between Rome and Bari in the south. One-class tickets cost upwards of Euros 19 when booked two days ahead or from Euros 9 when purchased over 12 days ahead. Bookings are ticketless but there are two drawbacks for overseas travellers: a) you must pre-register and b) the site is only in Italian.

A similar service in the UK was recently started by Southwest Trains. The Megatrain service is ticketless. It covers a number of regular but less popular trains running between London Waterloo, Portsmouth and Southampton. One-way tickets typically cost between £1 and £8. Again, passengers book online and travel is ticketless.

For more information go to IDTGV website, trenOK website, or Megatrain website

Report by Alex McWhirter


New Travelocity goes live

Travelocity.co.uk has boosted its range of content, so business travellers can now bundle low cost flights or Eurostar with an extended hotel offering, Businesstraveller.com can exclusively reveal.

Ryanair, Flybe, Germanwings and Bmibaby are among the carriers now available to book on Travelocity.co.uk, in addition to an array of charter airlines and the full service schedule carriers previously available to book.
The increased content comes as a result of the purchase of Lastminute.com by Sabre, bringing the two websites into the same stable.

Alongside the increased flights, 2,500 hotels have been added from across Europe, as well as Eurostar trains and extras such as lounge access and car parking. These various travel products can be bundled into one shopping basket and paid for in a single transaction.

Speaking to Businesstraveller.com, Lastminute.com director of holidays and flights, John Bevan said: "Travelocity had great strength in the US, but now with added Lastminute.com it's got significant European presence as well." The new website has undergone a soft launch today, but will be officially launched in a few weeks when any glitches have been sorted out.

Report by Ginny McGrath and Alex McWhirter


Airport rail links latest


The light rail link to London City Airport will open ahead of schedule, plus rail links to Stansted Airport are set to improve.

London City Airport officials will quietly open the light rail DLR extension to the airport on Friday December 2, but the official launch date is December 6. This is at least a week ahead of schedule, as predicted by Businesstraveller.com last month.

A spokesperson for DLR told Businesstraveller.com: "The railway inspectorate is checking the new London City link this afternoon (Thursday). If it gives the green light then the service will start tomorrow with the first through train being the 09.57 from Bank station in central London."

On following days services will begin running over the 4km link to London City to a normal timetable. Trains will operate from very early in the morning to late at night every seven to 10 minutes. Services will run to Canning Town (for connections to the Jubilee Underground line for Westminster and the West End), Canary Wharf (14 minutes away) and Bank (for the City, 22 minutes away). London City is located within Travelcard zone 3.

A single journey to anywhere in Central London zone 1 by DLR or Underground (or a combination of both) costs £2.80. Travellers on daytrips will qualify for a day Travelcard (covering unlimited travel within central London) and this costs £7 peak or £5.20 off-peak.

Passengers bound for Stansted Airport will benefit from a 15-minute service throughout the day from Liverpool Street Station. Currently the Stansted Express runs every 15 minutes only between 8am and 4.30pm, but under a new timetable being introduced on December 11, trains will run every 15 minutes until 11pm. This brings the service in line with the frequency of departures of the Heathrow and Gatwick services.

For more information go to Stansted Express website, TFL website and LCY airport website

Report by Alex McWhirter and Ginny McGrath


Low cost penetrates Germany

Nuremberg airport is seeking to become a centre for low-cost flights from southern Germany. The Bavarian city has a wide catchment area and even Munich, some 160 kms to the south will only be 55 minutes away by high-speed train from next May.

The city is an important trade fair centre with its main industries being food, toys and pencils. It's also famous for a Christmas Market which runs until December 24. Traditionally the airport, which handles four million passengers a year, has depended on the major carriers to develop scheduled air services. But the latter are threatened with decline because the major carriers now prefer to serve only their major hubs.

Says a spokesperson, "Our national carrier Lufthansa is focused on serving its main hubs of Munich, Frankfurt and Zurich. In common with the other big conventional carriers it shows little interest in developing new routes. If we want to develop as a business airport we must get more non-stop flights to other major cities."

So the airport authority is wooing the likes of German budget carriers Air Berlin and Dba. Air Berlin already serves London Stansted but from December 16 it will offer connections on to Manchester and Glasgow. Last month Air Berlin began flying to Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin Tegel, Dusseldorf along with Paris CDG, Milan Bergamo, Rome, Vienna and Budapest. Dba has opened routes to Hamburg, Dusseldorf and Berlin Tegel.

Nuremberg airport is bright, clean and modern. It's user-friendly being 7 kms from downtown and connected by U-Bahn train to the city centre for a fare of Euros 2.20.

For more information go to Nuremburg Airport website, Air Berlin, or Fly Dba website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Free beer back on KLM

KLM is reintroducing free alcoholic drinks and food on its short-haul flights under pressure from passengers.

The carrier has once again started serving wine and beer on board and has improved its range of sandwiches, partnering with well-known Dutch cheese brands such as Old Amsterdam and Maaslander.

For European flights over 170 minutes passengers can expect a more substantial snack. KLM will offer a cereal bar, fruit juice, warm croissant and jam to passengers on flights departing before 10am and after that passengers will receive a cold pasta salad with cheese and a warm slice of focaccia bread.

The airline claims it is making the changes to come into line with the in-flight service of partner carrier, Air France. It follows the decision by KLM last month to introduce a second class of service on flights over 65 minutes. The Europe Select class offers passengers improved in-flight service such as newspapers and better catering, but seats are the same as standard economy class.

It mirrors a similar move by Swiss, shortly after it was taken over by Lufthansa, to reintroduce free catering onboard. Swiss scrapped free food in summer 2003 but made a u-turn on the decision in April 2005, and now offers free food and wine for economy class passengers on flights over one hour.
For more information got to KLM website and Swiss website.

Report by Ginny McGrath

 

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This weeks' articles - 9 December

Cathay Pacific announces Manchester to Hong Kong flight

After months of secrecy Cathay Pacific has announced the introduction of direct flights between Manchester and Hong Kong, starting March 27 next year.

Unusually, Cathay's flight will make a stopover en route at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. The carrier has secured traffic rights both for Manchester-Moscow and Moscow-Hong Kong allowing passengers to travel just on one leg of the route.

This could be lucrative for Cathay. It's expected to prove popular not just with UK travellers flying to Hong Kong and beyond, but also to those based in the Midlands and the North seeking a non-stop service to Moscow. Currently, UK passengers must travel from London if they want to take a direct flight.

A further bonus is the fact that Cathay will be offering a long-haul business class product with lie-flat style seating which is superior to British Airways' short-haul Club Europe product between Heathrow and Moscow.

With limited direct flights between Moscow and Asia, Cathay's new service will appeal to Russian business people forging closer ties within the Pearl River Delta and who may have plans to travel further afield within the Asia-Pacific region.

Flights will operate three times a week (Monday, Thursday and Saturday) in either direction on an Airbus A340-300 configured for business and economy class. Departures from Hong Kong will be at 00.15 arriving in Manchester at 08.55 the same day. The return service from Manchester departs at 10.00 arriving Hong Kong at 08.10 the following day.

For more information go to CX website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


BA adopts cheaper one-way pricing

British Airways passengers can now book one-way and open-jaw tickets at low prices.

In the past, if a BA passenger wanted a one-way flight (for example, if he or she was getting a lift back or taking the train) there was no option but to pay the costly flexible ticket price.

This meant that a single ticket from London to, say, Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt would cost three or four times more than the excursion return. Passengers seeking a good deal had to use tactics such as buying a return ticket and then throwing away the return portion once the outward flight was completed.

One-way pricing removes the need for such under-the-counter activities. BA says it has been gradually rolling out one-way pricing since last May and now all short-haul routes (both international and domestic) are covered. A BA spokesperson said: "We've introduced one-way pricing because we recognise that some short-haul passengers were requiring extra flexibility. A passenger might only wish to book a one-way ticket because he or she was returning overland and our new booking system allows this."

It also means passengers can now book "open-jaw" arrangements online – something not possible before (which was a regular source of complaint from Business Traveller readers). For example, you can book a ticket from London to Amsterdam and return from Brussels to London. Bear in mind, though, that you must make two separate bookings.

This brings BA into line with the likes of Easyjet and Ryanair, which have offered one-way pricing from the start, and it's good news for travellers seeking flexibility at a budget price.

In more BA news, the airline is cutting flights to Germany next summer. The carrier says it is suspending three routes from March 26 because they are no longer profitable. The services in question are Heathrow-Cologne and Gatwick to both Hanover and Munich.

For further information go to BA website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Hamburg's flurry of new flights

Hamburg is seeing a major revival in its air services. For several years the number of air routes from Germany's largest port city has stagnated as national airline Lufthansa concentrated on developing its twin hubs of Frankfurt and Munich.

But it's all changing this autumn and winter as both existing and new carriers are adding new services.

First off the mark was national airline Lufthansa, which has positioned four extra B737s to operate new services to Hamburg from Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Nice, Prague and Rome.

German Wings, a budget carrier backed by Lufthansa, has followed suit with the introduction of nine new routes, namely: Dresden, Istanbul, London Gatwick, Krakow, Munich, Oslo, Stockholm, Toulouse and Zagreb.

In the last few weeks Easyjet has launched flights to Hamburg from Bristol in the UK and Basel in Switzerland, while another German carrier, Bremen-based OLT, has also begun a service from Bristol.

This means three new routes from the UK to Hamburg, which will provide more choice and better prices for business people heading for the German city.

For more information go to Hamburg Airport website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Official opening for London City Airport's DLR link

London City Airport's DLR rail link opened officially on Tuesday (December 6) giving London City the cheapest, fastest and most comprehensive public transport links from any of the capital's airports to the city centre.

Besides offering a faster ride, the airport station adjoins the arrivals area, allowing passengers to reach the platform within a couple of minutes. This contrasts with the long distances involved in reaching the rail links at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton or Stansted.

Trains run every seven to 10 minutes on elevated tracks, affording a bird's eye view of the Thames, the Thames Barrier and the Millennium Dome. Services operate direct to Bank in the City (22 minutes away) and Canning Town (six minutes away, where you change for the Jubilee tube line). But passengers bound for Canary Wharf (14 minutes away) must change at Poplar.

London City Airport is in Travelcard zone 3 with one-way tickets into central London costing £2.80 (or £2.50 with a prepaid Oyster card). Travellers visiting London for the day can buy a one-day Travelcard priced at £7 peak or £5.20 off-peak, which offers unlimited transport within the capital.

Now that the DLR is open, the airport bus services are being rescheduled. The shuttle to Canning Town will cease on December 11 but the other links to Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street will continue for the moment.

The main carriers using London City Airport include Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Scot Airways, Swiss and VLM.

For more information go to DLR website or LCY website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


"Cabin" hotels to open at Heathrow and Gatwick

The company behind the Yo! Sushi brand has unveiled a prototype of its new "cabin" hotels at Heathrow and Gatwick where weary travellers have the option of hiring a room for four-hour stretches.

Yotel hopes its tiny rooms, measuring 10 square metres, will appeal to delayed and transfer passengers as well as those needing an overnight stay before an early check-in or arriving on red-eye flights.

Due to open in summer 2006, the cabins will have a rotating double bed, en suite bathroom with monsoon showerhead, free broadband internet access (wired and wifi), satellite TV and movie channels, and an iPod plug-in point. The cabins have been designed by Priestman Goode, which has worked on the new Airbus A380.

Travellers will be able to book through www.yotel.com and can opt for four hours at £40 or overnight for £80. Yotel also plans to incorporate an even smaller "economy" option, which will cost £40 for an overnight stay or £25 for four hours.

Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo!, says the aim is to provide the luxurious touches of five-star hotels but at an affordable price and convenient location: "People want to find ways to get the same luxury but for less cost."

Rooms will have a monitor displaying flight details, but Woodroffe says soundproofing will ensure that airport announcements don't penetrate the walls. There will be no minibar or room service, and checking in and out will be done automatically, with staff on hand to help things run smoothly.

The company plans to build 50 cabins at Gatwick's South Terminal and 40 at Heathrow Terminal 4 on the level between the arrivals and departures areas.

Yotel's rates are substantially lower than the nearest hotel competitor to Terminal 4 (Hilton). Five-star hotels on the Bath Road offer rates closer to those of Yotel, but they are more difficult to access for T4 passengers.

Report by Sarah Maxwell


Fly your way into space with Virgin

Passengers with Virgin Atlantic could find their loyalty miles take them a lot further than ever before – the airline is offering frequent flyers the chance to travel into outer space.

The carrier has joined forces with Virgin Galactic to offer Flying Club members the opportunity to sample life as an astronaut.

Members can convert their earthly miles into space miles to earn themselves a space trip – but if you're thinking of using up some spare miles you'll need a lot of them. It takes two million Flying Club miles earned on Virgin flights to qualify – equivalent to $200,000.

The first flights won't take place until 2008. The experience includes "g" acclimatisation and a flight in the White Knight and will take place at the Virgin Galactic Spaceport in the US.

Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Galactic said: "A journey into space seems like a distant dream for many, but this deal makes it even more achievable for our frequent travellers to become astronauts."

In other Virgin news, the airline is increasing flight frequency on three routes from Heathrow. Services to Mumbai have just been boosted from three a week to daily. There are now daily flights to Shanghai (up from six a week) while a daily service to Cape Town resumes from January 29 to March 25.

For more information go to VS website or Virgin galactic website.

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

[QF WP]

Festive discounts with all-business Eos

Business class airline Eos is slashing £1,000 from its cheapest transatlantic tickets during the festive period.

In a bid to fill empty seats over the quiet time for business travel, the US airline is offering London Stansted to New York JFK return fares for £1,500.

The deal is subject to availability and is valid for passengers booking return tickets to fly before January 3. At the same time, selected Eos flights will let you take along a companion free of charge. The airline is also extending its £2,500 return introductory offer until April 30 provided you book by January 3.

Eos operates once daily with 48-seater B757 twin jets. They feature some of the most luxurious business class seats on the market with fully flat beds and 21 square feet of personal space. By contrast, its US rival Maxjet competes with a 102-seater B767 twin jet with conventional business class seating offering 60 inches of legroom. Maxjet's fares are lower, starting at £854 return.

Both carriers have announced their Christmas and New Year schedules. Eos says it will not fly from Stansted on December 24, 25 and January 1 or from JFK on December 24, 25 and 31. Maxjet will not fly from Stansted between December 24 and 27 inclusive plus December 31. It will not operate from JFK between December 24 and 26 inclusive along with December 31. Visit EOS Airlines website and MaxJet website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Maxjet to serve Washington DC

Business class fares to Washington DC are about to tumble as Maxjet announces flights from London Stansted starting in late February.
Timings have yet to be finalised but the American all-business class airline says it will fly five times a week. It also plans to add a Saturday frequency to its existing Stansted-New York service.

Fares are expected to be similar to New York prices (these cost around £860 return), which is far less than British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and United charge from Heathrow. For example, BA's return price for a short-notice booking to Washington is £4,416. BA offers a lower £2,504 deal but you must book weeks ahead.

According to CEO Gary Rogliano, air travellers already recognise the enormous value that Maxjet offers. "Our load factor and customer reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. People are thanking me every day, by email or in person, for creating an airline that finally makes sense for consumers."

In common with other carriers Maxjet suffers the odd hiccup. But unlike the big ones, Maxjet currently has only one plane and so any problems can impact on schedules. Its flight on Tuesday from Stansted had to be cancelled while today (December 14) the inbound service from JFK is delayed by over six hours. These hitches should ease now that Maxjet is set to acquire additional aircraft this month.

The carrier says it will launch a loyalty scheme on February 1 allowing families and small businesses to tag up to five names on one account and to jointly earn free tickets. Unusually, the airline will allow members to claim retrospectively for flights taken since November. Visit MaxJet website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Radisson SAS continues rapid expansion

Radisson SAS has announced three significant new properties, including one in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev which marks the city's first international standard property.

The 225-room hotel is located in a historic building in Kiev's city centre, within walking distance of government offices, churches and shops lining the nearby main Khreschatyk Street.

Online weekday rates start at Euros 242 for a standard room and Euros 283 for a business class room, with the latter including breakfast and other amenities. Online weekend rates range from Euros 167 to Euros 250 with some including breakfast. All rates are subject to 20 per cent tax.

Two further properties open on January 16, including a 149-room hotel in Brussels, which is ideally located for Eurocrats being behind the European Parliament and 3km from the city centre. Online rates start at Euros 170 on weekdays and just Euros 77 at weekends (both including breakfast).

The second property is the first Radisson to open in Birmingham, with 211 rooms spread over the first 18 floors of the 39-storey Beetham Tower in the city centre. Online rates range from £119 to £154 on weekdays and £79 to £114 at weekends with some including breakfast.

Free wireless broadband is offered throughout the properties. All offer a range of food and beverage and fitness outlets. Visit Radisson website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


UK domestic flights: Air Berlin's well-kept secret

New flights leaving up to twice daily from London Stansted to both Manchester and Glasgow will begin on December 16 courtesy of a surprising source: Air Berlin.
The German airline is not the first carrier that springs to most passengers' minds when booking UK domestic flights and this is good news for cost-conscious UK travellers. Most services over the coming weeks and months (excluding some dates over the festive period) are still priced at £19 one way or £38 return. Not only are these prices cheaper than many rail fares, they also undercut rival carriers which ply these two routes from Stansted: Easyjet, Ryanair and Eastern Airlines.

The new flights are timed for London travellers planning a day trip and will enable passengers starting from Manchester and Glasgow to connect at Stansted (Air Berlin provides through-checking) for the carrier's destinations in Germany and Austria.

Air Berlin is also expanding its services between Stansted and Germany. From December 16, flights to the east German city of Leipzig move from four to six a week with more consistent timings. Weekday flights now depart Stansted at 2020 with the inbound service from Leipzig leaving at 0610. Air Berlin offers the only direct link between the UK and Leipzig's main airport.

Flights to Hanover are being upgraded with a twice daily frequency and better timings (these allow a full working day in either Hanover or London) from March 3. The new schedules coincide with Hanover's CeBit computer fair taking place between March 9 and 15.

Other destinations served by Air Berlin from Stansted are Berlin Tegel, Dusseldorf, Munster, Nuremberg, Paderborn and Vienna. Visit Air Berlin website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


New Bmi long-haul flights

Bmi is expanding its long-haul network next spring with additional flights to Mumbai and new routes to Jeddah and Doha. On March 23, subject to government approval, Bmi will start flying from London Heathrow to Doha in the Gulf state of Qatar.
On April 22 the airline will boost its London Heathrow to Mumbai flights from four times a week to daily. The following day, Bmi will launch a three times weekly service to the Red Sea port of Jeddah. This will complement the airline's existing three times weekly link to the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

Bmi is short of long-distance planes so it plans to charter aircraft for the new routes. Jeddah and Riyadh will be flown by a Dutch-registered B767 on a damp lease (meaning that the registered airline provides the plane and the coughpit crew) in a 42-seater business and 150-seater economy class layout. Qatar Airways will operate the London-Doha service on Bmi's behalf with the plane type and seating configuration yet to be decided.

Bmi's premium economy product will be withdrawn from the Saudi routes once the B767 arrives. As Business Traveller has already reported, there is a lack of demand for this product in the Saudi market.

However, Bmi will not be offering first class and nor will it have fully lie-flat seating in business class, both of which are popular with wealthy Saudis who continue to miss what British Airways used to provide (BA pulled out of Saudi earlier this year).

"We especially liked BA's flat bed seats in first and business class," a member of the Saudi Royal family told Business Traveller. "We simply want to sleep, not to eat, on the overnight flight to London." Visit bmi website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Improved links between India and Singapore

As more airlines take advantage of India's liberalised aviation market, several Asian carriers are developing links from secondary airports in India to Singapore. As well as being a destination in its own right, Singapore is a major hub both for the region itself and Australasia.

This autumn, Singapore Airlines (SIA) began a four times weekly service using wide-bodied B777s between Hyderabad and Singapore, while carrier Jetstar Asia – a budget airline backed by Qantas – began a three times weekly link using A320s between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Singapore.

On December 7, India's Jet Airways started a daily Chennai (Madras) to Singapore service with a B737-800 while Jetstar Asia has announced it will begin flying five times a week between the hi-tech city of Bangalore and Singapore with A320s on January 23.

This is all good news for travellers. Previously passengers on some of these routes would have had to make a plane change in Mumbai or Delhi. Now they can fly direct to a major Asian hub. Visit SQ website, Jet Airways website and Jetstar Asia website.

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

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2005 - final week's articles

LHR fuel rationing

Fuel rationing continues to disrupt certain long-haul flights departing from London Heathrow. As a result of the recent fire at the Buncefield oil depot (a major supplier of aviation fuel to Heathrow) airlines continue to be restricted in the amount of kerosene they can uplift. It means some flights must touch down en route to refuel with a consequent delay to schedules, which could impact on connections.

Worst affected are foreign carriers such as Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, JAL and South African Airlines (SAA), which operate very long routes. Some of these carriers' flights are making a refuelling stop in mainland Europe.

Cathay Pacific says one of its four daily flights to Hong Kong (CX250 at 18.05) is stopping in Amsterdam and it means that "it will now be arriving in Hong Kong between 70 and 150 minutes behind schedule. So we are delaying onward connections where possible and contacting passengers to advise them of the situation".

Other major services affected include Qantas flight QF2 for Sydney at 21.45, which is touching down at Stansted; SIA's flight SQ319, which is routed via Frankfurt; Thai Airways' flight TG917 to Bangkok at 21.35 which goes via Copenhagen; and SAA's flight SA237 at 21.05 for Johannesburg which is refuelling in Milan.

JAL says it has rerouted some Osaka flights and it has cancelled Tokyo flight JL404 at 21.00 over the Christmas period.

But not all carriers are affected. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson says that its services were unaffected as home carriers were "higher up the priority list for supplies". British Airways, too, says there were no changes to its long-haul services because it was taking less Heathrow fuel for short-haul routes. Nobody knows how long the situation will last. In the meantime travellers flying with any airline on a very long distance flight should keep an eye on the situation and contact their agent, airline or airline website for further information.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Flybe charges for checked luggage

Flybe has become the first UK budget airline to charge passengers for checked luggage.

Starting next February (the exact date has yet to be confirmed) the Exeter-based airline will charge passengers £4 for every piece of checked luggage up to 25kg, or £2 for passengers who book in their bags in advance at flybe.com. At the same time it will soften the blow by doubling the cabin baggage allowance to 10kg so that passengers intending to take light luggage have an alternative.

What Flybe is doing shouldn't come as a surprise. Former US no-frills carrier People Express (which served domestic and transatlantic routes) instigated charges for checked baggage over 20 years ago. The system worked well even in the days of handwritten tickets and less automated check-in.
People Express is no longer in business, but with all airlines looking at cost-saving opportunities it seems that baggage is the next "free" service to be scrutinised.

Recently Jorgen Lindegaard, the president and CEO of Scandinavia's SAS, told Business Traveller: "We are looking at whether we can unbundle benefits like fast-track and baggage handling and charge extra for them."

Meanwhile airlines are making baggage economies in other areas. Since last summer the major US carriers have cut their free international baggage allowance from 32kg to 23kg although passengers are still allowed to check two pieces. American Airlines says: "The main reason is health and safety. We have to put special handling in place when bags weigh 32kg so the lower limit helps us to recover our costs."

Report by Alex McWhirter


Christmas disruption to London airport links

Rail links to the main London airports are being disrupted over the Christmas period. Travellers during this period should bear in mind that all train operators have revised schedules while others are providing replacement bus transfers.

Trains run until late on December 24, but Heathrow Express (which is funded by airport operator BAA) is the only rail service to operate on Christmas Day. It will run three trains an hour from Paddington between 05.15 and 14.15. After that replacement buses will operate every 20 minutes for the remainder of the day. Normal rail service will resume on December 26.

Gatwick Express will have no trains on December 25 or 26 from Victoria. Replacement buses on the 25th will operate every 30 minutes from 06.30 to 16.45. Buses operate more frequently on December 26 and normal trains resume on December 27.

Stansted Express will have no service at all from Liverpool Street on December 25. Then buses will replace trains on December 26, 27 and 28 but they will not serve Tottenham Hale. Trains resume on December 29.

All rail operators advise travellers to allow longer to reach the airport if taking a replacement bus. Heathrow Express says its buses will take 70 minutes to reach Heathrow as against 20 minutes by train.

For more information go to LHR Express, LGW Express, and STD Express

Report by Alex McWhirter


Passenger perks to Paris Orly

Air France is offering passengers a package of valuable benefits from London City Airport.

Passengers who fly Air France from the UK capital's own airport into Paris Orly or Charles de Gaulle (CDG) are being offered short check-in deadlines, better timings, free car parking and upmarket catering.

The car parking offer is available to both economy and business class passengers and is worth almost £20 a day. Along with the new timings to Orly – with the addition of an earlier 06.35 departure and a later 20.20 return – this allows business people a long working day in the French capital.

Air France's general manager for the UK and Ireland, Christine Ourmières, says the airline is carrying over 80,000 passengers a year on the Orly route and that the business is growing. There are six flights a day on weekdays (a single flight operates to CDG) timed for business people.

Orly is closer to the centre of Paris than CDG (14km compared with 26km) and is competitive with the Gare du Nord (the arrival point for Eurostar) if you have appointments to the south of the city.

The easiest public transport links to downtown are the Air France bus (which stops at Montparnasse and Invalides) for Euros 8 one way, or the Orly Val light transit connecting to the RER suburban network (for stations in the Paris area and downtown) costing Euros 9.05.

Orly is a popular airport for domestic flights, so passengers arriving from London City and wishing to travel onwards have a wide choice including 80 daily Navette (shuttle) links to Bordeaux, Marseilles, Nice or Toulouse.

Flights are operated by Air France subsidiary City Jet using BAe146s. Tickets cost from £89 return although a typical day return using the early and late flights could cost upwards of £209 depending on demand.

For more information go to Air France website.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Marriott openings in Europe

Marriott is expanding its Courtyard brand in Europe. The US chain has just opened its first mid-range Courtyard property in Moscow and intends to add a further five properties in Europe next year followed by an additional two in 2007.

The 218-room Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City is located at Voznesenskiy Pereulok 7, which is a 10-minute walk from the Kremlin. It's 30km from the city's main Sheremetyevo airport and convenient for Red Square, the GUM department store and the Bolshoi Theatre.

In keeping with the quasi-four star standards now seen in the brand's newer properties, Courtyard's Moscow property features two restaurants, a business centre, health club, 24-hour room service and same day laundry and dry cleaning.

But this particular Courtyard doesn't have the economical rates you would usually find elsewhere. A room shortage in the Russian capital means that Moscow hotels are among the world's priciest. Until January 14, room rates at the Courtyard range between $225 and $345 but from then on you will pay $350 to $400. All rates are subject to 18 per cent tax.

The additional Courtyards planned for next year are in: Prague, Vienna, Munich, Paris (Colombes) and Gelsenkirchen (Germany). Following in 2007 will be two properties in the Czech Republic: Prague and Plzen.

For more information go to Marriott website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Hot competition on Australian routes

British Airways has announced it will no longer directly serve Melbourne from March 26 next year.

Instead the carrier will terminate its current Melbourne service in Singapore and transfer passengers onto alliance partner Qantas. Alternatively, BA passengers will be offered bookings for a new direct Qantas service to Melbourne via Hong Kong.

BA says its decision to withdraw from the Melbourne route is a cost-saving measure as "the route hasn't been performing as well as expected". The airline says the planes that would have been used to serve Melbourne can be more profitably employed on new routes and services that BA is simultaneously launching to China and India.

The move comes at a time of ferocious competition on the "kangaroo route" both from the Asian carriers and the newly emerging Gulf-based airlines. These carriers' strategically placed hubs allow myriad connections to cities all over Australasia. By contrast, the economics of operating such a long route restrict point-to-point carriers like BA and Qantas into the number of cities they can serve.

For more information go to BA website and QF website

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

[QF WP]

This will be it for a while from me, as I'm not expecting to post much before 27 January. Whilst I'll still have the emails from Business Traveller in my inbox, it might be a while before I catch up with posting them (in February).

 

[QF WP]

Articles from 6 January

Apologies for the delay in posting theses last couple of weeks updates...

Air Canada revolutionises airline pricing

Air Canada's recently announced transatlantic pricing model might well be the future for airline travel. In effect it creates an a la carte menu, with travellers able to choose what they are prepared to pay for, and what they can do without.

The simplified pricing structure for flights to and from the UK classifies its business and economy class offerings into five brands: Executive First, Air Canada Club, Latitude Plus, Leisure and Tourist.

Irrespective of whether you intend to take business or economy (despite the name, Executive First is business class), everyone booking online is now quoted a range of qualifying fares when booking, say, a London-Toronto return. This is in contrast to most airlines which have rigid tariffs and do not explain what each fare type represents (ie: what you get for your money).

In terms of price, Air Canada's prices are similar to those of rival British Airways but where they differ is that the website displays every benefit alongside each tariff. Passengers are then encouraged to upgrade or downgrade according to what they need and how much they are prepared to pay.

As Sean Menke, the carrier's Executive VP and CEO told Business Traveller, "What we are doing here is providing a la carte air travel. Different travellers want different things. Our experience on the North American market (where simplified pricing is already available) suggests that travellers are keen to buy up to secure more perks."

But Sean Menke admits that Air Canada now has the machinery in place to convert today's free benefits like baggage handling and meal service into "paid for" options on all its routes.

All airlines are anxious to cut costs wherever they can and some of Air Canada's economy class passengers already pay for meals when flying within North America. Here in Europe, Scandinavia's SAS is looking to unbundle benefits and get passengers to pay extra for them (see Upfront in Business Traveller Magazine, December-January issue).

"All we're trying to do," says Sean Menke, "is to help passengers put together the package they want." He stresses there are no immediate plans to start charging for such extras on international routes.

For more information go to www.aircanada.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


New LH Seating

Throughout the summer Lufthansa will totally renew its European business and economy class seating.

The mammoth German airline is throwing away tens of thousands of existing seats across its short-haul mainline fleet in favour of new generation seating from manufacturers Recaro and B/E Aerospace.

Says Thierry Antinori, Lufthansa's executive VP for marketing and sales, "This is part of the quality offensive we launched last year. It will offer passengers within Germany and Europe even more comfort."

Passengers in business class benefit most. They will get a proper four across (2-2) layout on Airbus A320 and B737 flights with a fold down table ensuring a degree of privacy between the aisle and window seats. This resembles the dedicated layout offered by Air France mainline within Europe but is more generous than the five across (2-3) configuration offered by some rivals including British Airways.

New seat side coat hooks enable jackets to be hung even when the centre table is folded down. Seat width is increased slightly to 48 cms and, because the seat back is slimmer, there's an extra 4 cms of legroom.

There's no change to the economy configuration but the new seats are said to be more comfortable thanks to the absence of metal or carbon structures in the seat back. Some economy class rows will gain an extra 4 cms of legroom depending on where you sit on the plane.

However, because of space constraints the new seats will not be available on Lufthansa's commuter subsidiary Cityline's smaller BAe146 and Canadair jets on less busy routes.

Lufthansa points out that the new seats weigh less so annual fuel consumption will be cut by five million litres.

The seating will be progressively installed between April and October this year.

For more information go to www.lufthansa.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


BA refutes safety questions

Business travellers will no doubt have seen the front page report in this week's Sunday Times detailing several safety lapses with British Airways.

Despite the millions spent by airlines on marketing their product it is safety which determines how favourably an airline is perceived by travellers.

BA has refuted the article in question which it describes as "unbalanced." According to a BA spokesperson, "The newspaper cited three safety incidents which took place between June 2003 and June 2004 but failed to mention that we carry over 36 million passengers annually with over 360,000 flights.

According to the Sunday Times a report from the government's AAIB (Air Accident Investigation Board) concluded that a flight from Heathrow to Paris, where a B757 took off minus two wing panels (the flight was aborted with the plane having to return to Heathrow) "seems not to have been an isolated case but more symptomatic of the existing culture". [There was] "ineffective supervision of maintenance staff which had compromised the level of airworthiness control and had become accepted as the 'norm'".

Says BA's safety chief Captain Rod Young, "We have accepted and implemented all recommendations outlined in the government's report. Safety is paramount to British Airways. These factors were immediately rectified by February 2004 following the airline's own investigation which was carried out in cooperation with the AAIB."

"We pride ourselves on our safety and recognise that we are always ready to learn from incidents and encourage open transparent reporting," says Captain Young.

Report by Alex McWhirter


NYC hotel rates continue to rise

Business class transatlantic flights to New York may be cheaper than ever before, but savings made in the air are increasingly being swallowed up by hotel costs on the ground.

Not only did a recent survey by global agency group BTI reveal that the Big Apple's hotels were the world's most expensive but room rates continue to forge ahead.

Industry analysis firm PKF Consulting claims that the average price of a Manhattan room stood at US $292 in November as rates recover from the downturn seen after the September 11 terrorist attack in 2001.

Hoteliers say the high rates are a reflection of supply over demand. Visitor numbers have increased at the same time as the room count has fallen seeing as some property companies have found it more lucrative to convert older hotels into luxury condominions with the prime example being the famous 805-room Palace Hotel near Central Park. At the same time, New York's accommodation taxes (13.37% plus $3.50 per room) push the total bill even higher.

Despite January being a slack month the following room rates (before taxes) for a midweek stay next week are currently being quoted:

The value for money Novotel near Times Square was priced between $179 and $239, the four star Marriott Marquis was $309 to $329, and the W Times Square $365. At the top end, the St Regis Sheraton was on offer at $695 to $745 while the Mandarin was priced at $499 to $829.

With no major hotels scheduled to open anytime soon, visitors have little option but to pay up.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Eos passengers benefit from loyalty scheme

Eos, the all business class transatlantic airline reviewed in the November 2005 edition of Business Traveller 2005, has launched a loyalty scheme offering passengers valuable benefits.

Branded Club 48, the new loyalty programme is a simple one which awards 75 points per flight sector. Passengers who fly 10 times or more during a 12 month period earn an extra 250 bonus points. As an introductory offer Eos is awarding double points for travel taken before March 31. It is also providing 500 trial bonus points.

What makes the loyalty scheme worth shouting about is the value of the rewards available in exchange for the points. Each point is worth at least US$1 depending on the chosen award.

Available awards include spa treatments, gourmet dining, exclusive goods, free accommodation and flights.

For instance, a new member of Club 48 booking a return flight from Stansted to New York JFK or vice versa automatically earns $850 worth of rewards. Going through the rewards on offer, this would entitle you to an iPod with Bose sound dock, a dinner party for four at Nobu or Fredericks in New York or even a selection of Thomas Pink shirts and ties or a set of Tumi luggage. Incredibly, you could also opt for a free companion ticket potentially worth over US$6,000.

Eos flies once daily between Stansted and New York using a B757 configured for 48 seats which are amongst the most luxurious of their type. But the carrier has decided to postpone its second daily flight, which was supposed to start this month, until the second quarter of this year.

Rival carrier Maxjet will bring in a loyalty scheme from February 1 (see Online news, December 14).

For more information go to www.eosairlines.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


New Easyjet routes announced

Easyjet continues to expand with a number of new routes both from the UK and within mainland Europe. In particular Easyjet's decision to serve to Lisbon is good news for business people visiting the Portuguese capital.

Few budget airlines serve Lisbon (one exception being Monarch from Gatwick) and fares can be costly. Easyjet will also enter the Italian domestic market for the first time and compete head to head with local carriers Alitalia and Meridiana.

The new services start on various dates in March and April. From the UK they include Luton to Lisbon commencing March 1 with two other key routes from Liverpool heading for Krakow on April 10 and Marseille on April 11.

Significant routes within mainland Europe include Lisbon to Milan Malpensa from April 21 and Lisbon to Paris CDG starting March 1.

Italian domestic services include routes from Milan Malpensa to Naples on March 2 along with Palermo and Olbia (Sardinia) both on April 21.

Fares start from around £45 return and tickets go on sale from January 6.

For more information go to www.easyjet.com

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

[QF WP]

Articles from 13 January

New competitor for London-Delhi route

Air Sahara is the latest entrant on the busy London-Delhi route. The privately-owned Indian carrier launched a six flights a week service into Heathrow's Terminal One last Friday. Services are operated by 193-seater B767s configured for 42 business and 151-economy class seats.

Unusually the carrier is operating a two-tier business class product with a number of seats branded as Business Premier - five across with 64 inches of pitch - with the others configured six across with 55 inches of pitch.

Business Premier seating is lie-flat style rather than the fully lie-flat seat offered by rivals British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Jet Airways. (Air India, the other competitor, offers older version seating).

Slot constraints at Heathrow mean that inbound flights arrive at different times in the late afternoon (they depart Delhi at lunchtime) although all departing services leave Heathrow at 21.00 and reach Delhi the next morning at 11.10.

Strangely it is not easy here in the UK to book tickets with Air Sahara. The carrier's website will only accept bookings from Indian residents located in India while ticketing is handled by Travelpack which is a general sales agent.

Of five major online agencies contacted by Business Traveller (Ebookers, Expedia, Travelocity, Opodo and Airline Network) only one of these firms, namely Travelocity, could offer Air Sahara flights. Travelocity quotes return prices of £437 for economy and £1,669 for business class.

At the time of writing rumours are circulating, and are currently being denied, that Bombay-based Jet Airways is in discussions to take over Air Sahara.

For further information go to www.airsahara.net, www.travelpack.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Marriott hotel for Cologne

Cologne has a new first class hotel. US chain Marriott will open a new 282-room property next Sunday (January 15) just in time for this year's trade fair season along with the Football World Cup in June.

Rooms feature Marriott's "new look" which, claims the chain, provides guests with more comfort, luxury and style.

There's high-speed internet access, a business centre and a health club with sauna and solarium. The main food and beverage outlet, The Crazy Brasserie, features French and Asian cuisine.

This hotel's biggest asset, however, is its location. It's along Johannisstrasse, near the world famous Dom (Cathedral) and commercial area, yet just 200 yards from the city's main station (Hauptbahnhof).

Cologne is a major rail hub with trains running to the airport, cities throughout Germany and further afield to Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels. Train connections mean the city is a useful place to stay when Dusseldorf (20 mins away) or Frankfurt (75 mins away) are booked out with trade fairs.

The hotel has keen introductory rates. Outside trade fairs the weekday rate for a regular room starts at Euros 139 including internet access and breakfast. Executive floor accommodation costs from Euros 189. Weekend rates cost from Euros 119 (room only) or Euros 139 (including breakfast).

For further information go to www.marriott.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


BA rebrands Citiexpress

British Airways' Citiexpress division is adopting a budget airline formula. The loss-making regional division, which serves both domestic and international routes, is being rebranded as one-class BA Connect from March 26. Business class is scrapped and so too are existing perks like free food and drinks.

BA says the move is in response to customer demand and that it has carried out extensive research through the UK regions before coming to this decision.

The upside is that ticket costs will tumble by an average of 40% with seats being priced on a two-tier basis. Connect tickets will cost from £25 one-way with Connect Plus tickets (these allow lounge access and penalty free changes) priced from £110 one-way. Both tariffs grant FFP mileage.

Snacks and drinks will now be available on a "paid for" basis and the cheaper Connect fares still allow changes but at £30 a time. BA says that it will be placing two million Connect fares on sale over the coming year so there will be availability on all routes.

Exceptions are BA's services from London City to Edinburgh, Frankfurt and Geneva which are operated by Citiexpress. These continue to offer a traditional two-class service with free catering albeit with today's pricing. Says BA Connect commercial director Steve Cassidy, "That's appropriate and relevant for the London City routes. We've taken that decision for the sake of consistency as we've found BA passengers flying to and from London may arrive at Gatwick or Heathrow and depart from City or vice versa."

BA Connect operates mainly from Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh to a variety of cities in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Norway, Belgium and Switzerland.

It's not clear whether this new strategy will succeed. BA Connect's fleet consists of smaller 49 to 110-seater planes whereas successful budget carriers like Easyjet and Ryanair operate larger jets holding 150-180 seats. Steve Cassidy denied this would be a problem, "We had nine different plane types in 2001 and now we have three. We think it's a good blend of aircraft for the type of routes we fly. It allows us to offer business people six flights a day on regional links like Manchester-Belfast City."

Bookings for BA Connect open on February 1. For further information go to www.ba.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Thai Airways introduces new premium seating

Thai Airways is finally introducing up-to-date premium products to the busy London-Bangkok route. In recent times the carrier has been lagging behind rivals British Airways, Qantas and Eva Air (who all offer the latest lie-flat products in first and business class). But Thai's B747s used on the route are now being fitted with fully lie-flat seats in first class with passengers in business class getting lie-flat style versions.

The number of first class seats is cut from 14 to 10. Passengers sit three across (1-1-1) on seats with cushions which are almost 22 inches wide and where the legroom is boosted to 76 inches. Seating reclines 180 degrees. Business class seating goes down from 50 to 40. Seats are 20 inches wide with 60 inches of legroom. Passengers sit four across (2-2) on the B747's upper deck or downstairs on the left-hand side of the cabin. The recline is 170 degrees.

But economy class remains unchanged with entertainment buffs still having to manage without seat back screens, video on demand and so on.Thai operates twice a day from Heathrow. Most likely you'll experience the new first and business classes when taking Thai's long standing flight TG911 at 11.50 or inbound flight TG910 from Bangkok at 00.35. Most B747s operating these services have been retrofitted.

Thai's other services, namely TG916 from Heathrow at 21.35 and TG916 from Bangkok at 13.50, are due for conversion soon.

For more information go to www.thaiair.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


American Airlines scraps Newcastle (UK) - NYC route

American Airlines has reversed its decision to fly transatlantic from Newcastle this spring.

Travellers in the Northeast had been looking forward to getting their first ever scheduled service to New York with the US carrier intending to launch daily all-economy flights with a B757 twin jet on May 2. But now they are going to have to look for alternatives.

Says an American Airlines spokesperson, "We've had to take a long hard look at our schedules because of continuing high fuel prices and economic conditions in the US airline industry. So it's no longer possible to operate this route. Ticketed passengers will be offered an alternative flight or a refund."

Adds Alan Clark, chief executive of regional development agency One North East, "We have all worked very hard to bring the New York route here but unfortunately we are a victim of global forces beyond our control."

But all is not lost. There are plenty of alternatives although journey times will be longer. Passengers from Newcastle can take the train to Edinburgh (regular GNER and Virgin trains take 90 minutes) and fly non-stop with US carrier Continental. Alternatively you can connect with British Airways via Heathrow, KLM via Amsterdam or Air France via Paris CDG.

A further alternative (for those seeking premium class comfort) is to fly Easyjet to Stansted then continue transatlantic with all-business class carriers Maxjet and Eos.

For more information go to www.americanairlines.co.uk

Report by Alex McWhirter


Eurostar adds extra non-stop Brussels service

Eurostar is expanding its service to Brussels and will operate up to 10 trains a day next month. With faster journey times having boosted passenger numbers, the high-speed train operator is in a bullish mood.

It has decided to add an additional non-stop weekday service between London Waterloo and Brussels Midi and return from February 13.

The new service departs Waterloo at 15.40 to reach Brussels two hours and 20 minutes later at 19.00. In the return direction there's an additional departure from Brussels at 14.56 to arrive in London at 16.23.

Existing non-stop services continue as before. These leave Waterloo at 07.43 reaching Brussels at 10.58, returning at 08.13 to arrive in Waterloo at 09.28.

The other eight trains each way on weekdays continue as before with an en route stop at Lille.

Eurostar's additional departure from Waterloo will take advantage of the new "Rail Team" alliance formed with fellow high-speed train firm Thalys (see Online News, October 27). Passengers arriving in Brussels Midi at 19.00 have an easy 28 minute connection with the onward Thalys service to Cologne reaching the Rhineland city at 21.45. Make a further change and you will arrive in the centre of Frankfurt by 23.00 thanks to Germany's ICE train service.

London-Brussels return fares range between £59-£298 for Standard class, £110-£325 for Leisure Select and £319-£410 for Business Premier.

For more information go to www.eurostar.com and www.thalys.com

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

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Articles from 19 January

Lower fares to Helsinki

London is poised to gain better value flights to Helsinki. Fares to the Finnish capital have soared since the demise of Buzz (a low-cost carrier) several years ago.

Right now British Airways and Finnair serve the route from Heathrow. But these Oneworld partners market each other's flights and have little incentive to compete. Consequently their business fares have drifted upwards. It means that Helsinki has become more expensive to reach than other Nordic or Baltic capitals.

Air Berlin will be the first to enter the route. The German airline will offer a once daily (except weekends) B737 service via Dusseldorf. Flights start on February 6 with departures from Stansted at 07.30 and (following a 100 mins transfer in Dusseldorf) arrive in Helsinki at 14.45. The return service departs Helsinki at 15.55 and reaches Stansted at 19.50 after a 140 mins transfer.

Air Berlin's schedules aren't the best but the airline compensates with typical prices of between £74 and £157 return. It will also through-check passengers and luggage.

The second new service is being operated by SAS subsidiary Blue 1 using an MD-90. This Finnish carrier (marketed in the UK by SAS) will operate non-stop twice daily on weekdays with a single evening flight on Sunday. The morning service departs Stansted at 09.45 and arrives Helsinki at 14.40 with the later flight leaving Stansted at 20.00 to arrive 00.55 the next morning. Inbound services leave Helsinki au 08.00 and 18.10 to reach Stansted at 09.00 and 19.10 respectively. Blue 1 fares start from £132 return.

BA and Finnair offer more frequent flights but at a price. Today, when Business Traveller checked peak hour fares with www.finnair.com for a two-day trip starting on January 23 the cheapest online fare was a hefty £646 return.

For more information go to www.airberlin.com, www.flysas.com, www.ba.com, www.finnair.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Flybe invests in Economy Plus

Flybe is spending £4 million on strengthening its Economy Plus business product.

The budget airline wants to set apart Economy Plus from its standard no frills offering. It means Flybe will be offering a similar two-tier product to that of BA's forthcoming BA Connect (see Online news BA rebrands Citiexpress, January 11) operation which starts on March 26.

Economy Plus is available now on all routes. It offers business perks to passengers who pay the full fares which start from £100 one-way.

Passengers are offered a range of benefits including ticket flexibility, dedicated check-in (with shorter check-in deadlines), advance seat selection, use of airport lounge, in-flight snacks, extra baggage allowances and use of a loyalty scheme. There's also a special business-to-business website for bookings: www.flybe2b.com

Simon Lilley, Flybe's director of marketing says that the Economy Plus benefits meets the needs of today's business travellers. "The only remaining reason to travel with a traditional airline has disappeared," he claims.

Flybe is essentially a regional carrier. It operates very few flights into London. Most services link the UK mainland and the Channel Islands and include destinations in Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal.

But Economy Plus can be expensive. Today when Business Traveller checked peak time flights for a day trip between Gatwick and Jersey on January 23 we were quoted £298 as against the regular no frills rate of £193. A similar trip between Southampton and Edinburgh would cost £340 and £230 respectively.

The price difference was even more marked on international routes. For a one night trip departing next Monday, Birmingham-Toulouse in Economy Plus was priced at £373 compared with £165. Another trip between Exeter and Paris CDG would set you back £361 as against £175.

For more information go to www.flybe.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Istanbul gains second Radisson SAS

Istanbul has a new first class hotel and one which has extremely attractive rates. International chain Radisson SAS Bosphorus has just opened a 120-room property with a location in one of the city's choicest areas.
It's on the banks of the Bosphorus strait and next door to the well-known Ciragan Palace Kempinski hotel. Shopping and business areas are nearby and the Old City with its various attractions including the Grand Bazaar is 15 minutes away.

The property's accommodation comprise a mixture of standard (25 square metres in size), business class (30 square metres) and suites (from 35 square metres). The main food and beverage outlet is the Starboard Café Terrace and Cruise Lounge Bar. Facilities include a Wellness and Beauty centre with sauna and solarium.

A useful service is the provision of free broadband including wi-fi throughout all public areas and guest rooms.

Room rates are keen. Online week-round prices start at Euros 110 (seven days advance booking needed) with standard rooms at Euros 120, business class rooms (these offer breakfast, newspaper, bathrobe and so on) at Euros 170 and junior suites at Euros 300.

Radisson SAS Bosphorus, Ciragan Cad 46, Ortakoy, Istanbul 34349.
Tel + 90 212310500

For more information go to www.radisson.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Fuel related delays continue at LHR

One month after the Buncefield oil depot fire (a major refinery serving Heathrow) and some long distance flights from London Heathrow continue to be disrupted (see Online news, December 22).

Foreign airlines operating to Asia and Australia continue to be amongst the worst affected by fuel rationing. Carriers like Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Qantas are having to make an enroute stop to refuel. Japan Airlines (JAL) is cancelling a number of flights.

It means that the diversions could add as much as 90 to 120 minutes to flight schedules. This could cause problems at the other end if you have a connection to make.

Qantas says flight QF2 at 21.45 for Bangkok and Sydney is being regularly diverted via Stansted for refuelling.

SIA operates three flights a day to Singapore. It says that while flights SQ317 at 11.00 and SQ321 at 22.15 are operating normally, flight SQ319 at 18.15 will only operate normally on Friday. On every other day SQ319 will go via Frankfurt with a consequent delay of 105 minutes.

Meanwhile Japan Airlines (JAL) is cancelling flight JL404 at 21.00 to Tokyo on a number of days this month. JL404 will not operate on January 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26 and 28 January. Passengers are being rebooked on JL402 at 19.00 instead.

Other carriers may be affected. Readers taking very long distance flights are advised to check with their airline.

Some readers have asked why it is that UK carriers are maintaining normal schedules. The reason is because British Airways, Bmi and Virgin Atlantic are allowed a higher fuel allocation compared to foreign carriers. In addition, BA is uplifting less fuel at Heathrow for its short-haul services to preserve supplies for its long distance routes.

The situation is expected to continue until additional supply routes can be made available. This could take some time.

Report by Alex McWhirter


New SIA Moscow-SIN route

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is pipping rival Cathay Pacific to the post by becoming the second SE Asian carrier to serve Moscow. It has announced the launch of a three times a week Moscow-Singapore service on March 1 several weeks ahead of Cathay's Moscow-Hong Kong planned start date of March 27 (see article from December 7).

At present the routes between Moscow and SE Asia are ripe for development. Thai is the only SE Asian carrier serving Moscow (from Bangkok); all other services are flown by Russian carriers.

With its huge energy reserves generating vast sums, Russia is increasingly important both for in and out-bound business. These new links facilitate ease of travel via Hong Kong and Singapore to and from the entire Asia Pacific region.

SIA and Cathay Pacific are spreading their risks in the early days by including another destination in their schedules. Cathay's three times a week service (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in each direction) with a B747 actually starts in Manchester. So besides being aimed at the Moscow to Hong Kong market it will also attract passengers flying from Manchester to Moscow as well as Manchester to Hong Kong because there are no direct flights on these latter two routes.

SIA's three times a week (every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday ex-Moscow ; a day earlier ex-Singapore) B777 service makes a stop in Dubai. It has traffic rights for Moscow-Dubai and Dubai-Singapore as well as Moscow-Singapore.

The new routes are great news for passengers using round-the-world tickets who no longer need to make backtracks when including these cities on a global circuit.

There is a concern that the launch date of Cathay's flight might be slightly delayed. Says a spokesperson, "We are still working towards a March 27 start date but there are details to be finalised with the Russians regarding a codeshare arrangement with Aeroflot on the Manchester-Moscow leg."
For more information go to www.singaporeair.com, www.cathaypacific.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


AF expands at Southampton

Air France is expanding operations at Southampton airport this summer. Two of its three daily flights to Paris CDG are getting extra capacity in the shape of 70-seater ATR turbo-props compared to the 50-seater Canadair jets used at present.

The carrier says the extra seats are to meet demand for passengers flying both to Paris and beyond. Air France offers connections at CDG for worldwide destinations and economy or business class fares are competitive compared to those offered from Heathrow. Some passengers living to the west and southwest of London prefer Southampton because of its ease of use, cheaper parking and good access by rail (Southampton Airport Parkway station adjoins the terminal) and road.

The BAA-owned airport is becoming the South Coast's main springboard for secondary cities in France. Whereas Air France concentrates on Paris, the budget carrier Flybe intends to operate 11 routes this summer including Avignon, Brest, Cherbourg, Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Rennes.

Air services to France from this part of England have a bright future. Rival train firm Eurostar will be less of a threat from 2007 when it transfers its London terminal from convenient Waterloo to less convenient St Pancras.

Last year Southampton handled 1.85 million passengers (a 20% rise over 2004). This year's total is expected to exceed 2 million.

For further information go to www.airfrance.co.uk, www.flybe.com, www.baa.co.uk

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

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Articles from 26 January

Ryanair takes low-cost travel a step further

Ryanair is set to further revolutionise low-cost flying within Europe from March 16.

This is when the Irish airline will copy rival budget carrier Flybe and start charging network-wide for checked baggage. But unlike Flybe, passengers taking Ryanair are also being offered the time-saving convenience of online check-in.

It means that passengers carrying up to 10 kgs of hand luggage (Ryanair states that 25% of its passengers fall into this category) can check-in using ryanair.com and bypass the queues at the check-in counters. At the same time these travellers will also be entitled to priority boarding which, in theory, means they'll get to choose the better seats on the plane.

Passengers taking checked baggage (the allowance is boosted from 15 kgs to 20 kgs from March 16) will check-in as normal. But for bookings made after March 16, they'll pay £2.50 per piece when pre-booked or £5 if presented unbooked at the airport.

Ryanair reckons that some 40% to 50% of passengers will quickly switch to online check-in which it believes will save it Euros 30 million in ground handling costs. It is ploughing back this saving by trimming a few pounds from ticket prices.

Despite its no-frills reputation a lot of business people use Ryanair. This is partly because of its prices but also because Ryanair serves a number of airports and destinations which cannot be reached by using other airlines.

Regular customers who take hand baggage will welcome these developments. At busy times they can end up standing in a long queue just to collect a boarding pass. This will be a thing of the past from March 16.

For more information go to www.ryanair.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Air Canada adopts fully lie-flat beds

Air Canada will shortly launch more luxurious Executive First (business class) seating on its long-haul international routes. The new product, similar to the lie-flat suites offered by Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand, debuts on transatlantic services in the middle of this year, with Air Canada's routes to London being a priority.

Ten years ago Air Canada's Executive First was highly rated on account of its legroom and wide seats. But the product has increasingly become outdated when stacked against British Airways' lie-flat seating in Club World and the lie-flat style seating offered by the likes of Air France and Lufthansa. The airline says its new product is similar to those of Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand but with specific changes unique to Air Canada.

The new seating is manufactured by Contour, a UK firm. It features truly lie-flat beds which are 191cms long and up to 79cms wide at the shoulders. The individual suites are separated by a 109cm high privacy screen. This product is widely regarded as offering the best business class comfort aloft.

New Executive First will adopt the east-west herringbone layout (like Virgin and Air New Zealand) rather than the north-south configuration seen at other carriers.

All passengers gain access to an aisle or window seat with in-seat video and audio entertainment, adjustable head and footrests, power for portable electronic devices and an oversized tray table for dining and working.

For more information go to www.aircanada.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Two new Frankfurt hotels

Frankfurt, Germany's most important business and financial centre has two new first class hotels.

International chain Radisson SAS has just opened a 400-room hotel along Franklinstrasse next to the city's busy exhibition complex. Comprising 19 storeys and measuring 87 metres high, it features state-of-the-art accommodation in a range of styles along with 1,000 square metres of conference facilities. There are several food and beverage outlets plus a fitness centre. One selling point is the offer of free broadband, including wi-fi, throughout the hotel.

Online rates start at Euros 185 for standard (24 square metres) rooms, Euros 220 including breakfast for business class (28 square metres) rooms. One bedroom suites (56 square metres) include breakfast and cost Euros 450.

Then on March 1, British luxury group Rocco Forte Hotels opens a more personalised property. The 163-room Villa Kennedy is located along Kennedyallee just off the south bank of the River Main. It's constructed around the 100-year old Villa Speyer and located amidst extensive gardens to provide a retreat from city life.

Besides luxurious accommodation and fine dining one of the hotel's selling points is the spa area, split over three levels and comprising a 15 metre pool, sauna, steam rooms and so on.

Rates for standard rooms (35 square metres) start at Euros 260, with deluxe rooms (50 square metres) priced at Euros 320. Junior suites cost Euros 370.

For more information go to www.radisson.com or www.roccofortehotels.com


SAS to fly London City to Stockholm

London City is regaining a much requested Stockholm link after a gap of several years. The new service, to be operated by Transwede using an 82-seater BAe 146 on behalf of SAS, starts on February 13.

Flights from London City will arrive at Stockholm's main Arlanda airport (38 km outside town) instead of more convenient Bromma (9 km from the city centre) which had been served (from City by former Malmo Aviation) in previous times. But Arlanda offers better possibilities for onward connections and (since the days of the former link) it now enjoys a dedicated Arlanda Express rail service into central Stockholm.

Flights operate twice daily from Monday to Friday and once daily on Sundays. Services leave City at 09.15 to reach Stockholm at 12.45 and again at 18.15 to arrive at 21.45. Inbound services (which include the Sunday service) leave Stockholm at 16.15 and arrive in City at 17.45.

Three classes will be offered (business, economy flex and economy) and SAS will offer one-way pricing enabling passengers to mix and match their class of travel. Fares start from £51 one-way.

Says Lars-Ove Filipson, GM for SAS in the UK, "Following the success of our new route to Copenhagen [launched last autumn], we now have a very compelling offering from London City. There is a huge market to be served from this airport and with the advent of the DLR [the rail service opened last December] London City has come of age."

For more information go to www.flysas.com, www.arlandaexpress.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Emirates adds Hamburg and Copenhagen routes

Emirates is poised to bring lower business class fares to travellers based in northern Germany and Scandinavia. The Dubai-based airline inaugurates a daily service to Hamburg on March 1 and plans to add flights to nearby Copenhagen on October 29. Both routes will be flown by Airbus A330 craft.

Flights will depart Hamburg at 15.35 arriving in Dubai at 00.45 the next morning. Inbound services will depart Dubai at 08.55 to reach Hamburg at 12.55.

For the Copenhagen route, Emirates' daily flight is set to depart from the Danish capital at 14.55 to reach Dubai the next day at 00.05. The inbound flight will leave Dubai at 09.25 and arrive in Copenhagen at 13.25.

Currently there are practically no long distance flights from Hamburg so passengers have no choice but to make an en route plane change. Long-haul flight coverage from Copenhagen is limited.

Emirates is set to provide passengers from both cities with a large range of destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Australasia thanks to its Dubai hub. With the exception of Australia and New Zealand (where an overnight stop is required on the outward leg) there are good connections.

Hamburg's catchment area covers Hanover, Bremen and cities as far east as Berlin. Besides Denmark itself, Copenhagen services southern Sweden (thanks to the 7,800 metre long Oresund Bridge). It also enjoys excellent air links with other cities in Scandinavia and the Baltic.

It's too soon to finalise prices from Copenhagen but those from Hamburg are exceptionally keen with Emirates' business class rates undercutting rival carriers.

When Business Traveller checked return business class fares with emirates.com from Hamburg for travel in March to Sydney we were quoted Euros 2,637 whereas the same ticket with British Airways via London would cost Euros 7,102 – almost three times as much.

A return ticket for Hamburg-Dubai will cost Euros 2,152 with Emirates as against Euros 2,705 with Lufthansa via Frankfurt, although on most of these flights you would have the choice of B747 and A340s.

Other examples include: Hamburg-Mumbai Euros 2,370 (Emirates) compared to Euros 4,010 (Lufthansa) and Euros 3,755 (Air France). Or Hamburg-Singapore Euros 2,321 (Emirates), Euros 3,586 (Lufthansa), Euros 3,552 (Air France).

For more information go to www.emirates.com

Report by Alex McWhirter


Swiss joins RTW tariff

Flights with Swiss can now be included on the popular Star Alliance round-the-world (RTW) fare. It means that globetrotters have an additional gateway for Europe. It also means that travellers based in Switzerland can now fly non-stop using the Star Alliance fare whereas, previously, a plane change in Germany or Austria might have been needed.
The Zurich-based airline, which is being taken over by Germany's Lufthansa, is currently not a fully-fledged member of Star Alliance. So how can it participate?

Says a spokesperson for Star Alliance, "This isn't the first time a carrier has been included in products like the RTW fare prior to official integration. But passengers must bear in mind that, although they can use flights over the Swiss network, the full range of Star products [when using Swiss] may not be available."

Zurich has good road and rail links both within Switzerland itself and neighbouring France and southern Germany. Air links include many important long-haul destinations and a wide range of cities within Europe. A limited number of short-haul Swiss flights also depart Geneva along with a solitary link to New York. Swiss also serves Basel. Please bear in mind that some Swiss code-share flights cannot be incorporated in the RTW deal.

For journeys of up to 29,000 miles RTW fares are priced from £6,469 first, £3,869 business and £1,339 economy class. Passengers can book up to 39,000 miles for a surcharge. Taxes and fees will vary and are additional.

For more information go to www.swiss.com, www.lufthansa.com, www.staralliance.com

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

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This weeks' articles - 3 February

Airline wine awards unveiled at Business Travel Show

The results of the Business Traveller Cellars in the Sky Awards 2005 were announced this week at London Olympia's Business Travel Show. The annual awards, in association with Wine International, celebrate the best airline wines in long haul business and first class, in a variety of categories from Best Sparkling Wine, to Most Original Wine List.

This year's competition was the largest ever, attracting entrants from over 30 airlines, with the wines being judged during a two-day blind tasting organised by Wine International magazine and the International Wine Challenge.

Among the winners unveiled at the show were Singapore Airlines for Best White in Business Class, and Emirates for Best Fortified or Sweet in First Class, while British Airways received the Special Award for outstanding range of wines in their onboard wine list. The awards were presented by Charles Metcalfe, Associate Editor of Wine International and one of this year's judges.

Says Tom Otley, editor of Business Traveller: 'Cellars in the Sky features some of the finest wines offered in business and first class on long haul flights, and we are proud that the competition continues to go from strength to strength.'

For more information about Cellars in the Sky 2005, along with a full list of winners, see the February issue of Business Traveller.

Report by Mark Caswell


BA Connect fares - Where's the change?

Tickets to fly with BA Connect (British Airways new regional budget airline) were placed on sale on Wednesday (February 1). What is immediately clear is that while some prices have dropped, others have remained largely unchanged.

From March 26, BA Connect will take over routes operated by the current BA Citiexpress and will sell two types of tickets: Connect Standard and Connect Plus. Food and drink will no longer be served free of charge although BA Connect says it will continue to provide hot breakfasts (on a paid for basis) unlike almost every other budget airline.

When Business Traveller checked the cost of making various day trips using peak time flights for Tuesday April 4, we found that there was still a sizeable price gap between Standard and Plus fares which did not reflect the benefits of each fare type.

For example, when booked on February 2 (for travel on April 4), a day trip between London City and Frankfurt cost an economical £151 return with the Standard tariff whereas the Plus fare was £563, similar to what Club Europe costs today. A trip between Birmingham and Paris CDG would cost £120 as against £519 while Southampton-Edinburgh was quoted at £103 compared to £309.

BA says that Plus fares allow lounge access and full flexibility. By contrast the cheaper Standard fares are more restrictive but it is possible to make changes at £30 a time

BA Connect has a handful of routes from London City. It also flies from Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh to destinations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Norway, Belgium and Switzerland.

For more information go to BA website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Etihad to debut fully lie-flat seating

Etihad Airways will be the first Gulf-based carrier to offer fully flat beds in business class. But UK passengers will have to wait until the Spring before sampling them.

The new seating will make its debut on Etihad's new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER planes, the first of which arrive this week. It's good news for passengers because Etihad's reguional rivals offer either normal or lie-flat style products.

The B777s will accommodate 378 passengers in two classes: Coral or economy class with 350 seats and Pearl or business class with 28. Passengers in Pearl class will sit only four across (1-2-1) in beds which are 73 inches long and which recline 180 degrees. Coral class seating is more conventional with a nine across (3-3-3) layout and regular legroom.

As well as a new Inflight Entertainment system with 30 movies, 16 hours of TV programming, 24 hours audio programming, 25 audio CD's, and 26 Interactive Games, the new planes also have high-speed wireless internet access using the advanced 'Connexions by Boeing' system.

So when will travelers from the UK get a chance to experience the new planes on the London to Abu-Dhabi route? According to Etihad, it all comes down to how quickly the planes are delivered. As well as purchasing the five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, Etihad has ordered 24 Airbus aircraft – four A340-500s, four A340-600s, 12 A330-200s and four double-decker A380s. There's a rumour that this first Boeing has already been earmarked for the Abu-Dhabi to Frankfurt route rather than London, so we will see one of the Boeing's on the Gatwick-Abu Dhabi route some time this Spring (exactly when depends on the delivery schedule of the planes from Boeing). The two class product is being augmented by a three-class one, including a first class – Diamond - at the front end of the Airbus A340s.

Kirk Albrow, Regional Manager Europe and the Americas, told Business Traveller that he believed that while Gatwick would support a two class product (and the Manchester route, when it starts this Spring), Heathrow was capable of having a three-class product, though again, the exact date of arrival remains to be decided. Other news this week included possible new routes for Etihad: Manila, Jakarta and Shanghai.

Visit Etihad website for further details.

Report by Tom Otley


Paris Hotel for Shangri-La

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has announced plans to open their first European hotel in Paris. The 180 million Euro development, due for completion in 2008, will convert a 110 year old mansion once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte's family.

Centrally located and offering views of The Seine and Eiffel Tower, the seven storey hotel will comprise 140 deluxe rooms and suites (ranging from 40 to 160 square metres) putting it in the same league as other top Parisian hotels such as the Plaza and Le Bristol.

Says Giovanni Angelini, chief executive officer and managing director of Shangri-La Hotels: "This exquisite property is the culmination of a long search to find the perfect location to launch Shangri-La in France. We aim to combine our renowned hospitality, accommodation and dining, with the site's romantic history and privileged location, to create another gem in Paris' crown."

The hotel will have two restaurants, several meeting facilities, an indoor swimming pool, health club, and business lounge, with the renovation retaining the building's original grand staircase, chandeliers, fireplaces and marble flooring.

The announcement is further evidence of Shangri-La's global aspirations. The luxury Asian chain also plans to open a London hotel within the proposed London Bridge Tower development, although this is likely to be some years away, as planning permission for the development has yet to be granted.

For more information visit Shangri-la website

Report by Anne Reed


Bmi's plans for Doha

Bmi plans to launch daily flights from London Heathrow to Doha (Qatar) on March 26. Unusually the independent airline will not be operating the flight itself. Instead, because of a plane shortage, Bmi has contracted the service to Qatar Airways who will be using an Airbus A-330.

Bookings and marketing will be handled by Bmi and the existing Qatar Airways' London-Doha services will be unchanged. But this arrangement does mean the new route remains subject to government approval.

The flight from London is set to depart Heathrow's Terminal 3 at 15.05 to arrive in Doha at 23.55. The inbound service is planned to leave Doha at 07.45 to land in Heathrow at 13.15.

Fares will typically start at £449 for an economy return.

Bmi says its plans to launch a three flights a week service to the Saudi port city of Jeddah on April 23 are on track. The carrier began serving the Saudi capital of Riyadh last year. It also says its popular Heathrow-Mumbai service will increase from four flights a week to daily from April 22.

For more information go to Bmi website

Report by Alex McWhirter


Free tickets from Virgin Trains

If you fly to Manchester during February and March you could earn a free first class return train ticket worth up to £317.

The promotion from Virgin Trains covers all passengers buying any one-way or return ticket to fly between any London airport (for example Heathrow, Gatwick, City or Stansted) and Manchester. It's designed to showcase the train firm's Pendolino tilting trains.

Passengers need to post their used boarding passes to qualify for the 10,000 free tickets which are being made available on a first come, first served basis.

The free return first class ticket covers any one-way or return air ticket with any airline flying the route. It covers both budget carriers like Jet2 from Gatwick or Air Berlin from Stansted in addition to conventional airlines like BA and Bmi from Heathrow, BA from Gatwick, Eastern from Stansted or VLM from City.

It's a good deal for anyone using one of the budget carriers because their tickets cost a fraction of the full first class train rate. For example, Air Berlin's Stansted-Manchester prices lead-in at £29 one-way, £58 return.

The rail is valid for travel not only between London and Manchester but also from London to other destinations in the Northwest including Crewe, Liverpool, Chester, Preston and Warrington.

These state-of-the-art trains depart London Euston for Manchester Piccadilly every half hour throughout much of the working day. The fastest services over the 184 miles in between 126 and 131 minutes.

Air passengers must apply by April 28 and the free rail ticket is valid for travel until August 31.

For more information go to Plane Relief website

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

[QF WP]

This weeks' articles - 10 February

BA enforces check-in deadlines


Don't be tardy if you're flying with British Airways. In a bid to boost punctuality, the airline is cracking down on latecomers and will now turn away passengers arriving late for check-in, no matter the reason. Says a spokesperson, "We will now strive to shut our check-in when we say we will."

In the UK, no passenger will now be accepted later than 30 mins before a domestic or short-haul flight and no later than 45 mins for a long-haul service.

Says BA's CEO Willie Walsh, "Ensuring that aircraft depart and arrive on time should be a fundamental concern for everyone, right up there with safety and security. It's something our customers expect BA to get right. Our current performance is unacceptable."

BA is worried because its punctuality now trails that of the budget airlines. This is something which passengers will not accept because they are paying more for what they perceive is a premium product.

The latest Civil Aviation figures for flights at major UK airports in 2005 indicate that 67% of BA flights departed punctually (classified as within 15 mins of schedule) whereas the comparable figures for its low-cost rivals were 72% for Easyjet, 73% Flybe, 76% Monarch and 81% Ryanair.

One reason why these budget carriers have better punctuality is that they rigorously apply check-in deadlines. BA is now taking a leaf out of their book.

Other measures which BA is adopting include making sure that staff reach the plane on time, boarding passengers along with closing the gates and aircraft doors promptly.

Check in times vary across the BA network. For example, at New York JFK the deadline is 60 to 120 mins, at Bahrain and Dubai it's 60 minutes whereas in Sydney it's 45 mins while 45 mins will suffice in Singapore.

Readers should also note that the 30 min deadline in the UK also applies at London's compact City airport where some rivals have 15-20 min deadlines.

For more information go to BA website

Report by Alex McWhirter


The LGW Express: it hasn't gone yet

The Gatwick Express is under threat and the future looks grave. But there's hope yet. Airport operator BAA believes there is still a good chance of saving the fast rail link and it has proposed a modified service to the Department of Transport. The proposed service would retain some of the elements of the current service such as space for heavy baggage and the ability to buy tickets on board, but, to free up space at the airport platforms, the Express would start and terminate at Three Bridges station further down the line.

Gatwick Express is under threat because this link between Gatwick airport and London Victoria has been accused of taking up too much track capacity. The Express services are lightly loaded compared with commuter trains sharing the same tracks, so the argument goes. As a result, the government wants to scrap the Express and replace it with a stopping service to make better use of track space.

But the proposal has come under fire both from BAA and the major airlines. In particular, Bob Schumacher, UK director of US airline Continental says, "The proposal to do away with a dedicated non-stop service is outrageous. If implemented it would make Gatwick less attractive as a London gateway." On the other hand critics argue that the Gatwick Express must move with the times.

Travel patterns have changed (thanks to new office and residential developments in and around the capital) since the Gatwick Express started over 20 years ago. In the British Rail days the Gatwick Express had the market all to itself. But today's privatised railway has produced competing services with fares that can be substantially cheaper depending on where you start your journey.

Says a spokesperson for Gatwick Express, "The price competition has changed our way of thinking. Unlike Heathrow Express we carry more leisure passengers so our fares must be tailored to their needs. That is why we have and we will continue to pursue ticketing deals with airlines."

But the Gatwick Express serves only Victoria in Central London while some passengers find competing Thameslink and Southern trains more useful as they serve areas to the East and North of the capital and call at hub stations like East Croydon and Clapham Junction. There's no doubt the Gatwick Express suffered with the closure (following the events on September 11), for security reasons, of the airline check-in facilities at Victoria station. In the Express' heyday passengers could check-in their bags and board the train secure in the knowledge they wouldn't miss their flight.

"The closure was a great shame," says the spokesperson, "but we plan to assist passengers by installing flight information screens near the Victoria platforms later this month. It means passengers will know if their flight is on time before they even leave the station." For more information go to Gatwick Express

Do you think the Gatwick Express service should be scrapped? Join in our survey on the Business Traveller home page.

Report by Alex McWhirter


Orient Express reaches half century

Orient-Express Hotels this week acquired its 50th hotel - Casa de Sierra Nevada, a 33-room boutique hotel in the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Simon Sherwood, President of the company said, "Casa de Sierra Nevada is a significant acquisition for Orient-Express, being the 50th property in our unique portfolio. It complements Maroma Resort and Spa, our property on the Riviera Maya and is our second hotel in Mexico,"

Opened in 1952, Casa de Sierra Nevada is housed in nine Spanish colonial buildings –or casas - dating from the 16th to 18th century including the Casa del Parque, a fort in the 17th century and later a customs house for the silver trade; and Casa Principal, the former residence of San Miguel de Allende's Archbishop in 1580 and an official historical landmark. The casas also have cloistered outdoor courtyards with fountains, small gardens and al fresco corridors. Guest rooms and suites capture the rich history of the area and are decorated with hand painted tiles, bovedas (curved/domed ceilings), polished copper sinks, and original paintings by local artists.

Orient-Express Hotels will manage the property, in which previous guests have included Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith and the late Anthony Quinn. Transport options include flying into either Mexico City (a three and a half hour drive away) or the Guanajuato-Leon Airport (one and a half hours away). British Airways and American Airlines fly to both Mexico City and Guanajuato-Leon airports from the UK, while Continental and United fly to Mexico City.

Orient-Express intends to invest US$5 million in renovations and enhancements to the property, including the development of 20 new suites, a full service spa and a new pool and garden area on an undeveloped parcel of land. Casa de Sierra Nevada will continue to operate during renovation and refurbishment of rooms.

For further details, visit Orient Express

Report by Tom Otley


JAL cuts flights to Heathrow

Japan Airlines (JAL) is cutting flights to London Heathrow this summer. The carrier's Tokyo-London service is a casualty of a new management plan to concentrate on more profitable routes.

As a result JAL says the London-Tokyo service will be halved from two flights to a single daily service operated by a B777 twin jet. At the same time the daily Osaka service will change from a B747 to a B777.

The more fuel-efficient B777s will also replace B747s on flights between Amsterdam, Paris CDG and Tokyo in September and October. Passengers will find JAL's latest lie-flat style seats installed on these B777s and the carrier says that route frequencies will be revised in a year's time.

In the past the UK-Japan routes were money-spinners. But the Japanese economic slowdown and, one suspects, fierce price competition on a route where airlines used never to offer decent discounts, has dented JAL's earnings.

There are regular economy class seat sales while indirect carriers are luring away business travellers with keen pricing. For example, when Business Traveller checked the cost of a return London-Tokyo business class ticket for the week commencing February 20 with agent Airline Network we were quoted rates of between £1,825 and £2,380 with leading carriers like Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and SAS. This is roughly 50% less than the fares charged by the direct flight carriers such as British Airways, JAL, ANA and Virgin Atlantic.

In other news, JAL has exchanged a memorandum of understanding with the Oneworld alliance (whose members include British Airways, American, Qantas and Cathay Pacific). If all goes according to plan, JAL will fly as a Oneworld member in a year's time.

Meanwhile, JAL continues to be affected by fuel rationing at Heathrow (following last December's Buncefield terminal blaze). Flight JL404 to Tokyo at 21.00 is cancelled on a number of days during February. Flight JL402 at 19.00 remains unaffected.

For more information go to JAL UK site

Report by Alex McWhirter


Will Air New Zealand fly Auckland-Hong Kong-London ?

Rumours continue to circulate that Air New Zealand (ANZ) will announce an additional Auckland-London service to commence later this year. But instead of being routed via Los Angeles (as at present) this new service will reach London via Asia. Hong Kong is tipped as the most likely stopping point.

ANZ has enjoyed a direct flight monopoly since British Airways (BA) pulled off the Auckland route several years ago. But ANZ's policy of serving New Zealand via the US neglected the increasing numbers of people wishing to travel from Europe via the traditional Asian routing. It allowed rival carriers such as Emirates, SIA and Cathay Pacific to step in and exploit this market.

Traffic via Asia has grown so much that Emirates, for example, has found enough passengers to fly three times daily between Dubai and Auckland. While SIA now serves Auckland twice daily plus, like Emirates, with other flights to Christchurch.

ANZ is obviously after a share of this business and a recent air treaty between the UK and New Zealand paves the way for expansion. The carrier would still need traffic right approval from the Hong Kong authorities but in London, even if Heathrow couldn't provide a landing slot, ANZ would surely find the red carpet rolled out at Gatwick because the Sussex airport is keen to attract long-haul services.

ANZ's existing US routing is less popular than before because of new security procedures at Los Angeles [Transit passengers at Los Angeles are photographed, fingerprinted and must reclaim and recheck their bags even when the flight is a through service]. ANZ's CEO Bob Fyfe told Business Traveller. "We are meeting customer resistance from passengers travelling through Los Angeles. This is a problem we would look to address."

Finally, the Star Alliance (of which ANZ is a member) is anxious to secure a presence on the key Hong Kong-London route which is almost entirely dominated by rival Oneworld airlines. ANZ's new service would fit the bill.

ANZ declined to confirm or deny the rumours. A spokesperson told Business Traveller, "The UK-Air New Zealand open skies agreement has opened the way for us to increase our services to London. We are looking at all the options but at the end of the day it all depends on what's best for our business."

For more information go to Air NZ UK website

Report by Alex McWhirter