Business Traveller magazine: May 2007 stories

[QF WP]

May 3 stories below:

Jet Airways' new B777 to serve Heathrow from May 5
Jet Airways, the fast-growing Indian airline, has brought forward the first flight of its new B777-300ER. It will now arrive in London Heathrow this Saturday (May 5) at 1755 after operating daily flight 9W118 which departs Mumbai at 1245
Full story...

Langham Hotels announces first China property
Luxury brand Langham Hotels has announced its first property in China, with further expansion to be revealed later this year
Full story...

Lloyds TSB launches Airmiles loyalty credit card, Natwest switches to Easyjet and ebookers reward scheme
Lloyds TSB has replaced Natwest as provider of the Airmiles loyalty credit card. The Duo card, which launches on June 1, will be available in both American Express and Mastercard versions
Full story...

Emirates offers free accommodation in Dubai for premium passengers
Emirates is once again offering free nights for a limited period at top class hotels in Dubai for its business and first class passengers
Full story...

American starts revamp of 777 premium cabins
American is continuing the upgrade of its premium cabins by fitting "next-generation" business class seating to its fleet of 48 Boeing 777 aircraft
Full story...

Jumeirah brings luxury golf to London guests
Golf enthusiasts visiting London can now play on some of the world's most famous courses, without having to scrabble around in the rough, looking for lost balls
Full story...

 

[QF WP]

11 May 2007 stories

Focus: Smoking ban
The smoking ban comes into effect on July 1, with England the last area to turn non-smoking in Great Britain. But what exactly does the ban entail and how will it affect the business traveller?
Full story...

Virgin Blue goes green
Australian airline Virgin Blue has announced several green initiatives, including its aim to cut water usage by eliminating the need to wash its fleet of aircraft. But before you imagine planes with 'I need a wash' scrawled on their dusty exteriors, the carrier has invested in a high-tech, water resistant "Permagard" sealant which it says will save ten of thousands of litres in cleaning water
Full story...

Flight check: Etihad London - Abu Dhabi
Tom Otley checks out the business and first class cabin services offered by Abu Dhabi's national carrier
Full story...

Bahrain spa the largest in the Middle East
The Banyan Tree Desert Spa and Resort Al Areen has just opened, and claims to be the largest spa in the Middle East, and one of the largest in the world
Full story...

How low can you go...?
Last week saw the launch of Tom Chesshyre's book How Low Can You Go - round Europe for 1p each way (plus tax). Regular readers of Business Traveller will know Tom Chesshyre, a staff travel writer for The Times, from the Chesshyre on the Cheap articles he wrote for the magazine last year while researching the book
Full story...

Fit to fly: High-end medical screening service to open in Switzerland
A new high-end medical screening service, The Diagnostic & Prevention Center (DaP) is due to open in St. Moritz, Switzerland on July 1. Attached to the Kempinski Grand Hotel Des Bains, DaP will provide guests with a comprehensive range of medical checks, spread over two days
Full story...

 

[QF WP]

18 May 2007 stories

Von Essen completes Lower Slaughter Manor refurbishment
The refurbishment of the Von Essen properties is finally showing some results, with the completion of Lower Slaughter Manor, one of four hotels in the Cotswolds acquired by the group in 2003 for £16million (the others being Buckland Manor, Washbourne Court and The Elms)
Full story...

Star Alliance celebrates 10th birthday with member giveaway
Star Alliance is offering one lucky member the chance to win a luxury around-the-world trip, and dozens of other experiences and award miles prizes, as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations
Full story...

A fishy story?
It appears that counting sheep is no longer the nation's preferred method of getting to sleep. Budget hotel chain Travelodge is offering guests a goldfish hire service, following research suggesting our aquatic friends can aid a good night's kip
Full story...

Aer Arann launches three new routes
Aer Arann, the fast-growing Irish airline has launched three new services this week bringing the total number of routes between Ireland and the UK to 23
Full story...

Business travellers grin and bear it, according to online survey
We all know that business travel can be stressful, especially when you are rushing to get to a meeting or you have to make the last flight home, but the latest American Express Business Travel survey showed that 45 per cent of us feel stressed before we even get to the airport
Full story...

Avis adds Audi models to renamed Select Series
Car rental company Avis has increased the choice of vehicles available in its Select Series range. Previously known as Choice Fleet, the Select Series allows customers to choose specific models of cars, rather than simply the group of car that most rental companies (and indeed the rest of the Avis range) offer
Full story...

 

[QF WP]

24 May 2007 stories

BA cuts Club World fares by up to 70 per cent this summer
Club World return fares of £1,199 for New York, £1,999 for Rio de Janeiro and £2,020 for Tokyo are some of the many business class deals being offered by British Airways during the summer months
Full story...

Manchester to get first ever direct flight to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian Airlines will capitalise on the growing number of business people flying from the Northwest to the Middle East. On June 22, the Saudi national airline will launch the first ever direct link to its home country from Manchester. At present, passengers have to route via Heathrow or airports elsewhere in Europe or the Middle East
Full story...

Two new international routes for Edinburgh
The Scottish capital will shortly gain new links to Barcelona and Paris CDG. Spanish carrier Clickair will inaugurate a daily Edinburgh to Barcelona link on August 1 just in time for Scottish city's famous Festival. Clickair will use an Airbus A320 with the flight departing from Barcelona at 0945 and returning from Edinburgh at 1030
Full story

Hilton to open Luton Garden Inn
Hilton has announced its first Garden Inn property in the UK, due to open next year. The three-star Garden Inn concept is relatively new to Europe, although there are over 180 properties across the US, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, the brand is represented by three hotels in Stuttgart, Florence and at Rome airport
Full story

Air France to fly Bristol-Paris
The seat shortage on the key Bristol-Paris CDG route continues to ease. Last month we reported on how Easyjet was adding an extra flight to compensate for the recent withdrawal of BA Connect which used to operate five flights a day
Full story...

New secure car park at Heathrow
Passengers looking to park "off airport" to save money might risk finding themselves directed to a muddy waste ground site situated miles from the airport. But off-airport parking at Heathrow has been taken to a different level now BCP has opened an £11 million multi-storey car park
Full story...

 

[QF WP]

31 May 2007 stories

Delta's £999 New York business class deal
Delta is the latest carrier to announce a transatlantic business class deal this summer. Its £999 return Business Elite deal available for travel out of London Gatwick or Manchester to New York JFK competes with the rates charged by business class carriers like Silverjet from Luton or Maxjet from Stansted
Full story...

Emirates to restrict free UK chauffeur-drive mileage
UK business class passengers departing with Emirates from Gatwick, Heathrow or Manchester could soon find themselves paying £45 for an airport chauffeur transfer which used to be free
Full story...

Korean Air taps into Japanese market
Korean Air's new lie-flat style seating on services from London to Seoul are a clear sign that the airline is upping its service standard by another notch
Full story

Etihad to serve Dublin from July 2
Abu Dhabi based carrier Etihad has moved forward the launch date for its Dublin route to the start of July. The airline had originally planned to serve the Irish capital from August, but says that it has brought forward this date because "demand has grown significantly"
Full story...

Europcar gives thumbs up to identification scheme
Car rental firm Europcar is to extend a thumbprint identification trial to all of its UK locations from next month. Designed to combat vehicle theft, the scheme requires all customers to provide a thumbprint prior to renting a vehicle
Full story...

Ryanair to open Bristol base
Travellers in the West Country will find it much easier to reach destinations in Central and Eastern Europe amongst others this winter. Ryanair is creating a new base in Bristol with two dedicated B737-800s. It will open 16 new routes starting in November
Full story...

Travel alert: Piccadilly Line disruption between central London and Heathrow in June
Allow extra time or seek alternatives if you plan to take public transport to Heathrow airport this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday and again on June 16 and 17 there will be no through Underground trains linking central London with Heathrow
Full story...