Category: Uncategorized

VACCINATIONS, VACANCIES AND VACATIONS  Potentially great news. Beware false dawns. The good news is a range of vaccines are now emerging from the necessarily thorough testing stage.  Covid vaccination progress The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released guidance on 16 November “to ensure that the air cargo industry is ready to support the large-scale handling,…

The staggering impact of COVID on worldwide travel, tourism and trade shows no sign of diminishing any time soon. This blog highlights the impact on airlines and tourists, along with the woeful failure in the UK to deliver appropriate testing for travellers. Fearful Travellers Fearful non travellers, is probably a more appropriate description! The perfect…

END OF THE ROAD FOR THE QUEEN OF THE SKIES On the 8th of October, the last two 747 400s in the BA fleet departed for the scrap yard. The intention was to keep the 747s flying for a few more years but Covid put an end to that. It’s ironic that the last few jumbos…

Berlin Tegel Airport is due to close in a few weeks… First though let’s commend IATA’s call “for the development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic COVID-19 testing for all passengers before departure as an alternative to quarantine measures in order to re-establish global air connectivity. IATA will work through the…

Maybe not a new era but certainly different! I arrived at Heathrow on a long-haul flight on the evening of Saturday 8th February from Asia. As it turned out this was in one sense the start of something new.  Aircraft Captains were obliged from this day to report to Heathrow one hour before landing any signs of…

Given the levels of uncertainty across the globe and the absence of true global leadership to manage and contain Covid 19, I now doubt we will reach “new normal” for some time. What we are experiencing is a series of transitional waves creating reversals and successes. These waves will impact countries at different times and…

We are still some way off understanding what the new normal will be. Rather we are in a transition zone which has the characteristics of an amoeba! There are some signs of joined up thinking. Taking timely constructive action may prove elusive as a post lockdown exploration. Seems to me determining the trajectory of Covid19…

Keeping everyone safe A recurring theme for big hotel chains is getting independent verification that they are doing the right things in the right way. Much more is being said about this as the rival chains compete with each other to retain loyal customers and attract new ones. For traveller’s holiday hotel social distancing is…

Perhaps not the new normal but a step along the way During the week that Qatar Airways introduced Cabin Crew Hazmat suits, IATA made its voice heard: introducing a roadmap to provide “the confidence that governments will need to enable the re-opening of borders to passenger travel; and the confidence that travelers will need to…

LOOKING BACK – GOING FORWARD Many of us are contemplating international travel changing dramatically. For some the potential demise of cheap fares and budget airlines are a disaster. Before looking forward I would just like to rewind and share my best experiences and ones that were memorable for other reasons. Longest Flight Singapore to Newark…