You’ll excuse the slightly off-colour reference above, but given the New Zealand origins of hit US comedy Flight of the Conchords (Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement) it seemed singularly appropriate for this Blog as you’re about to discover.
Blog
Miscellaneous
Humming along at Heathrow as Elvis emerges
From The Moodie Report Interim Caffè Nero (what a great coffee outlet by the way) Heathrow T2 bureau this morning, my meeting was interrupted by what sounded like a very loud barrage of Christmas carols and songs coming over the tannoy. But no, it was the real thing as I discovered when I left to catch the tube back to HQ.
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Airlines
Excellence on Etihad but Chanel hits the wrong note
Welcome to The Moodie Report Interim Etihad Airways Bureau. I’m on EY17 en route to London after a successful business trip through the Middle East and beyond. As noted on my outbound journey, Etihad’s superb inflight wi-fi service could well be a clincher in terms of my choice of airline in the future.
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Airlines
A first-class economy experience onboard Etihad Airways
I’m onboard EY12 en route to Abu Dhabi and then onwards, my final business trip of a long year. EY, of course, stands for Etihad, one of the new-generation Middle East carriers that have so disrupted (and improved) the traditional airline industry. My flight today explains some of the reasons why Eithad (and its peers Qatar Airways and Emirates) have been so successful.
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Miscellaneous
Revamp Heathrow’s Arrivals shops and drive off in a Mercedes
London Heathrow Airport should really charge me rent for the amount of time I spend there. Just imagine that as a new non-aeronautical revenue stream – making travellers who ‘overstay’ pay a concession fee! I can only begin to imagine my MAG (Moodie annual guarantee). I’m surprised, frankly, that no-one has thought of it before.
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Miscellaneous
Following the highway to duty free in Japan
News reaches The Moodie Blog that a ‘Shinjuku joint’ in Japan is to offer karaoke alongside duty free shopping. News also reaches The Moodie Blog that Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits has launched a premium cannabis-flavoured vodka in travel retail called Shotka.
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Travel
Desmond storms but Dermot stays calm in Galway bureau
I can tell you my close cohort and fellow shareholder Dermot Davitt really isn’t getting any sleep at all right now. That’s because he’s holed up inside The Moodie Report Galway Bureau amid the worst storm in living memory (and there have been millions down the years I can tell you) on the West Coast of Ireland.
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Miscellaneous
Beautiful mornings, birdies and sartorial sabotage
I’m back in a near-freezing London after a full-on week in the Middle East, starting with the annual MEADFA Conference in Jordan, followed by the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup. The former was a good event as always, attracting 342 delegates – not bad given some widely held concerns about the choice of Jordan as a venue in a troubled year.
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Travel
From the Dead Sea to dead in the water
It was nice while it lasted but alas The Moodie Report’s Interim Dead Sea Bureau is now closed. What a beautiful setting, not just to run my business from but also for the (excellent) MEADFA Conference 2015. I’ve now set up shop, as it were, in Dubai. I’m staying at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, owned by Dubai Duty Free, hosts of the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup.
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Miscellaneous
Up close and personal with a very Premium success story
Meet Pauline Cheung and Shereen Lee. They’re part of one of the aviation world’s most incredible success stories, but one whose success has generally been told away from the headlines and simply by getting on with business. Lots and lots of business.
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Miscellaneous
Pencilling in a journey in style at Heathrow as the great Christmas tree competition begins
About as good a spend of £15 in an airport as I can remember… The item in question is a called ‘A Journey in Style’, written by Elizabeth Walker (with an introduction by Yasmin Le Bon). It’s a lovely pictorial book that celebrates some of the most stylish travellers, outfits and luggage to grace Heathrow’s concourses down the years plus some great on location shots from around the world.
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Miscellaneous
Putting on a show like no other in Dubai
It’s hard to find the will to write a Blog this weekend in light of the atrocities in Paris. Our thoughts are with the people of Paris and France, especially those who have lost loved ones or seen them injured. So much hatred, so much senseless loss of the innocents. In the meantime, we all
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Miscellaneous
Twelve talking points about Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International remains one of my favourite airports. I love its big panoramas; its airfield views; its diverse food & drinks offer (though not always its service quality); its mix of generic and specialist retail; and its sheer sense of drama – a real feeling of a vast international crossroads. It’s pretty damn efficient