A little tipple is surely justified as today (19 October) is International Gin & Tonic Day and I’m about to be flown First Class to New York to celebrate.
Airlines
What will I do with the leftover wine?
Tonight I’m down the back of the plane (in a middle seat goddamn it) but one of the benefits of having squillions of points is that I have access to some decent lounges whichever part of the big steel bird I am flying.
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Airlines
The night I disappeared into Finnair
The service onboard Finnair was just about as friendly as anything I’d ever experienced, the food & wines good and the transit airport one of the cleanest and most efficient you will encounter.
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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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Airlines
Flying high at Dubai International and onboard the Emirates 380
For aviation aficionados it doesn’t get much better than flying on the Emirates A380, a magnificent gleaming, giant white bird of the skies. It’s not just the majesty of the aircraft I adore. It’s also what’s onboard. I’m writing this Blog from 37,004 feet, half an hour out of Dubai en route to Hong Kong
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Airlines
Getting the royal (duty free) treatment
Now this just could start a trend… The Daily Mail Online reported this week that Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were given £200 in duty free vouchers by British Airways as compensation after their inflight entertainment system failed en route back from the US. The recently wed royal pairing
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Airlines
Korean Air unveils its latest innovation
Surely the most talked-about stand at this year’s TFWA Asia Pacific exhibition is Korean Air’s. The world’s most successful inflight retailer has created a mock-up of an aircraft in order to show off its latest innovation – the first-ever onboard duty free shop. The shop, dubbed the ‘Duty Free Showcase’, will be a feature of
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Airlines
Blue skies, nothing but blue skies, do I see…
I was blue, just as blue as I could be Ev’ry day was a cloudy day for me Then good luck came a-knocking at my door Skies were gray but they’re not gray anymore Blue skies Smiling at me Nothing but blue skies Do I see – Irving Berlin “JFK please!” They were the words
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Airlines
New York blues
And the papers love to say It’s the meanest town in the USA But I think it’s okay It’s the town I’ve made my home – New York City Blues, Neil Sedaka Things you don’t want to read when you’re stranded abroad (1): “The last recorded eruption of Eyjafjallajokull lasted over a year (1821-1823) but
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Airlines
Michelle and Michaela double act underlines the value of British Airways cabin crew
Today I flew with British Airways from London Heathrow to Malaga return. I was frankly uncertain what the experience would be like – or even if there would be an experience. That’s because the airline cabin crew concluded the first-stage of what looks like protracted strike action yesterday, and many flights were cancelled today due
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Airlines
Korean Air remembers Lars Johansson
Do gestures come any more lovely than this? The front cover of the latest limited-edition version of Korean Air’s SkyShop magazine is dedicated to the memory of Lars Johansson, the man synonymous with the extraordinary success of Inniskillin Icewine in travel retail. Tragically, Lars passed away suddenly during October 2009’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
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Airlines
Kneejerk reactions and a Keystone Cops approach to terrorism
No-one doubts the seriousness of the attempted terrorist attack on Northwest Airlines flight 253, bound from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, on Christmas Day. No-one doubts the need for enhanced, hopefully temporarily, security measures at airports – especially those in, or serving, the US. But if recent history should have taught us one