It’s a dank, misty morning as we drive down through Port-au-Prince on our way to the domestic airport terminal to catch an early flight to the town of Jacmel. Our route takes us past countless crushed buildings; sombre, grey heaps of rubble, some with undiscovered bodies still buried deep beneath. A simple white sheet hanging
Airports
A question of age
Sometimes life is stranger than fiction… Today, for the first time since I was a young student drinking at my local pub in Christchurch, New Zealand, I was asked for proof of age after ordering alcohol. I kid you not. This Blog comes to you from Orlando Airport, where, having arrived early to ensure I
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Events
The Compassionate Club
The Consortium Club has been putting smiles on people’s faces again – theirs, mine and, most important of all, at least 15 children’s. As regular readers of The Moodie Blog will know, The Consortium Club is a group of UK travel retail suppliers, retailers and buyers who meet regularly to discuss and advance industry issues
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Events
The Englishman who walked (backwards) up a mountain
Meet ‘Captain’ Bob. The Moodie Report may bear the name of its Founder and Publisher but Chief Operating Officer Bob Wilby is actually the guy who keeps it all together. He’s been a constant at The Moodie Report since its early days, proving the perfect steady foil to the thoroughly disorganised traits of the Founder.
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Airports
‘The media is no longer on it – Haiti needs us’
[Picture: Nancy Roc] Sometimes comment is unnecessary. This Blog will be one of my shortest. Last night I received a note from Alexandra Bottrie, wife of The Estée Lauder Companies Travel Retailing Worldwide President Olivier Bottrie. Alexandra is from Haiti. Though her family are safe and well after the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, she has
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People
Terminal rudeness at T5 as Phil goes down with trolley fever
It’s early morning at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and it’s a pleasure to step out of the confines of my nine-hour flight from Delhi into the modern spaciousness of London’s flagship terminal. I find a trolley easily and head down towards my well-signed baggage belt. It’s a relief to put my bulging, overloaded briefcase
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Airports
Meet Supersonic Suredj
“He’s an ebullient, live-wire, irrepressible character who knows only one speed – supersonic.” In my role as Chairman of the first day of the Delhi Terminal 3 concessionaires’ conference held by Delhi International Airport and GMR this week, that’s how I introduced GMR Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Strategic Planning Suredj Autar (below). The name
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People
Martha returns to Europe
What an astute move by The Nuance Group Europe CEO Andrea Belardini to bring in Martha Rosas as European Category Director – Speciality. Martha is held not only in great regard in the business with with great fondness. That’s because she is an outstandingly decent individual who has brought great human as well as commercial qualities
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Events
A welcome relationship
It’s encouraging to see a closer relationship being forged between ACI Europe and the European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) at this year’s ACI Europe Trading Conference & Exhibition in Malta (26-28 April). Unveiling details of the programme, ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec (pictured) said that in order to address a number of threats, industry
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Miscellaneous
Snowed in and snowed under at The Moodie Report
The weather outside is frightful But our work is so delightful The Moodie Report has to go So let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ‘The mail must get through’. That used to be the motto of the famed Pony Express in 19th Century America, when the mail was delivered by horseback. One
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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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Miscellaneous
Adding character and colour to The Moodie Blog
Ever since The Moodie Blog was launched in September 2006, it has been accompanied by a chirpy bunch of characters who, appropriately, share The Moodie Report Publisher’s initials. Legend has it that all the M&M’s characters gathered together back then and decided it was exactly the colourful sort of column they should be associated with.
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Events
Supporting travel retail’s marathon man
On 19 April some 25,000 runners will gather at the start line of the Boston Marathon – known as the ‘Holy Grail’ of long-distance running. One of those participants will be from the travel retail community – The Estée Lauder Companies Travel Retailing Worldwide President Olivier Bottrie. Olivier is no stranger to the loneliness –