How an old-age pensioner showed he was no old LAG

One gets the impression that if he’d brought some cheese, crackers, ham and olives in his hand luggage, he may have taken time to set out a table cloth and dine in style on the security counter.

Tito’s Year of the Dog gift passes a stringent Lab test

Could this GWP unleash a whole new shopper dynamic? And should the Year of the Dog Tito’s Handmade Vodka be sold in PET?

Absolut bare-faced cheek

The vodka with nothing to hide? In fact, there are a lot of hides in the ‘employee induction’ video, naked ones.

For peat’s sake! Local wine proves a hit on Irish turf

“It’s bog standard wine, Dara,” came the inevitable response from one Twitter wag.

Reinventing the Lexicon of travel retail

The term ‘operators’ should be banned from our industry anyway; it sounds like someone using a forklift machine.

The Whinging Pome: Tales from a life in travel retail

“The Whinging Pome Random Rules, Rule 22: Always engage with those sitting next to you on a flight, but very quickly make an assessment whether such an engagement is going to be worthwhile. If not, apply The Whinging Pome Random Rules, Rule 52: Cease all contact and employ diversionary tactics. If Rule No 52 fails,

Events

November 25, 2017

Toeing the line at the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup

The golf pro asks the hacker where his feet are. “They’re at the end of my legs,” replies the hacker, surprised at such a naive question. “Where they always are.”

Airports

November 16, 2017

Experiencing the world’s first run-through duty free store

“There seems to be a problem. I’m sorry, you can’t get on this flight. And you’re very late.”

Airports

November 15, 2017

Finding funnel-webs and missing apostrophes in Melbourne

I was tempted to go up to the information counter and ask politely, “Where can I find an apostrophe?”

Airports

October 27, 2017

#LifeinHel: Saving private Ryan moments on social media

Featuring the ‘World’s longest layover’, #LIFEINHEL is a mix of reality TV, game shows and social media. It relates the story of how Ryan is living in a little cabin inside Helsinki Airport for 30 days.

Airports

August 21, 2017

Prada fragrances to go (just) at Hong Kong International Airport

I’ll be taking off en route to the New South Wales gateway to report on the airport’s commercial revolution. And on that plane with me – and their generous purchaser – will be two bottles of Prada women’s fragrance. Viva duty free.

Quirky

May 3, 2017

First Dufry, today Deutsche Bank, tomorrow the world!

Perhaps we should now become The HNA Report, such is the dominance of the headlines that the acquisitional Chinese conglomerate has achieved in recent months.

Events

April 27, 2017

Mama please don’t take my Toblerone away

Thank you Mondelēz International for reminding me and Dermot that we’ve traversed a few peaks; roamed a few valleys; heck, fallen into a few troughs; but ultimately savoured some sweet, sweet moments along the way.

Airports