The Economist: Gulliver
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BA and Qantas begin their flirtation
Why they might have announced merger talks SO BRITISH AIRWAYS is in merger talks with Qantas. This means the British airline is busy sorting out three potential tie-ups, as it is also considering a merger with Iberia and a joint venture with American Airlines. Nob ...
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Curing jet lag
Encouraging reports of a new drug WE SHOULD be wary of a phrase like “a cure for jet lag”, but trials of tasimelteon, a new pill trumpeted in the current edition of the Lancet, are certainly intriguing. Vanda Pharmaceuticals drug mimics the effects of ...
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Watch your mouth when you fly
Remember: there's no privacy on a plane WHEN the bosses of America’s three biggest carmakers went to Washington last week with their begging bowls they travelled by private jet. The reason cited was security, rather than convenience, but events in Britain la ...
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Don't pay for an ESTA
A warning about America's new travel permits THE SUNDAY TIMES offers a useful warning about the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). This is Americas new online travel permit, which will be required for visitors from visa-waiver countries, such as Br ...
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Flying with Pam Ann
A different take on work at 36,000 feet TONIGHT sees Pam Anns second show at the Hammersmith Apollo, a theatre in London. Ms Ann (as our style guide obliges me to call her) is the alter ego of Caroline Reid, an Australian comedian. Shes a sharp-tongued flight atte ...
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Tourists targeted in Mumbai
A new focus for the terrorists ECONOMIST.COM has coverage of the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which have killed more than 150 people. For the first time in India it seems that Western visitors and wealthy locals were targeted, with two famous hotels and a p ...
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Test your aviation knowledge
How much do you know about airports and airlines? HERE are a couple of challenges for a Friday afternoon. Sporcle, a website full of “mentally stimulating diversions”, has myriad games requiring you to complete lists as quickly as possible: countries i ...
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Good to talk?
How to tell your seatmate to pipe down IS A chatty seatmate a godsend or a pain? Gulliver suspects that many business travellers prefer to fly in peace, but at least one frequent flyer, profiled in a recent issue of the New York Times, says that conversations with ...
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No stars in their eyes
A hotel with no delusions of grandeur IF YOUR employer has reacted to the downturn by asking you to stay in cheaper accommodation on your business trip, keep your humour by considering how much worse it could be. At least youre not staying here. Given how laughabl ...
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Carmakers and their jet-set bosses
Why some top executives get to use private jets WHEN the chief executives of Detroit’s Big Three carmakers—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler—came to Washington last week to ask the government for money, they used private jets, rather than commerc ...
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Early sales in a worried industry
Good news for flyers who book late AIRLINES usually unleash seat sales just after Thanksgiving, but this year the deals are coming earlier and in greater force. Many carriers are already running time-limited sales linked to Thursday’s holiday and “Blac ...
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Airline investors love the Citigroup bailout
Could saving Citi help the airlines? MARKETWATCH reports that airline stocks are trading higher on the news that the US government plans to rescue beleaguered Citigroup. Sure, theres a broader rally going on, but the Amex Airline index is up nearly 10%, and all 13 ...
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Ringing in changes
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The best hotels for business travellers
Where should you stay? WONDERING where to stay when youre on the road? This week Forbes released a new ranking of the best hotels for business travellers. The folks over at Forbes.com even have a slideshow of their favorites. These beauties feature some epic ameni ...
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Being PC in DC
Some tips to ensure a successful business trip to America's capital city WASHINGTON is a political town. Dinner parties and social gatherings brim with political gossip and strong opinions on everything from international policymaking to an arcane section of an en ...
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Inauguration tip for business travellers: avoid it
Only visit Washington on Jan. 20 if you absolutely must WASHINGTON, DC is a frequent destination for business travellers, but if youre planning on visiting on or around January 20, 2009, you should really reconsider. Officials in Americas capital are now saying t ...
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A day of reckoning for the airlines
Turbulence ahead THE AIRLINE industrys trade group, IATA, announced Wednesday that premium ticket purchases fell 8% in September. The latest decline follows a 1.5% drop in August and indicates that premium ticket revenue, which had been rising due to higher prices ...
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The golden age of travel managers
Heady times for penny pinchers IN THE latest edition of "Itineraries", its regular business travel column, the New York Times reports that while times may be tough for business travellers, travel managers, otherwise known as the people who downgrade you ...
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Does Amtrak want the good news or the bad news first?
Mixed news for America's government-run passenger railroad. AMTRAK, Americas government-owned passenger railroad, is having an up-and-down month. On Nov. 12, the government-owned corporation reported that ridership on the trains between Washington and Boston was d ...
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London for learners
Some tips to ensure a successful business trip LONDON is not a difficult place to do business. Forget the stereotypes you might have heard elsewhere: in general terms, the transport systems work, the weather is okay and the British are a tolerant bunch. These tips ...
The Economist: Gulliver
