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AIR & BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS

A WEEKLY NEWS REVIEW PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY
PO Box 1315, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 1PU, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1707 665454
All enquiries: info (AT) abtn (DOT) co.uk

In conjunction with The Times business travel on line
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/businesstravel

28 AUGUST 2006
Bank Holiday Monday UK

Congratulations to Mike Carrivick, chief executive of BAR UK, who came
up with the name ?The Boeing Mammoth? for the over large freighter
featured in last week?s issue. An award will soon be on its way to
him. According to our research a ?Mammoth? is an oversized Jumbo. How
true.

BREAKING NEWS today is a formal announcement and preliminary details
of the Aer Lingus privatization. The much leaked sale is expected to
leave the Irish state with 25% of the once struggling airline, 15%
with an employee trust, and the balance on the London and Dublin stock
markets. UK and Irish subscribers must put up at least E10,000
(£6,750) and others E50,000. Under former boss Willie Walsh, now with
British Airways, the airline has been turned from a loss making full
service carrier to something of an odd ball with full service
two-class long haul routes to the US and Dubai, plus a ?low cost?
European hub operation mainly from Dublin, passengers offered a pay as
you go ?sky café? menu. Pre-tax profits were E82.6m last year, a much
better performance than the previous 12 months when the airline just
scraped into the black. Turnover actually went down, employment
dropped and passenger numbers increased, despite a fall in turnover
from E907m to E883m. Passenger numbers rose by 15% to 8m but the
payroll was reduced from more than 3,900 to below 3,500. The latest
delay on a European ?Open Skies? arrangement with the United States is
not considered as too negative, Lingus currently only serving five
American cities. http://www.aerlingus.com

Yesterday a Bombardier CRJ 100 of Delta subsidiary Comair crashed very
soon after take off from Lexington Airport in Kentucky. Of the 50
souls on board only the co-pilot was brought out alive. First
indications are that the aircraft was using the wrong, shorter,
runway. Most of the victims either died of burns in a fire after the
jet crashed or from smoke inhalation. This is the worst civil air
disaster in the United States for six years. Comair is one of the
world?s largest commuter airlines with over 180 Bombardier Regional
Jets and an excellent safety record. Yesterday a Bombardier CRJ 100 of
Delta subsidiary Comair crashed very soon after take off from
Lexington Airport in Kentucky. Of the 50 souls on board only the
co-pilot was brought out alive. First indications are that the
aircraft was using the wrong, shorter, runway. Most of the victims
either died of burns in a fire after the jet crashed or from smoke
inhalation. This is the worst civil air disaster in the United States
for six years. Comair is one of the world?s largest commuter airlines
with over 180 Bombardier Regional Jets and an excellent safety record.
http://media.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=10343

AIR CANADA ? new UK flights
AIRBUS ? engine competition
BEIRUT ? update
BOEING ? not popular
COPA AIRLINES ? expansion
DELTA AIR LINES ? London update
DUBAI AIRPORT ? a free service
EAST AFRICAN AIRLINES ? resurrected?
ETIHAD AIRWAYS ? chauffeur services
EUROPEAN BUSINESS JETS ? new arrival
FRENCH CONNECTION ? New York
GATWICK ? another airport hotel
GLOBESPAN ? three class
GRAND CENTRAL TRAINS ? from the north east
IRELAND ? junction hotel
JERSEY ? more flights
NORTHWEST AIRLINES ? strike developments
QANTAS ? Airbus to pay damages
SECURITY ? please read

ON TOUR: Düsseldorf and a Business Travel Show preview
INCIDENTALLY: Taking the Piste

COMMENT: BAA ? What Next?

Heathrow and BAA have come in for major criticism following what can
only be described as a PR disaster over hastily introduced upgraded
government requested security measures two weeks back. BAA have failed
to explain the background to preparations for such an eventually.
Presumably an internal enquiry is taking place, but the results should
be made public. Tony Douglas, CEO Heathrow, has arrived with a
terrific reputation for getting T5 to where it is. He has a great deal
of sorting out to do. Stephen Nelson, the youthful and newly appointed
BAA Plc CEO, was previously responsible for the shops and retail
outlets and only joined BAA from Sainsbury?s in 2005. Talk about
jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. With BAA now owned by
Ferrovial it is even less transparent than previously.

The security fracas has brought into sharp focus the question of what
is a monopoly. The Office of Fair Trading is undertaking a study of
the UK airport market. British Airways is leading a whole gaggle of
airlines in calling on it to refer this study to the Competition
Commission because of its concerns about current airport regulation
and ownership. The fact that Ferrovial, who own BAA, and also took
over handling agent Swissport last year, is bound to be raised.

British Airways says the Competition Commission should recommend
airport regulations that deliver a better outcome for consumers and
airlines. It should also enhance competition in the UK airports?
market and provide an effective framework for future airport growth.
The separate ownership of Heathrow and Stansted airports should be
considered by the Competition Commission says BA.

These views are the opposite from when BAA Plc was floated on the
London stock market back in 1987. It was a classic piece of Maggie
Thatcher manoeuvring. She privatised the then British Airports
Authority and obtained a new airport for London for free, Stansted.
Lord King, another Maggie placement, acquiesced. The counter argument
is that BAA Plc has been a great success creating the world?s most
successful airport group. In Paris the two major airports are run by a
single authority and the same goes for New York, where Kennedy, La
Guardia and Newark are all part of the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey. For the most part it is similar around the world.

British Airways believes that decisions on new runway construction in
South East England should not be concentrated in the hands of one
company.

In the event of a break-up of BAA, BA says that there will be a
continued need for strong regulation to protect users against monopoly
power, particularly at Heathrow and Gatwick.

British Airways? chief executive, Willie Walsh, noted ?The Competition
Commission has an important role to play in determining the future of
UK airports. Separate ownership of Heathrow and Stansted would make
infrastructure developments at the airports more responsive to
airlines? and their customers? needs and expansion at one airport
would not be held back to suit the commercial needs of a monopoly
owner.? No mention of Gatwick here.

The airline believes that there should be increased competition within
the London airports and is proposing that competitive tendering is
introduced for a wider range of services at airports such as providing
IT systems. Virgin Atlantic makes the point that in building the
splendid new Clubhouse in Terminal 3 they had to use the so-called
?approved? BAA contractors. ?It was a question of take it or leave it.
We had to employ the BAA supplier. This has to stop!?

Willie Walsh added: ?We want to see sharper incentives for better
customer service and for BAA to be more responsive to the needs of its
users?.

bmi is Heathrow?s second largest customer. "We have not said as part
of our OFT submission that the findings should be referred to the
Competition Commission. However, we wouldn?t object if that was the
case".

And if BAA were to be broken up. Don?t cry for Ferrovial. Whilst it
has not yet been sold rumours are that the annual 2m-passenger plus
London City Airport will realise close on £500m. On that basis
Gatwick, running currently at 34m is worth £8.5m and Heathrow, 63m at
a colossal £16bn. The Spaniards paid £10.3bn for the whole lot
including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Southampton airports.
Clearly these figures should not be looked at without deep analysis.
The debt and ongoing works have to be taken into account. And there is
Stansted of course. Could a buyer be found to not only purchase the
airport but have sufficient funds to battle their way through a public
enquiry and pay for the development of a second runway and the
necessary infrastructure? The present plans do not even have provision
to a proper railway link into the airport.

Splitting the airports will eliminate a possible headache for BA in
ensuring no cross subsidies for Stansted II, but it is going to take
an enormous gamble for another airport operator to march in. However
there are not many other air terminals for sale with a current
throughput of 20m+ passengers and enormous potential.

___________________________________________________________________

AIR CANADA is to introduce non-stop flights on the hitherto dormant
Edmonton ? Heathrow route. By next summer, Air Canada will offer up to
15 daily non-stop flights to London from eight cities across Canada:
Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and
St. John's. Air Canada's Edmonton ? London flights will operate three
times weekly starting 31 October 2006 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays, ramping up to daily service beginning 1 April 2007. The
airline will fly a 212-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft offering a
choice of Executive First and economy service. The Boeing 767 fleet is
being refurbished to feature Air Canada's new personal entertainment
system with 8.9-inch wide digital in-seat monitors and touch-screen
controls offering audio and video on demand programming at every seat
plus lie-flat beds in the premium class. http://www.aircanada.ca

AIRBUS has finally flown the prototype Engine Alliance, a joint
venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, GP7200 A380,
albeit nine months late. The ?plane is eventually due to be delivered
to Emirates with a November 2007 date pencilled in. All previous A380s
have been Rolls-Royce powered. A second GP7200 aircraft is due to join
the flight test programme next spring. First delivery of an A380 to
lead customer Singapore Airlines is still set for the late
introduction date of December 2006. http://www.airbus.com

BEIRUT aviation officials say they had denied landing requests from
several airlines looking to resume operations from Beirut, and have
reiterated that the airport remains officially closed to all but two
designated carriers. At the present time Middle East Airlines and
Royal Jordanian are operating what is in effect an air bridge bringing
in essential supplies and personnel. BMED, having made one mercy
flight, says it hopes to resume services from Heathrow on Thursday.
Whatever happens one airline will not be around when the airport opens
properly. KLM has now made its last departure to Amsterdam. Partner
airline Air France will serve the Lebanese capital ?when it can?. For
the time being MEA is operating out of Damascus. http://www.mea.com.lb
http://www.rj.com http://www.flybmed.com

BOEING?S decision to abandon its Connexion project is not going down
well with the airlines. Etihad has followed Lufthansa in publicly
getting annoyed with Boeing. "Our experience with Connexion is very
good and our guests are keen to use it. We are talking to Boeing in
terms of short and long-term solutions by looking at a number of
options," said Ian Fergusson-Brown, spokesman for Etihad Airways. "The
airline is keen to meet customer expectations and our goal is to put
the system into the backs of the seats. This is important for our
guests to access the internet," Brown told Gulf News. Currently,
Connexion by Boeing is fitted on Etihad's Boeing 777 aircraft and
plans are under way to introduce the system on the Airbus fleet. Other
airlines, including Korean, are talking about compensation.
http://www.connexionbyboeing.com

COPA AIRLINES, the Panama carrier which is 49% owned by Continental,
is to introduce a service to Rio de Janeiro from Panama City starting
15 November. Copa will operate Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft on
the new route which will be operated five times a week. The airline?s
other destinations in Brazil include a twice-daily service to Sao
Paulo and since July a daily flight to Manaus. Copa Airlines currently
offers approximately 110 daily scheduled flights to 35 destinations in
21 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
http://www.copa-airlines.co.uk

DELTA AIR LINES has received permission, de facto, to introduce
services between Gatwick and New York JFK following permission from
the US Department of Transportation to begin selling seats on the new
route (ABTN 31 July). Initially a daily flight, and starting on 15
November out of JFK (and LGW the following day), a second rotation
will start next May. Final approval of the route, purchased from
United Airlines, is expected within the next few weeks. The service
will be operated by two-class 214-passenger Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
A new feature of the service is a complimentary cocktail with each
meal in economy class. http://www.delta.com

DUBAI AIRPORT has launched a free wireless internet service in select
areas in both the arrivals and departures areas. Its availability is
currently being expanded and within this year the service will be
available almost throughout the entire airport. Under the first phase
of the project, most of the concourse is being brought under coverage
with hotspots at Dubai Duty Free, the Food Court, Costa Coffee,
Starbucks, Safar Restaurant, and all the airline lounges. The service
is also available at the food court in the departures area.
http://www.dubaiairport.com

EAST AFRICAN AIRLINES (EAA) could be back in operation later this year
according to reports from Uganda. The carrier, designated the national
airline, hopes to launch the Entebbe ? Nairobi and Johannesburg routes
when it resumes flights. Dubai is another possible destination.
Creditors of its previous incarnation have been satisfied at the
Uganda High Court. At the same time Victoria International Airlines,
is rumoured to be in the planning stage, like EAA with the government
as a shareholder. Meantime Entebbe ? Nairobi is served by Kenya
Airways and Entebbe ? Johannesburg by SAA, with BA offering a non-stop
service three times per week from Heathrow.
http://www.flyeastafrican.com

ETIHAD AIRWAYS, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is
extending its premium class chauffeur services to include Manchester.
Gatwick and Heathrow passengers can already use the service. The
facility allows ?guests? to be collected from home or work part of
what the airline calls a seemless style of travel. The service is
provided by Chauffeurcar Plc. In Abu Dhabi, Eithad already offers for
Diamond and Pearl class passengers a private car transfer to Dubai.
Coral (economy) Zone guests continue to be offered a free luxury coach
service on arrival in Abu Dhabi, taking them to and from Dubai and Al
Ain. http://www.etihadairways.com

EUROPEAN BUSINESS JETS (EBJ), based at Cambridge Airport, has been
granted an Air Operator?s Certificate (AOC) at a time when, due to the
security problems at the major airports, the private aviation business
is booming. EBJ floated on AIM in April last year and now operates a
pair of six-seat Cessna Citation CJ1 aircraft. Innovative EBJ has
introduced what it calls its five hour "Demonstration Card", which
effectively allows cardholders to test drive the service whenever and
wherever they wish for a set price of £2,950 an hour. The EBJ concept
is based on a streamlined version of the fractional ownership model.
Individuals and companies purchase a portion of a specific aircraft ?
an interest that meets their travel requirements based on the number
of actual hours they expect to fly annually. They are then guaranteed
exclusive use and availability of an aircraft in Europe 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year, with as little as 12 hours? notice.
http://www.europeanbusinessjets.com

FRENCH CONNECTION: A new business class only service from Paris Orly
to New York Newark is likely to be operating by the end of the year.
New paper airline Elysair is to take an ex-Condor Boeing 757 and
refurbish it with a 100 executive seats and has already signed up for
Aviation Partners blended winglets. These popular units are said to
pay for themselves within three years with less fuel burn, additional
range and reduced emissions of both nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide.
A second 757 (complete with winglets) is programmed for early 2007
although the route has not been divulged. By the end of the year there
is likely to be business class only routes to New York from the
France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. http://www.aviationpartners.com

GATWICK is to gain a forth airport hotel following an agreement
reached between Kew Green Hotels and BAA Lynton to develop a 220-bed
Courtyard by Marriott hotel. It will be sited alongside the existing
791-room Hilton. Kew Green, which is set to submit a planning
application for the hotel to Crawley Borough Council this autumn,
previously worked with BAA Lynton to develop the Express by Holiday
Inn which opened at Stansted airport in February 2005 and also operate
a further 15 of the brand plus three Days Inns.
http://www.kewgreen.co.uk http://www.baalynton.com

GLOBESPAN has released details of its three-class operation which is
to be introduced on some of its transatlantic flights. Economy class
will offer a free baggage allowance of 20kg, passengers paying
on-board for their food selection; premium economy gives 30kg plus 34?
seat pitch and a chance to pre-select catering, whilst with business
class the airline offers massive 40kg luggage allowance (although here
two cases are suggested ? try lifting 40 kgs). Both the upgraded
classes offer priority check-in and seat selection as well as
complimentary food and bar service. Business class has dedicated
seating with individual in-flight entertainment, priority check-in and
the use of the airport executive lounge. Champagne is offered after
departure and during the flight passengers enjoy complimentary gourmet
meals served with fine wines. http://www.flyglobespan.com

GRAND CENTRAL TRAINS is the name of a new railway company that has
announced plans to introduce services between Sunderland and London
Kings Cross on Sunday 10 December. A recent Court hearing rejected
GNER plans to stifle the operator even before it made its first
service. Grand Central points out that it will get no government
subsidy. First class passengers can expect to enjoy traditional
seating patterns with wider, reclining seats and adjacent power points
for phones, personal entertainment or laptops. Standard class
passengers will benefit from inter-city levels of comfort with
improved seating and leg room, which will have the added advantage of
providing additional space for luggage. Power points again to be
provided for working, personal entertainment or phones. Grand Central
says that cyclists will be welcome aboard.
http://www.grandcentralrail.com

IRELAND has a new hotel at the infamous Togher interchange, linking
Cork, Dublin and Limerick. In fact the Comfort Inn and Leisure Centre
PortLaoise is Ireland?s first motorway hotel and provides full-service
facilities including 24-hour reception, 90 rooms with complimentary
high-speed internet access, bar and restaurant, meeting rooms, and a
dedicated leisure and fitness club offering a 20m indoor heated
swimming pool, with 30 ft ceiling and spectacular glass walls, a
children?s pool, sauna and steam and exercise rooms for the latest
cardio, fitness and resistance training. The club also offers a wide
selection of beauty therapy treatments.
http://www.choicehotelseurope.com

JERSEY is to be connected from Stansted by three daily Atlantic
Express flights next summer. The Coventry-based regional airline says
it is pleased with the response to a twice daily service introduced at
the end of May using a 46-seat ATR 42 turboprop. It plans to introduce
a lunchtime return flight from Jersey which will make it far easier
for passengers to connect with the many ?low cost? services available
at Stansted into Europe. The airline recently introduced a courtesy
tea, coffee or orange squash service. Curiously bar sales went up.
http://www.atlanticexpress.co.uk

NEWCASTLE is to lose its daily SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System)
service to Copenhagen from 3 September. There is no alternative
carrier. SAS currently uses a Canadair regional jet for the service
with a flight time of 1 hour 45 minutes. The abandonment of the route
clearly surprised the airport who were in a position to monitor the
passenger loads. Eastern would be a leading contender to take over the
services but in the meantime travellers between the two cities will
have to go via Heathrow on British Airways, or perhaps Amsterdam
changing carriers. http://www.newcastleairport.com

NORTHWEST AIRLINES cabin service strike, (see last week?s ABTN) due to
take place on Friday 25 August was called off after a US District
Judge said he needed more time to consider the matter. However this
ruling only stalls the matter and a strike at the bankrupt airline is
still a possibility. Both the union involved, Association of Flight
Attendants-CWA (AFA), and the airline have said they are willing to
resume negotiations, but the two sides have not met outside of court
since July. http://www.nwa.com

QANTAS saw a 26% fall in the year ended 30 June 2006 of profit before
tax to A$671m. Now it is not ABTN policy to delve into money matters
(with the usual exception British Airways, responsible for 45% of
Heathrow?s passengers) but tucked away in the shareholders? report was
the mention that Airbus had agreed to A$104m for the delays on the 12
A380s on firm order. In spite of increasing fuel costs Qantas was
upbeat, maintaining the dividend and CEO Geoff Dixon praising newcomer
Jetstar for its efforts. http://www.qantas.com.au

SECURITY restrictions are still very much in place at UK airports
readers are reminded. But what you can carry varies depending on
whether you are flying to the USA or the rest of the world. The rules
are for the aircraft which means that inbound the same restrictions
are likely to be found. Your hand luggage cannot be larger than (17.7"
wide × 13.7" long × 6.2" deep/high and liquids, cosmetics, toiletries,
gels and plastics, lighters and sharp items are on the banned list.
However you can purchase from shops and restaurants after the search.
If you are bound for the USA there is further boarding security. No
toiletries or cosmetics purchased in the departure lounge will be
allowed into the aircraft cabin and the same goes for drinks or liquid
items. http://www.baa.com

FORTHCOMING EVENTS THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO READERS:

A final reminder that ROUTES, where the airlines and airports get
together, takes place at Dubai 17-19 September.
Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
http://www.routesonline.com
___________________________________________________________________

ON TOUR: Düsseldorf and a Business Travel Show preview

From the 5 until 7 September the massive Düsseldorf Trade Fair Centre
(Messe Düsseldorf) will become the centre of the business travel
world. With the events of early August still very much in people?s
minds, and the effects very much with us, this gathering of Europe?s
travel industry is a very visible signal that whilst outside forces do
cause disruptions we just tend to live with it. This year?s show, the
third, has attracted some 120 exhibitors and is set to top the 1,000
per day visitors of 2005.
A resurgence of the German economy is clearly helping, but the results
of the initial show, when things were not so good, and its follow up
last year clearly demonstrated a demand for such an exhibition.
Security is bound to be much discussed as is the increasing
development of the executive jet business and the emerging ?C? class
only airline operations, a move pioneered by Lufthansa with its Munich
and Düsseldorf ? North American services.

One word of warning for British visitors. The seminars are all in
German. However, English is very much the lingua franca for European
commerce. If English is your only language it is no embarrassment. You
will be understood by most.

Düsseldorf is very accessible from London and most major European
cities for the day. BA and LH fly from Heathrow, and LH again from
City. Air Berlin has three times daily flights from Stansted. The
airport is less than two miles from the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Centre.
You can reach the venue in a few minutes by taking bus No. 896 or a
taxi. The Business Travel Show is at the South entrance of the
exhibition centre. If you are already in the city take the underground
train to the East Entrance of Messe Düsseldorf. From there you can
reach the South entrance of Hall 1, either by walking or by bus No.
722.

The show itself covers some 3000 sq m in a single hall and opens at
0930 each day running until 1700. It is well served by restaurants,
bars and lounges. A whole multitude of business travel related
companies have taken space including those involved with air charter,
airlines, airports, business travel agents, travel management
companies, car rental, chauffeur drive, conference & incentive
management, consular services, credit/charge cards, global
distribution systems, hotel booking agencies, hotels, serviced
apartments, parking, rail travel, rail travel and booking agents. A
programme of seminars and panel discussions will cover much ground in
the world of business travel.

The Düsselfdorf Trade Fair Centre is about five miles north west of
the city. Düsseldorf's name means "the village on the Düssel".
However, with a population of approximately 600,000 and status of
capital of North Rhine Westfalia, nobody would dare refer to it as a
village any longer. As for the Düssel, it is nowadays greatly
overshadowed by the Rhine, one of Europe's most important waterways.
It dates from the 13th century and is just a few miles north of
Cologne, on the river. Rivals over the centuries, the citizens tend to
argue over the relative merits of Alt and Kölsch beers rather than
resorting to medieval violence against each other.

Düsseldorf lies on the edge of Germany?s industrial heartlands of the
Rhein Ruhr triangle, but many parts of the city have escaped
modernisation and industrialisation. Although situated within the most
damaged region of Germany during WWII it has managed to retain more of
its old character than could be expected. The sub-centre of
Kaiserswerth is a case in point boasting medieval features and has the
air of a traditional German village rather than a suburb of a major
city. The Altstadt district is a beautiful example of a medieval
German town. Punctuated with the twisted spire of St Lambertus it is
easy to lose yourself among the centuries of history contained within
the narrow winding alleys and secluded squares here. It is also the
home of more than 260 restaurants and inns, and has often been called
?the longest bar in the world?. Notable buildings in Düsseldorf, known
as one of the most elegant cities in Germany, include St Lambert's
Church (begun 13th century), the Jägerhof Castle (now housing a museum
of 20th century painting), and several modern office blocks. The city
is the site of the National Academy of Art, birthplace of the mid-19th
century Düsseldorf school of art. Paul Klee and Joseph Beuys taught
there.

Among Düsseldorf's many other cultural facilities are the Art
Collection, with fine displays of 20th century painting, including the
largest collection of works by Klee in Germany, and works by Pablo
Picasso, Max Ernst, Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian and Marc Chagall,
among others; the Hetjens Museum, with a large collection of ceramics
covering 8,000 years of pottery; a museum devoted to the life and work
of the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; and a university (1965). The
poet Heinrich Heine spent his youth in Düsseldorf. The city's Heine
Institute is devoted to research on his life and work. Composer Robert
Schumann was conductor of the city orchestra from 1850 to 1854; he and
his wife, pianist Clara Schumann, are buried here.

One innovation, which is likely to be repeated at the Earls Court
Business Travel Show in London next February, is the BTS Innovation
Award. This will recognise visionary companies, who have innovative
products and services on the business travel market. All business
travel suppliers, regardless of whether they are exhibiting at the
Business Travel Show, can enter their own or nominate other innovative
products and services in the business travel market. Prerequisite for
the entries is the development or launch of the product or service
between July 2005 and July 2006. The entrants have to have shown a
positive effect on the business travel market or for business
travellers, travel managers or bookings of business travel.
http://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de http://www.businesstravelshow.de

INCIDENTALLY: Taking the Piste

Michael O?Leary must be slipping (or should be slipping). Ryanair has
called a press conference for Tuesday at that well known winter sports
centre Milton Keynes. But it seems that the chief leprechaun will not
be around. One Caroline Baldwin of Ryanair is giving the brief and the
only flying will be the organisers and members of the media when they
miss their step. Presumably O?Leary is on a first class holiday
somewhere, perhaps sorting the security at Stansted, or queuing up for
legal aid. In any event Eddie the Eagle, a publicity seeker who,
unlike O?Leary, did not get very far, is to be the ?star? attraction.

And for football fanatics only.

Grand Central Trains, who plan to operate an escape system from the
renamed Stadium of Darkness to London Kings Cross later this year (see
above), is majority owned by Fraser Eagle Group. Fraser Eagle is the
shirt sponsor of Accrington Stanley!

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