IAG and Carnival share prices hit as deadly Ebola virus arrives in Europe October 7, 2014 News that the deadly Ebola virus has reached Europe gave UK travel companies a rocky ride yesterday, with share prices falling across the board. Some of the biggest losers on the news that a nurse in Spain had been infected on EU soil were British Airways parent group IAG and cruise operator Carnival. Both companies [...]
Advisers back in the spotlight after eDreams’ shares fall 91pc since float October 27, 2014 THE STEEP underperformance of shares in eDreams, which were suspended at the end of last week, has shone a critical light on the advice of STJ Advisors – the firm set up by former Nomura banker John St John in 2008. STJ has had a busy year advising on deals in the European equity capital [...]
The hour-long lunch break: Is it worth taking? December 15, 2014 Even well-known executives aren’t afraid to take some “me time”. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have been known to take them together. The French often take twice as long as the rest of us (and the Italians longer still), while 20 per cent of Brits claim not to take one at all, according to [...]
Mobile phones cleared for use during flights across Europe September 28, 2014 In good news for Europe's air passengers, mobile phones and portable electronic devices (PEDs) have been cleared for use throughout flights. The European Aviation Safety Agency said there was no reason from a safety perspective for passengers to keep their devices switched off or in airplane mode. Devices that will be affected will include tablets, [...]
West Coast main line: Has Richard Branson forgotten the virtues of competition? October 23, 2014 Richard Branson’s famous guerrilla campaign to break British Airways’s grip on Heathrow Airport is safe in history as a victory for competition and passenger choice. The tenacious campaign fought by Virgin to secure access and slots at Heathrow dominated the UK aviation scene for most of the 1990s, and ultimately led to lower fares and [...]
FTSE gets a lift after St James’s reports results – London Report October 30, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index yesterday staged a late rally to recover from losses earlier in the day, with wealth management group St James’s Place outperforming after strong results. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index had been in negative territory for much of the day. The late recovery enabled the FTSE to close up by 0.2 per [...]
The Royal Palm in Mauritius: The best resort hotel in the Indian Ocean is back with a bang December 7, 2014 The Royal Palm, haunt of former French presidents François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, has just undergone a £10m refurbishment. It was already the best hotel in Mauritius and, in the words of Spinal Tap, it has just turned it up to eleven, upgrading to become the only six star hotel in Mauritius. The Royal Palm [...]
Iberia agrees 1,400 job cuts July 24, 2014 IBERIA, the Spanish airline that merged with British Airways, will cut more than 1,400 jobs after an deal was reached with unions as part of a restructuring programme. International Airlines Group, the holding company for Iberia and BA, said in a statement the jobs cuts would affect pilots and ground staff, and follows a previous [...]
London’s billboards are about to get much more high tech with Clear Channel’s “London Wrap” November 10, 2014 London commuters will soon start noticing a change to the billboard adverts greeting them on their journey into the city. The huge posters at stations and at key commuter points across the capital are about to get a major makeover to bring them into the digital age. Usually plastered with an old-school poster ad made of [...]
Air traffic rerouted away from Ukraine after MH17 crash July 17, 2014 Several airlines have now confirmed that they are avoiding Ukrainian airspace after a Malaysian Airlines jet crashed in eastern Ukraine. Flight MH17 came down near the Russian border, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, earlier today. The UK's Department for Transport (DfT) has told aircraft already in the air to avoid Ukrainian airspace. A spokesperson [...]