Business Travel Tips

According to a poll by Wanderlust Magazine, 76% of travelers are opposed to the use of mobile phones on flights.

The survey also found that only 2% of the respondents would love to use their phone on a flight regularly, as 17% said they would do it only if they were delayed.

Wanderlust’s editor Dan Linstead said:

“The message from our readers, who are all seasoned travellers, is loud and clear. Planes are one of the last sacred mobile-free havens and they want it to stay that way.”

He added mobile calls on flights are not so cheap, citing as an example Emirates, the first commercial airline to allow passengers to make voice calls on flights, where the average call costs more than £2 a minute.

A new safety technology that aims to to improve runway safety practices will be installed on three U.S. carriers’ fleet.

Skywest Airlines, US Airways and Southwest Airlines will install cockpit safeguard devices making pilots sure they get on the correct runway at the assigned point to take off.

That is a significant help to reduce the number of incursions — when, because of mistaken, two planes are in some danger of colliding, and excursions — when running off the ends of runways.

A safety tool, called Runway Awareness and Advisory System, developed by Honeywell International Inc.to protect from runway accidents, was installed on Alaska Airlines‘ fleet a few weeks ago. (more…)

The latest annual Barclaycard Business Travel Survey reveals that business travelers in UK are downshifting to economy class travel.
The study shows that as British Airways remains the most used airline for business travel (28%), budget airlines such as easyJet (ranked 2nd) and Ryanair (ranked 3rd) have increased their market share.

UK business travelers are opting for no-frills airlines over traditional carries as they seek to maintain current levels of business travel in a bid to grow their businesses. [...] When selecting a class of travel, 44% of respondents cited cost as the overriding purchasing decision factor, with 17% claiming class is dictated by company policy, 12% by length of flight and only 7% down to personal preference.

UK business travellers fly mostly internationally. 64% of business travellers in UK have flown internationally on business in the last 12 months with 12% of respondents claiming to have flown on an international flight more than 11 times. Domestic flights are less popular, with only 43% claiming to have flown domestically in the last year.

The survey was conducted in December 2007, amongst a nationwide sample (3397 respondents) of Barclaycard Business commercial card holders (CEOs, chairmen, company directors, managers and executives) who provided their thoughts on all aspects of business travel. (source: PRWeb)

Members of Delta Air Lines’ frequent-flier program SkyMiles can earn double miles on Delta and Air France flights between the U.S. and Europe.

Delta or Air France passengers who fly between Los Angeles or New York City and London; New York City and Lyon, France; and Salt Lake City and Paris are eligible to earn double miles.

In order to take advantage of this promotion, Delta frequent-flier members must register online at delta.com/worldbonus and fly on or before Dec. 15, 2008.
Customers can earn an additional 1,000 bonus miles by booking at delta.com.

The Google’s first-ever mobile phone G1 launched yesterday, will also be the first non Windows/Blackberry/Danger powered smartphone to be launched on T-mobile. The T-mobile G1, will be the first handset in the world to run the new Android operating system.

G1 has an iPhone look and feel, with dimensions of 4.60″ x 2.16″ x 0.62″.
The Guardian listed three areas where the G1 beats the iPhone…and three where it doesn’t.

- Where the G1 beats the iPhone…

User interface:
Apple’s decision to jettison a physical keyboard on the iPhone divided consumers. Some found typing onto a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen quick and straighforward; others, used to devices such as the BlackBerry, found the process slow and frustrating.
The G1 has compromised, including a slide-out Qwerty keyboard as well as a pleasingly responsive touchscreen. This seems sure to appeal to a wide audience of users who prefer physical buttons to virtual ones, and could perhaps persuade some undecided shoppers to plump for a G1 over an iPhone.

Navigation:
Using Google Maps on the iPhone to find your location and plot a route is an exercise in simplicity, and (more…)