Road Warrior

ASL flying high after winning first Irish gold award

Last week at the European Regional Airlines Association general assembly, two Irish companies were recognised with the highest awards. ASL, formerly Air Contractors Limited, won the Airline of the Year Gold Award, a first for an Irish airline. Air Contractors operates B757 services for Aer Lingus on the United States and Canada and B737 services for Ryanair. Shannon Airport won the award for best airport for the second year running. The award for Shannon is in recognition of the positive impact on European air transport operations.

Emirates and Aniston poke fun at US airlines

Emirates Airlines takes a dig at the United States air carriers in a new advertisement featuring Jennifer Aniston. In the ad she walks through a strange aircraft looking for the shower and bar. She is laughed at by the American cabin crew. Fortunately it is only a nightmare and she wakes up in lovely business class on Emirates. However, in recognising their audiences, the advertisement on the Emirates site mentions a lounge, not a bar, and Jennifer is served a lurid yellow drink rather than a martini. See YouTube for the hard liquor version where there are more than four million views so far and many harsh comments about privilege.

Irish manager at helm of new London Hilton

London’s newest hotel has opened, the London Hilton Bankside. It is located on Great Suffolk Street, near London Bridge, the Shard and Borough Market. The general manager James Clarke hails from Boyle, Co Roscommon, and is looking forward to welcoming Irish business people to his hotel. The 292-room Hilton Bankside is also one of the few hotels in London to have an indoor pool.

Corporate travel meets Airbnb

Bridgestreet, the serviced apartment provider, is forming a partnership with the Airbnb for Business product. Recognising that business travellers often want more than just a room, Bridgestreet is a good choice for Airbnb. The company has more than 50,000 properties in 60 countries, ideal for longer stays, relocations and meeting spaces. It will be interesting to see how the shared economy and managed corporate travel programmes will meet.