12/14
Travelogue… with Bob Nicolaides
Staff in this flight company may have unlimited holiday
The boss of Virgin
Group, Sir Richard Branson, is offering his personal staff as much holiday as
they want. On his website, he said that his staff of
170 could "take off whenever they want for as long as they want". He
added that there was no need to ask for approval, nor say when they planned to
return, the assumption being that the absence would not damage the firm. Mr
Branson said he was inspired by his daughter, who read about a similar plan at
the online TV firm Netflix. "It is left to the employee alone to decide if
and when he or she feels like taking a few hours, a day, a week or a month
off," wrote the billionaire.
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| Branson |
"We should focus on what people get done, not on how
many hours or days worked. Just as we don't have a nine-to-five policy, we don't
need a vacation policy," he wrote. The blog is an excerpt from a
forthcoming book. Virgin Group employs more than 50,000 people around the world
and operates in more than 50 countries. Mr Branson started the company in 1970
and it has gone from a mail order record company to having businesses in
telecoms, travel and financial services.
Berlin luring more tourists
with new mega-mall
German city is
Europe’s fastest-growing destination and it’s expanding retail offerings for
visitors with new 270-store Mall of Berlin.
Berlin, Europe’s fastest-growing tourist
destination, is taking a page from Dubai’s play book by expanding retail
offerings for the hordes of visitors. The Mall of Berlin, a 270-store complex
that opened Thursday in the city center, gives the growing numbers of tourists
who visit the German capital a new place to spend their money. Within a year,
it’s set to become the country’s largest shopping center as 30 percent more
space is added.
Berlin is expanding its retail offering after building
dozens of hotels to keep pace with the influx of visitors. Like Dubai, the
Persian Gulf sheikhdom that has the world’s biggest mall, Berlin’s growing
reputation as a shopping destination is bolstering its economy. The Mall of Berlin,
located on the site of the former Wertheim department store a 5-minute walk
from Potsdamer Platz, has about 1 million square feet of shops in low-rise
stone and glass townhouses that evoke the area’s prewar architecture.
The developer, Harald Huth, plans to expand the mall by
about a third next year and the complex will include 270 luxury rental
apartments centered around a running
track and garden. “This will be the most successful mall in Germany because we
built something special at an extraordinary location,” Huth said by phone.
Tenants include Guess, Karl Lagerfeld and Lacoste.
The new shopping center is made up of stone-clad, low-rise
buildings that echo the original Wertheim’s architecture, with decorative
arches around the courtyard and floral carvings on the benches. Large
photographs of the Wertheim, which was seized from a Jewish family of the same
name by the Nazis in 1937, hang in the complex. Huth, who designed the
decorative flourishes himself, said he pored over old black-and-white photographs
of the former emporium for inspiration.
The arcade in the middle, with an arched roof but open on
both ends, helps integrate the mall into the city, giving life to what has been
a dead zone since the Berlin Wall came down. The center will help revive
Leipziger Platz and Wilhelmstrasse, which have little in the way of street
life, with restaurants and stores facing out of the mall and onto surrounding
sidewalks
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European aviation to lose
market share against Middle East
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| Losses for Europe |
Growth of aviation industry is likely to be reported outside
of Europe. According to the economic researcher Bernhard Felderer the market
share of European air industry will be definitely smaller. Aviation industry is
suffering from the growing Middle East competition, increasingly stringent
regulations, high fees, flight prohibitions and geopolitical crisis.. Syria,
Iraq, Egypt conflicts and now the Ukraine crisis have had a considerable impact
on the industry. Even if pilots remain on the ground, they still need to be
paid. Food vendors are counting their losses due to the Russia / Ukraine
crisis.
At a recent aviation symposium in Vienna, the president of
the Austrian Aviation Association Mario Rehulka said: "Aviation is
completely privatized and we don’t want new financial subsidies". Rehulka
said that aviation industry in Europe is burdened by enormously slow process in
infrastructure, emissions trading, ticket taxes, regulations, "escalating
passenger rights", overregulation which can "bust" this
industry. According to Chamber of Commerce Aviation Professionals Group
representative Christian Domany, public opinion about aviation industry is
raised only when some airline fails.
Rehulka stated that he didn’t understand Lufthansa strike
when 5,400 pilots terrorized half a million passengers with six days of
strikes. Passengers had to look for solutions and went to the main competitors
from the Middle East. Now the situation is the same with seven days Air France
strike. Former AUA Board member pointed out: "Have you ever heard of
strikes in Beijing, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul?" Middle East and Far East state
owned airlines are being pushed with force to Europe and our businesses are
suffering from that.
The economic researcher Felderer said that Europe would be
lucky "if they can keep what they had before". The market share will
be definitely smaller according to him. More than a quarter (26.4 percent) of
airline business at the end of 2013 was in European hands. The majority of the
world aviation belongs to the Asia / Pacific region (32.3 percent), 26.2
percent to North America. The rest is divided in Latin America / Caribbean (7.7
percent), Middle East (5 percent) and Africa (2.4 percent).
The share of the market of North America and Europe is
getting continuously smaller. The growth of aviation in the Middle East, Far
East and the Pacific region is expected to "rise dramatically". Since
Europe passenger figures increased by 3.3 percent in the first half of 2014,
the trend was clear. Emirates had 13.9 percent growth and Istanbul at least 11
percent.
Experience the Splendor of the Rhine
Viking River Cruises’ 2014 Rhine Getaway is one cruise you
might consider as your next itinerary. You’ll be visiting all the highlights of
the legendary river in just eight days. In Germany, see the many charming
castles commanding the riverbanks as you sail by, and tour both Marksburg
Castle and the ruins of Heidelberg Castle. Admire Cologne , the jewel of the
Rhine, with its awe-inspiring Dom, and experience the lush landscape of the
Black Forest region. Also, explore Holland’s famous windmills and waterworks,
encounter multicultural Strasbourg in France and take part in the inviting nightlife
in Rudesheim’s Drosselgasse. Then take the trip from your ship to Basel’s
airport in Switzerland for the return trip.The Amsterdam to Basel cruise lasts
eight days, sounts six guided tours in four European countries. The trips are
available for October 24, , 25 and 31, and you can make your reservations by
clicking vikingrivercruises.com….
40 Brits stranded at Corfu
Airport for 72 hours
Forty British
holidaymakers have been stranded in Corfu after Ryanair cancelled flights home
due to bad weather. Passengers have had to endure 72 hours waiting to hear
whether they can fly home - and some claim they have been told they may not be
able to leave Greece until a week later.
Frustrated travelers have also said they have seen planes
operated by other airlines - including easyJet and Thomas Cook - taking off
from Kerkyra Airport since storms hit the holiday island. Les and Jane Andrews,
from Huddersfield, are among the passengers, which include 40 Brits, stuck at
airport for three days - with little information provided by the budget
airline.
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| Stranded in Corfu |
Andrews, 57, said his
wife, 52, who suffered a heart attack last year, has run out of her supply of
tablets. He told the Examiner: 'It is pathetic and disgusting. This was my
first trip with Ryanair and it has been horrendous. 'I was due to fly out to
Manchester on Sunday and we've been stuck in the airport for three days. 'Some
people have been given flights a week later, but there were no assurances. 'Nobody
has come out and told us what is happening.' Some passengers had even lost
their jobs as a result of the delays. 'We've also had no help from the Embassy
which is disappointing.'
A spokesman for Ryanair explained: 'Due to adverse weather,
Ryanair was regrettably forced to cancel two flights from Corfu to Manchester
and Oslo Rygge on Sunday. 'Customers were provided with hotel accommodation and
meal vouchers and advised of their options; to receive a full refund, transfer
free of charge on to the next available flight or travel back by rerouting
through other airports. 'Ryanair attempted to position extra flights into Corfu
on two days, but all were unable to land due to weather.
Tipping: Never dare to do in
Argentina, Oman and Japan
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| Never Tip in Anrgentina |
But travel search site Wego has
now constructed an easy-to-follow infographic revealing where and when to tip
when travelling abroad. According to the infographic, no tipping should ever
happen in Argentina, Japan, Oman, Yemen and France. In Austria, Brazil,
Netherlands, Russia, Chile, South Africa, Ireland and Turkey, tipping is
expected after eating in a restaurant, unless service charge is included.
Tipping is left up to the customer
in countries including the UK, Norway, Spain, Denmark and Germany. Deciding
whether to leave a tip in these countries depends on the quality of service or
experience. 'In the US, low wage earners in the service industry are reliant on
tipping to balance out their income, yet in Romania, tips are often declined
and in Japan, tipping is considered offensive,' explains Joachim Holte, Chief
Marketing Officer for Wego. 'It's wise to be aware of the tipping customs in
each place you visit to avoid uncomfortable situations, ensure a smooth trip and
avoid paying too much which is quite often the result. In Argentina for
example, tipping is actually illegal, however, waiters often expect to be
tipped by foreigners so if you were to tip, discretion is advised.’
'Knowing which countries
where you should leave a tip is just as important as knowing which countries
not to. It's amazing how many travellers forget to research this all important
component of visiting other countries. There are always considerations and
dependencies in any country that you should investigate further before
travelling,' Holte continued. For instance, in the UK, tipping for food in
restaurants is OK, although unexpected as service charges are generally
included. Yet, tipping for drinks at a bar is just not cricket!'
Where restaurants are where
you'd most expect to leave a tip as an acknowledgement of good food and
service, some countries expect it for other areas of service too. In general,
it's not uncommon to give a small tip to your porter as he drops off your
luggage in your hotel room in most places. Rounding up your fare for taxi
drivers is common in most countries, apart from New Zealand and Chile, where
it's not expected at all. 'It seems that tipping traditions are evolving
throughout the world as more people travel. Australia and New Zealand don't
have a history of tipping, yet travelers who are unaware of this fact have
heightened some expectations from service staff,' Holte added. 'If you haven't
done your homework before you go, remember you can always ask what the custom
is from hotel staff. Most people will appreciate you taking the time to find
out, and it's a good way to avoid some very sticky situations.'
