Frequent Flyer- A Conversation

[erection day]

One of the must-read for me every Sunday is the regular column- Frequent Flyer in Sunday Times where some 'important' guests (mostly corporate high flyers) were asked about their travel habits, likes and dislikes and other interesting anecdotes relating to travel. An excerpt from today's guest- Claude Ringuet, an Australian executive in a global consulting business.

'Which is your favourite airport?- "I have two favourites actually. I'm not being biased here, but Changi Airport is pretty efficient and everything just works really well. The second one which is very interesting is the domestic airport in Bora Bora, Tahiti. You fly in, and along both sides of the runway is pure white sand and crystal-clear water. It's not really efficient but I love it. It's so relaxing."

Ever had an airline or airport lose your luggage?- "Every time I've lost my luggage, it's been in Heathrow airport. In 1998, I waited two days for my luggage, which they said they would sent to me but it never arrived. They seem to have quite a nasty habit of losing bags."

Which airlines do you think have the best food and service? "Singapore Airlines probably has the best food. The crew is very efficient and very friendly. At times, it can be a little too much- like when crew members wake you up to serve you food. The food they serve on Quatas Business Class is fantastic, too. As for good service, there was once, on a flight from Singapore to London on Spore Airlines that I couldn't sleep, so one of the crew members spent an hour talking to me and even brought out a bottle champagne."

Ever had an interesting experience on a flight?- "I've had really bad turbulence before on a flight from Sydney to Taiwan in 2002 on China Airlines. There was a typhoon off the coast of Taiwan and the turbulence was so bad that people who didnt have their seatbelts on hit their heads on the ceiling. A lot of people were sick on the plane as well. "

What do you always carry with you on flights?- "I always carry noise-cancelling headphones. I'm not very sociable on planes. I'll just plug into the KrisFlyer Entertainment so I cant hear anything but the music I'm listening to or the movie that I'm watching. I carry moisturiser as well. I put it on before and ruing the flight. I also always take a good book with me."

What do you think of budget airlines?- "Some of them, such as Jetstar, are very good. The only problem is that they don't get really good schedules. I wouldn't use them for business but for leisure, they're okay' - Sunday Times

[mature30]

Hi

I agreed with what u said,for long haul flight SQ is still best in all aspect of in-flight service.Low cost like AirAsiais really providing low class of service and even the cabin cabin on board annoucement is so lousy (either too loud or too soft and no intonation in reading the text announcement) and the crew is superfast in just combing along cabin asle to perform their mea/juice sales task rather than providing excellent customer service.

Futhermore , Changi Airportis the most memorable airport that leave very good impression to every passenger.Alot of facilities which even HKIA and Incheon (Seoul)can't beat it.

>M30, the passage quite long, no need to quote everything. thanks

Edited March 16, 2008 by Andy@Tokyo

[erection day]

This week, an interview in Sunday Times with Olivier Arzel, CEO of luxury company Lladro

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE AIRPORT?- 'I like the one in Hong Kong because when I arrive there, I feel right at home. It's convenient and well-organised as well, so I've never had any major delays there. Changi Airport in Spore comes a close second in terms of efficiency and service but it's not home.

WHICH AIRLINE DO YOU THINK HAS THE BEST FOOD?- 'Honestly, all the major airlines serve good food but, maybe because I'm French, I would say Air France. I would say Air France because it's food that tastes like home. They have good seafood, some good meat and excellent wine.

EVER HAD SOMETHING INTERESTING HAPPEN ON A FLIGHT? - 'On one flight, there was a death. This was about 10 years ago and I was flying from Paris to Argentina when the cabin crew announced that we had to make a stop in Brazil for a while. I didnt think too much about what happened because I wasnt very curious. It was in the middle of the night so I think no one really knew what was going on. Later, the cabin crew discreetly revealed that one of the passengers had died during the flight. Air France handled it very well though- they were very professional.

EVER HAD AN AIRLINE OR AIRPORT LOSE YOUR LUGGAGE?- 'In 20 years, I've only lost my luggage twice so I've been very lucky.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BUDGET ARLINES?- 'It allows people with less means to travel. It's less comfortable but it's another way to get from one place to another. Last year, I flew from Paris to Spain on a Spanish budget airline. The flight went pretty smoothly but, personally, I wouldn't go on a trip with a budget airline if the flight takes more than four hours.' - The Sunday Times

[erection day]

An interview with Anna Thompson- general manger of Cathay Pacific.

'WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE AIRPORT?- "The airport in Hong Kong is certainly on top of my list for a number of reasons. It's a beautiful Norman Foster design- very light and airy and has a hugh feeling of space. And there's also the feeling of coming home because I've lived there on and off for about 18 years now. I also think Changi Airport is wonderful and I always enjoy flying from Singapore.

WHICH AIRLINE DO YOU THINK HAS THE BEST SERVICE AND FOOD?- "As I work for Cathay, I'm going to have to exclude us from the list although I rate us very highly. But I think that Quantas has some of the best food and wind onboard and its cabin crew are always very friendly.

WHICH AIRLINE DO YOU THINK HAS THE BEST UNIFORM? - "I think the Asian airlines have the most stylish uniforms. They've managed to get the right balance between elegance and practicality.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN AIRLINE OR AIRPORT LOSE YOUR LUGGAGE- "In 2007, I went to Italy for the weekend and Alitalia lost my luggage. Unfortunately most of the shops were closed then so I had to wash and reuse my clothes very night. The people in the village must have thought that I only owned one set of clothing. Another time my luggage was lost was in 2006 when I was going to attend a ball in Rome. I arrived on a Sat morning and the ball was i the evening so I had to search for another dress really quickly. Alitalia offered to pay for half the cost and since that dress has become one of my favourite.

EVER HAD AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE ON A FLIGHT?- "The most interesting would have to be when I flew on the Concorde, which was a supersonic passenger airliner, from London to New York to celebrate my 30t birthday with some friends. It was one of those experiences that will stay with me forever.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BUDGET AIRLINES?- 'They have created a new market niche and expanded the overall market, which is very positive. I've flown on budget airlines a couple of times myself- to Saigon on Jetstar and to Phuket to Hainan on Tiger Airways' - The Sunday Times