Helena Ricci at the World Travel Market 2021.

 

Helena plays Gnossiennes No. 1 by Eric Satie

Airlines, Airports, Travel and Lockdowns: The Future

 

The last 18 months + have been very difficult for the travel industry. How many companies are walking a tightrope? Will they recover, will they be allowed to get back to some form of profitability?

The many expensive PCR tests and form filling is not exactly encouraging people to travel... at the moment. 

A relative was a senior stewardess/flight attendant, she worked with the union Unite.

An experienced captain is pleased he has a new job. A delivery driver. That is how harsh things have become. In due course I expect the captain to be back where he belongs, flying airliners. With the end of furlough at the end of September, things may seem even worse. 

Another lockdown and the country will be in a place to awful to contemplate. 

There must be quite a bit of pent up demand. Hopefully this may get things back to a situation a little rosier. It depends on the actions the government takes. Don't hold your breath. 

This means lots to me............Oh Vienna !

Including Bratislava in Slovakia.

Vienna, Wien in German.

                                                            St Stephen's Cathedral
I took a visit to Vienna or Wien during the Christmas period 2018. There is literally so much to see, that the few days I was there didn't do it justice. I particularly liked the Military History museum. Which contains the car and uniform of the assassinated Arch Duke Ferdinand. The event that allegedly started the First World War, it was definitely the trigger if not the gun. The exhibit I most wanted to see however was the Heilige Lance, popularly known as the Spear of Destiny. Situated in the Hofburg, a brilliant museum that has many fascinating exhibits from the Habsburg era including the Imperial Jewels in the Imperial Treasury. Opposite the Hofburg is the Kunsthistorisches Museum, containing old masters and classical artifacts.
Christmas Day is a notoriously quiet time in most European countries, fortunately I was able to get a train to the Schoenbrunn Palace. The main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers. Visit and taste an amazing history.
On Boxing Day I took a day trip to Brastislava,  it is only 2+ hours from Vienna by train. Bratislava is small by comparison and also very historic. Quite a bit cheaper than Vienna with beer and food very reasonable. It certainly has an interesting night life. An attraction for stag parties apparently.
On my last day in Vienna I went to the Leopold Museum, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, marvellous. Such are the many things to see I didn't have time to visit the Ferris Wheel, the Wiener Riesenrad, famous in the film, 'The Third Man'. A good tip is to get a daily or three day travel pass, the best way to see the city. I have only scratched the surface of this wonderful city. I have missed the Spanish Riding School and the many classical musical events. I have not even mentioned the Sacher Torte, the well known chocolate cake.
My photos will only give a flavour of this amazing city.

                                                   The Spear of Destiny(Heilige Lance)

                                                                 Habsburg Jewels

                                 The tragedy of the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand

The infamous car. 

Fiesler Storch

Schonbrunn

Bratislava

  Christmas in Vienna 

Monarch: The sad demise of a great airline.

Monarch: The sad demise of a great airline.

Four Reasons why Monarch failed(according to the BBC):-

Yet again the BBC seeks to have a go at Brexit again, listing the dollar pound ratio as number one for the sad demise of Monarch Airlines. If one reads the article this should be number four on the list. Because the dollar - pound ratio has affected all UK airlines.

More significant is item No.3 - Greybull moving away Monarch from long haul to short hall, right into the teeth of the opposition; Rynair, EasyJet and Whizz etc. One simply cannot copy established competitors thinking it is possible to do the job better. Just look at the passenger numbers from 2015. IMHO, Greybull took a decision, possibly because of the problems in Tunisia, Sharm el Sheik etc

Which also affected the competitors. They realised the mistake too late.

Monarch had a 45 airliner order with Boeing, neither Greybull or Boeing will want to lose their investments.

Could Monarch rise again like a Phoenix from the ashes ? Or are the markets full with capacity already ?

"As soon as the money men think of planes, common sense takes flight."
Is the headline from the City Editor, Jim Armitage of the Evening Standard.
He argues that Greybull was dazzled by the airline business and pumped money into a losing situation. Perhaps to an extent that is true, but there are other factors. Trying to compete with the EasyJets and Ryanairs of this world, was always going to be near impossible, British Airways, Air France etc, have been finding it rather difficult themselves. 
It was all down to finding a different model, this takes someone special, someone with a great knowledge of aviation and the tourist business in general. That is why I agree with Jim Armitage's headline.
Something in a similar way happened to me in 1987. I met a young high level financier, an American working for Pacific Investments or some such name like that. He told me confidently that he was financing a new airline, that was to fly from Glasgow and Edinburgh to some Baltic states. "What aircraft will you use?" I enquired.
"A Bae 748." He replied.
"What ! That can only fly at 200 knots with a tailwind and flies at about 10,000 feet. Slow and bumpy all the way!" I was shocked.
"We got a great deal from Bae." He arrogantly asserted, looking down at me. I was not a whizz-kid financer. I sent him a few options for suitable aircraft. It was ignored.
Six weeks later the airline failed.

The government claims there is not a crisis in aviation?

Well......

Air Berlin is insolvent.

Alitalia is insolvent.

Only the EU system allows Air Berlin and Alitalia to continue to fly.

Ryanair cancels many flights, allegedly because of a problem with crew annual leave.

British Airways has two computer crashes.



Crisis, what crisis ?

Four reasons why Monarch failed(according to the BBC)

Airlines: Willie Walsh & Sir Tim Clark interviewed.

Airlines: Willie Walsh & Sir Tim Clark, interviewed.

Last year I attended a question and answer session at the World Travel Market.

It involved Willie Walsh, CEO of IAG, which includes British Airways and Sir Tim Clark President of Emirates Airlines.

Quite a bit has happened since November 2016. British Airways have had two computer crashes, greatly upsetting their passengers. Also, a couple of strikes and it is not clear whether the cabin staff issues have been resolved.

We have lost Monarch Airlines, a sad loss, it was a great airline.

Emirates have continued…….

Willie Walsh considered that alliances will be coming to an end, ‘One World’ , ‘StarAlliance’ etc. Quite likely there would be mergers instead.

The introduction into the market of low cost long haul airlines might well shake things up. These include Norwegian and Scoot etc.

Willie Walsh thought that business models were changing and a label means nothing. Aer Lingus which is now part of IAG, makes a profit on the Atlantic with low cost fares.

However Norwegian runs on small margins, of course, pay for most things on top of the original fare.  

Michael O’Leary at Ryanair is also looking at short haul.

Tim Clark of Emirates claimed that he had had a difficult year, as there has been a slow down in Africa and South America.

There is a lot of capacity out there, China will continue to be busy. Willie Walsh continued that they had a good year and for him the industry is getting better. Would he say that now ?

They both agreed that Air France and KLM may have difficulties as they tend to be resistant to change. In other words, they don’t intend to take the cheap route, - yet ? Running on commercial lines as against political ones was seen as being essential. Was there a hint there ? On purpose ? Willie Walsh claimed he had a better cost base than Air France, was that a reference on the difference between UK and EU practices ? On the other hand KLM has always had strong leadership. A indication that they would adapt and survive.

America would always be a big market even with a strong dollar. Three hundred and thirty million people help. They both agreed that the US carriers were making phenomenal profits. 

Sir Tim Clark would really like an upgrade of the Airbus A380, his main aircraft. Newer engines and a fuselage stretch, Airbus do not want to know apparently.

With regard to the Third runway at Heathrow, Willie Walsh thought a cost of £800 million for a multi-storey car park, totally excessive. That might be £17,000 per space, ridiculous he thought. I don’t doubt he is right. They both made the point about costs, ignore that and one will be in trouble. Terminal 5 was way to expensive to build !

There was no doubt they both considered costs too important to be taken for granted. The only problem, is, that conflicts and politics around the world have a major impact.

From Autumn 2017, it can be seen that Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey and their problems are already hitting some airlines hard. Witness the demise of Monarch Airlines in the UK, they regularly flew to these destinations. Now everybody tries to squeeze into the same markets.

The author would like to be positive……..but ?

Willie Walsh

Sir Tim Clark & Willie Walsh at the interview

My return to Lisbon

                                         Mosteiro Dos Jeronimos

I have not been to Lisbon since 1993. Therefore, I was full of expectation about my recent trip. During 24 years Lisbon has changed, which it is bound to. Euroland has seeped into the culture. It is not as ‘Portuguese’ as I remember, but it is still a great place.

The main difference is the amount of tourists that have discovered Lisbon. I certainly do not remember a long queue outside the Mosteiro Dos Jeronimos, the main church is still free to get in and there is no queue. Well worth a visit. Vasco da Gama and the poet Camoes are buried there. I remember the wonderful Sintra as being a quiet haven. Now it is full of tourists, some days they are overbearing. I had my traditional brandy and coffee in the Hotel Bristol. I struck up a conversation with a nice Portuguese lady behind the bar who spoke fluent English. I said I was shocked by the large numbers of tourists there. She said I should have come on a busy day !

Below I have created a mini guide, the traditional guides have a lot of information, but where does one start?

Lisboa

(1) Tram No. 28   this is a good way to have a cheap look at the city. It will take you to most places on its route. It will be covered by the Lisbon travel card. Pick the point where you get on it and the time, it can get busy in peak season.

(2) Sintra A maze of winding streets and things to see. Palacio Nacional de Sintra( looks like a couple of cooling towers). Museum of Sintra arts. Parque da Pena, a big park that surrounds the Palacio da Pena. Castello do Mouras(Moors Castle) great views from the castle walls. Quijadas da Sintra – cheese tarts spiced with cinnamon, famous. There is quite a bit to see in Sintra. Twenty-five years ago it was quiet, now it has suffered a tourist infestation. It is still worth a visit but be careful of restaurant touts.

(3) Stations: Rossio to Sintra(takes about 40 minutes) Rossio and the Metro Restauradores is your first hub. From there you can walk to the Praca do Comercio(watch your bag ! there is petty theft). Jump on a tram(Electrico) or walk to the Cais do Sodre. This is your second hub. From there you can get a tram(Electrico) or train to Belem. The Metro is the best way to get around.

(4) *Belem* one of my favourite places. The *Mosteiro Dos Jeronimos* is spectacular. The Botanical Gardens are also worth a visit. Not far from Mosteiro Dos Jeronimos is the *Monument to the Discoveries* and the *Torre do Belem*(Belem Tower) both are a must see. Belem is the home of the famous custard tart; Pastais da Nata. Return to hub 2 Cais do Sodre(train or tram).

(5) *Cais do Sodre* Trains to Cascais(seaside !) A ferry to *Almada* for the best and cheapest fish restaurants. Have a plate of Caracois(snails) with your beer. There are some good restaurants in and around Cais do Sodre. Especially the Churrasqueira, grilled chicken. Since about 2014 ‘Time Out’ has taken over an old market and converted it into the ‘Mercado da Ribeira’. A food hall with many restaurants, bars and cafes surrounding an open area of wooden tables and seats. Quite an eclectic variety of food is offered. It is a bit like Covent Garden in a way and attracts a similar amount of tourists. Modern International Lisboa.

(6) *Rua Garrett* I used take a tram up the hill(Rua do Alecrim), the trams no longer follow this route, I walked ! This this road then becomes Rua Miseracordia, there on the right is Rua Garrett. In this street is the ‘A Brasileira’ coffee shop. Outside on a bench is a bronze statue of Fernando Pessoa, the famous writer and poet. Go in for a coffee, that is where he wrote ! Be careful of the tourist prices. On the left is the Chiado area. Another tourist trap, interesting, but compare the food prices. Café Brasileira charged me 6 euros for a glass of Bagaco, it is cheaper than water !

(7) Elvador da Santa Justa From Rua Garrett it is a short walk to the Elvador da Santa Justa. Passing the Igreja(Church) do Carmo on the way. An interesting structure built by a student of Eiffel.

(8) *Castelo Sao Jorge* not far from the interesting lift is the castle on the hill, where great views of Lisbon can be seen. In the distance one can see the Cristo Rei, statue of Christ. Similar to the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro. You will notice the statue on the way to Belem. Below and around Castelo Sao Jorge is the *Alfama*. Old narrow streets full of history.

(9) Gulbenkian Museum Further out, it can be got to by the Metro. Praca de Espanha station. An excellent museum.

I have tried to keep this travel direction as simple as possible. There is so much to see in Lisbon. If you focus on the two hubs of Rossio and Cais do Sodre, you will not go far wrong. The Metro and tram system are very useful. Cascais is a nice place to visit although a bit touristy, you will pass through the Casino resort of Estoril. If you don’t want to walk, there is plenty of public transport. I haven’t recommended any restaurants, as many of the small family run businesses are really very good. Just notice how popular they are.

I have put a star against the must see places.

                                                          Monument to the Discoveries

                                                             The Church in Jeronimos

                                                                         Altar

                                                        The tomb of Vasco da Gama

                                                         National Palace of Sintra  

                              Spectacular Art Deco Eden Theatre, Praca dos Restauradores

                                                           Typical Lisbon Post Box