ON THE GROUND ➔ JLA's new rail option


TRAVELLING from West and North Yorkshire to Liverpool John Lennon Airport is now easier thanks to a new rail link to nearby South Parkway station. First TransPennine Express has launched a direct service linking Scarborough, York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester with the station. South Parkway station is itself linked to the airport by a shuttle bus service, operating every 20 minutes with a ten- minute journey time. All-in-one discount tickets including rail travel with First TransPennine Express and transfer on the Airlink 501 bus to the airport will be introduced. Robin Tudor of Peel Airports, owners and operators of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, says, “This new service is another piece of the jigsaw for the Airport, opening up public


Five minutes with... Steve Curran


PROFILE


Senior Business Consultant, Customer Solutions & Delivery AMADEUS UK


Steve Curran is a senior business consultant, customer solutions and delivery, at global distribution system Amadeus UK. He has worked for Amadeus since May 2000as an account executive and then project manager, and previously worked for Continental Airlines.


transport access from parts of the North of England not previously served before. Passengers will now be able to access the airport by train from a far wider catchment.” Northern Rail, London Midland and East Midlands Trains services also call at the


station bringing passengers from across the region and further afield to the Airport. Advance purchase single tickets from Scarborough will be available for £14.80, from York for £10.80, from Leeds for £8.80, and from Huddersfield for £8.80.


FEELING FLUSH? HERTZ TEAMS UP WITH LOTUS


HERTZ Italy is now offering a very special car for hire, the Lotus Evora, not that many UK corporates are likely to permit such frivolities within the bounds of their travel policies – unless taking potentially lucrative clients for a spin down the coast. The iconic, lightweight,


rear-wheel-drive sportscar is available at key locations across Italy, with Hertz country manager Fabio Spaccasassi explaining, “we like to offer an exclusive driving experience.” He continues, “The Lotus Evora is one of those dream luxury cars and by including it in the Hertz Fun Collection our customers have the opportunity to drive a real sportscar.” Hertz has around 8,200 locations across 150 countries worldwide, offering cars for hire across categories including the Prestige, Fun and Collections.


NOTCHING UP THE MILES


What is your most memorable business travel trip and why? I was attending the Advantage Conference in Lisbon a few years ago. We were running late to get to the conference centre and having missed the courtesy coach, some colleagues and I jumped in a taxi and subsequently had multiple near-death experiences in the short fifteen-minute journey. It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, but in hindsight one of the funniest!


What is your worst business travel experience and why? When working at Continental and flying as non-revenue staff I left Denver for London very late after local de-icing delays. After a horrendously turbulent flight I landed in Newark instead of London. Armed only with a few dollars and no credit card, I grovelled to the EWR airport staff to get a free hotel room for the night and ended up in the grimmest room overlooking a prison.


What is your favourite destination worldwide and why? Borneo – it's got the perfect mixture of relaxation and adventure.


FLEET Support Group has added a journey expense claim module to its Risk Master tool. Developed at the request of clients, the new facility enables employers to better focus on effectively managing the business mileage of both company vehicles as well as ‘grey’ fleet drivers, thus cutting costs and reducing their carbon footprint. Built in to RiskMaster is a Permit to Drive which is only granted to at-work drivers once they enrol on the programme and meet employer-specified criteria. That way, the journey expenses module will not allow reimbursement claims


to be logged unless Risk Master compliance is met. FSG chairman Geoffrey


Bray says, “Mileage claims are an administration headache for the majority of employers and the paper trail is endless. But we have developed a fully automated system that meets HMRC rules for benefit-in-kind tax reporting requirements. “Crucially, when every public and private sector employer has a focus on cost management, the new online journey expenses claim module gives real- time data on the number of business miles being travelled and the cost of claims,” Bray adds.


What three items do you never leave home without when on business? A Blackberry, a laptop and a sense of humour!


What single thing could be done to improve your business travelling life? I would remove the traffic from the M25! Is there ever a good time to drive on it?


What destination would you like to visit next and why? I would love to go on safari as I’ve heard some amazing stories from people who have been.


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