BORIS JOHNSON OPENS INTERNATIONAL SOS GLOBAL HQ IN LONDON
A LARGE CROWD of guests and employees gathered in the landscaped gardens of Chiswick Business Park to see London Mayor Boris Johnson open International SOS’s new global headquarters and alarm centre. The new facility provides emergency support to clients around the world as part of a network of 27 other such centres, and a total of 700 facilities in 76 countries. SOS CEO Arnaud Vaissie said London was a key hub for the company, which has 800 staff of 43 different nationalities based in the UK. He added that London was the “lead centre” of operations throughout the Arab Spring.
HOTELS
MARRIOTT EXPANDS RESIDENCE INN BRAND
MARRIOTT HAS STARTED to roll out its extended stay hotels, Residence Inn, with the opening of a conversion property in Edinburgh and new- builds in Munich and Bahrain. Both the European properties will have food available in the evening, while inclusive breakfast and internet are brand standard. All properties have a guest laundry. Residence Inns in Saudi Arabia
(two) and Algiers are planned, and Marriott sees “a lot of conversion opportunities, especially in Germany and eastern Europe”.
HEATHROW EXPRESS HAS UNVEILED a new-look brand which will be put in place before the Olympics this summer. The train service which links Heathrow and Paddington in central London is spending £16 million on its new brand, which includes refurbished carriages and new staff uniforms (pictured, right). The ticket offices at Heathrow and Paddington will also be revamped with the new corporate identity. Heathrow Express has been operating for 15 years and is owned by the airport’s operator, BAA. The enhanced train
interiors in first class have been designed by Tangerine, which was the company behind British Airways’ first flat-bed seat.
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Keith Greenfield,
Heathrow Express’ managing director, said: “There will be individual seats for privacy in first class – they will be larger and more comfortable. “In Express class, we will
be offering passengers the ability to download, email and recharge their portable devices. We will also be
offering widescreen TVs offering flight departure and airport information. “The changes will take
place as London prepares to welcome the world for the Olympic Games.” The roll-out will be
introduced in stages, and staff are due to begin wearing the company’s new uniforms in July.
AIRLINES The AACO met in Doha to discuss ETS
MIDDLE EASTERN AIRLINES have put more pressure on the European Union (EU) to change its policy on the introduction of airlines into the emissions trading scheme (ETS). The executive committee of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) called on the EU to work with the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation to find a global solution to emissions trading instead of acting “unilaterally” in going ahead with its own implementation. The organisation met in Doha and agreed a joint statement which stated that EU ETS was “violating the essence of the Chicago Convention, which stipulates that the air
ARAB AIRLINES SPEAK OUT AGAINST EUROPEAN ETS POLICY
transport relations between states need to be regulated by mutual consent and agreement”. The EU policy has provoked a storm of protest from major countries outside of Europe, including the US, Russia, China and India, who have threatened retaliation against EU-based airlines. AACO added: “The EU’s attempts to impose its own policies on other states will only lead to conflicts and trade wars which will not help the environment or the customer, and nor will it help the airlines. On the contrary, these attempts will negatively impact those stakeholders, thus negatively impacting as well on global economic activity.”