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Simon Calder’s Travels Through Travel


First-class passengers on the A380 can enjoy the plane’s shower spa


indulging in some plane-spotting can benefit your customers


Simon Calder, broadcaster and The Independent’s travel editor, reveals that


Heathrow and London City airports. Whenever I go to the office, my gaze is drawn upwards to the parade of Airbuses and Boeings heading west for Heathrow, and the Embraers and Bombardiers on their final eastbound approach to the Docklands airport. Yes, perhaps I should get out more. But in the week when Manchester airport joins aviation’s most exclusive club — destinations served by the Airbus A380 — smart agents can help customers by selecting the optimum aircraft. In Europe, most short-haul flights are operated by the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families, and the options for choosing one over the other are limited. But on long-haul routes, there is a wide choice of aircraft, even within the same airline. The best example is from Manchester on


F


Emirates. As you no doubt spotted this week, the Dubai-based airline has deployed its double-deck superjumbo on the route between the UAE and the airport. Hats off to Manchester for becoming the first regional destination to be served by the A380.


rom a plane-spotting perspective, TTGTowers is perfect. The magazine’s global HQ next to Blackfriars Bridge lies beneath the flight paths into


Judging from all the media coverage,


travellers in the north-west will be keen to enjoy the extra comfort and reduced noise of the Airbus — first-class passengers can even look forward to an inflight shower. So make sure your customers are booked on EK18 outbound and EK17 inbound, so that they avoid the less comfortable Boeing 777 that flies the same route. Even within the economy cabin on the same


aircraft, the level of comfort varies. Emirates packs in 10 seats across its 777s, while British Airways and most other airlines make do with nine. Travellers who are anxious about safety could be steered towards the Airbus A340, which has flown safely for 17 years, or the Boeing 777, which has yet to suffer a fatal accident in its 15-year history. I’ve one more tip that you should share with clients. British Airways recently introduced an optional charge for passengers seeking to book seats in advance. Families may be tempted to pay the extra to ensure that they will sit together, but a good agent will point out that BA micromanages its seating, and automatically assigns families seats together. So no payment is necessary.


■Simon Calder was recently named the UK’s favourite travel writer, following a survey of consumers and journalists in Press Gazette. To get in touch with Simon, email simoncalder@ttglive.com


16 03.09.2010


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