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have my own “Letter to the editor” bugbear to share this issue. During the summer, I arrived at Madrid- Barajas Airport to check in for my 0850 flight to Rome, where I was unceremoniously informed that
the flight was full and I had been put on standby... I was quite shocked. Instead of realising the flight was overbooked and seeking out volunteers who’d be happy to accept compensation to take a later flight, the Spanish airline in question (I couldn’t possibly name names, but it sounds like “Siberia”) simply denied boarding to the last few passengers – myself included. Add to that the rude and unhelpful staff, the total absence of an apology and no vouchers to make my enforced seven-hour airport wait any more bearable, and I was a simmering cauldron of rage. I did get €250 (US$286) in compensation – the minimum legal requirement in Europe – but was still appalled by how poorly the situation was handled. The whole experience was an unhappy reminder of just how stressful air travel can be when things go wrong and customer service disappears – something I’m sure Business Traveller readers are all too familiar with. To that end, you may detect a slight theme in this
issue… On page 64, we look at the pros of navigating China by rail in light of the country’s notorious flight delays, while on page 58 we seek to avoid travel delays of any kind by checking out the best city staycations in Asia-Pacific. Thankfully, my faith will be restored on the 13th of this month, when we will be gathering at Island Shangri-La Hong Kong to announce the winners of our annual Readers’ Poll. Here we pay tribute to excellent customer service, innovative products and outstanding hospitality that prove travelling can be an enjoyable and privileged experience when done right. On that note, I’d like to give a quick shout-out to our award sponsors: luxury lifestyle brand Tumi (who are running a fantastic competition for a dream holiday to Helsinki in this issue – see page 44 for details), as well as global news provider France 24.
And as always a big thank you to you, our readers, for taking the time to fill in the survey and let us know which companies have proven themselves worthy of recognition.
Find out who won at
businesstraveller.com, or check out our October issue.
Tamsin Cocks Editor
T HIS IS SUE ’S PIC K S
TALE OF TWO CITIES A tour of Helsinki,
with a stopover in the Estonian capital (page 32)
SEP T E M B ER 2 0 18
EDIBLE INSECTS Bugs are set to form part of a
globally sustainable diet, as well as appear on fine-dining menus (page 68)
CITY ARCHIVES
Shanghai’s past and present are brought to life through its numerous museums (page 50)
RAIL IN CHINA
Say goodbye to cancelled flights and hello to the country’s vast high-speed rail network (page 62)
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
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