Business Traveller February 2020

Welcome to the February issue of Business Traveller. It is our first issue of the new decade and so an appropriate time to introduce a new section to the magazine – Responsible Traveller. Turn to page 68 and you’ll find a selection of news, facts, figures and recommendations gathered over the past month, all with either a sustainability slant or publicising the various efforts of travel suppliers to make a positive difference. Too often, the discussion about climate change and travel comes down to a binary choice of whether anyone should travel or not, which is unhelpful when our jobs depend on travel (as does world commerce). When it comes to mitigating the effects of that travel, some airlines are offsetting domestic flights and most carriers offer the option of voluntarily…

ALEX MCWHIRTER Alex has more than 50 years’ experience in the business travel industry, including 40 years as Business Traveller’s consumer champion. In this issue he lists the most notewothy new rolling stock traversing the UK’s railway tracks – from LNER’s Azumas to Hull Trains’ Paragons, Greater Anglia’s Flirts, and the hugely welcomed CAFs now replacing the outdated Pacers; page 63. NAT BARNES Nat has been driving cars and writing about them for more than 25 years. A member of the World Car of the Year jury, for this issue he rounds up ten of the best cars being launched in 2020, including the much-anticipated new Land Rover Defender and Porsche’s Taycan, its first fully electric sports car. Read what else caught his eye on page 78. CHRIS HALL Chris is digital editor for QP…

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP (IAG) has confirmed that Willie Walsh is to step down from his role as chief executive next month, ahead of his retirement at the end of June. Walsh will be replaced by IAG member Iberia’s current chief executive, Luis Gallego, on March 26. Walsh was previously chief executive of Aer Lingus before taking the helm at British Airways, where he served as chief executive from 2005 to 2010. He oversaw the merger of BA and Iberia before becoming IAG’s chief executive when it was formed in 2011.…

BA adds Portland route BRITISH AIRWAYS HAS ANNOUNCED its latest nonstop transatlantic route will be London Heathrow-Portland. The five-times weekly B787-8 service will operate year-round from June 1. Last year the carrier launched a summer route to Charleston and a year-round service to Pittsburgh. THE MAYFAIR TOWNHOUSE TO OPEN THIS AUTUMN ICONIC LUXURY HOTELS has announced plans for its fifth UK property, to be located within a set of seven listed Georgian buildings formerly home to the Hilton London Green Park. The 172-room Mayfair Townhouse is due to open on Half Moon Street, close to Green Park Tube station, in September. The Hilton closed in September 2018. The property is being refurbished with new features, including Penthouse and Garden suites (pictured), the Dandy Bar, and event spaces. Iconic Luxury Hotels’ four other properties are Cliveden House…

KICK OFF MARCH WITH A FINE DINING EXPERIENCE at Michelin-starred chef Adam Byatt’s restaurant Charlie’s in Mayfair on March 9. The restaurant at Brown’s Hotel celebrates British culinary heritage with contemporary flair, while embracing a bygone era of service. The evening will begin with a champagne and canapé reception at 6.30pm, followed by a dinner paired with wines. On March 31, Business Traveller will host an evening with Theo Randall at the Intercontinental London Park Lane. Join us for a drinks reception at 6.30pm followed by a cooking demo by Randall and a food tasting. Theo’s passion for Italian fare took him from Chez Panisse in California to head chef at the River Café, before opening his restaurant at the Intercontinental London Park Lane in 2006. The Business Traveller team looks forward…

ALICE MORRISON is a Scottish adventurer, author and TV presenter. We caught up with her before her 2,000km trek across the Sahara. MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCE? Running across the finish line of the Everest Trail Race, a six-day ultra-marathon with about 15,000 metres of climbing. I moved my whole life into the mountains to train and had to transform myself mentally and physically. HOW HAS CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTED YOUR TRAVELS? Last year I became the first woman to walk the 1,500km Draa River in Morocco. The last few hundred kilometres were over barren land that had previously been able to support nomads with their camels and flocks. Now, it is completely dried out. For days, I walked across a landscape burned to nothing. HOW DO YOU STAY SAFE? I always take a guide if I’m travelling in…