How Good Are We At Playing Hooky?
30/11/11 09:46
We all know that when it comes to playing hooky, Europeans are unmatched (although they call it "taking a holiday." And most of know that Americans do far worse. But did you know that the Japanese and Asia in general takes even less vacation time than we do? And of the two countries with the most vacation unfriendly bosses, one is Italy? That's what Expedia's 2011 Vacation Deprivation Study found out.
“Europeans work to live, feeling vacation is a right rather than a privilege,” says Scott Durchslag, president of Expedia Worldwide. “Americans can often live to work, viewing vacations as a guilty privilege to be downplayed around the workplace - especially if they are worried about their jobs.”
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“Europeans work to live, feeling vacation is a right rather than a privilege,” says Scott Durchslag, president of Expedia Worldwide. “Americans can often live to work, viewing vacations as a guilty privilege to be downplayed around the workplace - especially if they are worried about their jobs.”
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American and Bankruptcy: Its Pride and Its Problem
29/11/11 20:08
Until now, American Airlines had been the only network carrier to stay out of bankruptcy. “That’s American’s problem and American’s pride,” 
says Michael Boyd, president of Boyd Group International, an airline industry consulting group.
In 2003, American won concessions from its unions that enabled it to stay out of bankruptcy. But ultimately, pension costs -- the airline had to write a check for $300 million to fund its pension plan last year -- and the high cost of oil forced American to concede to the inevitable.
Because airlines compete primarily on price, it’s hard to compete with airlines that have restructured their costs without doing the same yourself. And that’s what airline bankruptcies are all about--restructuring debt. On the passenger front, it’s business as usual, right down to the AAdvantage loyalty program. Read More...
In 2003, American won concessions from its unions that enabled it to stay out of bankruptcy. But ultimately, pension costs -- the airline had to write a check for $300 million to fund its pension plan last year -- and the high cost of oil forced American to concede to the inevitable.
Because airlines compete primarily on price, it’s hard to compete with airlines that have restructured their costs without doing the same yourself. And that’s what airline bankruptcies are all about--restructuring debt. On the passenger front, it’s business as usual, right down to the AAdvantage loyalty program. Read More...
Flying First Class -- For Less
08/09/11 07:36
We all want to fly first class--but who wants to pay the price? Fortunately, you don’t always have to!
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