Worth paying the premium

Article originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia

As airlines battled it out in the business class cabin, other sections of the aircraft were forgotten about. But, as Justin Wastnage explains, that dogfight has now moved further back down the plane

With Qantas launching premium economy on its long-haul services in mid-March, many of your clients will now have a real choice between economy class and business class.

Premium economy has been available in Australia for several years, with British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic among the airlines to already offer the hybrid class. But John Borghetti, executive general manager at Qantas Airways, said the time is right for the national carrier to follow them.

Borghetti said that the "arms race" in business class seating has created a "gulf" between economy and premium seating where previously none existed. "Five years ago there was no need, but then came flat beds, then everyone needed flat and horizontal and so it goes on. But there is now a niche in the market for it," he said.

Unlike BA's World Traveller Plus, Borghetti believes Australian straightforwardness demands a straightforward name. Just like the Australian national carrier's loyalty scheme before it, simply called Frequent Flyer, the carrier's first foray into an enhanced cabin version of coach class travel was christened premium economy. "You cannot criticise Qantas's marketing, that's been proven over the years. We call it what it is, instead of coming up with a sexy name like 'blue class'," Borghetti said.

Qantas started flying the new service from April 1, with the four Boeing 747-400s that ply its Kangaroo Route to London via Bangkok and Singapore being the first aircraft to be refitted with the new cabins. Johannesburg services from Sydney received premium economy soon after, followed by Melbourne to Hong Kong services in mid-May and from Sydney by early August. The airline's Airbus A380s coming on stream at the end of the year will also feature the new class.

Premium economy aircraft will have 32 new Marc Newson-designed seats in a two-four-two layout in place of 60 standard economy places.

The seat itself is a clear advancement on coach. Qantas's seats are exactly half a metre wide, with a full metre of space, or pitch, between each seat and the one in front on most of the 747s. Virgin Atlantic's seats are one centimetre wider and offer the same pitch; as do those from BA, albeit over two centimetres narrower. Qantas's main local rival, Singapore Airlines, has 51cm wide seats in its Executive Economy section of the Airbus A340-500 it flies non-stop to New York and Los Angeles, but each seat has an inch less pitch.



In other words, the seats are pretty similar. But premium economy is more than comfy seats. Sitting in the Qantas version, you'll notice several new features that differentiate it from economy class. Laptop power cables come built in, as does on-demand television with bigger screens than in standard economy. Qantas also offers an upgraded menu, "inspired by Neil Perry". It is better than the economy fare, but not actually created by the Rockpool chef, as its business and first class menus are. But the wine is better, with selections made by the Qantas Wine Panel Members rather than the mini bottles they offer you down the back.

Airline comparison site Seat Guru says that premium economy tickets generally cost 95 per cent more on Pacific routes, but only 85 per cent more on Atlantic or Asian routes. The Qantas fare from Sydney to London will be around A$4567, or "exactly mid-way between economy and business," said Borghetti. However, in terms of value for money, Seat Guru says premium economy is only worth a 20 per cent premium. It offers the tip that: "If you book closer to your departure date, premium economy is generally only 35 per cent more expensive than your standard economy fare. The extra cost can be as low as 10 per cent more, so remember to ask about premium economy if you have a last minute economy booking."

There is also more choice than you might think. As Virgin Atlantic was quick to point out, Qantas is behind the premium economy curve, having initially been resistant to it. In the past decade Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, BA, Taiwan's EVA Air, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International and Virgin Atlantic have all introduced versions of the third way of service into the Asia Pacific region, with another dozen carriers globally offering the class.

Where Qantas has an advantage, however, is in its loyal customer base of Frequent Flyers. "Premium economy is aimed at business travellers who travel economy or the older generation who can pay for more comfort but not as much as business class," Borghetti says. Small and medium-sized enterprises have been targeted through specific advertising and mail outs.

Experience from other airlines shows that few people downgrade from business to premium economy, but rather treat themselves for long-haul flights. Borghetti is a man known for reading the Australian avaiation landscape well, so you can believe his enthusiasm for the product, even if you do not believe the hype.

Make your Marque in Sydney

Review originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia September 5, 2008

Booking business hotels in Sydney is tricky if your clients cannot spend $300 or more per night. The Marque Hotel Sydney is a renovated business hotel in great style with a central location. Justin Wastnage recently stayed at the property and had change to spare

The Rendezvous group recently finished a four million dollar makeover of the former Country Comfort Inn's central Sydney hotel. The Marque Sydney is now pitched at the trendy four-star market.

First impressions 7/10
The reception space is nicely done, with retro lollipop-coloured chairs and shiny plastic surfaces throughout. The check-in staff are pleasant and helpful, though not entirely at ease with the hotel's systems. Getting into the car park (a tricky thing in this neighbourhood of one-way streets and no entry signs) could have been better explained. All these points, plus the shabby lift, are no doubt teething problems and have probably already been sorted out.

Ambience 6/10
The Marque claims to be a boutique hotel brand. It's not. But that said, it pulls off the modern chic look with ease. It's minimalist, with blacks and reds complemented by grey furniture. The property is not huge, but the design team has worked wonders with the space it has. The location, almost directly opposite Central Station, means that slightly unsavoury characters and low-rent storefronts will remind you that you are in the cheap end of town despite the slick appearance.

Accommodation 8/10
There are still some lingering reminders of the old Country Comfort Inn, chiefly in the tight layout of the corridors and internal structure of the rooms. But again, the décor more than makes up for it. The suite's bathroom had a very funky angled marble floor to drain the water away in the shower that left the rest of the room dry. Drawbacks of the location become apparent, however, during weekend nights when the street outside is noisy from either drunken revellers or unlicensed drag racers using the five-lane intersection as a starting grid.

Facilities 7/10
Unfortunately, when I stayed, the much-vaunted iPod clock radio did not work and neither did the television, which appeared not to pick up the ABC. But the suite had a fully stocked kitchen in addition to the mini bar - perfect for the longer business stay. The downstairs Script restaurant makes a good stab of being a trendy lounge bar and the food is good. Nearby options are plentiful if your clients know how to get to Chinatown. If not, they will find themselves at a loss for culinary alternatives in the wrong end of town.

Service 7/10
Friendly staff were still finding their way when I stayed, but it's still early days for the hotel and overall the service was fine.

Overall 70%
Four-star hotels in Sydney are often rough around the edges, but The Marque is one a brace of renovated properties that have a definite cool factor in the mid price bracket.

A business bed and breakfast package at The Marque Sydney is available from A$170 per room, per night. For more information visit www.marquehotels.com/sydney

Pulling out the aviation crystal ball

Article originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia September 5, 2008

The treacherous economic times have inevitably taken their toll on Australia's two biggest carriers. As Justin Wastnage writes, the future is still very much uncertain and each airline has a different outlook

Whether your glass is half empty of half full is usually a definer of an optimistic temperament. Yet late last month, Australia's two Australia's two largest airline groups, Qantas and Virgin Blue, issued starkly different forecasts for the year ahead, despite both having posted profits.

In fact, their two respective chief executives Geoff Dixon and Brett Godfrey acted out of character. The dour Dixon, who can usually be relied upon to be downbeat, predicted Qantas would make a smaller profit than this year, but still be healthily in the black to the tune of hundreds of millions. Godfrey, meanwhile, junked his usual bouncy demeanour to warn shareholders to expect rough times ahead.

Qantas (which includes low cost carriers Jetstar, Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Pacific in addition to the Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways), posted another record post-tax profit of A$970 million, up 44 per cent on last year's results. The group's gross profit was A$1.4 billion on a revenue of A$16.2 billion, which Dixon said "emphasises the underlying strength of the company."

His counterpart at Virgin Blue, meanwhile, was also celebrating a profit. Godfrey initially announced an "underlying net profit" of A$140.5 million. In fact, more orthodox accounting would have taken off the A$42.8 million the airline has already spent on launching V Australia. This left it with a profit of A$97.7 million, 55 per cent down on last year, but a triumph when taken in the context of analyst reports (possibly encouraged by rival airlines) which predicted a loss. Virgin Blue, which also includes Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue, last year made A$216 million after tax.

The carrier, which has moved from the low-cost model towards a full service offering, blamed spiralling oil prices against which it has fewer hedges than rival Qantas. Brett Godfrey, Virgin Blue chief executive warned the coming year could be worse, with a loss predicted if fuel does not come down in price. During the launch of trans-Pacific V Australia, the group will incur more start-up costs related to underutilisation of its Boeing 777-300ERs. Godfrey also warned that the next three years could be worse than the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Qantas's own figures were down around A$8 million, or 2.5 per cent, for the second half of its 2007/8 reporting year and Dixon admitted the group would make only half of this year's record profit, with pre-tax earnings "broadly in line with analysts'' consensus forecast." Pressed, Dixon clarified this would be around A$750 million. Dixon scotched talk of a three-year lull, saying it was impossible even to predict one year in advance.

Giovanni Bisignani, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association was in Sydney on the free day between the two companies' full year earnings announcements and he added gloom to the local outlook, by reiterating his view that globally the industry will lose US$6.1 billion this calendar year. He hinted that a further two dozen airlines would also falter before the end of the year, on top of the 25 that have already done so.

But Bisignani also praised Australian aviation for having transformed itself better than most, cutting costs where other airlines have struggled. This is reflected in both Virgin and Qantas's yield figures. Virgin, for example, saw its yield rise by 0.2 per cent despite the rising fuel prices. On average, the airline was able to charge just over 10¢ per kilometre flown, a rise of 0.7 per cent. Qantas saw its own passenger revenue per passenger kilometre rise to 11.81¢, up 1.2 per cent. But one percent price rises do not cover fuel price rises of almost 20 per cent. Instead, both airlines have managed to slash costs out of their businesses.

When looking into the future, further belt tightening will be required. But that need not mean the glass if half empty, as long as Australians continue to drink from the glass.

No trouble in paradise

Originally published in TravelWeekly Australia September 5, 2008

The untouched charm of Vanuatu is slowly reaching the mainstream, with a series of new resorts opening, reports Justin Wastnage from Port Vila

Vanuatu is gearing up to welcome plenty more Australians in coming years

The feelgood factor is something politicians are keen to foster heading into an election. So Vanuatu's leaders will be happy with the current upbeat mood in the Pacific archipelago, which was recognised as the happiest place on earth by the New Economics Foundation, a think tank. The mood was lifted further by Priscila Tommy, who has just returned from the Olympics, where she represented Vanuatu in table tennis, despite the country only having four ping-pong tables.

More importantly, the country's tourism industry (which ANZ Bank estimates to represent around 40 per cent of the country's economy) is booming. So no surprise that deputy prime minister Edward Natapei took time out of electioneering to address the Tok-Tok travel conference in Port Vila at the end of August. "Tourism has overtaken copra [coconut oil] as our main earner, so all the parties are strongly supportive," he said.

Australians account for around 60 per cent of all tourists, followed by New Zealanders and residents of New Caledonia, says Annie Naitu from the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO). The VTO expects 100,000 Australians to visit this year, up from 83,000 last year. It has a plan to double this in 2009 and reach 300,000 the year after, she says.

Wholesalers are taking the country very seriously as well, with 68 attending this year's Tok-Tok, up from 50 last year - and well up from a mere 20 a few years ago. They are drawn by a wealth of new product, says one buyer from Creative Holidays. Her Qantas Holidays' counterpart was scheduled to spend ten days visiting properties on several Vanuatu islands, while Infinity Holidays' buyer had two days of appointments with the new resorts and hotels that have sprung up in the past few years.

Naitu bristles (as much as anyone in this laid-back land does) when asked about the comparison with Fiji as a safe, family-friendly destination. Packages are cheap, she admits, but the culture of the native ni-Vanuatu people is alive and well, (in contrast to Fiji, Naitu implies). "Vanuatu is more authentic, more unspoilt," she says. With well-developed cultural tours, soft adventure activities and natural wonders, there is more to do during the day outside resorts, one wholesaler said.

But historically this has been compensation for less developed accommodation than Fiji's upscale resorts. This is beginning to change, says Tony Burns, president of the Vanuatu Hotel and Resort Association and also general manager of one of the country's top addresses, Le Lagon.

Sophistication is coming fast, he says, with accommodation choices following restaurants in moving upscale. The quality of the naturally organic meat and produce means it is almost effortless to create fantastic food, says Paul-Alexandre Bossy, head chef at the Les Alizés French restaurant that is a fine dining staple of Vanuatu itineraries.

New resorts are springing up not only on Efate and its capital Port Vila, but also on the volcanic beach island of Tanna and Espiritu Santo, home to some of the best dive sites in the world. Spreading the benefits of tourism outside Efate is also a key goal of the government, Natapei explains.

Testimony to the increased demand is the robust health of national flag carrier Air Vanuatu, which will soon have the youngest fleet in the South Pacific as it replaces older aircraft. The routes to Australia are the first to benefit, with a brand new Boeing 737-800 now flying down here since January, Malcolm Pryor, the carrier's Australian general manager says.

The carrier now faces increased competition, with Virgin's Pacific Blue announcing services from Sydney and Brisbane from December. In response, Air Vanuatu recently added Melbourne to its departure points of Sydney and Brisbane and is pleased with the results to the point it will add additional services, he says. "Victoria delivered a high proportion of our passengers even before the direct flights because it's an adventurous market. They've been to the Pacific before but they want something different and Vanuatu is largely untouched," he says.

But Vanuatu is about to get a whole lot more touched. The US government has donated US$7 million (A$8.2 million) for a road building project that will pave the entire highway circling Efate. Billboards announcing beachfront development opportunities in currently inaccessible locations may be a sign of things to come. Tok-Tok also welcomed its first ever delegation of US wholesalers, which could herald a rise in standards (and prices) if Americans start visiting the island chain.

Natapei says the growth must be moderated, not least to ensure the destination's unspoilt charm that attracts so many, is not lost. At the same time, tourism brings in welcome dollars. Meanwhile, the national Vanuatu interest in table tennis has swollen so much since Tommy's appearance in Beijing (and her gold medal performance at the warm-up South Pacific Games) that the government has pledged to spend some of the growing tourism receipts on buying ping pong equipment for every village if it wins the upcoming election. With peaceful elections to remind Australians that not all Pacific islands have coups, Vanuatu will be the winner, no matter who takes power.

Air Vanuatu’s Melbourne plan

Air Vanuatu is poised to launch a second direct service from Melbourne as it expands in the face of competition from Virgin Blue.

To read full article in TravelToday click here.

Give agents a sporting chance

Originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia 22 August 2008
By Justin Wastnage

Sport now accounts for one quarter of some cities' tourism receipts. Justin Wastnage recently travelled to Hong Kong to find out what motivates cities to host large scale sporting events

Watching thoroughbred horses doing ballet was never likely to be thrilling. One spectator at the recent Olympic dressage events in Hong Kong's Sha-Tin racecourse remarked that after warming up, he had expected the horses and riders to get into it, but they never did.
Yet as Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks' scores started to mean something and it was obvious that Australia was leading the competition, the event got a whole lot more interesting. The arguably more-compelling show jumping and cross country that complete the Olympic sport of eventing got underway with Australia in pole position with scores of green and gold supporters cheering them on.
The Olympics are the biggest sporting event in the world in terms of television viewers and physical spectators. Only the FIFA World Cup comes close (and is arguably larger, depending on who does the measuring). The five ring circus is a golden chance for a country to reset its image. The Vancouver suburb of Richmond, for example, "went all out" to attract part of the 2010 Winter Olympics to its ice rink, says Ange Chew, Tourism Richmond marketing director.
For China, the Olympics were meant to massively boost its tourism industry. Yet visitor numbers to China are down on expectations, due in part to tighter visa restrictions, but mainly due to sky-high hotel rates and poorly distributed tickets.
For travel agents, sporting events have long been an irrelevancy, with package holidays sewn up in exclusive deals. The current Beijing games being no exception: the Australian Olympic Committee signed an agreement with New Jersey-based sports tours company Co Sport for Australian distribution rights. Co Sport established a sales office in Sydney, but offered no commission to travel agents.
Separately, many Australians were duped into an internet scam in efforts to obtain tickets.
Co Sport was unable to reply to questions, but is understood to have underperformed against its targets for Australian ticket sales. In an earlier statement, Co Sport said that the high demand sporting events included swimming, athletics and artistic gymnastics, which had a combined 6000 ticket requests made.
"We are proud to be able to provide this rarified access to the Olympic Games to the Australian public," Kevin Steele, president of Co Sport said.
An typical hotel in Co Sport's inventory is the four-star China People Palace, where a double room during the games is yours (in combination with tickets) for US$585 (A$670) per night. High hotel rates are one reason why cities around the world are gearing up to host sporting events. Ultimately though, tourism is the prize.
The average television audience of a Formula 1 race is around 80 million - each of these is a potential tourist. But direct tourism around the event is also major motivator, which is why national tourism boards are often integral in putting bids together to attract sporting contests to cities.
The economies of cities, regions and even countries around the world are increasingly reliant on the visiting golfer or the travelling football, rugby or cricket supporter, says Sport Business International, a trade magazine. For some countries, sport can account for 25 per cent of all tourism receipts, it says.
The beauty of sports tourists is their demographic. Predominantly male and high-spending, their passion for the game means they are inflexible in travel times.
But travel agents have missed out, admits Glenn Hedley, managing director of one of Australia's largest sports tour operators, Events Worldwide Travel. His company pays commission to those agents who purchase tickets on behalf of clients, but most agents inadvertently push clients to direct sales channels. "Too many agents say when asked about a specific sporting contest 'we don't know anything about that, check on their website' and that drives the sales to us. Not that we mind either way," he says.
But there is a shift towards working with agents, either as licensed resellers or as sub-agents, Hedley believes. This is how many of the world's big events work, with the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics the major exceptions. Most tickets have a mark-up on the value, which the sub-agent builds into their prices. In return, organising bodies restrict internet sales.
The last Rugby World Cup in France, for example, had four sports wholesaler sub-agents in Australia reselling on behalf of the International Rugby Board (IRB). Royalties on tickets ranged from 100 per cent mark-up on individual final tickets, to 30 per cent on earlier stage games when bought in a brace of tickets. These wholesalers could then pass tickets onto individual travel agents. The FIFA World Cup, however, drives all sales through national football associations, partly due to European police requirements to track potential hooligans. As a result, these sales are lost to travel agents except when these fans require add-ons. FIFA, the international football governing body is understood to be reconsidering its direct-channel-only distribution for South Africa 2010 after European wholesalers mounted a challenge. "Rugby has the right approach," says Hedley. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) is active in growing the sport and works with distributors to get the tickets out and grow the fan base. At a recent Sydney lunch to celebrate the opening of the Bledisloe Cup - the annual games between Australia and New Zealand - ARU spokesman Peter Jenkins said 40,000 room nights had been generated in the past decade through its partnership with the Intercontinental Hotel Group.
Cricket and golf tours are also big business for the four major sporting wholesalers; Australian Sports Tours, Total Sports Travel, Fanatics and Events Worldwide. Former market leader Keith Prowse Sport and Entertainment appointed a new managing director in February and one of his objectives is to reclaim some lost ground in the sports sector. Rugby specialists We Love Rugby (formerly Wallaby Travel), Fox Sports Tours and the Fairfax newspapers' Sporting Edge are also important players in the market.
Hong Kong, which held the Olympic equestrian events thanks to a long horseracing tradition combined with mainland China's non equine flu free status, is at the forefront of destinations trying to attract major international sports events. The Gulf States are also hard at work, aiming mainly at high-profile motor sports and golf tournaments.
Australian tourists are a key part of this masterplan, as witnessed by the forthcoming Bledisloe Cup tie between Australia and New Zealand that the Chinese territory will host in November - the first time it has been played outside the Antipodes.
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union was keen to attract the fixture, says its commercial manager Warrick Dent. "We'd run the [IRB] Sevens [World Series] for a long time and we were looking for a second event. It could have been a Super 14s game or one from the [European club tournament] Heineken Cup because we knew that to make it worthwhile it had to be something big," he says.
He says Asian cities soon tired of meaningless exhibition matches played by B-strength teams. The trip to Sydney by David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy soccer club last November was an example. "Fans see through this if you do it too often. Our long-term plan is to get international matches here that have ranking for the World Cup qualifiers," he says.
If the Bledisloe in Hong Kong is a success, you can expect to see more offshore international fixtures in rugby and other sports, Dent predicts. As long as they are for re-sale, this is good news for agents.

A happy Réunion

Originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia 22 August 2008
by Justin Wastnage


Many Australians dream of experiencing a little French culture. As Justin Wastnage writes, you needn't trek to Europe to get a taste of it


The idea of tucking into a pain au chocolat fresh from the oven, washed down with a steaming cup of café au lait appeals to many an Aussie in these cold winter months. But the idea of travelling 17,000km for the pleasure is enough to put many off.

But France is actually closer than you think. Our French neighbours include:

New Caledonia
Only a three hour flight from Sydney and even closer from Brisbane, New Caledonia is right on our doorstep. The capital Nouméa may not be the prettiest city, but the shopping and restaurants are excellent.

New Caledonia's beauty is revealed, however, once outside the capital and onto one of its coral-fringed islands, into its lagoon or into its mountainous interior.

The Isle of Pines produces some of the best edible snails in the world for those wanting to try an authentic French dish with a Pacific twist, or there's always the ever-present deer to provide you with venison for the less adventurous.

French Polynesia
French Polynesia goes by the name of Tahiti and her Islands, but its French flavour is unmistakable. Like Nouméa, its capital Papeete is singularly unremarkable with redeeming features once again in the form of its fantastic restaurants.

Since Tahiti is home to almost 70 per cent of the 35-island territory, you can easily find a quiet spot away from the main island.

The other islands in Tahiti's Society Islands chain are accessible for tourism, with Bora Bora and Moorea very popular.

The signature dish for the islands is poisson cru, a Polynesian version of cerviche, in which raw fish is cured with lemon juice and then served ice cold with coconut milk on top.

Réunion
For those living in Western Australia, there is another French-owned island in the Indian Ocean, closer than the Pacific isles.

Réunion Island lies off the coast of Madagascar and is accessible with Air Mauritius. Tourism on the island is geared around adventure, says Réunion promotions manager Evelyne Coustillat. Mountain biking, hang gliding and bungy jumping with a backdrop of the lush, volcanic hills are what draws people from all over the world, she says.

Since the majority of the population were drawn originally from the Indian sub-continent, the French flavours are enhanced with an exotic twist. Samosas combine Indian tastes with French pastry skills, while cari is a local version of ratatouille with ginger and spices to give it a kick.

But in many ways, Réunion is the most French of all of Australia's French neighbours as it is a full part of France and even uses the euro as its currency

Nothing to wine about

originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia 22 August 2008
by Justin Wastnage

For fine food and wine it is hard to look beyond some of the prominent areas of France. Resident wine enthusiast Justin Wastnage took a recent trip to the Beaujolais region and experienced a bit of the good life for himself


For my wedding my brother had bought me a case of Château Yveline. This reasonable Claret was recommended to him by his girlfriend's father, Fabrice, a likeable wine importer from Aix-en-Provence, the lavender scented town pitched in the mouth of the Rhône river. "The last gasp of civilisation before you reach Marseilles", is how he describes Aix.

Fabrice is a talker, as am I. Over seven courses of barbequed seafood, foie gras and rustic pork sausisson one balmy August night we discussed the relative qualities of France's wine regions.

Bordeaux, he asserted that night, was overrated with many of the better wines' prices artificially inflated by the US export market. The Chinese like to drink their $100 bottles of Château Lafite-Rothschild mixed with 7-Up, he claimed. Burgundy, meanwhile, was a far more noble wine region, with its softer pinot noirs and cool climate chardonnays providing a much better advert for France's wine industry than the hearty cabernet sauvignons that dominate Bordeaux.

But my interest was piqued that night mainly by Beaujolais. As I swam around the icy pool clearing my head after the fourth bottle of the local Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence young red wine, I wondered how this region lying between Burgundy and Côtes du Rhône could be so maligned.

Winding my way into Villefranche-sur-Saône, the main town in Beaujolais, the region's agricultural credentials were on full display. It was grey and overcast the day I took the bus from Lyons. Winding up past yellow stoned houses shuttered up against the frigid air, tractors ploughed the fields and workers toiled on vines. The labour-intensive goblet pruning style used in Beaujolais was late this year, explained Guillemette Laferrère, my guide.

French winemaking is bound by rules. Australians experiment with grape varieties, experiment with blending techniques and experiment with fermentation. French wines, on the other hand, are guided by centuries of tradition. Soil types, grapes and growing area are all controlled minutely by Appellation côntrolée laws. For the ten best wine growing areas, as well as Beaujolais, long pruning of the vines - common across the rest of the world - is forbidden. This, explained Laferrère, was why the pruning was stretching out of March into early April.

The pale town hall building in Villefranche stood as a proud reminder of these age-old traditions. Twelfth century inhabitants of the Mairie had defended Villefranche's free town status, rejecting bribes, taxes or other imposts across the province it controlled. Today the massive toll plaza of the A6 motorway is visible from the town's summit and the low rumbling of trans-European traffic bypassing the region a constant reminder of how Beaujolais has slipped in importance.

The name Beaujolais conjures up the new, young wine available to us every Christmas. Beaujolais produces the first wine of the year, a primeur. The Gamay grapes are a mere six to eight weeks off the vine before the first bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau hit the shelves in November. The light, fruity wine is best drunk chilled, making it more popular around the time of an Australian summer than the beginnings of the European chill.

Beaujolais Nouveau gets a drubbing, however, from wine critics who mistake its lightness for a lack of depth. So says Pascal DuFaitre, manager at the Château de Pizay, the oldest winemaker in Morgon, one of the Beaujolais crus. Wines have been produced at the site since the 10th century when it served the monks of the Cluny Abbey. The château itself resembles a Roman villa and there is a Roman road passing alongside.

We descend into the tasting cellar. The dank air of a thousand years of wine maturation fills my lungs. Lit by dim bulbs, DuFaitre takes several bottles of various vintages and places them on a trestle table. Underneath, the creak and groan of pebbles is an unwelcome distraction.
The winery produces some chardonnay, just because it always has done, since the days the priests requested it for morning drinking, says DuFaitre. A good rosé is also produced. "One night of maceration is enough to give birth to the rosé Beaujolais," he says.

But DuFaitre comes into his stride extolling the virtues of the reds. Not only of Beaujolais itself (of which Château de Pizay only releases half of its 750,000 hectolitres as Nouveau), but of the Morgon, Brouilly and the very rare Régnié the winemakers also produce. The latter, he explains, demonstrates the complexity of the Beaujolais region. The nose is of red fruits - blackberry, redcurrant and raspberry - while the palate has a subtle and fresh attack and is well-rounded in mouth with a crescendo final, DuFaitre says.

Walking around the gardens is a pleasure in itself. In 1070 a surrounding wall was erected by the lords of Pizay, which was strengthened in 14th century. These, together with the formal garden with manicured bushes, keeps an charm to the place impossible to replicate in a new world winery.

The Château de Pizay has a 62-room four-star spa and resort in its medieval buildings. Antique furniture brings those looking for a romantic getaway close to the gourmet heaven of Lyons.

A drive around the cellar doors is possible if you understand the codes. A red sign hangs off nonedescript gates. Down the country lane you may find a small producer with several hundred bottles to sell or Georges DuBœuf, the largest exporter of the region's wines says Laferrère. "It's the luck of the draw," she explains.

To break up the 30 minute journey to Lyons, the Rendezvous de Bobosse invites us into sample the local fare. Nothing from outside 100km is allowed through its doors and into either restaurant or providore. "People ask for Coquilles-St-Jacques on our dégustation menu, but where can you find scallops in the middle of the countryside?" Bernard "Bobosse" Juban asks. Instead, the jambon persilé (ham in a parsley jelly) tête de porc (pork brawn), andouillette (offal sausage), sabodet (black pudding) and cervelas (saveloy) are all from locally-raised pigs.

Cold cuts like this, enjoyed with a glass of Beaujolais, are reason enough to come back to France. That and the case of wine waiting somewhere for me

Jet-set for wholesale changes

Originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia 22 August 2008
by Justin Wastnage

The recent Jetset Travelworld annual conference started under a cloud, but concrete changes were announced for the Qantas-owned group. Justin Wastnage reports on the outcomes of the meeting held recently in Fiji


Fijian villages often have a bati, or chief's bodyguard to ward off bad omens. Omens that include any kind of flying bird are the worst kind.
So it is no surprise that the cancellation of an Air Pacific Boeing 747-400 scheduled to take delegates to the Jetset Travelworld (JTG) annual conference in Fiji was a major talking point. In the end, 150 delegates arrived several hours late, some in the early morning.
Attendees, on the whole, understood the reason behind the delay (a hydraulic leak had delayed the aircraft's flight from Los Angeles). "Better a delay than flying in an unsafe aircraft," said Jean Kouriel, managing director of Honeymoon Worldwide Holidays.
Hotel group Accor, which was playing host at its Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau Island, even hastily arranged lunch for its captive audience at the Novotel in Brighton-le-Sands, near Sydney airport.
By the time John Campbell, Air Pacific chief executive, got to the stage the following morning and announced that he was "the guy who screwed up the flights" delegates were almost ready to forgive and forget and get on with the business at hand.
The business of integration, that is. This was the first conference since the merger of Qantas Holidays (Q Hols) with JTG, a point stressed by many of the speakers. Roch van Delft, Qantas general manager of travel industry sales in Australia said: "This is a strategic alignment that will bring together some of the strongest brands in travel."
Qantas has started a charm offensive with the trade and Q Hols is a big part of this. Its general manager Chris Rankin told delegates that his team's focus is to push the wholesaler as a trade wholesaler. "There has been some recent behaviour to reinforce this," he said.
Q Hols will resume a call to action for consumers to book via agents in its new advertising. The previous lack of this was a sore point for the trade and will be welcomed. Flight Centre is the only major chain not to be represented in the new national ads, Rankin told the cheering partisan crowd.
Long the most pro-Qantas and now firmly in the fold, JTG will be specially fêted by the wholesaler that is edging away from Qantas Airways through deals with airlines like Cathay Pacific and Etihad. Jetset and Travelworld agents, for example, have a dedicated reservations line for Q Hols, an initiative which may be replicated for other chains.
But branding is to go a step further too. The new head of JTG, Peter Collins, unveiled the new-look stores that will be rolled out in the coming months. The aim is to create a more unified branding, Collins said. Luckily for JTG, branding is an area where Qantas excels.
Collins was keen to stress the benefits of integration with the airline giant in his keynote speech, saying: "The merger will be used to leverage existing relationships and contractual agreements and to forge new relationships that will deliver new products and services."
For those who believe in omens, following the gala dinner and crowning event after days of integration celebration there were reports of a mysterious illness felling several delegates. Probably just bad luck or bad grog - unless you ask the batis, that is.

It's not all the Seine

Originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia 22 August 2008

The accepted wisdom is that walking around Paris is the best way to see the city. However, Justin Wastnage wasn't so sure and decided to try three alternate methods of transport


Venice has its gondolas, New York its yellow taxi cabs, but what is the best way to get around Paris? Many will tell you wandering aimlessly around le Marais is a joy in itself or that the Métropolitain is the only way to go.

But there are some new and innovative ways to see Paris, especially if it is not your clients' first time to the city of lights. Even the venerable métro has a new, sleek rival in the brand new tram system.

Many Australian wholesalers are now either including the option of unusual tours in their itineraries or training sales staff to pass on the information. Here's a selection of some of the best ways to get around.

Citroën 2CV
Not a Sydney talk radio station, but that quintessentially French people's car - the 2CV. Originally called deux chevaux vapeur (or two horsepower) after its puny engine, the car was France's answer to Germany's Volkswagen Beetle, Italy's Fiat 500 and the British Morris Mini.

Today, slightly more powerful versions of the cars still hold a special place in French hearts. The semi-circular chassis seems somehow ill-at-ease with the wheel body and the fold-down windows a relic from a bygone age.

Yet they are a thrill to ride, says Amélie de Roux, marketing manager at 4 Roues sous 1 Parapluie, a tour operator that uses Citroën 2CVs for its Paris product and whose name worrying translates as "four wheels under one umbrella". The often inclement Parisian weather is an added bonus for the tours, she explains. Couples love getting rugged up underneath a blanket in the back seat but still leave the top down rather than miss out on the experience, she adds.

There are several companies now offering 2CV tours, mostly lasting around two hours and taking in all the major sites as well as quieter back streets in prettier parts of town. A uniformed chauffeur in 1950s driving gear who acts as a guide is also usual.

Bicycle
Frequent visitors to Paris will notice that there has been an Amsterdam-isation of its streets. Bicycles are now, literally everywhere you look.

The reason is a Vélib' - an innovative free bicycle rental scheme. There are 20,000 identical grey sturdy bicycles based in 1450 rental stations around the city centre located at about 300 metre intervals from each other.

A credit card is all that is required to access one of the bikes (you will need to ensure yours has a Euro-style embedded micro chip).

The first half-hour is free (Vélib' means "free ride") and rates after that are cheap. For two hours (which is probably all you need before suffering pins and needles) €7 per bike is reasonable. With a basket on the front of each, cycling off to one of Paris's inner city parks or squares with a baguette poking out and a picnic box of cheese and pâté should satisfy most Parisian clichés your clients may have.

River cruise
As the sun sets over the river Seine, sipping a Kir Royale Champagne cocktail on a boat gliding under Paris's series of bridges is one of life's little pleasures. And it is a pleasure enjoyed by thousands of tourists every year, who cruise on the famous bateaux mouches.

These open excursion boats are specially designed to be low in the water to fit underneath the bridges, but not so low that they scrape along the river bed.

Today there is competition for the original Compagnie des Bateaux Mouches that first brought the boats to the Seine after the Second World War, although its trademarked name has fallen into common parlance. Most ply a route covering the major attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame cathedral, the Pont Neuf, the Orsay Museum and the Louvre Museum with running commentary. Many are open-topped, as well, and sail along the left bank first, then the right on the return upstream.

For a budget option, take the new Seine river ferry, the Batobus, for the same ride without the commentary or Kir Royale.

Let It Be

Article originally appeared in The Sun-Herald World section, August 20, 2008

In a nation where more than half the population wants to sever ties with the British monarchy, Justin Wastnage reports that Canadians are questioning whether they should ...

Let It Be

Canada, like Australia, knows how to party, especially when it involves a momentous anniversary, but our distant cousin differs when it comes to the guest list.

In 1988, when Australia celebrated its bicentenary marking 200 years of white settlement, Queen Elizabeth II was in Canberra to cut the ribbon on the new Parliament House.

When our Commonwealth relative celebrated the 400th anniversary of European settlement last month, the absence of the Queen was telling.

Despite the Québec provincial Government wanting the Queen to attend the celebrations of the founding of Quebec City, she was advised by Canada's Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper not to attend due to fears the monarch would become the target of separatist demonstrations. French-speaking Québec has been agitating for independence from Canada for decades.

But while the Queen decided not to visit Québec, the only province where the population might be seen as strongly supporting a republic, a British rock star received a rapturous welcome from 200,000 fans. Paul McCartney's concert to help celebrate the city's 400th birthday was provocative, given that it took place on the Plains of Abraham, the site of a battle almost 250 years ago that sealed British dominance over the French in North America.

Click here to read the full article on SMH.com.au

The Royal Mail - something to toque about

The Royal Mail in Dunkeld just received two well-deserved chefs hats in The Age Good Food Guide awards 2008.
Here's how I reviewed it in the August / September issue of Australian Traveller:

You can find the original here

Australian Traveller Magazine

August / September 2008

When it comes to imaginative, inventive, award-winning cuisine, Justin Wastnage discovers that the Royal Mail delivers - as long as you're prepared to travel.

Driving through London's low-hanging clouds of permadrizzle never felt as appealing as when I headed to the Fat Duck for dinner. Even if the tiny Berkshire village of Bray does mean an hour's drive through Heathrow and Slough, it's worth it. Driving along the soaring coastline of Spain's Costa Brava towards the French border is, on the other hand, a far more thrilling experience - made even more so if your ultimate destination is El Bulli restaurant, 150km up the coast.

The journey to The Royal Mail Hotel is somewhere in between the two; driving into Dunkeld via the mundane highway west out of Melbourne, you get the full sense of the volcanic Southern Grampians, all rich purple points punching their way out of lush green vegetation.

In the rest of the world, the best restaurants are often well out of the cities. In Australia, while plenty have stunning settings, polished service and extensive wine lists, most lack the truly imaginative cuisine that sets the best apart. The Royal Mail Hotel is an exception to this, and could well be Australia's first destination restaurant.

Head chef Dan Hunter has recently ditched the à la carte menu in favour of three dégustation options. Diners unfortunate enough to time their arrival for lunch, as I have, must make do with the bistro-style cafe or bar menu. Not that making do with jamón ibérico is much hardship. In fact, it's just one nod to Hunter's training in Spain, first at Barcelona's iconic Cælis, then at Mugaritz, the Basque Country eatery considered the world's best by Michelin-starred chefs in the recent San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. A Victorian by birth, Hunter was head chef at Mugaritz in 2006 when it garnered its second Michelin star. "At that time you were a nobody if you were an Australian chef in Europe," he remembers.

Spain's elite chefs have honed the quasi-laboratorial style dubbed "molecular cuisine" into inventive nueva cocina - a movement that prizes freshness and quality of ingredients above all. Starting with an entree of zucchini flowers with feta and basil, I'm transported back to the childhood pleasure of tasting vegetables recently plucked from the ground. Most of the Royal Mail's newly restocked cadre of chefs, like me, grew up in the country and - according to Hunter - have a different sense of freshness than city folk. For this reason the property includes three kitchen gardens, ensuring all herbs, salad leaves and most vegetables are grown on-site.

The feta, meanwhile, hasn't a trace of saltiness and has curds so soft and creamy you could swear it was goat's cheese. It's produced by nearby Grampians Pure Sheep Milk Dairy and is set off by the merest drizzle of virgin olive oil. Followed by grilled chorizo on a bed of braised lentils, my meal is about as perfect an execution of simple food as I can imagine. Relaxing afterwards with the papers, a February sun shines over the Australian landscape, while in the courtyard children play. A perfect Sunday.

Evening diners are denied the sublime feta, for theirs is an altogether more adult experience, governed by rules and techniques. No dairy is allowed before dessert and butter is eschewed in favour of complex purées. The tasting menu must be a balance of vegetables, fish and meat. Sommelier Lok Thornton provides a wine flight to match the ten courses with equal rigour.

Spain currently dominates the world's best list and Hunter and his peers were all devotees of the Heston Blumenthal school of revisionist cuisine that combines an understanding of science with knowledge of flavours. For Hunter, this is most obvious in his slow cooking techniques. For example, the current first dish on the full dégustation is rock lobster with liquid almond and orange blossom. "The lobster is cooked at exactly 62 degrees for 27 minutes," he explains. "It's more of a setting of the protein than cooking. The meat is not rock hard on the outside and raw in the middle like boiled lobster, but has an even distribution of texture throughout."

Most patrons seeking out the experimental cuisine have driven the 260km from Melbourne, but increasingly the Royal Mail has become popular with Sydneysiders, South Australians and even visitors from Perth. Most stay at the on-site rooms, which have views over a nearby creek to Mount Sturgeon, or at the nearby Mount Sturgeon Estate - a working Merino wool farm with original crofters' cottages at its heart, built by Dunkeld's Scottish settlers.

Dunkeld is a long way from anywhere, so if you're joining the growing bands of culinary pilgrims paying homage to Hunter's flavour laboratory, bookings are a must. But if the thought of a drive to Dunkeld puts you off, the hotel can arrange helicopter transfers to dull the pain.

DETAILS // The Royal Mail Hotel
Where // 98 Parker St, Dunkeld, Vic, www.royalmail.com.au, (03) 5577 2241
Cost // 10-course tasting menu $145 ($280 with wine flight), 5-course $100 ($180 with wine), 8-course vegetarian $100 ($235 with wine).
Hotel Rooms // From $130 per night, two bedroom apartment from $240.
Mount Sturgeon Cottages // Eight one and two-bedroom wool shearer's cottages from $200 per person.

Et «le gars de Brossard» dans tout ça?

Justin Wastnage is quoted in the following article, which originally appeared in Quebec City daily Le Soleil on July 5, 2008, written by Stéphanie Martin.

«Je pense souvent à mon gars de Brossard, qui est assis sur le bord de sa piscine et qui entend parler du 400e. Pour qu'il vienne à Québec, il faut qu'il y ait des choses dans lesquelles il se reconnaît sans qu'on soit obligé de lui expliquer le concept.» C'était en janvier. Daniel Gélinas, nouvellement nommé PDG de la Société du 400e, avait formulé ce voeu.

Une courte balade entre le quartier Saint-Roch et l'Espace 400e, dans le Vieux-Port, suffit à convaincre que les efforts de promotion déployés par la Société depuis six mois ont porté fruit. Des véhicules immatriculés en Ontario, en Colombie-Britannique, en Nouvelle-Écosse, au Vermont, au Massachusetts, alouette! sont nombreux à converger vers le coeur des festivités. Cependant, rien pour mener sur la piste du gars en question, qui se promène incognito avec sa plaque «Je me souviens».

Sur place, Le Soleil croise d'abord un rouquin à l'accent intrigant. Justin Wastnage, un Australien qui parle remarquablement bien le français, est journaliste pour Travel Weekly. Après la détestable pluie de la veille, il comptait bien se reprendre pour admirer les charmes de Québec. «Le patrimoine est très bien préservé. Les touristes australiens aiment beaucoup ça», dit-il. De retour chez lui, il se promet de faire découvrir à ses compatriotes ? qui ne connaissent souvent du Canada que la Colombie-Britannique ? «un petit îlot français dans l'est du pays».

Plus loin, les Barthel et les Lehair, venus tout droit de la région de Lorraine, en France, entament leur journée de découvertes. Ils avaient déjà planifié un séjour de deux semaines dans l'Est du Canada et sur la côte est états-unienne quand ils ont eu vent des célébrations du 400e anniversaire du berceau de l'Amérique française.

Du coup, ils ont prévu un détour de quelques jours à Québec. Intrigués, ils se promettent d'assister à la projection «son et lumière» sur les silos de la Bunge. La veille, c'est du haut du Concorde qu'ils avaient admiré les gigantesques feux d'artifice. Et ils ne cessent de s'émerveiller de l'accueil attentionné des Québécois.

Mais toujours pas de trace de notre Brossardois. Il y a bien Jacques Boudreau, de Gatineau, passionné de l'histoire des Franco-Américains de Nouvelle-Angleterre. En visite chez son fils, il en profite pour prendre part à la fête et aussi pour admirer le Lois McLure, un voilier construit à Burlington, réplique des goélettes du XIXe siècle qui ont sillonné les cours d'eau entre New York, Québec et Montréal.

Il y a aussi Steve Martin, de la banlieue de Toronto, qui, avec sa femme et ses deux enfants, se promet de visiter les vestiges archéologiques de la cour sud-est du château Saint-Louis, sous la terrasse Dufferin. «Ça n'arrive qu'une fois dans une vie!» s'exclame-t-il. À l'en croire, Québec est une destination vacances très populaire cet été chez ses compatriotes de la Ville reine.

On croise également la famille Denis, venue de Rimouski et de Rivière-au-Renard, des visiteurs fidèles à Québec, qui n'auraient manqué pour rien au monde son 400e, avec les spectacles et les arts de la rue. Au Bas-Saint-Laurent et en Gaspésie, assurent-ils, la fête fait beaucoup parler d'elle.

To read the full article in Le Soleil, please click here to go to the Cyberpresse.ca site.

Table ronde des journalistes étrangers

Justin Wastnage joined a panel discussion on Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne.
Originally broadcast on June 26, 2008

Reports of Virgin Blue's demise greatly exaggerated

Originally published in TravelWeekly Australia June 13, 2008

Comment
All's well that ends well, or so the saying goes. But with the current economic issues affecting the airline industry, it might not be a happy ending for all stakeholders writes Justin Wastnage

Mark Twain famously found reports of his death to have been greatly exaggerated, not least by the New York Journal-American, which published a not-so glowing obituary. In the aviation business eulogies are often delivered prematurely, with airlines frequently “on the brink of survival” or “at death’s door”. Like a cat, the world’s carriers seem to have a knack of just about scraping through crises to live another of nine lives.

Thus the news this week that market analyst firm JP Morgan read Virgin Blue the final rites is equally exaggerated. The firm warned that the airline needed to up prices by one tenth or else risk insolvency. The root cause is the sky high cost of aviation fuel, currently hovering at about $30 on top of the $140 per barrel of crude oil. This record price, JP Morgan argued, makes many of Virgin’s routes unprofitable.

This may be true, but Virgin would shy away from raising prices on many routes, for in the shape of Qantas-Jetstar and Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Tiger Airways, , for there are two competitors with deep pockets willing to take a hit in the short term in return for edging the boys from Brisbane out of the market.

Indeed, Virgin’s boss Brett Godfrey is pragmatic. Hitting back at the report, he outlined several other cost-cutting methods such as reducing capacity and “further cash management” strategies. Godfrey is in a bind for sure. But it far from terminal decline. Over the past two years Virgin has built up a credible (if fledgling) rival to Qantas as a full service carrier. It has invested during the good times in frequent flyer programs, interline deals and premium economy seating that should ensure its survival in the short term. If a move upmarket powering an airline through a possible wallet-tightening period sounds counter intuitive, then consider business class ticket sales in the US. It is not the chief executives and government officials who have lost their homes to dodgy mortgages; it is the rank and file travelling public.

But Virgin cannot easily raise fares either. It can look at its fleet mix with more urgency, using its fuel efficient Embraer jets on routes better suited to the 100-seaters, while trimming the frequency of other routes. Qantas has already pulled off some domestic routes where there was competition and Virgin could do likewise. The Australian economy is still booming and at the moment there is sufficient market for everyone if only it is shared a little better.

But the storm clouds are gathering, however, overseas. IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani has warned that the oil price hike represents a bigger threat to the industry’s survival than all previous catastrophes combined. Michael O’Leary, the loud-mouthed boss of Europe’s largest low-cost carrier Ryanair has welcomed the sustained high oil price as a chance to “get rid of a few crappy airlines”. Bisignani is known for hyperbole, warning previously this year that environmental fears could derail the industry and that electronic ticketing was essential to air transport’s survival. Equally, O’Leary has issued warnings of “bloodbaths” and “massacres” in the low-cost scene each European winter season for years now, and at best a couple of smaller airlines fold into larger ones.

But that is not reason to ignore Mssrs Bisignani, O’Leary or even Morgan. The global aviation industry is now predicted to make a combined loss this year of over 2.5 billion dollars, IATA reckons. This a reversal of fortunes to say the least: IATA’s last forecast, itself gloomier than last year’s estimate, predicted profits of $4 billion.

The only airlines laughing are those flying turboprop aircraft (like the Bombardier Dash-8), which use about half as much fuel as jets, or those who have actually gotten their hands on the next generation of aircraft which also consume much less of the black gold.

There will be some casualties for sure in coming months, but is Alitalia can cling onto life for three years of loss-making and Olympic Airways continue to limp on, it would be hard to believe the most pessimistic reports emanating from the world of aviation.

Like Twain, UK rock fiddler Dave Swarbrick’s death in Coventry was also mistakenly reported. Unlike Twain he was able to read a favourable account of his life and the incident has given him the chance to deliver the gag: "It's not the first time I have died in Coventry". Aviation must also be hoping for a silver lining.

New jets aim for a green sky future

Article originally appeared in Eco in the Sydney Morning Herald on May 28, 2008

Fuel from algae, glide approaches and redesigned aircraft will help cut flying's carbon footprint, writes Justin Wastnage.

An area the size of Belgium could be used to farm enough algae to power the entire world's aircraft, Craig Saddler, president of Boeing Australia told an aviation environment summit in Sydney recently. "Not that we'd actually use Belgium," he added quickly.

Boeing, like many in the air transport industry, sees great potential in diesel produced from organic sources rather than fossil fuels. The current front-runner is biodiesel produced from sea algae, which sucks up carbon dioxide as it grows. Virgin Atlantic recently trialled biodiesel on a short flight from London to Amsterdam and Air New Zealand is planning a trans-Tasman flight using the fuel later this year.

And just this week the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, announced $166,000 in government funding for a biodiesel plant and algae farm in Townsville, which would produce about 290 million tonnes of biodiesel by 2010.

However, despite the massive money now going into future aviation fuels, the zero-emission flight is decades off. But that did not stop Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association, shocking its annual assembly last September by calling for "carbon-neutral growth in the medium term and eventually carbon-free". By 2050, he predicted, aircraft would no longer pollute at all.

Meanwhile, there are some less headline-grabbing measures being taken to cut aviation's carbon footprint. In Europe, halving 2000's carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft by 2020 is enshrined in law. Most of this is to come from redesigning aircraft and the engines that power them, says Tony Davis, chief executive of the Australian office of engine maker Rolls-Royce.

To read the article in full, click here to go to SMH.com.au

How to get your wings

Pub: Sydney Morning Herald
Pubdate: Wednesday 20th of February 2008
Edition: First
Copyright: Section: My Career
Subsection:
Page: 2
Wordcount: 724


The cost of starting a career as a pilot just came down, writes Justin Wastnage.
They're seen as having one of the most glamorous professions on the planet.
Commercial airline pilots spend their days among the clouds, often jetting from one exotic international destination to the next. They enjoy the admiration and respect of the community and can earn up to $350,000 a year.
And yet there is a shortage of applicants for pilot positions. Ian Woods, president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, says he is surprised aspiring pilots are not "crushed in the rush" for jobs with airlines. There are only 350,000 pilots worldwide, a tiny number compared with other occupations with the same earning potential.
Part of the problem is the cost involved in becoming a pilot. To earn their wings, aspiring aviators until recently have had to pay their own way through flight school, starting in light aircraft before graduating to twin-engined aircraft with sophisticated cockpit instruments. Would-be pilots have been forced to save or take out loans to pay the $60,000 needed to get an Australian commercial pilot's licence.
But there is now another way as airlines around the world rethink pilot training.
In Australia, Regional Express Airlines (Rex), facing a severe shortage of pilots, last year announced it would provide sponsored cadetships for raw recruits. "Rex recognises that the high cost of flying training is a major obstacle to many young people who desire to make a career in the sky," Rex chief of staff Jim Davis said at the launch of the program.
Rex spokeswoman Danielle Ross says the regional airline, which will pay for either half or all the training costs, depending on merit, had more than 1000 applications for the first intake of 20 places. Those selected were "the brightest academically". The first batch began training on December 10.
Of the 40 candidates the airline expects to take each year, 20 will be considered for a fully sponsored scholarship program that could see them paying nothing towards the $160,000 training program in return for a guarantee of six years' service. A further 20 will pay half the training costs via a low-interest loan and must stay with Rex for five years.
The program, a joint venture between Rex and Mangalore airport in Victoria, is in many ways a return to the past. Before the 1990s, many big airlines accepted recruits who paid for their tuition through flight. But privatisation made the airline industry more cutthroat and shareholders demanded an end to paid-for training schemes. By 2000, the only paid-for training option was a 10-year stint in the Royal Australian Air Force before shifting to commercial flying.
Woods says the crew shortage is getting more acute as air transport grows and airlines compete with each other to find pilots. The emergence of low-cost carriers is exacerbating the problem. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing estimates a further 10,000 pilots will be needed globally during the next 10 years to meet demand.
However, the Rex scheme is still far from the norm. Some regional airlines, such as Queensland's MacAir, are able to capitalise on their location to capture staff. "It's a lifestyle choice," says MacAir managing director Kevin Gill.
Most pilots are motivated by a love of flying. Virgin Blue pilot Rob Hoey first caught the aviation bug growing up in remote Papua New Guinea, where his parents were missionaries and flying was an essential mode of transport.
Hoey became a mechanic but he and his wife poured their salaries into his flying lessons for two years. When he qualified, he worked for NG Air, an Aboriginal-owned air service based in Alice Springs. After a stint in Papua New Guinea flying for Mission Aviation Fellowship, he returned to Australia, where he worked for several airlines before ending up at Virgin Blue in 2003. He worked his way up from Cessna light aircraft to 19-seat turboprops and large Boeing 767 jets, until finally transferring to the 76-seater Embraer jets on the Canberra to Sydney route.
For others wanting to be pilots, the gold standard is still the Qantas cadet pilot program. The airline has partnerships with Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne and Brisbane's Griffith University.

How to get your wings

Article originally appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald My Career section on February 20, 2008 and as an edited version entitled "Wing beneath their wings" in The Age My Career section on March 8, 2008.

Demand for trained pilots is soaring reports Justin Wastnage


In his portrayal of infamous conman Frank Abagnale Jr, Leonardo DiCaprio confidently strides through an airport lobby with armfuls of adoring female flight attendants. Catch Me If You Can may have been a movie, but it paints a popular cliché. Add to the glamour the prospect of earning the equivalent of an outer suburb house in a year and it’s easy to see the appeal of becoming an airline pilot.

Given this, Ian Woods, president of the Australian and International Pilots Association says he is surprised aspiring pilots are not “crushed in the rush”. Yet there are only 350,000 pilots worldwide, woeful when compared with other occupations with the same earning potential, says Capt Woods.

This shortage is getting more acute as air transport grows and all airlines are fighting each other to find crew, Capt Woods says. The emergence of low cost carriers like Tiger Airways is only exacerbating the problem. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing estimates a further 10,000 pilots will be needed globally over the next 10 years to meet demand.

What puts most off is the cost of getting an Australian Commercial Pilot's Licence, usually at least $60,000.

Mostly people pay their own way. The sponsored cadetships offered by airlines in the Catch Me If You Can days (not that Mr Abagnale ever actually trained as a pilot) dried up in the 1990s, due to shareholder demands. Instead aspiring aviators usually either save or take out loans to pay for basic flight training in light aircraft followed by advanced training flying twin-engined planes and learning all the complex cockpit instruments. Most do so because of a passion for flying rather than earnings potential.

Virgin Blue pilot Rob Hoey is a classic example. He first caught the aviation bug growing up in Papua new Guinea. “My parents were pioneers [missionaries] in the remote areas of PNG and we used to have to fly into tiny grass strips and around mountains in small aircraft,” he says.
After high school and having initially trained as a mechanic, Capt Hoey and his wife both poured their salaries into flight school for two years to allow him to fulfil his dream.

The first job was for NG Air, an Aboriginal-owned air service for remote communities, based in Alice Springs. Flying into Australian communities completely reliant on air services led him back to Papua and the job with Mission Aviation Fellowship that had inspired him so much when he was younger.

Family commitments brought Capt Hoey back to Australia, where he worked for several airlines before ending up at Virgin Blue in 2003. After working his way up from Cessna light aircraft through 19-seat turboprops and large Boeing 767 jets, he has recently transferred to the new sporty 76-seater Embraer jets on the Canberra to Sydney route, the handling of which has reignited his passion for flying, he says.

This is a fairly typical progression up aircraft size, so regional airlines are feeling the pinch worst as their pilots are snatched by larger jet operations. Some, like Queensland’s MacAir still attract pilots seeking a lifestyle change, says its managing director Kevin Gill. But others are suffering.
Sydney-based Regional Express (Rex) has taken matters into its own hands and is offering the first paid-for cadetships in years. “Rex recognises that the high cost of flying training is a major obstacle to many young people who desire to make a career in the sky” said Jim Davis, Rex chief of staff at the launch of the program.

Rex Spokeswoman Danielle Ross says the regional airline, which will pay for either half or all the training costs depending on merit, received over 1000 applications for the first intake of 20 places, with “the brightest academically,” selected.

For others wanting to be a pilot, the gold standard is still the Qantas cadet pilot program, despite being entirely self-funded with no guarantee of a job. But the airline has partnerships with Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne and Brisbane’s Griffith University to combine practical flying training with theory, making the courses eligible for federal higher education loan programmes. An aeronautical degree like this also equips candidates better for the redundancies the aviation industry periodically experiences. Despite the $120,000 price tag the Qantas scheme is inundated with applicants, chiefly because its pay rates are among the best in the industry. But Qantas is also establishing a training college that could produce 300 new pilots every year, benefiting other airlines as well.

Most pilots will still follow their hearts and the advice of aviator and entrepreneur Dick Smith, whose advice to wannabe pilots is to “head to the Northern Territory, work in a hangar for nothing and eventually you will be noticed and be able to get your [flight] hours up.” Not quite DiCaprio territory.

At present MyCareer articles do not have direct web links. I would be happy to redirect to SMH.com.au or TheAge.com.au once they do.

Some enchanted island

Originally appeared in The Sun-Herald Travel section, January 20, 2008

Crisis, what crisis? Justin Wastnage finds new trends and an optimistic outlook in post-coup Fiji.

Kini looked crestfallen. This man mountain, a former national rugby representative, had just been rebuffed. He'd offered me a ticket to the grand final of the national rugby championship, where his side was defending the cup, and I had turned him down because I was having a spa treatment.

I'm not usually the spa treatment kind of bloke, something Kini may have picked up on as he drove me around Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, so that I could get a sense of post-coup Fiji. Kini and I had chatted about the World Cup and Fiji's prospects and had stopped to take photos of the handmade sugarcane rugby posts the local children use to practise penalty kicks.

We had even been in a minor James Bond-esque scrape, when we were found by sinister French heavies after having breached the fence around the country's $34million wind farm, days before its official opening by coup leader Commodore Voreque "Frank" Bainimarama.

Kini was understandably confused at my priorities as I explained to him that I had booked myself a Fijian body polish and facial at 4pm, the exact time of kick-off at the Lawaqa Park stadium. We drove back to the hotel in silence.

Read the full article here at SMH.com.au