Jet Airways among top ten airlines worldwide

Jet Airways among top ten airlines worldwide

Seasoned travellers have named London City airport the best in the UK in the Wanderlust 2009 Travel Awards.
London City airport had a satisfaction rating of 87.27% from Wanderlust readers, followed by Inverness airport with 83.53% and Southampton airport with 81.71%. Also in the list of the top 10 airports in the UK were Newcastle, Edinburgh, Belfast City, Birmingham, Bristol, Aberdeen and East Midlands.
The largest airport in the UK, Heathrow, was back in 20th position with a satisfaction rating of 64.77%.
No UK airports featured in the top 10 worldwide airports. Singapore Changi airport won yet again, with a fantastic customer satisfaction rating of 94.18%, followed by Paro airport in Bhutan with 91.43% and Hong Kong International airport with 91.3%.
Next highest rated worldwide airports were Denver, Kuala Lumpur, Bergen, Vancouver, Zurich, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Copenhagen, all of which scored comfortably in excess of 80%. No UK airlines were voted among the top 10 worldwide airlines either. Singapore Airlines won again, with a satisfaction rating of 93.78%, closely followed by Etihad Airways with 92.63%. Other top 10 airlines included Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Jet Airways, Emirates, and Swiss International Air Lines.
But UK based airlines fared better in the top 10 low cost airlines. Air Berlin won for the second year in a row with a score of 85%, followed by Air Asia and Virgin Blue. UK airlines in the top 10 were bmi, Jet2.com, Flybe, easyJet and bmibaby. Ryanair was only placed in 19th position.
Nearly 3,000 travellers voted in the annual awards. Between them Wanderlust readers have visited more than 170 countries and 631 cities in the last year.
13/02/09 Holiday Extras

Heathrow most annoying but safest airport; Indian immigration officials second rudest

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Heathrow most annoying but safest airport; Indian immigration officials second rudest

London: Heathrow has been voted the worst international airport for passport queues and baggage problems, a survey of air travellers said on Friday.
New York's JFK and Los Angeles International airports were ranked second and third worst in the survey by online travel and social network WAYN.com
The survey asked 2,250 passengers about passport control, baggage handling, customs and security at major international airports.
Heathrow, the world's busiest air hub, was voted the worst for long passport queues followed by the two American airports, the poll said.
The three were also seen as having the longest wait time for collecting baggage and were considered the most likely to damage luggage, the poll said.
However New York and Heathrow were also regarded as the best airports for security, with British travellers putting Heathrow at number one.
Bangkok, Amsterdam and Rome were considered to have the least-thorough security, the poll said.
Heathrow's passport control officers were also considered the friendliest after Australia's followed by Canada, although British travellers put Heathrow first, the survey said.
US immigration officials were given the unwanted tag of being the rudest, followed by India and Russia.
Travellers wanting the shortest queuing times should head for Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, Changi in Singapore or Frankfurt.
13/02/09 AFP

Spain heralds 'legendary' Nadal

Monday, February 2, 2009

Spain heralds 'legendary' Nadal

The Spanish press heralded Rafael Nadal's Australian Open victory only minutes after the top-ranked player became the first Spaniard to win the season-opening Grand Slam.Nadal beat Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena to win his sixth major trophy and third straight Grand Slam final over Federer, who was denied a chance to tie Pete Sampras' record 14 major titles on Sunday."Nadal reaffirms his legend in Australia," the Diario de Mallorca wrote on the front page of its Web site. El Mundo's Web site called the victory "Undeniably Nadal," and AS labeled the 22-year-old from Mallorca the "King of Australia."Nadal has won three of the last four majors after taking a fourth straight French Open and first Wimbledon title in 2008. Nadal replaced Federer at No 1 after a record 237 weeks in August and then won the Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games."He's a great champion, and a great example to all of the young people through the world," said Emilio Sanchez Vicario, Spain's former Davis Cup captain.Nadal has won five of the seven Grand Slam finals he's played against Federer and is 13-6 overall against the Swiss star.Three Spanish players had reached the Australian Open final before Nadal, with Carlos Moya being the last when he lost to Sampras in 1997.
click &read <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A46841178?s_fromedit=1&s_type=10&s_sport=tennis>& answer<http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090202035125AAynFBh>

Ponting reveals long-term plan behind current decline

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Ponting reveals long-term plan behind current decline

The Australian cricket team's current decline is an unavoidable
fallout of a long-term plan to win the 2011 World Cup, insists
embattled skipper Ricky Ponting.

"One-day games and series come and go pretty quickly and while our
current results have been disappointing everybody has to understand
there is a long-term plan in place and things can change quickly,"
Ponting wrote in his column for 'The Australian'.

"Even now we are working toward the 2011 World Cup, blooding
players, testing tactics and finding out who performs under pressure,"
he explained.

Recalling the 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand ahead of the
2007 World Cup in West Indies, Ponting said his team was lambasted
after that defeat but went on to win the World Cup without losing a
game.

"Australia has not lost a game at the past two World Cups and that
didn't happen by accident, but I wonder if anybody remembers the 2007
one-day series against New Zealand over there," he said.

"I didn't go because my back was playing up. Adam Gilchrist had a
rest, which attracted a bit of comment at the time and Michael Hussey
was handed the captaincy," he recalled.

"It was a time when people like Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait
and Mitchell Johnson were given a chance to show what they had.

"The
results weren't flash. We lost 3-0 and it was right on the eve of the
World Cup. I remember the criticism of the team and the speculation
about whether Gilly and I should have been rested, but it was part of a
plan to ensure our better players, or more experienced players, were
ready for the big tournament," Ponting said.

Ponting said the team is in a similar situation right now.

"We're a bit further out from the World Cup right at the moment, but
it's a similar situation. There's been criticism about me not playing
the next few games and I was probably the person who was most reluctant
about it, but it's all about the bigger picture. A lot of planning has
gone into this decision, just as there was before we decided to rest
Mitchell Johnson for the start of the one-day series," he said.

"People have to be a little patient with some of the younger
players. They are long-term investments. Shaun Marsh and David Warner
are learning on the job. Everybody can see what enormous talent they
have, but in this game there are going to be steps forward and steps
backward," he added.