The business of travel
Body scanners binned over software issue
The body conscious will be glad to hear that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the United States is to remove the controversial body-imaging scanners.
It was not the furore from near-naked scanned travellers that was the downfall of the Rapiscans but a software issue.
The TSA has terminated the contract due to the fact Rapiscan will not be ready to meet the deadline in June for the next level of privacy software which produces a generic body image and not the stripped effect.
Record growth for Hilton chain
Hilton Hotels Worldwide continued with record growth through 2012 with the opening of 171 hotels with more than 28,000 rooms.
The plan for new hotels is approaching 1,000 and already 85,000 rooms are under construction.
The Hilton brand has now spread to more than 90 countries with 10 brands, and 3,900 hotels with more than 510,000 rooms.
New service to Oxford
The city of dreaming spires is now just a short hop from Dublin on Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays with a new air service from Minoan Air. Beginning on March 6th, the new service will connect directly to Oxford Airport allowing for day trips to the city, with fares from €60 each way, minoanair.com.
Business travel show for London
The annual Business Travel Show will take place in London on February 5th and 6th in Earls Court.
The conference will cover topics such as managing travel policies, online booking tools, connecting on the road, security of employees, managing data in a regulated environment, forecasting the future of business travel, airline sourcing with a dwindling supplier base and the role of social media in company travel.
The great art gallery in the sky
Next month passengers on Virgin Atlantic’s London to New York service will experience the “Gallery in the Air”.
British artist Ben Eine’s trademark typographical work (above) will be on display in the Virgin Clubhouses at Heathrow, JFK and Newark.
In the air passengers can take a virtual tour of the Gallery in the Air before buying pieces, which sell from £2,500 to £15,000.