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Dave

Customer tales: Crossing the Atlantic the hard way

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Sleep deprivation, hallucinations and hunger aren’t usually problems that Global Travel Management customers suffer, when crossing the Atlantic.

In fact, getting from one side of ‘the Pond’ to the other is almost always completely straightforward and simple for nearly every Global Travel Management customer.  But there’s one very clear exception.  We have taken a look at an unusual set of circumstances.

Perform Logistics Managing Director Neil Mason: ‘a reliable travel management company is priceless and allows our team to concentrate on their own job at hand’

Perform Logistics is a UK-based freight transport, supply chain and logistics business, based in Colnbrook, Berkshire, close to London’s Heathrow Airport.  

The company specialises in moving and setting up consignments nationally and internationally predominantly in the events and exhibition sector. 

They work with a number of blue-chip clients, including Harrods, London’s Excel exhibition centre, Evolution Sport and Cignpost Diagnostic, the healthcare and diagnosis company that manages Covid-19 testing facilities for clients like the BBC, Netflix and the PGA European Tour. 

Perform also works with competitors in the world-famous endurance event, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, known as “the world’s toughest row” organised and run by Atlantic Campaigns. 

Perform’s Founder and Managing Director Neil Mason explained: 

We work directly with several competitors in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, transporting boats to the starting point at La Gomera in the Canary Islands and meeting and collecting them, 3,000 miles away in Antigua.

The event starts in December and the participants endure gruelling conditions, suffering from lack of sleep, malnourishment and even hallucinatory events as they navigate their craft, mile after mile, for weeks on end. 

As usual, Perform carried out their task of delivering boats on time to the start-line in their usual, no-fuss way.  But, as Neil explained, there was a new challenge this year. 

Changes due to Brexit meant our central European participants couldn’t bring their boats to the UK prior to the event without the new Customs requirements as is normally the case.  So we re-planned to ensure there were no customs and Brexit hold-ups and moved our own start line for these entrants to The Netherlands. 

Swiss Raw completed the challenge in eighteen minutes less than 35 days. The Perform Logistics team recovered Swiss Raw in Antigua, and ensured the boat was pressure washed before being safely loaded into its container ahead of its journey back to Europe. The logistics exercise took months of planning and included collaborations and partnerships across the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and Antigua made sure it was a successful project.

After the race started, it was clear Perform needed to change plans again.

We monitor the event in real-time back in the UK.  This year, the conditions changed part-way through the event and the participants made better time than originally planned.  That’s great for those taking part, but our team had to change flight dates, hastily. 

The team at GTM helped us and took care of all the flight changes and alterations to all itineraries required to get our people out to Antigua earlier than originally anticipated and ensure they were there to greet one of our clients – the overall event winner who finished, in an amazing 34 days, 23 hours and 42 minutes!

Congratulations to Roman Möckli, Ingvar Groza, Jan Hurni, and Samuel Widmer – the first ever team from Switzerland to win the race. 

Global Travel Management Managing Director Scott Pawley explained 

We’re used to organising complex travel itineraries and it’s not unusual for plans to have to change at the last minute.  So, when Perform’s staff had to get to Antigua several days earlier than originally planned, we got straight onto it.  I am happy we had the chance to help Perform meet their obligations.

Neil explained more of the complexity of the event 

The leading participants can take around 35 days to complete the event.  But other crews – some of them being solo competitors – can take more than twice that length of time to reach Antigua.  So we need to monitor the race closely to ensure our team is there to meet each boat as it finishes. Given this may be weeks apart, having a reliable travel management company to oversee and manage this on our behalf is priceless and allows our team to concentrate on their own job at hand .

Scott explained that re-arranging a full set of itineraries was far easier than the obstacles the participants in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge faced. 

We had to make sure the flights and travel were booked in the right timescale for our clients.  We absolutely couldn’t let our clients down. Because if we failed to re-arrange the itineraries, some very tired sea-farers might have had to turn around and row all the way back again!

Congratulations to the successful Swiss Raw team,
completing the 3,000 mile event ahead every other team
(video from Atlantic Campaigns/YouTube)
Kelly

British Airways spreads its wings with limited edition Marmite

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British Airways and Marmite have teamed up to create a limited-edition jar to celebrate the airline’s centenary, launching today, 1 May.  As Marmite is the most confiscated brand at airport security, the centenary jar is conveniently sized to fit within the liquid allowance.

For Brits travelling abroad, it is clear they cannot go without the British spread that has divided the nation since 1902. Based on data from London City Airport, Marmite is the most confiscated branded food item at airport security. Other branded items that did not make it past security are Harrods jams and spreads and Lyle’s Golden Syrup.
 


London City Airport donates the majority of confiscated food items to a local charity, Community Food Enterprise (CFE). Since the partnership started in April 2017, the charity has distributed three tonnes of items to 16 smaller charities in East London, to ensure the confiscated items can help vulnerable people locally.

The airport has seen deserted jars of Marmite increase 50% in the first three months of 2019, from four to six jars a day, and the airport forecasts it could seize over 2,000 jars this year alone. British Airways customers can now get their Marmite hit when away. 

The special edition spread will be exclusively available to customers on board all flights from today. The jar weighs 70 grams so if they do not get through it on holiday they can safely take it through security as it falls within the liquid restrictions.

It’s clear that customers like to enjoy their favourite brands like Marmite while travelling or when they’re abroad.  We work with some of the best of British to bring them to our customers on board our flights and now, in our centenary year we will have even more brands alongside Marmite that our customers can enjoy. 


Hamish McVey, British Airways’ Head of Brand and Marketing

British Airways will be releasing a series of centenary editions in partnership with British brands during its milestone year. Earlier this month the airline announced a partnership with Scottish craft brewers, BrewDog, who have created a transatlantic IPA for customers and in a world first brewed the beer on a flight. The airline has also partnered with luxury British watchmakers Bremont on the launch of a new limited-edition timepiece, featuring metal from one of the most famous and iconic planes in history – Concorde.

With 4.8 million passengers travelling each year through London City Airport, many of whom are returning to the continent or heading on holiday, it’s little surprise that Marmite is such a treasured item and demonstrates just how loyal Brits are to their favourite brands. Whether you love it or hate it, we’re looking forward to ensuring passengers can continue to get their Marmite fix. For any other liquids, pastes and gels over 100ml, it’s best to pack them safely in the hold.


Ian Cowie, Director of Customer Operations at London City Airport

Global Travel Management’s Scott Pawley with GTM’s anniversary craft ale, The Globe Trotter

Global Travel Management managing director Scott Pawley commented on the latest British Airways celebration product.

Everyone at GTM would like to wish British Airways a fun and successful centenary year.

Like British Airways, we recently celebrated an important anniversary. But, instead of just using the yeast extract by-product from the brewing industry, we went one stage better: we brewed our own anniversary ale, Globe Trotter.

So, whether you like your toast spread with Marmite, or you prefer to drink a toast of golden, bottle-conditioned craft ale, we’d like to say: cheers!