DEPARTURES
The final word
I'll have the chicken please...
T
here are lots of things we’re all missing about travel - discovering new places, meeting new people, getting away from the kids. But, if the initiatives of some airlines are anything to go by, some of us are also pining for the delights of in-flight catering. Really? In September, Thai Airways created a pop-up restaurant in its Bangkok head office and opened it to the public, kitted out with cabin seating and other aviation-themed decorations – fan blades, cabin windows – each with a QR code attached so plane-enthusiasts can look up information. Singapore Airlines took it one step further in October by turning a whole A380 into a restaurant for two weekends. While tucking into a Peranakan menu, specially designed by local chef Shermay Lee, diners
Come rain or shine As the winter nights draw in, a survey of 6,446 Brits found which areas of the UK moan most about the weather. Here are the biggest grumblers: Bristol (average of 1 hr 18 mins moaning each week) 2 Burnley (1 hr 14 mins) 3 Hull ( 1 hr 12 mins) 4 Southampton ( 1hr 10 mins) 5 Birmingham (1 hr 7 mins) 6 Bradford (1 hr 3 mins) 7 Bournemouth (59 mins) 8 Sunderland (57 mins) 9 Lincoln (55 mins) 10 Oxford (54 mins) 1
Survey by HeatingForce.co.uk
can even watch a movie on the airline’s famous KrisWorld in-seat entertainment. Now, the trend has come closer to home thanks to Finnair, who is selling readymade Business Class-inspired
Santa goes virtual
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on't tell the kids, but it looks like even the north pole is being impacted by the pandemic. Santa break specialist, Santa's Lapland, has cancelled all December trips amid concerns that new safety measures would 'take too much away from the magic'. Hopefully, the man in red will be back in action in January, but until then you can treat the family to a personalised, live video experience, where an elf will guide you through the snow to see Rudolph and friends before introducing you to Santa Claus himself. Let's hope he's got the hang of the dreaded mute button!
meals in a shop by Helsinki Airport so you can enjoy them at home. Simply rearrange your dining chairs into rows, strap a belt around you, set your washing machine to spin, and it'll be just like the real thing.
While we'll be relieved to see the back of most of the new travel hygiene procedures and products forced upon us by Covid, there are a few that we'd quite like to stick around, mostly relating to making aeroplane toilets completely touchless. Foot-powered flushes, seats that lift up and down on their own (hopefully not during the necessary activity), and even a door you can slide open and closed with your elbow are all being developed and tested, but please make sure you still wash your hands.
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