Millhouse

Next question:

For those that are doing several flights a month for work. Does your company Carbon Offset or track your emissions? Are alternative arrangements (like Video Conferencing) promoted or used?

We offset and track (apparently, but I can't quite see how they do it given that all front line staff travel as much as I do) - and we do use Video Conferencing (which is crap).

weasel decentral

Working in construction and O&G projects means the company doesn't acknowledge that fuels cause carbon emissions.
(Carbon offsets the new commodity for traders to **** the world with)

About 10 return business flights (plus 6 personal ones) this year which is lighter than last year when I believe I topped 40 return flights.

Patsy Stoned

Stop being so pedantic..you know what I meant

mikewot

My old company had a 'voluntary' web page where you put in all your travel (including commute) and it calculated your carbon footprint. I refused to do it as I was doing the most travel in my dept and had no doubt that I would be picked out as the least green. Bollocks to that!
Yes phone conf used a lot, video not so much as it's a very difficult way to have a meet, especially if there are more than 2 locations involved. But the main reason I travelled so much was to 'manage' things. There is no better way to gauge how much progress is being made than to look someone in the eye and ask them It's all too easy to say 'on track' by email or phone but most people are very poor liars

spartans53

Have to agree that you need much more face 2 face in teh ME. Also can you imagine a video conference with people in the Magic Kingdom and them rocking up an hour late and not even saying sorry.

Bahtatboy

A certain company I know sent about a dozen senior managers from various international locations to one of its locations in France to have a video conference with its headquarters in another location in Europe. At least some of the senior managers' locations have video conferencing facilities. Barmy.

Miss Anne Thrope

I bemused why anybody would be interested to know a list of flights anybody else had taken - and yet this thread is up to 4 pages; I guess because people like to brag about how much they fly??? Maybe a thread next on what's on your check-out receipts from Waitrose??

Anyway, to try and piggyback on this thread with a group that will have some opinions: if you mainly fly business class anyway what's the use of an EK Gold Card?

I've just qualified for my 8th year in succession and I can't think of a single benefit - perhaps very occasional upgrades to First though they are infrequent and often hardly worth it (the last one I had was in an A330 with 6 seats across in F versus 8 in economy - truly EK have some of the poorest premium seats of any decent major airline: the only airline that cram 7 across in J in a 777 and A330/340).

With BA Gold, for example, you can use the First lounges and even the standard BA lounge when not flying BA..

Anyone got an I/O card? Now that is worth having...

weasel decentral

Just called the butler in to go get the receipt so I can see what he buys for my chef to cook.

kittycat1

Miss anne thrope;

erm not having to queue to check in, extra baggage allowance, use of gold business lounge, extra air miles... and god forbid you do travel cattle class your much more likely to get an upgrade.

sadly Im only silver- I always miss gold by a teeny tiny ammount :-(

mikewot

??

typical

These days there is very little benefit, other than the upgrades. It's still very worth having if you travel alone in economy though.

I still like both premium cabins on the A380 though. First in A380 is the only cabin of any plane on any airline I can guarantee to sleep through a whole flight in.

Not any more. People flying Easyjet out of Gatwick killed it, from what I heard.

Miss Anne Thrope

Kittycat, the point was what was the benefit if you are travelling in business class anyway, and get all those things (except upgrades and J to F is much rarer than Y to J)? If travelling in economy it is worth having definitely.

Millhouse

That wasn't the question. I was interested in knowing simply as (I think that) the amount of travel done by those in the MENA region is unnecessary and excessive. In London/ Europe we traveled far less and did pretty much the same job.

Anyway good of you to boast about your 8th Gold renewal... I can see why you're not I/O though

Millhouse

Carbon offset isn't necessarily buying / trading in carbon credits (which is pointless). We plant trees !

mikewot

OK so which is the best credit card to use to gain miles? Emirates NDB gets a good press from the folks at work, any other suggestions?