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Business Traveller

The Best of Business Traveller Includes, Air New Zealand's Round the World Route, Travel Clothes That Stay Fresh On The Go; Holistic Spas for Weary Road Warriors

Aired March 10, 2007 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, BUSINESS TRAVELLER: Hello and welcome to CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER. I'm Richard Quest. This month reporting from -- well, all over the place.
Hello and welcome to CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER. My name is Richard Quest. And this month we've decided to honor many of your requests. You've wanted to see some of the features and the reports that we've shown you over the past few months. Perhaps you didn't get a chance to write down the details, or you want to just enjoy them one more time. So, this month it's the very best of CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER.

(Voice over): Coming up, one day, six flights, and a whole heap of air miles. How I hit the frequent flyer jackpot on a mileage run.

RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRLINES: If you've got hair, you've got strength. Don't want to loose too much strength.

QUEST: Learning from the master. Richard Branson gives me his top five traveler's tips.

And escape the stress. Finding inner peace at the top of the Himalayas.

(On camera): If there is one subject that energizes the business traveler it is the accumulation of frequent flyer miles. For 25 years we have been traveling the globe, gathering miles as we go. There are now more than 100 million of us enrolled in the various airline programs. Some people, though, will got extraordinary lengths to earn those precious miles. As I discovered last year, there are actually people who fly mileage runs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (On camera): Four-thirty in the morning, and the committed mileage runner gets up early to start accumulating those bonus points. Over the next 12 hours I'm going to go between Dallas and Austin at least six times. That will give me 30,000 bonus miles. That's worth having.

(Voice over): At least it's an easy run to the airport.

(On camera): Complete check in. And there is the first boarding pass in our mileage run.

Hello, good morning.

(Voice over): I'm certainly not the only mileage runner on board. King of them all, Flyertalk.com's Randy Petersen.

(On camera): What a nice day.

RANDY PETERSEN, FLYERTALK.COM: It's a nice day for flying, but more importantly it's great day to go out and earn a whole bunch of frequent flyer miles.

QUEST: Is it worth it?

PETERSEN: It's absolutely worth it. Because you know what we've done, is we're paying about $150 U.S., for a 30,000 mile bonus.

QUEST (voice over): Thirty minutes after we took off from Dallas, and it's already touchdown in Austin, with 5,000 miles under my belt. It's all about status.

PETERSEN: Status miles can give you upgrades and that's the holy grail of frequent flyer programs. The earning of miles simply can get you from one place to another, with some problems, if you will, if seats are available. It's nice to use those kind of miles, but at the end of the day, the true road warrior only wants to sit in first class.

QUEST: But to earn those perks it means time in the back. And these mileage hunters are a committed bunch, scouring the Internet for deals. And taking time off work to fly the most lucrative routes.

(On camera): We're going back to Dallas.

(Voice over): A quick trip to the departure gate and it's round two. Mid-day and we're midway through our mileage run, the third flight of six. But remember, only when we've completed all the flights will we be eligible for the 30,000-mile bonus.

(On camera): I think these short mileage runs are easier than lone ones.

PETERSEN: Yes, but they're more dangerous. We miss a check in and, boy, we're in really big trouble.

(Voice over): Famous last words.

(On camera): It's going to be tight this one. We always knew there was one or two connections that we were absolutely pushing it to the limit.

I'm too old for this, Randy.

(LAUGHTER)

We've been flying now for about eight and a half hours. This is flight number?

PETERSEN: Big five.

QUEST: Big five.

PETERSEN: Yes.

QUEST: One more?

PETERSEN: One more and we're 30,000 miles richer.

QUEST (voice over): Not everyone is happy about the idea of the mileage run as a quick fix for the frequent flyers. Our Dallas/Austin shuttle generated 1800 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

HOWARD WHEELDON, DOW JONES: I do think that's totally irresponsible and I think that's exactly the type of travel that we have to tax against.

QUEST: Until then, or when airlines decide mileage runs are no longer worth the loyalty they generate, mileage runners like me, will keep on running.

PETERSEN: Yeah!

QUEST: We did it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: These days airlines all love to tell you that they're the ones who can take you around the world. But that's usually with their coach air partners, or alliances. There is one airline, though, that actually can take you around the world. It's Air New Zealand, which last year started a new route that meant it circumnavigated the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (voice over): Our journey starts in New Zealand. Where the national carrier, Air New Zealand is making new connections of its own. It has extended the Auckland to Hong Kong flight all the way to London. From there passengers can then return home via Air New Zealand to Los Angeles, the homestretch means all the way across the Pacific. This is one airline taking you all the `round the world on its own plane.

ROB FYLE, CEO, AIR NEW ZELAND: On the route between Auckland and London, via either Hong Kong or via L.A., we want to be the market share leader. And our view is that in terms of the traffic between London and Auckland, we can gain 35 to 40 percent of that traffic. That's our goal.

QUEST (on camera): International travelers consistently tell me, therefore, I suspect, you've also heard the same, that they will do almost anything to avoid transiting through a U.S. airport, with all the security, the delays and the problems. How important was that in your choice of Hong Kong as a new transit point?

FYLE: The spot we could at Heathrow to land, which incidentally, we got for no considerations, that are highly valuable to us. Getting that slot when we did, late in the evening, put us in Hong Kong first thing in the morning which is an ideal niche in the flights into China, and flights around Southeast Asia.

QUEST: Good evening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good evening, sir.

QUEST (voice over): London via Hong Kong.

It's not before every flight, that you're serenaded by a string quartet. Tonight is special. These passengers are about to embark on a 26-hour journey, more than 18,000 kilometers. The Auckland to Hong Kong leg is not new. Air Zed has been plying that trade for some time, it's the Hong Kong extension to London that's causing this excitement.

It will double Air New Zealand's daily reach to London and pitch it against the big boys, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Cafe Pacific and Qantas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Now, in a moment, you told me this is one of your favorite stories that we've covered. So, another chance to see clothes that stand the test of time -- time zones, that is. How to ensure your suit is wrinkle free.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Hello, and welcome back to the best of CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER.

What to wear on the road? It's a vexed question. Do you wear your best suit when you check in, hoping for that elusive upgrade? Or do you shove it in the suitcase and then wonder why it comes out like a string vest as the other side?

These days manufacturers are making a whole range of garments that are specifically designed for the business traveler. We decided we had to put them to the test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (on camera): I'm in Santa Monica, California now, and this is the Thomas Pink Traveler Shirt. They say it's just the thing for people living life on the road. It's got one or two interesting extra features. Come and have a look. It has two breast pockets, one on the inside, which they say is perfect for keeping your passport in.

And then, in the cuff, just there, is a place to put a spare credit card. Now, it's not the sort of thing that you easily get to, to make that impulse purchase. But if you are on the road and you need to hide something. Well, this might be the answer. It just all seems a little fiddly for everyday use.

I've decided to make our test a little more challenging. I'm going home via Frankfurt. And what this means it that from getting up this morning, here in Los Angeles, to arriving in London, Heathrow, well, I'll have been wearing these clothes for the best part of 24 hours. Now, that's a test.

(Voice over): Suit crumpled, I feel satisfied. There's no way it can emerge unscathed from this journey. Now, about those stains.

(On camera): Glasses of wine, please.

(Voice over): OK, beat this. Oily curry sauce.

(On camera): Does it stains? No, it hasn't.

(Voice over): I've left the most grueling test for last.

(On camera): Ketchup! Compare the two. It works!

(Voice over): OK, I`ll hand it to the shirt. Very impressive indeed. Now, let's see how the rest of my goodies fair.

(On camera): So, 22 hours, after these clothes were first put on, in Los Angeles, you be the judge on who well they've stood the test of travel.

The jacket? Being scrunched in the overhead compartment. It still looks relatively pressed. The shoes have expanded very nicely to accommodate my growing feet. And the shirt, salad oil, ketchup, red wine? I could still probably get away with a meeting wearing it. All in all, not a bad day's journey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: If you have done business in Japan you'll know it can be an expensive matter. It can also be rather worrying. The numbers look very large, and you can't often read the writing. The expenses department will give you grief. So it was late last year that I went to Osaka, to see whether doing business in Japan really did have to be that expensive. I met Steve Crane, he's been bringing business travelers to Japan, on a budget, for years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (voice over): This is the Japan most of us imagine. A list shops, with price tags and rents to match.

(On camera): What about the perception that Japan is an expensive place to do business here?

STEVE CRANE, EXECUTIVE LINK (ph), JAPAN: I would argue that that perception is not exactly accurate. It doesn't have to be such an expensive place to do business, at all.

QUEST: So how much should I allow myself as a per diem traveling here. What are you going to give me?

CRANE: Well, to do it on a budget?

QUEST: On a budget. It's very crucial that we do it on a budget.

CRANE: OK, 22,000 yen, per day.

QUEST: OK, 22,000?

CRANE: Uh-huh.

QUEST: How convenient, that works out at just about $200 a day. Hand it over. Does this include my hotel?

CRANE: Oh, yeah, sure. Of course.

QUEST: You're not serious?

CRANE: Totally serious. There we go.

QUEST: Ten, 20 -- and I'm not sleeping on the street?

CRANE: You won't need to sleep on the street.

QUEST: So, 22,000?

CRANE: You bet.

QUEST: Time to start some business.

CRANE: OK.

QUEST: I'll call up a taxi. I should be able to get one on the street.

CRANE: Oh, Richard, no, no, no. It's the subway for us. We're doing it on a budget, remember?

QUEST: The subway?

CRANE: Yeah, the subway. Just do it.

QUEST: I'll never be able to navigate that.

CRANE: You will. Come on, I'll show you.

QUEST: Yoba (ph)?

CRANE: You're at the Yoebashi (ph) Station, that's it. Let's go.

QUEST (voice over): I'm lost already. But not for long. I've struck on something that is going to make life much easier. The English button.

QUEST (on camera): English?

CRANE: That's right.

QUEST: And all-day card or a ticket?

CRANE: No, we don't need and all day card. Just get a ticket. That's it. And the blue one that's it.

QUEST: There's my ticket.

CRANE: Ticket.

QUEST: Remember, the machine says it will do it in English.

(Voice over): Truth is, it's not that daunting on the Japanese subway.

(On camera): All this saving of money has a purpose. It means, I've now got cash to spare for when it really matters.

(Voice over): Lunch set me back 4,000 yen. When you're not entertaining this is a much cheaper option for the midday snack. Freshly cooked, a simple bowl of noodles for just a couple of dollars.

Let's take a look at how my day's spending has stacked up so far. The hotel, a business style hotel, was 12,000 yen. Subways, and the odd taxi, about 500 yen. My expensive business lunch, that was dear. It cost 4,000. My late afternoon noodles were almost nothing at all, a couple of 100. My local telephone calls and the call charges on my rented mobile, could be up to another 1,000 yen. I've also allowed 1,000 or so for incidentals. So my total is around 18,000 yen or $150. I've done it with cash to spare.

(On camera): Steve was right. I was able to do Osaka on $200 a day, including accommodations. However, if things had gone wrong. There was an alternative. It's called the Media Cafe. Come, I'll show you.

(Voice over): I've even managed to splash out and get a double room.

(On camera): Ten hours, including computers, and DVD player, for just 4,600 yen. If everything had gone wrong this would have been the perfect solution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Breathe in, relax, refresh. If you think spas are just for pampering what's new in 2007 for the highly strung global road warrior?

And Richard Branson's top traveling tips for surviving on the road.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: After a long business trip you deserve a bit of fun. When it comes to fun on the road, there's one man who's done more than most to restore a bit of fun its Sir Richard Branson, head of Virgin Atlantic. We decided to find out what gadgets Sir Richard thinks are essential when he's on the road.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIR RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRLINES: This Brightening (ph) watch is a very special watch. It's actually saved my life on a couple of occasions. I've been pulled out of the sea six times by helicopters in ballooning and boating incidents. And the great thing with this Brightening (ph) watch is I can pull out an aerial and it sends out an (INAUDIBLE) and any boat within 200 miles, or any helicopter, will then head towards this sound to rescue whoever is at the end of the watch.

I used it, I think, the last time, off Tahiti, in Pacific where our balloon went down. So, very grateful to the watch, I never know if I'm going to need it.

Being a really busy person I've never have the chance to have a hair cut, so when I come to Virgin Upper Class Lounge, I try to get -- you know, I try to find the time to get a haircut.

Yeah, it's great. I'm a great believer, if you've got hair, you know, you've got strength.

(LAUGHTER)

You don't want to loose too much strength. I'm running, running, running all the time to have a shoulder massage, a neck massage, I think is a real luxury. Even if it's just a 10 or 15 minute massage.

The kinds of things I'd like, you know, when I come to -- before I get on a plane is to jump in a Jacuzzi and chill out.

Right, so make sure I always have a swimming costume. A towel, of course, and I'll see you in the Jacuzzi.

I think the number one thing I take with me when I'm traveling is a notebook. And I think if you're going to run a really personal airline is those little details that matter and therefore the notebook is an essential part of my traveling day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: By now you'll have realized what a busy year it was, energetic to say the least. We traveled the globe. We've given you tips on what to wear. We've shown you the latest gadgets that will help your travels go more smoothly. It must be time to rest and relax and that usually means visiting a spa. But what does make a good spa?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): London has a new entrant in the spa scene. Wholeman is a holistic men's health treatment spa, offering stressed executives a one-stop shop for grooming, vitamins, facials and massages. They're riding a trend that has seen health spas move from the specialist to the mainstream, and from women to men.

BOB AGER, WHOLEMAN: We believe there is enormous scope, mainly because men are becoming much less intimidated by the idea of a spa, especially when there's not a big commitment. If you can come in here, have a really great experience in an hour and a half, two hours, it is worth experimenting.

KAPUR: The key change this year is a shift from pamper parlors to a more encompassing approach. It's about offering more than skin deep treats.

ANNE BIGING, HEALING HOTELS OF THE WORLD: I think that pampering, you know, is on the top of the wave. I mean, the spa industry is just going up like crazy. So, as with everything which is on top the wave there is now something new has to come in. And I think the new thing, or I know the new thing is to combine pampering, luxury, and learning.

KAPUR: And if you want pampering, luxury and learning, there really is only one place to go: High up in the Himalayas there is a spa unlike any other. It's the original holistic experience.

The journey to Ananda, Hindi for "joy", begins here. The Shitabli (ph) Express rumbles through the Ganges Valley in north India. A scenic drive up the winding wooded roads of the Himalayan foothills brings you here, to Ananda. Within the grounds of the Maharaja Abari Gawa's (ph) Palace.

(On camera): What makes this spa so special? Those who come here say it's the spa's focus on Ayurveda, and ancient Indian science of healing.

DR. PRAMOD MANE, AYURVEDIC DOCTOR: Ayurveda is the ancient holistic science developed and perfected by Indian sages for the prevention and cure of diseases and it is the life strength (ph), in itself.

KAPUR (voice over): Ananda's strength is in offering a holistic tailor-made program for each guest, which includes a daily routine of yoga classes, spa therapies, special meals and lessons with a chef.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oooo, deeply inhale.

KAPUR: The idea is to bring your body back into it's natural balance, which also explains Ananda's emphasis on yoga. It has a special meaning at this spa, since its set in the Himalayas considered the birthplace of yoga.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Knee on the ground, look up.

ANDREW SUIDHANA, AMERICAN IN THE HIMALAYAS: Yoga is a great stress buster. And that's one of our (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And a combination of these will definitely help the modern stressed out business traveler.

STEVE MILESGRADE, PROPERTY DEVELOPER: Yes, definitely. I think I fit into that category. I have had, unfortunately, a little bit of work since I've been here, but not much. And I'm feeling so much better than when I arrived.

KUPAR: Mind, body, or soul, there's a bit of something for everyone at Ananda, truth is though, a bit of indulgent pampering never hurt anyone, once in a while.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: And that's CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLR for this month. I'm Richard Quest. Looking back at some of the best moments of the series.

Wherever your travels may take you, I hope it's profitable. And I'll see you on the road next month.

END

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