Going to the Dogs

Now, we have a couple of FES directors with dogs, and they love their animals, and would do anything for them, but we had to do a double take when we saw the latest PR release from 'Pet Airways' who announced today the opening of its new route between New York and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, adding to the 5 cities it now serves - New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.

At first we weren't so sure about this - but Pet Airways really does operate. The airline is booked 2 months in advance, according to Dan Wiesel, president and CEO of Pet Airways.

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"From the moment a pet is dropped off at the Pet Lounge, pets are under the care of Pet Attendants who are Certified Veterinary Technicians that are trained in caring for pets. A Pet Attendant is always present before, during, and after the flight to make sure their "pawsengers" are comfortable and safe. Pets are never left alone. In flight, pets are in the main cabin of the planes, which are fully climate controlled to make sure that the temperature is just right and that there is an adequate level of fresh circulating air.

Pawsengers are boarded and de-boarded from planes as quickly as possible, never left in the cold or heat, and depending on transit time, are offered toilet facilities, food, and water as necessary during stops. Pet Parents can be sure that their pets are receiving careful handling while having the peace of mind that their pets are well looked after by people who care as much about their pets as they do.

The Pet Airways goal is to make the pet travel experience more comfortable and enjoyable for both pawsengers and their human families."

To see for yourself go to www.petairways.com.

No more emails!

Hats off to Peter Long, CEO of TUI who in a Sunday Times interview puts business success down to clear communication.

We couldn't agree more!

It seems Peter does not even have a computer in his office and he does not answer emails. His view is that executives who send and receive emails are wasting their time.

‘Why are they doing a job an assistant should be doing? He asks, 'Is that really an effective use of their time? I don’t think so'.

FES have, on many occassions, seen organisations where the Chief Executive spends his entire day buried in emails, ploughing through memos that, they really should leave to someone else.

Peter adds, ‘You have to have trust in your teams and not meddle. There are not enough hours in the day to go controlling.’ How very true, CEO should lead and inspire, offer direction and clarity and really shouldn't be messing about in day to day activities that they can easily leave to their staff.

After working through three recessions, two Gulf wars and numerous other global problems, Long said: ‘I am always concerned but you just deal with it, because you have to.’

Of course you do. Well said Peter.