Post-Olympic blues

Alas, it’s one week now since the Olympics graced our screens for the last time (or at least, in London for the foreseeable future.) It was a day that saw Britain win a few more medals to round off a fantastic haul in London, and culminated in a fantastic party featuring the likes of George Michael and Kate Moss.

And I, like many other people it seems, just can’t get one act out of my head. Yes, this last week I’ve been reliving my inner-Baby Spice (I was always the Baby one) and singing ‘Spice up your life’ at any given opportunity.

It doesn’t help that the girls have been teasing the media, with suggestions from Mel C that she’d “do it all again” and “never say never”. Oh Spice Girls, won’t you reform once more?

Thank the lord for the new Spice Girls musical, Viva forever!, which looks set to hit the West End later this year.

In the meantime, you can dig out the leopard print and that oh-so-short union jack dress and reminsce over last Sunday night’s fantastic performance from arguably the world’s best ever girl band here.

And don’t forget, the Paralympics are just around the corner. Tickets are selling quickly, so keep on checking the website for availability. No doubt Britain will lay down the foundations for another great games. You can find out more about the Paralympics here.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

The Spain Diaries: No.1 - the BA experience

Recently, the jourknow went on his second holiday this year to the sunny Costa Del Sol region of Spain, and following my previous diary format from my New Zealand adventures, I’ll be giving you a weekly insight into just a few of the sights and smells from my holiday in the sun.

Now it’s always been said that as soon as you set foot in the airport awaiting your departure, your holiday begins. The duty free, the flying, the screaming baby sitting next to you - these are all experiences which kick off the start of your summers break, and my journey to Spain was no different.

Well, it was a little different. You see, it was actually quite nice for a change. Always being one to sniff out a bargain, I was lucky to book a flight out with British Airways from London Gatwick to Malaga for only £50. Having never flown with the national airline, I was quite looking forward to the experience, and was surprised that when I tweeted BA, they were kind enough to tweet me back, telling me they were looking forward to me travelling with them.

On arrival at the airport, the BA check-in was a dream. All you had to do was key in a few details into one of the self-service check-in desks, print off your boarding pass and hand over your luggage. With BA, you’re allowed 23kg of luggage (3kg more than most other airlines), along with a piece of hand luggage and an option laptop bag. Pretty good if you’re planning on taking a lot with you on holiday.

Thinking that I was going to spending ages in the queue, I was pleasantly surprised to find I had enough time to truly experience the joys of duty free. A lovely meal in Café Rouge followed by a quick spray of all the perfumes quickly passed the time, and before long I was sat comfortably my window seat, waiting for the plane to take off.

The BA experience on board was fantastic. The free drinks and light meal all come included with the ticket, so it was great to save some money rather then spend it on highly inflated prices you usually pay for on your low-budget airlines. The service was great too, with cabin crew very friendly, ensuring the flight was comfortable for all passengers on board.

It was refreshing to relax, unwind and enjoy the start of my holiday before my holiday really began, and I was really happy with the service provided by British Airways. Many people might think they’re expensive as a chartered airline, but surprisingly, their service was far cheaper then any no-frills airline.

And it certainly kicked off a holiday that was full of sun, swimming and lots of San Miguel!

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

Risky game for British Airways

I love a good commercial, and with viewers flocking to their screens for events such as the Euros and the Olympics this summer, it's gonna be a bumper year for advertising agencies. Companies are putting big amounts of money on the table to get a slice of the precious minutes of screen time available for advertisers.

Which is why I was a little confused at the new British Airways advert released this week, which urges the British public to stay at home this summer and enjoy what's on in their local area and in London.

The one minute long ad sees a British Airways plane 'drive' around London, passing all the iconic sites, before reaching a halt outside the Olympic stadium.

Ultimately, the motive behind the campaign must lie behind the sponsorship deal British Airways has for the Olympics. It's an Official Partner for the London 2012 Games, and will heavily benefit from the games, one presumes.

Maybe then, one could presume that British Airways are benefiting from new advertising campaign, maybe from the government? They would have paid millions of pounds into the London 2012 Olympic Games, so why would they risk losing more money by promoting families to stay at home and not use their planes? I'm not suggesting what they're doing is wrong, in fact I think it's right of them to promote the UK during this special year. But British Airways is a business, and business doesn't play nice - which makes me think they're getting something in return for this deal.

Who knows, all I know is that the advert and the intense advertising campaign surrounding it (British Airways is using both Facebook and Twitter to promote their new campaign) must have cost them a lot of money to pull off. Time will tell when they release their end-of-year revenue figures early next year.

You can watch the advertising campaign here. You can also check out their Facebook page and Twitter too.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia