CNN International's Richard Quest is going to try to make it around the world in just 8 days using just low-cost airlines.
Flying just cramped economy (welcome to the
world of the rest of us!), and starting on Saturday 12 March, Richard Quest,
the presenter of Quest Means Business
on CNN International (DStv 401) will try to fly around the globe using just
low-cost airlines.
There's no word on whether the aviation fundi
who's clocked millions of airmiles in his career at the international news
channel as a business and aviation news correspondent will be able to survive
the ordeal of cramped seats – or how much S&T he will be getting from CNN
to buy some water and peanuts onboard.
Richard Quest's itinerary in low-cost flying will
start in London at Gatwick Airport.
From there he will go to Brussels, Prague,
Dubai, Sharjah, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sydney, Honolulu, Los
Angeles, New York and then back to London – all in cattle class.
Together with jetlag, the journey will span
10 airlines through 9 countries in 8 days.
The adventure is part of CNN's monthly Business Traveller programme and will
look at how far businesses can go on the world's expanding range of budget
airlines.
"These airlines have democratised flying and
are now the backbone of short-haul travel in Europe, Asia and America," says
Richard Quest, announcing his project.
"They’re used for business as well as
leisure and are often the only way to get between certain towns and cities. But
now they're changing too, with more perks, benefits and the addition of new
long-haul routes".
About the attempt Richard Quest says he's "being
very strict about it".
"The rules are that the trip has to start and
end in the same place, we can only travel in one direction, and we can't
backtrack between continents. We're only using low-cost carriers and we're not
allowed to take premium class tickets – it's economy all the way".
"We want to show just how far you can go in
low-cost, and see which airlines are offering the best service for those on
business and on a budget".
The marathon journey will be broadcast in a
special edition of CNN Business Traveller
on CNN International on Thursday 14 April.
