The Best Business Lounges Around Asia

By Albert William

Long flight. No sleep. You've spent almost 20 hours in the air and now you've got five hours to kill in this airport 5,000 miles away from home. You don't know anyone for thousands of miles; everyone you see is a complete stranger. You're alone. So very, very alone. What you need is a good drink.

It's a fact that Asia has more business travelers per capita than any other continent on the planet. The business world has its pivotal hub in the Asia Pacific region, with Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo only playing parts in the area's distinct economic influence on the world. Therefore, the airports around Asia reflect the deep regard and respect each Asian country has for the men and women making their economies grow.

Having a good business lounge to reward today's Business Warrior on their long travels is just another way of brightening a day fraught with temperamental children and rough turbulence. Walking through the doors of a lounge designed specifically with you in mind is like being hugged by mom.

There are lounges designed strictly for VIPs and business people, while others cater to all passengers. If you are a business traveler and you just got off a flight that included a family of five loud tourists, it would be wise to avoid going to the lounge they just stepped into. Try the one that specifically caters to you.

There are things that any lounge will have, regardless of whom gets in. They will usually have:

• Drinks
• Snacks
• Television and internet
• Comfortable seating

There are some, however, that fly just above the rainbow. Here are the select few lounges in Asia that offer exemplary class and service.

• Hong Kong International Airport (Hong Kong)

Cathay Pacific's Wing Lounge in the Hong Kong International Airport not only caters to any specific taste, they pride themselves on improving on even the most minute of details. They offer first-class travelers private cabanas, private showers, and chaise lounges.

• Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok)

Thai Airway's Royal Orchid Lounge not only offers the best in travel, but their layover accommodations go beyond the normal rules of class. You feel stressed? Get a Thai massage or take a hot shower. If you need to have a last second meeting, meeting rooms are right there. Also, should you need transportation anywhere, Royal Orchid has a fleet of Mercedes-Benzes at your beckon call should you need to go anywhere.

• Chengi Airport (Singapore)

This airport features almost unanimously lauded lounges. Whether you need to nap, shower, or visit the spa, they have you covered. And if you have a lot of time to kill, you can go on a Singapore Tour. Yes. For a 5-hour or longer layover you can take one of four tours around the city and make it back well before you flight.
If you don't want to leave the airport, you can walk around in one if it's six gardens. That's right. And airport with six gardens. What more could you want?

• Dubai International Airport (Dubai)

Dubai is almost defined by the decadent hotels there that cater to the world's nobility. Movie stars, world leaders, and rich heiresses have all stayed a night or two in the gold-plated, marble-floored castles for the elite. So why stop there?
The Dubai International Airport took the luxury of a 5-star hotel and transposed it into their lounges. With restaurants that feature a dining experience unparalleled in air travel, it is clear to see why people clamor to be stuck in Dubai. They offer spas, Jacuzzis, a full gym and swimming poor to all first-class passengers.

• Incheon International Airport (Seoul)

Asian airports are known to pamper their travelers. Like the airport in Singapore, Incheon offers travelers with selected layovers tours of Seoul. They went one up on them, however. The VIP lounges are catered specifically to first-class flyers. Also, for the past two years straight the lounges in Incheon International Airport have been given the Global Traveler award for the best in the world.

In a time when simply being good was never so hard, these airports looked great, seemingly without effort. Naturally, you would be just as tired of flying in a VIP lounge as you would in the terminal. But there a lot to be said about hating to fly in style, as opposed to despising it on a plastic chair in front of Gate 24. If the adage, "you get what you pay for" is true, then these lounges are worth millions.

Even with a nice lounge in which to relax, having a pre-arranged serviced apartment ready for your stay is a wonderful welcome in any major Asian city. MoveandStay.com specializes in supplying self-catered apartments to the busy business travelers of today with accommodations to fit everyone's needs.
http://www.moveandstay.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Albert_William

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The Changing Landscape of Business Travel

By Stewart Roy

The ongoing global economic downturn has affected nearly all major industries but the effect has been particularly devastating on the global airline industry which has been grappling with various woes like rising fuel costs, falling revenues and rapidly diminishing demand especially in the premium class of travel. In a recent forecast, the International Air Transport Association director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani, estimated that global airlines would face a 12 percent decline in revenues for 2009.

These airline industry woes have affected all airlines and both the legacy carriers as well as the low cost carriers have had to deal with this changing global economic scenario. While several low cost carriers like the all business class transatlantic services, EOS, Silverjet and Maxjet have simply shut shop and disappeared into oblivion whereas many airlines have even dropped certain routes or reduced the frequency of service to certain destinations in order to combat revenue losses.

Business travel which is usually associated with the premium cabins of airlines has been especially badly affected by the recession as companies all over the world have gone into cost cutting mode and have eliminated or altered their business travel programs in keeping with their new conservation mantra. A recent survey by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives found that more than 70% of corporations were in the process of cutting down on travel budgets by 10% to 20% this year. Additionally, companies such as AT&T have reportedly reduced business travel by 15% through the use of video conferences and web meetings while consulting giant, Accenture has begun the process of setting a network of video conferencing rooms at its various locations worldwide in an effort to limit business travel.

However in spite of all this, the general consensus seems to be that business travel is extremely essential to the conduct of regular business and cannot be done away entirely with especially in situations that demand interpersonal interaction across international borders or require specialized training which needs to be imparted. Some companies do in fact realize this and are currently leaning on their travel departments to control costs by procuring the best airline and hotel deals for their executives who need to make these essential business trips.

Airlines also realize that these business class travelers are their primary source of revenue and profit and need to be retained at any cost. In order to fill their planes and retain custom they have resorted to offering fantastic discounts on tickets for their cabins located in the front of the aircraft. Recently British Airways had a 2-for-1 sale on business-class seats from the United States to London for travel between June 1st and October 31st 2009. This offer was soon followed by similar sales from airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and Continental.

Stewart Roy

Travel Professional
http://www.farebuzz.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stewart_Roy

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Air Ambulance - How Should You Pick One?

By Bindo Manger

With the many companies available today, it seems almost impossible to pick an air-ambulance company that is suitable for us. Of course we all don't like to think of the situation, in which we might be in need for one. However in our times, it is becoming more and more popular to use an air ambulance service in emergency cases. We will try to give a few guidelines to pick a company that might be suitable:

You should look for a reliable company, with a good reputation. A good way to find out, whether or not the company has a good reputation, is to check other customers feedback. You can perform a quick search in the internet, that will yield the desired results. With in 10 to 15 minutes, you can sum up your conclusions. It is important to read reviews (if available), from different sites and to try to finalize your opinion.

Look for reasonable prices - there is no need to pay extra money, for a service, which is becoming very common and widespread. In our days the rates for an air ambulance can vary significantly from one company to another. In most cases, there is no justification for the high prices, some companies choose to charge.

Many years of experience is an important factor to consider, when picking a company. You should try to find a company with at least 10 years of experience in operating air ambulances. For conclusion, we all hope not to be in need of the services of an emergency flight. Nevertheless, it is better to be prepared and always keep a number of a good company handy.

For more information about Air Ambulance, you can visit us at- http://www.Or-Av.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bindo_Manger

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3 Ways to Use Cheap Web Conferencing Software the Airlines Don't Want You to Know About

By James Hamby

It's no surprise the airline industry is having financial troubles. It seems fewer people are flying these days and that equals fewer profits. Maybe it's because travelers have less disposable income or maybe because of the added delays due to security issues, but the fact is the airlines are in trouble. Other than people flying for personal reasons, the airlines rely heavily on business travelers for a large portion of their passengers, but unfortunately for the airlines, web conferencing software and other online meeting tools may soon make the problem even worse.

Businesses are constantly looking for ways they can increase their productivity and become more profitable. One of the fastest and easiest ways they can do both of these is to start using cheap web conferencing software to reduce the amount of time spent traveling for business meetings. By reducing the amount of time an employee is out of the office and also the expense of travel and lodging, a company can instantly save money and increase the productivity of its employees.

Here are a few of the ways cheap web conferencing software can help you travel less and meet more.

Online Sales Presentations

Web conferencing software may not completely eliminate the need to travel for business meetings, but it can greatly reduce it. Most web conferencing applications give you the ability to either launch meetings instantly or schedule future meetings. A phone conversation with a possible client could easily turn into an online sales presentation and demonstration of your product or service. In most cases it's a simple as clicking a button to launch a meeting and sending the other person the information to join the meeting. In less than 2 minutes you could be giving your prospective customer the same informative presentation you give when you meet someone face to face. The only difference is instead of taking a day or two for travel time, it takes you as little as 2 minutes to connect and present. Using web conferencing software, you could give sales presentations to customers in multiple countries and on multiple continents in the same day and all without leaving your office.

Most professional grade web conference software can handle the audio portion of the meeting as well. You will usually have the option for meeting attendees to either call a number provided by the web conferencing service, or you can do the audio over the internet using the VoIP feature integrated into the web conference software. The VoIP feature allows meeting attendees to get all conferencing data over the internet and avoid any possible long distance fees that may be associated with calling a phone number for the meeting audio. As the meeting scheduler, you will most likely have the option to provide one of both of these features to meeting attendees.

Online Team Collaboration

In the connected world we all live and work in today, it's not uncommon for team members to be in completely different locations. Without the use of web conferencing software, this could be a very painful task. Even with the ability to do a phone conference, things usually get difficult at some point. With a phone conference, you need to send all those involved the documents you will be discussing and try to keep everyone on the same page.

When you use a cheap web conferencing solution for team collaboration, all of the problems associated with phone conferencing are eliminated. No more trying to make sure everyone is looking at the same file, because they will all be looking at the same exact file being shown by the presenter. The presenter can choose to show their screen to all members of the meeting, or only select individuals. With the presenter having the ability to share their screen with everyone, that means all meeting attendees can see the file regardless of if they have the software application needed to open that type of file. This will eliminate file compatibility issues and ensure everyone can see the files being discussed.

Another great feature for team collaboration is the ability for the presenter to allow other meeting members to control their mouse and keyboard and they can even pass control to another member of the meeting so that person can share their desktop and files with the group.

Online Training and Customer Support

This is where all the features of your web conferencing software really come together and give you a powerful tool to provide your customers with real time, interactive support and provide distant employees in depth, live training.

Chances are we've all spent at least a little time on the phone with computer tech support while they tried to tell us how to fix the problem we were having. If your company provides such support, then you probably deal with this on a daily basis. Trying to explain how to fix a computer issue over the phone can be a time consuming and most of the time frustrating procedure. You're customers have better things to do with their time and quite frankly, so do you. They bough your product to make their lives easier and now they want you to make this tech support issue as painless as possible. This is no problem if you're using the right web conferencing application. Simply launch a meeting, send your customer the easy to follow instructions to connect to the meeting and once you're both connected, your customer can simply give your tech support rep control of their computer and have them fix it instead of explain how to do it. Wow, now there's a powerful tool that can convenience you customers that tech support doesn't have to be a painful process.

Online employee training is just as easy. Give training presentations and even allow employees to take training sessions straight from your computer. No more having employees travel all over the world for additional training, or sending your company trainer to their location. Now that you're using web conferencing software, you can do it all from one location.

If you're ready to find out how you can save time and money by traveling less and meeting more, learn more about cheap web conferencing solutions at http://www.webconferencetrial.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Hamby

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Help to Overcome Flying Fear

By Jimbo Thomas

We may make giant leaps in terms of science and technology but the same old phobias haunt us humans. Sure some phobic elements and aspects change over time as in a fear of flying, as this obviously didn't exist at least in it's present form until the aeroplane was invented.

If you have experienced it or are experiencing it (fear of flying), you will know it's no joke and a very real phobia, a fear which can and often do almost paralyze those afflicted.

There are many ways which may help you overcome your fear of flying; hypnosis, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) are just some of them. We will however look very briefly at Hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy has many uses and benefits and can be used effectively to overcome fear of flying. Techniques and methods are well documented. Essentially you can utilize Hypnosis to address psychological, behavioral or physical issues, indeed can even apply it to yourself (self-hypnosis).

But I guess before you investigate the possibility of hypnotherapy to get you on that plane here is some basic information about hypnosis.

Hypnosis is actually nothing very special it is merely an altered state of consciousness, something which everyone experiences whether you are aware of it or not. And this is the crux, hypnosis is not sleep and that's important (by the way this has been determined by analyzing EEG patterns).

Hypnosis is absolute and intense focus, of course the problem, in our case, fear of flying, is brought to the fore and focused upon. The objective is to deal with and eliminate the phobia through this intense focus.

It can work by either changing your mindset or by recognizing the fear of flying for what it is - unfounded, illogical and against the grain regarding air travel safety.

And finally, now that you have or almost have overcome your fear of flying, how about overcoming the fear of high airline ticket prices?

You just must see a guide written by an ex-pilot. He spills airline secrets about buying tickets at massive discount. The airlines tried to ban it. Go take a look at Cheap Airline Tickets
http://thehomebusinessventure.com/cheapairlineairfare.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimbo_Thomas

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Former Travel Industry Employee Fired and Disgruntled!

By Lily Andrews

How would you like to go on a cruise for free? Maybe you would like free car rental? What if you could get a free hotel stay, simply by knowing what to say to the clerk? Free meals, transportation, and other various services at no cost from the hotel you are staying at? My personal favorite; however, is free tickets to various theme parks and attractions around the world such as Universal Studios! I have to admit that I am such a theme park junkie!

I know that you are thinking, "Yeah right." The truth is that it IS POSSIBLE, you just have to know the tricks and secrets of the travel industry. Allow me to introduce Tony. Tony is a disgruntled former 16 year employee of the travel industry, that possesses the knowledge, secrets, tips and tricks to getting much more for much less, and even something for nothing!

Just think of all the places that you and your family could go armed with his secret knowledge. After all, tricks of international travel as well as travel with children is just one of the many of his secrets. What is your dream vacation? My guess is that it is still just a dream because it's way too expensive. Well, with all of the things you could learn from Tony, you could be able to take that vacation to Hawaii, tour of Europe, cruise to an exotic destination, Australia, Japan, or where ever your little heart desires to go! Wouldn't you like to take the kids to Orlando, and give them a magical childhood memory they'll have for a lifetime?

Tony's insider information is more important now than ever. Many people in todays economy are simply not taking vacations, not because they don't need it to relax and relieve the stresses of everyday life, but because they simply just don't have the money to afford to go anywhere. I know I didn't until I found Tony's information, which is why I'm sharing it with you.

No one should have all work and no play. Now my family and I go on as many trips as we can fit in! So if you and your family are either not going on vacation, not going on as many vacations as you would like to go on, or not going on the vacation you WANT to go on, not anymore! Once you too have this insider information, pack your suitcase my darlings, because you're going on vacation! The list is just too long to mention in this article, so to view all of the travel industry secrets that you could learn from Tony, please click the url listed below.

By: Lily Andrews
to view all the information Tony has to share, please visit: http://www.healthybody.netne.net/1_11_E-BOOKS-AUDIBLES.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lily_Andrews

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Nine Myths About Accessible Travel

By Candy Harrington

With the evolution of the internet, information is just a few mouse clicks away. That includes information about accessible travel. An although the internet is a great tool for disabled travelers, there's also a lot of misinformation circulating on-line. With that in mind, here are some examples of accessible travel misinformation recently spotted on-line.

Myth: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the law that covers air travel for disabled passengers.
Fact: The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which actually predates the ADA, covers airline and aircraft accessibility. The ADA does not.

Myth: Companions of disabled passengers are entitled to free flights under the ACAA.
Fact: Airline personnel can require a passenger to travel with a "safety assistant" if they feel the passenger cannot adequately assist with his or her own emergency evacuation. The cabin crew however, usually designates another paying passenger or an off-duty crew member to act in this capacity.

Myth: Wheelchair-users are guaranteed bulkhead seating on airplanes.
Fact: Under the ACAA, people with a fused leg and those who travel with a service animal are the only passengers guaranteed bulkhead seating.

Myth: Making a reservation at a property assures you that the accessible room will be there when you arrive, because you have guaranteed it with your credit card.
Fact: Guaranteeing a room with your credit card only locks you in on a specific rate. Blocking a room sets aside a specific room for a specific guest on a specific date. All accessible rooms need to be blocked.

Myth: All accessible guest rooms have roll-in showers.
Fact: In the US, only hotels with over 50 rooms are required to have accessible guest rooms with roll-in showers. Those with under 50 rooms are merely required to have tub/shower combinations with grab bars.

Myth: All hotels have to have shuttles that are wheelchair-accessible.
Fact: If a hotel provides free airport transfers, they must also provide accessible transfers at no charge. They don't have to own their own accessible vehicle though. They can contract out the service, but they cannot charge extra for it.

Myth: Cruise ships have to be accessible under the ADA.
Fact: Even though the Supreme Court ruled that the ADA applies to foreign-flagged cruise ships that call on US ports, we still don't have any specific access guidelines for them. Those are being sorted out by the US Access Board and the Department of Transportation (DOT). For now, all the access modifications the cruise lines have made, have been completely voluntary.

Myth: The ship-sponsored shore excursions on most cruises are usually accessible.
Fact: In order to take most ship-sponsored shore excursions you have to be able to walk a few steps and climb up into a bus. Most of the ship-sponsored tours do not include accessible transportation. The exception is in Alaska, but you have to specifically request an adapted vehicle there, even on tours that are designated as "accessible".

Myth: Theme parks let wheelchair-users go to the front of the line so they don't have to wait.
Fact: In some cases, disabled guests are allowed to access certain attractions through the exit, because it's more accessible. The newer rides and attractions are being built with accessible entrances, so this alternative access is no longer required. This accommodation was never meant as a line-cutting privilege, as everyone has to wait at theme parks. The goal is to have all guests access the attractions through one integrated (and accessible) entrance.

Candy Harrington is the author of Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, which is available from your favorite bookstore or at http://www.BarrierFreeTravel.net Visit Candy Harrington's Barrier Free Travels blog at http://www.BarrierFreeTravels.com for more helpful access tips, travel news and information for disabled travelers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Candy_Harrington

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Why the Air Ambulance Service is Essential For Any Medical Facility

By Marc Reichmann

An air ambulance is the same idea as an ambulance truck; the only difference is that one drives, and one flies. Another term that's also used to describe an air ambulance is Medevac. An air ambulance has all the required tools and machines for a medical patient in order to transfer them safely to a hospital. The air ambulance jets are all equipped for advanced life support. All the Jets are equipped with ventilators, medication, CPR equipment, an ECG , stretchers, and all necessary medical supplies.

The reason why air ambulances are so vital is as follows. If a person is on vacation in Mexico and has a medical emergency such as, a heart attack, kidney failure, third degree burns, a spinal fracture etc... he requires immediate attention and the best doctors or surgeons to perform an operation. This is just one example of where the services of an air ambulance would be essential, to transport the patient immediately to trusted professionals.

Another example of where an air ambulance is used and needed by hospitals, is in the case of an organ transplant. For example, a person in New York needs a liver transplant and the only suitable donor is in San Francisco, the hospital needs the organ to be transported within 24 hours. In this case they would have an air ambulance pick up the liver from San Francisco and deliver it to New York within the allotted time frame. The trip is too far for a helicopter, therefore a jet is the only way to transport it.

There is no loss to the hospital or any medical facility that uses it (Government use, Nursing homes, Assisted living etc..) because they are only charged a fee when they actually use it.For instance, if anyone has this service there will be an air ambulance waiting for them until they call in an emergency.There is no charge for having the air ambulance waiting around for possible use.

An air ambulance is essential for any medical facility, since a medical emergency can sporadically arrive. If you have this service, you will be ready and well equipped to handle the emergency and very likely save a life. Make sure that your hospital or nursing home provides this service and will always be ready to save lives.

If you are interested and want to learn more about Air Ambulances please visit http://www.airambulance-medevac.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Reichmann

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