Time glints as a gleaming adventure around the world is experienced.
Let’s Travel.
Shot over 5 weeks, visiting 15 different cities in 10 countries.
LAN, the Chilean flag carrier, completed its takeover of TAM, the biggest airline in Brazil, during the Summer to create a new aviation giant. LATAM, as the company will be known—rather conveniently given its Latin American sphere of influence—serves 150 destinations in 22 countries. Its constituent airlines carried 60.3m passengers in 2011, which puts the new company just outside the world’s top ten, but way above any competition in South America, where it has hubs in São Paulo, Santiago, Lima and Bogotá. Most striking, though, is the total market capitalisation of LAN and TAM, which at $13 billion is bigger than any other carrier’s (Air China in second place has a capitalisation of $10.7 billion).
The deal, which was first announced in August 2010, was approved by antitrust regulators in Chile and Brazil last year. It should deliver synergies of $600m-700m within four years, according to a company statement, with 60% coming from revenue increases and 40% from cost savings. The networks of LAN and TAM appear to fit well together, which just a 3% overlap, says the Wall Street Journal. The two brands will continue to operate in parallel from their headquarters in Santiago and São Paulo, and Bloomberg points to one challenge for the new company: ensuring that LAN’s investment-grade credit rating does not suffer from association with TAM, which only gets a B+ rating from S&P. No decision has been announced as to which airline alliance the new company will join: LAN is in oneworld, TAM in Star Alliance.
South American airlines
LAN, TAM, merger plan
Jun 26th 2012, 11:39 by A.B.
Film by Paul Wex
The lounge has been conceived as a harmonious pathway, consisting of sections which are conductive to walking acting as a prelude to the journey ahead.
The architectural concept was inspired by a park and developed around a contemporary reinterpretation of the plant expression.
Shapes, material and colours conjure up nature and the organic world. The paths are organised and give structure to the lounge like offshoots of a plant: taut lines and curved shapes go hand in hand with the vision and retain privacy without partitioning.
This upmarket lounge, which is over 3,000 m2, is situated in the new S4 boarding satellite at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
Designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance and Brandimage.
With the goal of making bland airline meals a thing of the past, the culinary team at British Airways Height Cuisine turned to Chef Heston Blumenthal to help them tackle the challenge of serving great-tasting food at 35,000 feet. In his show “Heston’s Mission Impossible” Blumentahl explored why so many foods loose flavor at altitude. He then set about developing techniques to solve the problem. Blumenthal suggests that the key to creating flavorful airline menus can be found in the ability to harness the powers of umami-rich ingredients.
Umami flavors now power British Airways’ Height Cuisine menus. Mushrooms, shellfish, truffles, tomatoes and other umami-rich foods can be found in the Gate Gourmet kitchen
The word umami may seem to have popped up recently, but according to Tim Hanni of the Napa Seasoning Company, this particular taste “was dubbed umami, a vernacular word for ‘good’ in Japanese, by Dr. Ikeda in the early 20th century, who formally presented research in 1908 that umami was a separate, primary taste.” Hanni, also known as the Swami of Umami explains, “The umami taste sensation is triggered by natural glutamate that is found in a vast array of foods: meats, poultry, seafood, dairy/cheeses, vegetables and fruits. Umami is amplified significantly when compounds called nucleotides, associated with fermentation and ripening, are added to the mix.” After much research and exploration of the power of umami, Hanni created his own product, Vignon, an all-natural, all-purpose seasoning made with sea salt and over 20 ‘micro ingredients’ that makes everything taste more flavorful and rich.
Umami flavors now power British Airways’ Height Cuisine menus. Mushrooms, shellfish, truffles, tomatoes and other umami-rich foods can be found in the Gate Gourmet kitchen. These techniques add power to the overall flavor profile of the food without needing to increase the amounts of salt and sugar. They are carefully prepared and sent up in the air to help make the experience of flying more enjoyable and delicious.
Sitting in Club World or World Traveler Plus class, looking down at a colorful plate of Caledonia blue shrimp with grilled artichoke, tomato petals and sherry truffle vinaigrette, or a Provencale vegetable lasagna with basil ricotta and creamy yellow tomato sauce, passengers now have a much better chance to taste the intended flavor of the food that has been carefully prepared and served with pride by the British Airways’ cabin crew.
Umami Flavors Fly High
British Airways menus powered with the fifth taste serve food high in flavor and lower in salt and sugar.
by Largetail in Travel on 29 June 2012