Latest news with #ex-Virgin
Sydney Morning Herald
13-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Aussie tennis star who unwittingly became part of papal history
Just when you (and we) thought every last drip had been wrung out of the papal conclave and the election of Pope Leo XIV, there is more. CBD has learnt a previously undisclosed prominent Aussie was there on the scene. Tennis star Rinky Hijikata was on a day off from the Italian Open and had just finished a museum tour in Rome when he was swept up in the tide of history. 'I thought I'd go check out St Peter's Basilica. As I was walking there, a bunch of people around me just started sprinting towards the Basilica,' the Australian Open men's doubles champion told CBD. Hijikata, who has reached No.63 in the men's rankings, found out from onlookers that the white smoke had just gone up and that the new pope was about to be announced – so he joined the thronging masses. Loading 'Just some pretty good timing and a bit of luck to be fortunate enough to be a part of something like that,' he concluded. In other puff-of-white-smoke news, Tennis Australia announced that Chris Harrop, a 'lifelong tennis fan and social player … (and) advisory partner for global strategy consulting firm Bain & Company' would replace ex-Virgin boss Jayne Hrdlicka as chair of Tennis Australia. Hrdlicka's departure was something that CBD foretold back in October, when TA confirmed to us that her third term on the board would expire at the end of this year.
The Age
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
‘People around me started sprinting': the Aussie star who unwittingly became part of history
In other puff of white smoke news, Tennis Australia announced that Chris Harrop a 'lifelong tennis fan and social player … (and) advisory partner for global strategy consulting firm Bain & Company' would replace ex-Virgin boss Jayne Hrdlicka as chair of Tennis Australia. Hrdlicka's departure was something that CBD foretold back in October, when TA confirmed to us that her third term on the board would expire at the end of this year. Last month, the exec landed the top job at Dan Murphy's owner Endeavour, but no doubt the tennis gig was her favouritest thing. It allowed Hrdlicka to hold court at O, the lavish Rod Laver Arena Tennis Australia hospitality suites, where tennis legends and sporting, political, business and celebrity creatures enjoyed multi-course dinners before a door at the back of the vast suite opened straight out onto the best seats in the stadium just in time for the match of the day. For a tennis tragic like Hrdlicka, it's a lot to give up WhatAppened? The electoral winds of change have blasted through the Liberal Party, which on Tuesday, made Sussan Ley its first female leader. Although the ABC news chyron that accompanied her debut press conference was a taste of the forces she's up against. 'Ley: I will be here in three years,' it read. That's a vote of confidence! It took the Liberals long enough to enter the 21st century (many are saying they're not there yet). It took Ley's staffers a matter of minutes to purge the remnants of the old leader's office. Ley had barely left the party room on Tuesday when her media adviser, Liam Jones, quickly booted Peter Dutton 's old top spinners, Nicole Chant and Adrian Barrett, from a Coalition Campaign HQ WhatsApp group the party had used during the election to send announcements to journalists. Also gone in a flash: John Hulin, chief of staff to new deputy leader Ted O'Brien. The group chat was quickly renamed 'LOTO Ley – Coord'. CBD was told the whole change was simply a necessary matter of logistics. Whatever the motivations, a fitting symbol of changing times in the Liberal camp. More Mabo trouble Multinational mining company Rio Tinto's bankrolling of the Mabo Centre, a native title initiative at the University of Melbourne, hasn't gone down well with some family members of its namesake, pioneering Indigenous land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo. As CBD reported recently, six of Mabo's grandchildren penned a scathing open letter claiming their grandfather would be 'appalled' at the centre taking money from the company which received global condemnation for its destruction of ancient Indigenous rock sites at Juukan Gorge in 2020. The letter demanded the centre cut ties with Rio. Loading 'Anything less is a betrayal,' they wrote. In response, the centre told us the name had been gifted by members of the Mabo family following extensive engagement. But this week, Mabo granddaughter Boneta-Rie Mabo, one of the authors of the original letter, claimed that some hadn't been consulted. 'My father, Eddie Mabo Jr — the eldest son of Eddie Koiki Mabo and the most senior Mabo family member —didn't even know the Mabo Centre existed until I asked him about it after its launch,' she wrote in an article on IndigenousX. In response, the university sent us the same statement it provided a month ago, telling CBD it stood by the response. 'The centre's name was gifted by senior members of the Mabo family following extensive engagement with them,' the university said. 'The senior Mabo family members were aware of the investment by Rio Tinto ahead of the decision to gift the name.' Clearly, not everyone was. Hanging on the telephone We just have space to note this dispatch from the Geelong Advertiser, where a member of its political team tried for days and days to connect with Liberal senator Sarah Henderson. And lo, on Thursday morning a precious callback. But as the Addy recorded: 'Believing she had called her media adviser and not our intrepid reporter, Henderson launched into an almost minute-long monologue that detailed our efforts to contact her and the reasons why. 'Finally, the spin doctor was asked to convey her unwillingness to talk, for the time being at least. 'Seconds of silence were broken when our correspondent informed the hard-working senator that she had, in fact, called the subject of her spiel. ''Oh sorry, I rang the wrong person,' Henderson responded awkwardly.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Flight attendant reveals which class of passengers is the ‘most demanding' — and it's not who you think
They're just plane rude. A wise Real Housewife once sang: 'Money can't buy you class.' And now, a flight attendant is singing a similar tune about this obnoxiously 'demanding' class of frequent flyers. 'Most passengers are delightful, so it's hard to pick one class that is more difficult,' Paula Gahan, a cabin crew member of 10 years, told The Telegraph. 'But if I had to pick one, it would be premium economy.' It's the folks flying in a little bit of luxury, but with a whole bunch of attitude. Only slightly superior to travelers in basic economy, premium economy status — for which seats are a bit more expensive than the lowest fares — often affords trippers on domestic flights priority boarding, a little extra legroom and maybe a snack. And on international flights, premium passengers are typically treated to better meals, fewer seats per row, dedicated lavatories and a 'welcome aboard' drink. But, according to Gahan, those cut-above cloud-cruisers let the perks go to their heads. 'Premium economy passengers are stuck in a bit of a quandary,' she said. 'They can't quite afford business but feel they are a little too good for economy.' 'Wedged between two worlds, glimpsing life beyond the business class curtain, they're in a state of turmoil,' added Gahan, based in the UK. The veteran flight attendant went on to praise economy flyers as the most 'easy-going' passengers. She, too, hailed first-class customers for being mild-mannered — mostly because fewer and fewer folks can afford flying in the plane's swankiest section these days, making it less likely for flight attendants to encounter a bad apples in the bunch. And the jet-setters of business class, a privileged position that ranks just below first-class, are 'used to' being pampered at 30,000 feet, says Gahan, so they're courteous rather than condescending. But she claims that the wannabe elitists in premium economy aren't as debonair. 'These people tend to complain the most, demand everything they can get, and have their fingers glued to the call bell,' Gahan groaned. 'There must be a metaphor for life in there somewhere.' Unfortunately, however, for Gahan and her colleagues, the 'most difficult' troublemakers — regardless of where they're seated on an airbus — are often social media tastemakers, per ex-Virgin Atlantic worker Skye Taylor. 'I think if you're looking at superstars and people who can afford their tickets, they generally were lovely people and very respectful,' the 49-year-old previously stated. 'The main problems lie in the routes like Dubai and Vegas where you get the influencer type that maybe hasn't paid full price,' said Taylor, adding that influencers with penchants towards flying while under the influence of drugs and alcohol are the worst. 'You never can tell what's going to cause somebody to, you know, act out of character,' she said, 'and it's very hard to assess what they've taken.' Here is Gahan's breakdown of aircraft classes. This class is the cheapest option for flyers. Limited services are offered to passengers in this cabin and they sit in standard seats. This is a step up from economy. Passengers are often given wider and more comfortable seats with better leg room. Meal options are more varied than in the lower cabin. This cabin offers much more comfortable seating and sometimes reclining seats that can turn into a bed. Passengers here are given more privacy, better food, and more hands on service. This is the most premium class of flying with tickets often setting people back tens of thousands of pounds. Passengers are offered chef-like dining, expensive drinks, and more attentive care. Fully reclining seats and even private seats can be expected. Some airlines make Wi-Fi and showers available for these passengers.
