There was an exciting piece of news released the other day by Athens News Headlines. Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the Cypriot who founded easyJet, has had extensive talks with Greece authorities about expanding easyCruise into the Cyclades.
This could produce a big shake-up in the balance of power in island transportation. The news article indicated cooperation between the seamen’s union and the merchant marine ministry; no mention of the ferry companies. Each year lately has seen escalating difficulties with adequate ferry and airplane schedules to provide the major islands with both passengers and freight. The situation with the smaller islands is difficult as well.
EasyCruise has been providing economy cruises along the French and Italian Riviera for two seasons to mixed reviews. As I understand it they “unbundled” the package so that you pay separately for rooms, food, and entertainment; the same principle as “no frills” airline travel.
If anyone has any experience with easyCruise or see more information about expansion into Greece, please comment.
This photo is of the Club Med II parked off our Piso Aliki beach.
(Our villa is in the middle.)
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1 comments:
- At June 30, 2006 10:34 PM stelios the big easy guy said...
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Sir Stelios Knighthood Cover Up
Stelios was granted a knighthood but no journalist has stepped up to the plate to investigate whether it was appropriate to grant a knighthood to a Monaco resident tax exile who is extremely controversial.
In April 1991 when Stelios Haji-Ioannou, was chief executive of his father's business Troodos Shipping, their tanker Haven blew up off Genoa, killing five crew and disgorging up to 50,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea - arguably the Mediterranean's worst-ever ecological disaster.
The Haven was an elderly tanker, formerly the Amoco Haven, sister ship of the ill-starred Amoco Cadiz that foundered in 1978. Stelios was accused of poor maintenance and charged in Italy with manslaughter and intimidating and attempting to bribe witnesses. He faced a lengthy jail sentence and liability for hundreds of millions of pounds compensation. Stelios blamed an error by one of the surviving crew. He was acquitted but the case has dragged on ever since with subsequent appeals and demands for compensation thrown out.
Environmentalists also must be appalled that a person who was personally responsible for an increase in pollution due to his extensive use of elderly ineffiecient aircraft in the early days of easyJet prior to its merger with GO. Is rewarded with a knighthood.
Tax treatment of aviation fuel as opposed to heating oil and petrol.
Inland Revenue investigators must also see the reward as a slap in the face for hard working UK tax payers.
During the last 25 years Stelios has polluted the world. He has been accused of bribery and intimidation. He has avoided tax. He has been taken to court hundreds of times. And yet he is knighted.
When is a journalist going to make a name for themselves by investigating Stelios thoroughly and expose him? Stelios Haji-Ioannou's success? what success is that? every single business he has started has failed with huge losses of ?100s of millions. The only reason easyJet went ok was firstly because his shipping tycoon dad financed the operation and his brother and sister were co-owners. Please tell the world how successful easyInternet, easyCinema, easyCarRentals, easyWatches, easyMobile, easyMusic, easyBus, easyHotel, have been. I can inform you that they have lost a cummulative ?300,000,000.00 since inception. The only reason he got his knighthood because of his donation to the Labour Party it had nothing to do with the queen. As Stelios is a Monaco resident and a tax exile he is only entitled to an honarary knighthood anyway and as soon as the newspapers catch on it will be downgraded. Or if he wants to keep it he can register for UK tax and pay millions to the Inland Revenue!
