Healthcare boss James Buckley was once on a flight to Belfast when the pilot
announced they would have to turn back because someone had left the back
door of the plane open.
“I was flying to Belfast from Leeds on bmi to see a customer and everyone on
the flight was absolutely freezing,” said Buckley. “We were more than half
way there when the captain announced that someone had left the back door
open and we were going to have to turn back. We went back to Leeds, shut the
door and set off again and the delay was only about 40 minutes. The captain
was so matter-of-fact and we didn’t really like to ask anything else.”
Buckley, 45, is the chief executive of Tunstall, specialists in providing
technology to enable old or vulnerable people to stay in their homes. The
company, for example, works with people who have dementia, setting up
sensors in their homes that can tell if they have accidentally left on an
oven or are trying to walk out of the house in the middle of the night. The
technology also allows them to then communicate directly with that person.
Tunstall employs around 1,000 people, half of which are in its East
Yorkshire headquarters, has annual sales of over £100 million and operates
in 14 other countries. Buckley travels frequently throughout the UK and
Europe, and occasionally further afield, on business.
Any other interesting moments on flights?
No, but I have got a funny story about our marketing director Alison Rogan.
She went to America and for the first time she was travelling business class
overnight. She got on and went up to the stewardess and asked if there were
private cabins on board and also whether there were bunk beds. Unbelievable!
They looked at her as if she was mad. She made the mistake of telling us and
has been getting stick ever since. She’s a very intelligent woman but that
was incredible.
Tell me about your short-haul flights
I’m not exactly spoilt for choice for flights in the north of England. For
example, if I’m going to Stockholm, I’ll have to go from Humberside or Leeds
to Amsterdam and go from there. I tend to use Amsterdam as a hub rather a
lot. There’s usually one northern airport that goes to each European
destination that I need to visit. As for the airlines, there’s also very
little choice. I’ve been with KLM and easyjet and jet2.com. I don’t like
easyJet because you are on business, in a suit, and they don’t reserve
seats, so it’s a scrum. Then you can’t find anywhere to put your bag and
you’ve got your jacket on your lap. Being comfortable when you travel is
really important because it sets the tone for the rest of the day. I would
only go standard class on any short haul flights.
Can you recommend any European hotels?
If I go to Stockholm, I’ll stay at the Radisson
at the airport, just because it’s convenient and it’s always clean and
tidy. If I go to Madrid, I do have a favourite hotel – Mirasierra
Suites Hotel. It’s also very clean and tidy and you often get Real
Madrid players staying there, which is quite exciting. There’s usually quite
a buzz with it.
Which airline do you choose for long haul flights?
I sometimes have to go to America and if possible I’ll choose American
Airlines. The service on AA business class is great. If it was much more
expensive, I might go for a different carrier, but if AA, or perhaps British
Airways, is offering a competitive price, I’ll go for them. Carole, my
assistant, books all the travel over the Internet. She books a lot of travel
for all of us.
How do you pass the time on flights?
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