The arrival of British Airways back on the Gibraltar to London Gatwick route has been greeted with joy for many business and leisure passengers alike. Fed up with being squeezed in by low cost carriers, many people are relieved to have a quality and premium carrier back on the route.

So is British Airways really better? Taken in terms of leg room with a seat pitch of 34 inches in Club Europe and 31 inches in Euro Traveller, your long legs are the first to realize the difference. The ex-British Airways franchise carrier, GB Airways, had in fact added an additional 20 seats to their planes resulting in a real squeeze in Business Class. Next you will note the difference of impact on your wallet when you realise you do not have to pay for bags up to your permitted weight allowance.
Your patience will not be tried during your check–in experience, which is either on line or with dedicated desks for Club Europe, Gold or Silver cardholders. Club Europe passengers with Gold Cards can pre-reserve their seats online; this prevents any unseemly scenes at the check-in queue. There is also a rather cute and intimate lounge at Gibraltar airport. Club Europe passengers can board when they please.
The in-flight experience is a hot meal in Club Europe complete with sticky toffee gourmet chocolates, complimentary bar inclusive of champagne, liqueurs, coffee and tea. Passengers in Euro Traveller enjoy a complimentary all day deli sandwich with coffee or tea. There are no newspapers served on board so be mindful to purchase reading material prior to boarding in Gibraltar.
At London Gatwick British Airways do provide newspaper racks at the boarding gate with a selection of the major national dailies.
Indeed, it is on the return journey that the British Airways experience really shines. There are at least 20 check-in desks to choose from, inclusive of First Class check-in for Gold Card holders. Club Europe passengers may then FAST TRACK to two fantastic lounges, terraces for all Club Europe passengers and Gold and Silver card holders.
These bright, airy and spacious lounges complete with fountains are a perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of the main airport lounge. The First Class lounge is open to all Gold Card holders where you can order an entire meal prior to your flight and simply flop into the generous sofas as you sip a glass of chilled champagne.
Boarding in Gatwick is normally on a nearby gate and one has to say the in-flight teams do their utmost to make your journey really comfortable. Above all, British Airways and its team know that they have to fight harder for your business and impress you more.
Apart from a more customised passenger experience, the airline’s Executive Club scheme more than rewards the regular passenger with many little privileges that have simply vanished in the lower cost skies. Overall, in this harassed business world, British Airways is now the only pampering option and with fares often as low as £174 one way (Club Europe excluding taxes) it is by no means always the most expensive.
Current departure times are 11:55 hrs from Gibraltar and 07:00 hrs from Gatwick. These
are to be changed in October with a tad more civilised 13.30 departure from Gatwick and 20.20 departure from Gibraltar.

Studying for a postgraduate management qualification is one of the best ways to gain a competitive edge in today’s crowded job market. But what sets the OU Business School MBAs above the rest?
•    Our MBAs are independently accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).
•    Employers respect our MBAs. That’s why 40 per cent of our MBA students receive financial support from their organisation
•    Our MBAs are open to all, irrespective of academic or career background
•    Our MBA (standard version) is available for study globally
•    Our tutors are mainly practising business professionals
•    We take education to the heart of management. You’ll put into practice what you learn right away, reinforcing your learning as it develops
•    We extend your international perspective as you exchange ideas and practice with managers worldwide
•    We offer a wide choice of electives as well as sector-specific MBAs
•    We provide excellent networking opportunities through the biggest MBA alumni network in the world.

Combined with competitive, inclusive prices, flexible study arrangements, the highest levels of support and all the first-class teaching materials you need, it adds up to an unbeatable package.
The OU Business School internationally recognised MBA qualification is designed for practising managers aspiring to higher positions. The emphasis is on strategic analysis, interdisciplinary skills, intellectual stimulation and independent judgement. Within the broad framework of organisations, their external context and management, you will learn to use the knowledge to analyse, synthesise and evaluate a wide range of situations. Among these will be economic, environmental, social and technological change issues, corporate governance, markets and customers, managing resources and operations, financing organisations, management and development of people, developing information technologies for application in business and management within a global knowledge-based economy, and development of appropriate business policies and strategies within a changing context to meet stakeholder interests. The courses comprising the MBA are challenging. They assume that you already have some experiential knowledge acquired from managerial work.
The MBA is directed both at the acquisition and critical understanding of a body of knowledge and at the acquisition of a range of personal capabilities.
Students entering the programme via the “Fast Track” route are expected to have a recognised honours degree in addition to work experience in management. As such, you should already have gained some of these skills. The programme will however allow you to demonstrate and develop them further.

Heather Capital Limited, an Isle of Man master feeder fund, has turned to Gibraltar-based administrator, Capita Financial Administrators (Gibraltar) Limited to take over its fund administration.
David Wahnon, Capita Financial’s Managing Director in Gibraltar, said: “The Rock’s fund services industry continues to thrive and is increasingly being considered by fund managers when setting up fund structures in alternative jurisdictions.
Heather Capital’s assets exceed US$500m which shows that Gibraltar is not only attracting smaller hedge fund business but is also able to attract larger promoters seeking a well regulated quality jurisdiction to carry out fund business.
This is a great achievement for Capita Financial and for the Gibraltar funds industry in general, and proves that we are perceived as a maturing jurisdiction that is able to compete on a broader spectrum.”
Capita Financial Administrator (Gibraltar) Limited was acquired by the Capita Group in April 2007 and has since secured $1billion of funds under administration.

Close Brothers Group PLC, the UK’s largest independent merchant bank and the prominent Gibraltar-based Marrache Group have announced their intention to establish a Gibraltar-based Bank and an International Wealth Management Firm, by way of a multiple licence submission to the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission.
It is intended that subject to licence approval, the joint venture will trade from the early summer under the new brand, Close & Marrache and will focus on providing tailored wealth management services to wealthy expatriate individuals and their families in Gibraltar, southern Spain and Portugal.
The joint venture aims to create a distinct advantage for its clients over local competitors by exploiting the collective strengths of Close Brothers and Marrache. Close Brothers’ investment management and international banking expertise, together with the Group’s highly-regarded corporate finance capability will be complemented by Marrache’s strong international legal expertise, particularly with cross-border investments. In addition, both Close and Marrache have well-established international trust businesses, providing services to private and corporate clients alike.
Director of the Marrache Group, Abraham Marrache commented:
“We have long wanted to re-establish a banking presence in Gibraltar and through this exciting initiative, have now moved one step closer to realising that objective. The joint venture will create a first-class financial services business with an international orientation.”
Chief Executive Officer of Close Wealth Management Group, Martin Andrew said:
“The joint venture is a perfect strategic fit for Close, given our expertise and the services we currently provide to wealthy clients and our desire to grow in the region. A Gibraltar-based business complements our existing international operations in Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and South Africa.”
Mr Andrew continued, “We are very excited about the relationship we have established with the Marrache Group. Both of us required a partner to fulfil our objectives and we feel we have a perfect match. We see this as a distinct business with a material local presence in Gibraltar from day one.”
Isaac Marrache added on behalf of the Marrache Group,” We have many clients from our existing businesses who we believe will be very interested in using the new venture for banking and portfolio management services. We look forward to opening our doors very soon”.

The Royal Bank of Scotland International (RBS International), which comprises Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, is celebrating after being awarded the prestigious Yellow Jersey award for best performing corporate banking region at the RBS Regional Corporate Banking Awards.
Bank representatives from all offshore jurisdictions were present at the Regional Corporate Banking Dinner in London to accept the award in front of around 500 RBS staff from different regions.
Marvin Cartwright, Head of Corporate Banking at RBS International in Gibraltar, commented:
“In winning this award RBS International staff across all the jurisdictions can take a great deal of pride and sense of achievement in being recognised as the Best Corporate Banking Region in RBS. This award is for all Bank staff and I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to them.”

Ibex Insurance Services Ltd., the largest expatriate insurance provider in the Iberian Peninsula, are proud to announce the launch of a new service for high net worth individuals with property in Spain or Gibraltar.
‘Ibex Premier Client Services’ offers a bespoke insurance solution to those living in higher value homes. The exceptional level of cover takes into account buildings, contents, antiques, jewellery, art and treasured possessions. A home visit, at the customer’s convenience, is included as standard to assist with content valuations, property re-build value and security advice. This bespoke service ensures that in the event of a claim it will be dealt with quickly, efficiently and with the minimum of stress and delay.
The insurance is underwritten at Lloyd’s, the worlds leading insurance market, and includes many other benefits such as ‘all risks’ worldwide cover for possessions, even when travelling, liability cover to €1.5 million and a direct English-speaking claims hotline. There are also several discounts available, for example if there is enhanced security.
There are several other policies available through Ibex Premier Client Services including comprehensive car insurance, travel insurance, yacht insurance and even pet insurance, providing customers with a full insurance package.