It is astonishing to note that some employers prefer to recruit chums, rather than rely on a structured interview process (“My key question when meeting job applicants”, Letters, September 25). My key question is why any employer insists on approaching the issue as one of connecting with, and recruiting, a chum, and invoking a metaphorical crystal ball rather than adopting a scientific process less prone to personal bias.
But the Peter principle, developed by Canadian educator Laurence J Peter, does suggest that, within any organisation, people are promoted to their level of incompetence.
THEY are the companies you trust the most with your precious holidays.
The 2024 Sun Travel Awards saw you voting in your tens of thousands for the travel providers you love to head away with, both home and abroad.
And last week, The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot presented the very special accolades to the winners at an awards lunch at our London HQ hosted by the TV and radio presenter Alexis Conran.
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Here’s who won your vote.
BEST AIRLINE – EMIRATES
PICKING up the award for the second year running, Emirates is obviously a hit with Sun readers for its extensive network that carries you across the globe.
The airline’s generous seat sizes and baggage allowances in economy are probably why — as well as comprehensive in-flight entertainment and warm hospitality.
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Second place went to the original flag carrier, British Airways, with airline and tour op giant Jet2 in third.
BEST SHORT-HAUL OPERATOR – JET2 HOLIDAYS
THE northern airline that has transformed itself into the UK’s largest tour operator has won the award for the second year in a row.
Its huge network of regional holidays and commitment to customer service is obviously a hit with Sun readers.
Second came its arch-rival, Tui, closely followed by new kid on the block easyJet Holidays — popular with you for its generous luggage allowances and huge network of city and beach destinations.
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BEST LONG-HAUL OPERATOR – VIRGIN HOLIDAYS
THIS year celebrating 40 years flying, Virgin Holidays continues to be the go-to tour operator for us when we’re heading across the pond to places including Orlando, Miami, New York and Las Vegas.
And its new Maldives flights are proving as popular — along with packages to the Far East, Mauritius and the Caribbean.
Second was Tui with its reasonably priced offerings to Florida and Thailand. British Airways Holidays took third place.
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BEST IN CRUISE – ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL
IT took delivery of the world’s largest ever cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, this year and Royal Caribbean remains hugely popular with Sun readers for its incredible family-friendly offering.
Coming in second was the British cruise experts P&O Cruises and third was all-inclusive favourite Marella Cruises.
BEST OF BRITISH – NATIONAL TRUST
THIS new award for 2024 sought to celebrate the people, places and British institutions at the very heart of your staycations.
The charitable organisation is dedicated to preserving and protecting the historic places and natural spaces we enjoy on every day out, weekend away or summer holiday. Established in 1895, it manages more than 500 heritage properties, playing a crucial role in conservation and ensuring they are accessible for future generations.
In second place came our go-to for a bargain pint and decent fry-up, pub giant Wetherspoons. And in third, Premier Inn, popular for its reliable, value rooms and oh-so-comfy beds.
BEST SHORT-HAUL DESTINATION – SPAIN
WITH its stunning coastlines and guaranteed sunshine, it’s no surprise that Spain took the top spot in this category.
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We love our traditional favourite and are exploring beyond the norm more than ever before.
But closely snapping at its heels was Greece, with Italy in third place.
BEST LONG-HAUL DESTINATION – CARIBBEAN
IT’S clear Sun readers love a totally tropical escape and when it comes to heading further for our holidays, the Caribbean’s intoxicating mix of culture and relaxation has helped it take the top slot.
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Second is the USA, with tempting Thailand coming third.
MOST TRUSTED TRAVEL COMPANY – TUI
THIS award is important for Sun Travel readers — they want to know they are spending their precious holiday pounds with a company that will look after them, provide support when things go wrong and strive to treat their customers fairly.
It’s always a closely fought race and there was very little between our top three. Tui triumphed, with last year’s winner Jet2 second and British Airways Holidays third.
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BEST UK HOLIDAY PROVIDER – HAVEN
WITH their good-value breaks and fabulous facilities, Haven grabbed the top slot — the self-catering giant even welcomed the first-ever Wetherspoons at a holiday park this year.
In second place came Hoseasons, and in third, Park Resorts.
BEST UK ATTRACTION – ALTON TOWERS
WE couldn’t get enough of the revamped classic, Nemesis Reborn at this year’s winner, Alton Towers. The natural wonders of Cornish gem The Eden Project won you over to bag second place, with Legoland Windsor third.
BEST GLOBAL ATTRACTION – WALT DISNEY WORLD, FLORIDA
WALT Disney World Resort in Orlando claimed victory — and this year announced even more plans to expand its Florida empire with new lands coming in the next few years.
In second place it’s Universal Orlando Resort, which is looking forward to the opening of a new park, Epic Universe, in 2025.
TODAY, across the UK, in some very special places you will hear screams of delight and gasps of wonder.
Young and old will be learning about our nation’s history, amazing wildlife and nature, and scaring themselves silly on adrenaline-charged rides.
They will be escaping the everyday and indulging in some unadulterated fun.
My Editor’s Choice award this year went to Merlin Entertainment. Its roster of theme parks and attractions create unforgettable memories for millions every year.
Through our SuperDays promotions we know just how popular a visit to our greatest attractions are – from the thrills of Alton Towers and Thorpe Park to the wonders of SeaLife and Legoland.
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Merlin continues to innovate across its stable. This year has seen the much-anticipated launch of Nemesis Reborn at Alton Towers and the terrifying Hyperia at Thorpe Park.
Turning a day out into a minibreak has become easier with Woodland Village at Legoland Windsor and Warwick Castle hotel.
They deserve recognition for never resting on their laurels and finding ever more wonderful ways to entertain.
What an inspirational view you have given us in your City Living Special (House & Home, September 21). Oh that it were possible to regenerate our city environment and create a greener, softer and healthier landscape which is so good for the mind, body and soul. We can make that difference — from the ground up. Thank you for showing us a way.
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The stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White House
Kamala Harris promised a fresh clampdown on illegal immigration at the US’s southern frontier as she sought to present a tougher stance on border security with the presidential race entering its final stretch.
On her first campaign trip to the US-Mexico border the vice-president pledged to move beyond measures imposed by the Biden administration, promising “further action” to prevent illegal crossings, tighter asylum measures and “more severe criminal charges” for illegal entrants.
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“While we understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States our system must be orderly and secure,” she told a crowd in the Arizona city of Douglas.
The tougher rhetoric comes as the vice-president seeks to shake perceptions of a lax approach to migration and narrow the polling gap with Donald Trump on a crucial electoral issue.
While polls put Harris neck and neck with Trump overall, the former president consistently leads her on the question of border security. A recent NBC News poll gave Trump a 21-point advantage among voters on the topic.
The number of people crossing the country’s southern frontier surged to record levels under Joe Biden, peaking last December. But apprehensions have since fallen sharply after the president introduced an executive order including emergency measures to shutter the frontier.
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Trump has made immigration a focal point of his campaign, accusing new arrivals of “poisoning the blood of our country” and proposing a crackdown involving militarised mass deportations.
Harris on Friday sought to push back, repeatedly pointing to the former president’s efforts to scuttle a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year, accusing him of an “abdication of leadership” and of prioritising politics over real solutions.
“Donald Trump tanked it,” she said of the bill. “He picked up the phone and called some friends in Congress and said stop the bill. He prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
Harris said that if elected she would work with Congress to pass the border security bill, as well as unspecified actions to keep the border closed between legal crossing points and barring some illegal entrants from being able to claim asylum.
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Trump has sought to tie Harris to the surge in illegal border crossings during Biden’s term in office, dubbing her the president’s “border tsar”, a label her campaign has rejected.
A Trump campaign spokesperson on Friday dismissed Harris’s border visit as a “desperate attempt to fool Americans into forgetting the chaos and devastation she has unleashed over her four years as border tsar”.
In “Lagarde warns on parallels to 1920s slump” (Report, September 21), you quote Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, as saying that — relieved of the constraints imposed by the link to precious metals — central bankers’ tools for preserving the overarching goal of price stability “have proved effective”.
The Roman denarius was roughly stable for three centuries between 250BC and 50AD, then dropped about 55 per cent over the next 145 years. The US dollar was roughly stable for 200 years until 1971.
Then — using those effective central bank tools — it lost about 80 per cent or more of its purchasing power over the next 50 years, a much faster decline than that of the Roman coinage.
Current US experience more closely resembles the final denarius collapse to extinction starting in 250AD.
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In fact Lagarde’s statement is egregiously false, but this was neither clarified nor even hinted at in your article.
My psychiatrist daughter would call her statement delusional. This reader is sorely disappointed, as surely are many other FT enthusiasts. We buy your paper to be warned of financial delusions in our times.
In her article on elite retreats (“Club Rules”, House & Home, September 14) Jessica Salter describes well the need to belong to a welcoming group whose members have interests in common. In Paris, at our parish church of Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile, there is no waiting list or initiation fee, and my husband and I belong to a “club” whose “President” accepts your “membership application” as soon as you believe — or are interested in believing — and where you can receive the “free-of-charge” gift of faith. Although our church has no swimming pool, we do in fact have a very nice baptismal font.
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