News

July 2007 | December 2007

LM2 Online news page update November 2008

Fuel surcharges

Despite the recent drop in global oil prices the airlines and hauliers aren’t exactly rushing to reduce their surcharges. Like our friends in the banking industry it seems that by not passing on the full cut they are trying to make up some of the shortfall they’ve suffered in recent months. To be fair to UK hauliers they have been contending with just about the highest diesel prices in Europe. They have had to compete against continental operators arriving in the UK with full tanks of cheap diesel. I was in Ireland recently and the price of diesel over there is level with the price of unleaded and as low as 90p a litre. As ever, our advice is to allow a little extra when quoting for transport to cover yourselves for what is bound to be a volatile time for fuel costs.

LM2 joins the FSB

We’ve recently joined the Federation of Small Businesses. As an individual small business it’s difficult to get your voice heard. With the weight of a membership of over 220,000 small businesses the FSB speaks with a strong voice at Government level. The benefits of membership of the organisation to a small business like us are boundless and we look forward to a long and rewarding relationship.

Cargo insurance

Given the current economic climate no one can afford to lose stock or have damages go unpaid for. Whilst we and our suppliers take every care of your goods whilst in our care, accidents can happen and it’s always better to plan for the worst than be landed with an unwelcome bill. Insuring your cargo is cheaper than you may think and provides much needed peace of mind. Go along to our links page and get a quote from our dedicated web site.

New link

Whilst you’re over at our links page getting an insurance quote why not check out our new link. We at LM2 strongly support our troops wherever they serve in the world and especially those injured in the line of duty. Help for Heroes has rapidly become one of the premier charities supporting our troops when they return injured from active service. From pledging £6,000,000 for a new swimming pool complex at the military hospital at Headley Court to paying for a pint and a curry to get amputees used to being out and about again. H4H does practical things to rehabilitate and assist our lads and ladies get back on their feet and we’re extremely happy to do whatever we can to help them. Visit their site and see for yourself some of the amazing work they do for some amazing people.

Christmas & New Year

We’re barely past Bonfire night and Christmas is already looming large on the horizon. However, time waits for no man and if you want to sea freight any of your goods around the world the deadlines are closing in. Australasia will be closing off in by mid November and the Far East will follow soon after. In simple terms the further away the destination the sooner you need to ship by sea if you have a 2008 deadline. Call us for specific details on any of your shipping needs. For airfreight shipments you can obviously ship later but be aware that capacity will get squeezed the closer we get to Christmas. European road shipments will close off on a rolling basis from the furthest point to the closest.

As always, we’re here all over Christmas & New Year (except Christmas Day) so just call us if you need any information or advice.

Just so you know the truth about the big metal tubes that hurtle through the air at 500mph with you and your luggage on board. We thought we’d let you in to a few aviation truths.

Rules of Flying

  1. Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.
  2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.
  3. Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.
  4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.
  5. The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
  6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.
  7. When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.
  8. A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the plane again.
  9. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
  10. You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.
  11. The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival and vice versa.
  12. Never let an aircraft take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.
  13. Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.
  14. Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of take offs you've made.
  15. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately no one knows what they are.
  16. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
  17. Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.
  18. If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and round and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things are not at all as they should be.
  19. In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminium going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.
  20. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.
  21. It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much as possible.
  22. Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.
  23. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not subject to repeal.
  24. The three most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above you, runway behind you, and a tenth of a second ago.