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New York City is one of the most popular key travel destinations for corporate travellers worldwide. The city is the center of much that’s great, dynamic and profitable in America. It is home of one of the world’s principal financial centres (i.e. anchored by Wall Street), and a popular business hub for the publishing and entertainment industry at the same time. So, it’s no surprise it features three airports, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and J. F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). As a frequent corporate traveller you probably may have flown to one of the three New York airports at some point or another. With JFK being a major international gateway to the US, this city guide aims to provide some helpful travel agents tips for corporate travellers flying to or from JFK Airport.New York JFK Facts & FiguresLocated about 25km away from Manhattan in Queens, JFK Airport is the largest airport in the state of New York and one of the busiest business travel hubs (over 50 million travellers/year) in the US and internationally. It has six operating terminals (numbered 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8; terminal 6 was demolished in 2011, Terminal 3 in 2013). Currently, the 4th runway is under redevelopment to comply with the needs of Group VI aircraft (until December 2015 as planned so far), which may cause delays, but measures are in place to minimise them, so you shouldn’t be too much affected. With more than 90 airlines arriving and departing from JFK, various business travel solutions for flights to New York can be arranged. Points of origin and destinations include places within the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Pacific, Australia/New Zealand, basically all over the world. The airport offers corporate travellers a choice of non-stop flights to about 100 international destinations which may prove convenient for your next business trip. However, JFK is very susceptible to weather-related delays due to its position. Corporate travellers are well advised to consider and prepare for possible thunderstorms in summer, causing delays across the US, as well as snow, icing and assorted slush throughout the winter season. For the months between June and November the risk of potential hurricanes is increased.In general, our business travel agents team advise leisure and corporate travellers to allow plenty of time for getting to and from JFK. Serious traffic incidents on the way between the city and the airport left many wondering whether they’ would be able to make it in time or miss their flight. Furthermore, don’t forget that this is America. Therefore, bear in mind that the TSA rules supreme over security checkpoints. So, take a deep breath and take maybe a book with you or something else to keep you busy. Make sure you arrive early.Useful JFK terminal facilities for corporate travellers In most public areas within most terminals, corporate travellers will conveniently find that Wi-Fi is available for free for up to 30min. You can get online near the ticket counters, boarding gates, designated work stations and food courts. The Wi-Fi access is provided by Boingo Wireless Company. If you need to use the internet for longer than 30mins., consider the following options: 1) $4.95 (£3.01, €3.77) per hour (pay as you go), 2) $7.95 (£4.83,€6.05) for unlimited access throughout a 24-hour period (day pass), 3) $9.95 (£6.04,€7.58) per month (unlimited access via a monthly subscription, to be used worldwide), or 4) if you already have a user account, simply log in using your user name and password. ATMs, currency exchange options (Lenlyn or Travelex), a rental phone shop, and more than 100 shops alongside various dining options are available at the terminals.Ground transportation services from JFK Airport to New York CityThe most convenient, stress-free way for travel from and to JFK Airport is to take the AirTrain. It is a cost efficient and helps you make sure you arrive at the airport in time, whilst avoiding possible traffic jams. You can access AirTrain services via the New York City subway system, which is also connected to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). The journey from/to the city takes just over an hour. AirTrain is operated 24 hours on 365 days a year. Within the airport area, it connects terminals and also enables you to easily access car rental services, hotel shuttle areas and parking lots. At peak times the trains depart every 7 minutes and at off-peak times they go every 15 minutes. However, be clever in choosing your business travel route, as various routes make different stops within the airport. Good news for corporate travellers is that travel within the airport is usually free of charge. However, travel outside the airport is subject to a fee. AirTrain prices generally start from $5 (£3.04, €3.81). For more details on ticket prices are provided on the JFK Airport website under costs and tickets. If you travel via New York’s public transport network, then it is a good idea to use MetroCard, which is widely accepted and is worth to purchase for travel via subway, local trains, or buses. You can find vending machines for buying a MetroCard at Howard Beach and Jamaica Station. A good alternative for corporate travellers would be to take a taxi (for up to 4 passengers). Simply wait in the cab line for a licensed and insured cab to take you to your destination (about $52, i.e. about £31.58, €39.59, flat rate between JFK and Manhattan, excluding tips and tolls). The time for this trip should be about an hour. However, it can take much longer during rush hour.Shared-ride shuttle services are a cheaper option than taxis, but can involve a lot of waiting and being driven around New York City to drop other people off first. You can find a full list of providers on the airport authority’s website. But remember to tip appropriately, as tipping (around 20% of transfer cost) is quite common and keep in mind that bridge/tunnel tolls are not included in the shared-ride shuttle services fares. Another option is to ask your business travel company to arrange a shuttle service for your trip from and to John F. Kennedy International Airport as prices can vary greatly depending on location and number of passengers. In this way you can ensure that you are travelling with a reliable supplier.An express bus service is also available for a nominal fee from Penn Station (reachable e.g. by AirTrain or taxi). The service operates from early morning to late night, with buses running at least every half hour.The airport is also home to several car rental agencies. Leisure and corporate travellers can choose between a number of car major rental companies including Advantage, Thrifty, Dollar, Enterprise, Budget, Hertz, National and Avis.So, which mode of transport should corporate travellers choose for a trip from JFK to Newark and LaGuardia airports? Usually the best way to get to Newark Airport from JFK Airport is to simply take the AirTrain. However, if you need to travel to LaGuardia during your business trip, it we recommend to take advantage of a convenient shuttle bus service, using the free Route A (running every 10-15 minutes from 4:00am to 11:30pm) or Route B (running every 10-15 minutes from 6:00am to 2:00am). In any case, more details, also for connections to other airports, are available on the JFK Airport Connections page.Hotels near JFK AirportHotel booking services for corporate travellers flying to New York JFK AirportAlthough there are no operating hotels at JFK Airport at the moment, New York provides corporate travellers a huge choice (from budget accommodation to luxury suites) of hotels and motels, which are conveniently located nearby the airport. Most hotel accommodations nearby offer shuttle services. Alternatively you can take the AirTrain to the Federal Circle station and follow the “Courtesy Hotel Shuttles” signs. There are telephone services for the hotel courtesy shuttles located at the AirTrain Federal Circle Station and in the arrival areas of the airport terminals ($5, i.e. about £3.04, €3.81, Service Charge for making reservations). The range of motels and hotels include the Hilton*, the Courtyard* by Marriott, Hampton Inn*, Sheraton*, Hilton Garden, Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield Inn* by Marriott, Days Inn, Best Western and Howards Johnson. The ones marked by an * are also offering conference and meeting rooms for corporate events.© Copyright Flightline Travel Management Ltd. All rights reserved. All prices correct at time of publication.In part two of our New York City Airport guide we’ll provide you with some business travel agents insider tips on Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

Too many debts signify too much burden. No doubt, each and every borrower tries to stay away from all sorts of debt dilemmas. And for that, they prefer to follow a proper debt management program. It is true that a proper debt management program enables borrowers to wave off the dark mist of debts and leads them towards a debt free future. At the same time it is also true that going for a debt management program, without taking any advice is like throwing someone to the wolves. Here some advices are penned in for the borrower’s favour.Debt management- these two words easily indicate that this program is about managing debts. Yes, this process helps borrowers to manage their debts properly. However, this process is clustered with various methods, like, debt consolidation, debt negotiation, debt elimination, credit counseling etc. Here individuals are advised to understand the methods and it will help them to understand the program of debt management.Debt Mnagement can be executed by consolidating all loans into one. This method provides borrowers one loans and one lender facility and help them to lessen their debt-burden. Nevertheless, debt consolidation is not the exact answer for every debt related question. Debt consolidation is not fruitful for those who have already consolidated their debts several times and for those who want to lessen credit card or store card debts.Credit counseling is also an important tool of debt management program. Mainly credit counseling is provided by various counselors of various organizations to enable borrowers to quench their debt burdens. By taking help of these counseling services, borrowers can easily repay their debts with smaller monthly repayment. In such cases, a credit counselor at first, judges the borrower’s financial condition and makes a plan according to this judgment. And by following this plan, the borrower can pay off his all unpaid bills. Sometimes, legitimate counseling service convinces creditors for taking lessen amount and arrange a longer period for repayment.In credit counseling, most of the time borrowers do not need to pay their bills directly. But, every month they make only single payment to the credit counseling agency and that amount is circulated among their creditors according to their agreement.Here, an advice for all the borrowers who are willing to take credit counseling service to manage their debts. At the time of meeting any credit counselor, do present all paperwork and documents, like proof of their expenditure, their income, the verification of their debts etc.And last but not the least, try to follow some procedure to manage debts. Such as, By making a proper budget regarding expenses and following it thoroughly, a borrower can reduce his debts. At the same time, one should try to maintain his expenses. Avoid overspending, but always spend money for relevant purpose.Debt management program is the perfect one that can solve all debt doubts. But one should be aware of from where he is taking debt management service. Debt management program is a program that enables borrowers to manage their debts. By taking a proper service a borrower can manage his debts very easily.

eCommerce is not new to the world but it is relatively new to Sri Lanka. There have been the global players of the eCommerce market who have been serving the needs of a few Sri Lankan people, but that was not enough. The need of the people, the vacuum existed in the market and some skilled businessmen made it possible for the eCommerce business to emerge in the country. The local players are still at their beginning stage.Considering the world market for eCommerce , the Sri Lankan market is pretty small. This is one of the major facts that are in favor of the local players. If it were something like the Indian market with several millions of customers for eCommerce , the local players would have been taken away by the international players. However, the fact is that the Sri Lankan eCommerce market is still considered by many international players.It is well recognized by the Sri Lankan companies that the future of Sri Lankan eCommerce business is very positive and hopeful. Some people at the higher management levels from these companies think that it is only a tip of the iceberg now. There is much to be experienced in the future.It is quite true that the market has not been reached by the local players. In fact not even five percent of the market has been reached by all local players combined. Within the reached market, around ten percent is covered by the international players. What this means is that although the international companies are not giving considerable effort to keep targeting the Sri Lankan market, they still have an impact on it. One reason for this trend might be the spreading of Sri Lankans who live all around the world. These people have a worldwide presence so that makes them to order products through internationally known eCommerce businesses to be sent to their friends and family back in Sri Lanka. This in turn gives exposure to the locally residing people who then start continuing.Sri Lanka is one of the developing countries in Asia. Especially the post conflict conditions have favored businesses to hype in an exponential rate of growth. If you had visited Sri Lanka within the past two years, you could have witnessed new building projects everywhere; specially in the capital city, Colombo.People are moving from a third world status to a more advanced status. The lifestyles of people are changing dramatically. For a country that was affected by internal conflicts for over half a century, the literacy rate is surprisingly high at 92 percent. This is another important factor that makes eCommerce more than possible. These people are moving towards a more technologically advanced lifestyle. Also the global impact of technology has made it possible for people to carry the entire internet literally in their hands. People can just place an order online from their phone while they are travelling. Someone might not be wealthy enough to own a car in this country but they still place an order while travelling in a public transportation bus.One of the other major reasons why eCommerce is going to skyrocket in Sri Lanka in the coming years is that the businesses of the country which have developed enough to contribute new products to the local market. There have been many restrictions in the last decade for imports. Now that the country has come out of the internal mess, the international businesses are more than welcome there. There have been many foreign business vendors who have placed their products in the market with quite a few successful business stories.Sri Lanka does not have a greying population unlike most developed countries. This is another opportunity for the nation to adapt to new trends. It is relatively hard for elderly people to adapt to new trends. Youngsters are instinctively inclined towards adapting to new trends. Since the Sri Lankan population consists a larger proportion of youngsters, it is clearly visible that their fashion would change towards an eCommerce market than a traditional shopping place. This is already happening in the country, but not the eCommerce is not perfect yet.The market has not been reached in full because most of the internal players are beginners and have no sufficient funds to meet a bigger portion of the market. Apart from the financial concerns, the local eCommerce businesses do not have enough experience to learn from and then adapt to new tactics. Despite lack of adaptation from the local eCommerce businesses, the customers do change their service providers. This is one of the indications that not all the customers are satisfied with just one such service provider. It is common for almost all Sri Lankan eCommerce businesses because they are indigenous and have no place to build a business model based upon. They cannot simply copy the international businesses and their business models because the conditions on the ground are not similar to what existed while the international players started their businesses.It is a unique field where the first ones to enter the right position will harvest more than half of the potential eCommerce market in Sri Lanka. There will be not much competition between the first ranking service provider and the second ranking services provider. This is because of the smaller population of the country and the trust is mostly built by word of mouth in the culture. Once the first ranking service provider reaches the first rank; the people will spread the word.It is a peak time now in Sri Lanka than ever before. As mentioned, the market was very open and was very much unattended in the past. Now the local players are starting to attend the market. In the process, the people are experiencing first hand and first time experience. This is very important that the service providers must retain their reputation. If a customer comes to an eCommerce business for the first time, and the first experience is not satisfactory then it is more likely that the customer will not turn to that particular provider again. So, the real competition between the local players now is not to build up their sale volumes, but to build up their reputation by fulfilling every single order to the highest of expectations from the customers.Once the customer base is built, the sale volume will automatically take over. If the customer base is destroyed, then the effects will be long term. A not so satisfied customer will always be spreading the negative thoughts. We humans have a tendency to listen and to be worried about negative things. This will lead potential customers to turn away from the service providers.The exponential growth of the eCommerce business will be there for a time until when there is nobody left who has never heard about eCommerce business. There are enough people in Sri Lanka that have no idea of what an eCommerce business is. It is these people who are the potential customers for the exponential growth. Once these people are all reached, the exponential growth will cease. Given the media, the campaigns run by the local eCommerce businesses and the population of Sri Lanka, this would continue up to the first quarter of 2017. That is the possible timeline when the exponential growth will cease.After that time, it would be impossible to change the ratings of the service providers. Whoever leads at the time when the exponential growth ceases will remain the market leader. The reason is because even if the second leading provider made enough efforts, there will be no fresh customer base to support the growth. There would still be growth, but not an exponential one. It is now, that everyone in the eCommerce business should build up their reputation so that they become the leaders in two years and then remain so for almost ever.