Minister Fahy’s Trip To London Cost $8,692.79

December 22, 2014

According to the latest listing on the Government’s travel webpage, the trip by Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy to London for the Citizenship by Investment Conference in October cost $8,692.79.

The trip duration was from Monday, October 20, 2014 to Saturday, October 25, 2014, with transport listed as Gro Inflight Shop [train ticket] and accommodation listed as The Jumeirah Carlton Tower.

Updated chart showing the total listings since the webpage went live in October 2014:

Minister's Travel Costs as of Dec 22 2014

The webpage listing said: “The Minister of Home Affairs attended the Citizenship by Investment & International Residence Summit in London.

“The Minister also hosted business meetings in London with Bermuda Society members and other business people relating to Immigration and work permit matters to assist in the establishment of business in Bermuda. The Minister was accompanied by the CEO of the Bermuda Business Development Agency and the Chief Immigration Officer.

Expenses

  • Air Travel: $5,110.55
  • Ground Transportation: $58.15
  • Accommodation: $3,098.84
  • Meals: $425.25
  • Miscellaneous: $0
  • Total Cost: $8,692.79

The travel costs webpage went live in October 2014; you can view all our coverage of it here.

Read More About

Category: All, News, Politics

Comments (41)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. CJ says:

    Most reasonable and thank you Mr Fahy for your great work. There will still be people who complain though I’m sure.

    Its nice though when a politician is straight up with us.

  2. somuchless says:

    BA’s prices are too high. I’ll stick to flying through the U.S. when I fly.

    • Dude says:

      no way. BA is the best bang for your buck. Quick and easy and you don’t have to stand in that gawdforsaken immigration queue at JFK.

      • Harry Buttle says:

        I rarely find a flight through the US that is cheaper than BA direct from Bermuda. A quick look at the same flights (Bermuda to London) yields a fare of just over $1000 for BA and $1400 for AA. So flying a US based airline isn’t necessarily cheaper or more convenient.

        On AA you leave at 8:15 in the morning and arrive the next day at 8:40, on BA you leave at 8pm and get into London at 6:30am. By far more efficent and by this check cheaper.

    • Raymond Ray says:

      I also agree with others that oten complain about flying via British Airways to the U.K.(LGW).
      I see Mr. Fahy airfare is posted along with other expenses at $5110:55 which can be considered “high” unless he is traveling first class? I will be flying at the end of this month and had purchased my ticket via Protravel International at a rate of $1043:60, (mind you, I’ll be traveling economy class)I must admit it’s an extremely loooooog flight but for the x amount of hrs. it would’ve / could’ve been a $4000:00 savings to the O.B.A. Government had he chose to travel economy :-(

      • Creamy says:

        It’s way less than First Class costs. First is more like $10-12,000. Looks like a Business Class fare, which seems to me to be reasonable. Most companies pay for that for transatlantic. Bear in mind we expect him to work when he gets there. He’s not going to see the Tower of London.

  3. D says:

    Smh

  4. Business Traveller says:

    Why is he travelling business class? I work for a private company and I don’t fly business to London.

    • serengeti says:

      Yes, and you always stay at a Holiday Inn Express. We know.

      • Navin Johnson says:

        Lower on the totem pole perhaps?

      • MPP says:

        It is very common for senior people at a private company to fly business class for a work flight as long as the flight to London.

        We don’t have to treat our ministers as kings but business class on National Business to London is perfectly reasonable.

    • Dude says:

      poor you! you should renegotiate your contract.

  5. Sammy says:

    Having just visited the Jumeirah Carlton Tower website, the rooms are on average £300/night (1.63/£) – was he there for 7 nights????! And it was a business trip being taken First Class?

    • Dude says:

      GBP 300 per night is pretty average in the world’s most expensive city. I mean, Ham Princess is a ‘business’ hotel and they’re $350 per night, right. Also, let’s not forget the PLP who when they went to London with everybody from their wives to girlfriends to “security” (give me a break!) THEY all stayed at the Langham which has to be one of the most expensive hotels in London.

      • Navin Johnson says:

        Most hotel bills also have taxes and other room related surcharges so the rate would be closer to 400£ per night in a city like London…..the previous government travelled like Maharajahs and Potentates so I see no problem with these expenses. He also most likely worked while he was there.

      • Raymond Ray says:

        Yes, my, my, my, how soon many seem to forget :-(

    • serengeti says:

      The Langham starts at Pounds 370 per night for a standard room.

  6. Unbelievable says:

    Well it wasn’t just one person flying to London. It was also two senior people: the CEO of the BBDA and the Chief Immigration Officer.

  7. Triangle Drifter says:

    Before anyone grumbles about costs of these trips a comparisson with trips during the PLP era, adjusted for inflation, & also the UBP era, also adjusted for inflation, would be very nice to see.

    I have no problem with representatives of his level flying business class, especially on long flights. Don’t expect them to stay at Motel 6 either.

  8. swing voter says:

    the only attraction to working in govt right now!

  9. Quinton Berkley Butterfield says:

    It’s so sad that Ewart Brown’s expensive trips overseas, makes people believe that just under $10,000 is OK for a 4 night trip to London for the new government ministers.

    Yes, $37,040 was a horrible expense to go to India (like crazy high), but that doesn’t mean that $8,692 is somehow, all of a sudden cheap for one guy to travel. I believe we can do better.

    Or maybe they are entitled to business class and penthouse suites (this is an opinion, of course I don’t know what room he stayed in)…

  10. MoonShine says:

    To lead by example he should have flown World Traveller Plus and bought his own upgrade to Biz or First Class. It its plenty of hotels in LONDON..why could he have not gotten a cheaper rate by going through Fairmont or any sister hotels to Elbow to save the tax payers… wtf.

    • serengeti says:

      You think the Fairmont in London (the Savoy) is a place to get a ‘cheap rate’? And if that means he’s a 30 minute taxi ride from where he needs to be every morning, who pays for that taxi each way?
      What ‘sister hotels’ to Elbow Beach are in London? I’d love to know.

    • Chaos Theory says:

      Not that Elbow is connected anymore, but the Mandarin in London would have been a whole lot more expensive.

      • MoonShine says:

        Its called the employee-friends and family discount… have you never heard of that?

  11. campervan says:

    Thanks OBA for not ripping the *** out of travel costs like the last regime did.
    You have proved to be prudent with the public purse strings and it is so encouraging to see the growing confidence and investment in the Island since you all took the reigns,
    Wow it is SO different!

  12. watching says:

    Getting these amounts piece meal is an attempt to bore people and stop them from focusing on it.
    Let’s see how they add up and stack and see the comparisons at the end of a specific period. That is the only way we can truly see if any reductions have happened.

    • scoob says:

      People want transparency and then when it’s given the complaint is that it’s boring.

      It’s boring because there’s nothing to hide and no exorbitant expenditure

  13. CJ says:

    Its certainly nice that the OBA is coming clean with things like this and not being total d***heads saying stuff like:

    “We don’t care what you think”.
    “That’s a plantation question”.
    “My wife always pays her half of the hotel room”.

    That F-You attitude of PLP is gone forever.

  14. poprock says:

    This is exactly what transparency and accountability is aimed at.
    $8k is a reasonable amount as everyone knows roughly what it costs to fly there, stay in hotels and eat out. To argue that it could have been cheaper is splitting hairs. its $8k, not $18k. Reasonable. lets move on.

  15. Jim Bean says:

    8k between 3 people. Less than 3K each. No taxi fares submitted either. Sounds cheap.

  16. Coffee says:

    It must be grand having a Government job !

  17. PANGAEA says:

    The senior citizens will pick up the tab.

    • Creamy says:

      Like they picked up the tab for Port Royal, and Grand Atlantic?

  18. obasellouts says:

    oba can do no wrong ..lol lol