Your creativity and knowledge make the trip.Great Britain – one of the world’s most visited countries – has the fifth largest economy and is a frequent destination for business aircraft operators, year-round. As such, it’s very possible that at least once in your career, you will be a crewmember on a trip to this beautiful, historic country.

You are a vital member of the crew, and your responsibilities are critical for trip success. To help you avoid the unexpected, and exceed the expectations of your stakeholders when traveling to Great Britain, we have developed this planning guide.

Enclosed, you’ll find tips from Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. to help you plan for visas, airports, hotels, health, and security. In addition, we have included a guide to British cuisine from Air Culinaire Worldwide, a Universal® company.

We hope this information helps you to successfully navigate the unique operating requirements and local cultures in Great Britain.

As always, please know that you are not alone. We are here for you whenever you need us.

Did you know: Over 300 languages are spoken in London; more languages than in any other country in the world!

GREAT BRITAIN A flight attendant’s guide to cuisine, hotels, airports, health, security, and country requirements in Great Britain.

PLANNING GUIDE

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You navigate a complex world.Avoid the unexpected. Manage expectations.Below is a list of important operational considerations when planning a trip into, within, or out of Great Britain.

This information was provided by Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. If you have questions or need trip support assistance with any of the above, contact us at: N. America +1 (800) 231-5600, ext. 3300 or Worldwide +1 (713) 944-1622, ext. 3300.

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COUNTRYBe aware of the following recommendations and requirements before operating to Great Britain:

• Visa requirements for crew and passengers, and if visas can be obtained on arrival

• Crew documentation needs upon arrival (licenses, IDs, passports, visas, etc.)

• Customs and immigration regulations and clearance process for crew and passengers

• Pet entry regulations and documentation requirements

• Country regulations for de-catering and disposing of trash

• Country health briefi ng (should be obtained in advance)

• Restricted food items

• Services that may be restricted or unavailable during religious holidays (such as unavailability of catering during Ramadan)

SECURITYResearch the following information prior to your trip:

• Security considerations for city including tourist destinations and landmarks/monuments

• Areas in the city that should be avoided

• Public Transportation (widely used across the country, ensure you are knowledgeable about taxi and/or ride sharing laws)

• Currency Exchange

• Purchasing sporting event tickets (counterfeit or bogus tickets are widely sold)

• Vetted transportation methods to use if traveling alone after dusk or before dawn

• Emergency contact numbers

• Embassy location and contact details

HOTELSConfirm the following with your hotel prior to booking:

• Meets western standard for 4- and 5-star accommodations• Location• Grocery stores or markets nearby• Restaurant options at or near hotel• Advance booking requirements (critical if stay coincides

with major local events)• Minimum number of stays needed for booking• Down payment or pre-payment requirements• Lead time to arrange direct bill for rooms through a 3rd party• Cancellation policy• Availability of courtesy transportation• Rate cap limitations on rooms • Lead time required by hotel restaurant to order catering• Room refrigerator requirements• Rewards program information on file with hotel for elite

status qualification and points

AIRPORTConfirm the following information prior to your trip:

• Airport operating hours

• Ground handler operating hours, meeting point, and phone numbers

• Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) clearance procedures

• Regulations for crew bringing aboard catering for departure

• Fluid limitations if bringing own catering (e.g., from a restaurant) for departure

• Restricted food items (e.g., agricultural restrictions)

• Ability to store food items on aircraft, with ground handler, or with caterer

• In-flight catering delivery time (particularly, how far in advance catering is recommended to be delivered)

• Ramp access availability (when needed during your stay and on day of departure)

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This information was provided by Air Culinaire Worldwide. If you have questions or need catering assistance, contact us at: N. America +1 (800) 247-2433 or Worldwide +1 (813) 449-6000.

British CuisineBritish cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom. British cuisine has been described as “unfussy dishes made with quality local ingredients, matched with simple sauces to accentuate flavor, rather than disguise it.” However, British cuisine has absorbed the cultural influence of those who have settled in Britain, producing many hybrid dishes, such as the Anglo-Indian chicken tikka masala.

Here, our executive chefs have identified some of the most popular traditional dishes in Great Britain. We recommend that you consult with your caterer about local specialties, as well as what’s available and in-season.

Breakfast is between 6:30 to 9.00 a.m. Normally consisting

of a cereal-based product, but is replaced on weekends with

a cooked breakfast and eaten slightly later. More breakfast

is now eaten on the run on weekdays from coffee shops and

food-to-go outlets.

Brunch is usually during the late morning, but can extend as

late as 3 p.m. Mainly eaten on weekends, which is relatively

new in the United Kingdom, introduced in the last 20 years

by mainly American-style dining outlets. Consisting of heaver

dishes such as steak, grilled fish and salad produce.

Lunch is often a small meal, designed to stave off hunger until

dinner. It is usually eaten early in the afternoon. In most cases,

very informal. Can be cold food and eaten generally in the

work place rather than in restaurants.

Afternoon Tea is classically British to take in the late

afternoon. Includes savory and sweet items with the customary

cup of tea. Normally taken at events or a special occasion such

as Henley regatta.

Dinner is eaten around 8 p.m. It is the most significant and

important meal of the day, which can be the noon or the

evening meal. However, the term “dinner” can have many

different meanings depending on the culture; it may mean a

meal of any size eaten at any time of day.

Meal ScheduleMEAL SCHEDULE GREAT BRITAIN

ENGLAND

LONDON

WALES

NORTHERN IRELAND

SCOTLAND

SHETLANDISLAND

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This information was provided by Air Culinaire Worldwide. If you have questions or need catering assistance, contact us at: N. America +1 (800) 247-2433 or Worldwide +1 (813) 449-6000.

Mint Sauce, Malt Vinegar, Hot White Horseradish Sauce, Sweet Apple Sauce, British Beef, Kidneys and Lamb’s Fry, Pork, Gammon, Black

Pudding, Blood Sausage, Cheddar, Cheshire, Stilton, Rainbow Trout, River Salmon, Eels, Rock Cod, Haddock, Flounder, Monkfish, Herring,

Pickled Fish, Pickled Vegetables, Branston Pickle

British cuisine has traditionally been limited in its international recognition to the full breakfast, fish and chips, and the Christmas dinner. The cuisine has many regional varieties within the broader categories of English, Scottish and Welsh cuisine. Each have developed their own regional or local dishes, many of which are geographically indicated foods.

• Cornish Pasties: A handheld meal covered in thick pastry dough. Typically filled with meat at one end and fruit or jam at the other end.

• Yorkshire Pudding: This dish is not usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings but instead as part of the main course or as a starter. Yorkshire pudding, made from flour, eggs and milk, is a sort of batter baked in the oven and usually moistened with gravy. The traditional way to eat a Yorkshire pudding is to have a large, flat one filled with gravy and vegetables as a starter of the meal. Then when the meal is over, any unused puddings should be served with jam or ice-cream as a dessert.

• Cumberland Sausage: A pepper-flavored pork sausage that is typically up to 50cm (21 in) long.

• Arbroath Smokie: Salt-preserved haddock that is cooked by being tied up and hung in covered smoke barrels.

• Welsh Cakes: A sugary type of flatcake that features dried fruit and is cooked on a cast-iron griddle.

• Shepherd’s Pie: Made with minced lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potato.

• Fish and Chips: Fish (cod, haddock, huss, plaice) deep fried in flour batter with chips (fried potatoes) dressed in malt vinegar. This is England’s traditional take-away food or, as US would say, “to go.” Fish and chips are not normally home cooked but bought at a fish and chip shop (“chippie”) to eat on premises or as a “take away.”

• Cottage Pie: Made with minced beef and vegetables topped with mashed potato.

• Black Pudding (Blood Pudding): Looks like a black sausage. It is made from dried pig’s blood and fat. Eaten at breakfast time, black pudding recipes vary from region to region, some are more peppery and some are more fatty than others.

• Pie and Mash with Parsley Liquor: A very traditional East End London meal. The original pies were made with eels because at the time eels were a cheaper product than beef. About fifty years ago, mince beef pies replaced the eels and have now become the traditional pie and mash that people know. The traditional pie and mash doesn’t come without its famous sauce, known as liquor, which is bright green and non-alcoholic. Jellied eels are also an East End delicacy, often sold with pie and mash.

LOCAL DISHES

LOCAL INGREDIENTS