Short cuts: by seaplane to DC and sailing ferry across the Channel

Washington The first seaplane service from New York to Washington is due to launch next month, promising the “fastest, least stressful” route between the two cities. From September 13, Tailwind Air will operate the service up to twice daily, using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft that seat up to eight passengers.

They will take off from the water at Manhattan’s Skyport Marina but, rather than splashing down on the Potomac, will use retractable wheels to land at College Park Airport in the Maryland suburbs. Flights will take about 90 minutes but passengers need only check in 10 minutes before take-off; fares start from $395 each way. flytailwind.com

Boulogne More than a decade after passenger ferries abandoned the historic route between Dover and Boulogne-sur-Mer, a new — and very different — service is about to launch. Starting on September 10, SailLink will operate the route using a sailing catamaran that carries a maximum of 12 passengers. Crossings will take between three and a half and four and a half hours, depending on tides; tickets cost £150 return (and bicycles can be carried for an additional £25).

The company says it is motivated by the need to provide a sustainable alternative for cross-Channel travel, and bills the journey as “adventure with responsibility”. A “pilot phase” of crossings, with one journey in each direction per day, will continue until September 18, using the Mago Merlino, a 12 metre-long commercially certified sailing catamaran, but SailLink says its ambition is to use a purpose-built vessel. saillink.co.uk

Hampshire Hotelplan UK, a tour operator whose brands include Inghams, Explore Worldwide and Inntravel, is offering staff extra time off if they choose rail, bus or coash travel for their holidays and business trips. For journeys of up to 450 miles, employees who choose not to fly or drive their own petrol or diesel car can claim an extra half day’s leave; for longer journeys they can claim a full day.

The Farnborough-based company, the UK subsidiary of the Swiss Hotelplan Group, said that time and financial constraints often made it harder to opt for sustainable travel but that by offering extra time off, staff would “feel supported in putting their values first”. hotelplan.co.uk

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