Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue – and what it means for you.
You could argue that the passengers who boarded Qantas flight 1 from Sydney to London Heathrow on 22 December have enjoyed a unique pre-Christmas bonus: an all-expenses-paid 48-hour city break in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Azeri capital is an astonishing Bolshevism-to-bling city – a former Soviet outpost on the Caspian Sea with a fascinating Old City and dramatic new architecture.
