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BBC Disease Map

Spotted by our webmaster, this is a really neat idea.  The BBC have put together a ‘Disease map’ that lets you click on your intended destination region and then shows you a brief overview of the diseases that are present in some or all of the countries there, and the vaccinations that may be required.

This is for advisory purposes only; many countries in the same region have widely differing immunisation entry requirements – it is best to consult your travel agent or GP well before departure to ensure that you fulfil these.

BBC Disease Map

Airline News: April 2004

Continental Airlines have announced that they plan to eliminate paper tickets by the end of 2004 in a bid to cut costs, theft and paperwork.  95 percent of its domestic customers and 88 percent system wide use electronic tickets.  The move includes tickets for international travel and those that involve other carriers.  Continental said it has terminated 50 interline ticketing and baggage agreements with carriers that do not have electronic ticketing capabilities.  Customers will still be able to make reservations through travel agents or on the phone, as well as on the Internet, but they will not receive paper tickets.  Instead, the reservations will be stored electronically.  Passengers who check in either via their computers at home or at airport kiosks will still receive the paper boarding passes that allow them to board planes.

Singapore has announced that it will build a new terminal at Changi Airport to cater for low-cost airlines once the carriers agree on its design.  Budget airlines are proliferating in Asia, challenging the dominance of full-service carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.  In the meantime, low-cost airlines may use Changi Airport's two existing terminals, though charges for no-frills airlines would not be lower than those imposed on their traditional competitors.

Singapore based Valuair has become the first budget carrier to get official approval to fly from Changi Airport.  Valuair, set up mostly by former Singapore Airlines plans to start flying in May to Bangkok, Jakarta and Hong Kong.

Singapore Airlines, the world's second-largest airline by market value, has teamed up with the founder of Irish discount airline Ryanair, Europe's biggest carrier by value, to launch Tiger Airways.  Tiger will compete with Singapore's Valuair, set up mainly by ex-Singapore Airlines staff, and is gearing up to launch in the second quarter of 2004.  Both will also be pitted against Malaysia's Air Asia, which is setting up an airline joint venture in Singapore and has applied for an airline license.

Toronto Pearson Airport opened one of the world's most expensive airport terminal.  The new CAD$3.6 billion (USD$2.7 billion) Terminal 1, whose price tag has enraged the airlines around the world that will have to help pay for it is the first stage of an overall redevelopment project for Toronto's Pearson International Airport.  Terminal 1 will eventually expand to take over the functions of two existing terminals, which will be bulldozed. The capacity of the airport, which is currently 25 million passengers a year, is expected to double by 2015.  Pearson is Air Canada's busiest hub, with 50,000 passengers flying to, from and through Toronto on its flights everyday.  The new terminal's sophisticated technology is complete with automatic check-in counters, multiple baggage claim kiosks, and even a parking guidance system that points drivers to available spaces.

According to a survey of US airline quality, three of the top four performing airlines last year were low-cost carriers.  The survey measures on-time performance, customer complaints, mishandled baggage rates, denied boardings and other criteria from the Transportation Department's monthly consumer reports.  JetBlue was the top-rated airline for fewest denied boardings and was second for on-time performance and fewest customer complaints.  Alaska Airlines ranked second, followed by Southwest Airlines, America West and US Airways, which is struggling in the face of low-cost competition.  Bankrupt United Airlines ranked ninth, while the biggest carrier, American Airlines was 11th.   Delta Air Lines ranked 12th.

State-owned Air Malta is setting up a base in Manchester, north-west England, to operate charter flights to Greece, Spain and other European destinations.  The first flights will start in May 2004, just days after Malta joins the European Union on Saturday, May 1.  Services will also operate between Catania in Sicily to London.

Malaysian low-fare carrier AirAsia said it would offer air tickets to Macau, known for its casinos, from Bangkok for as little as USD$25 from June 15.  AirAsia is an aggressive player in Asia's budding no-frills market where competition is heating up with entrants such as Singapore-based Valuair and Tiger Airways, a venture between Singapore Airlines and the founder of Irish no-frills airline Ryanair.

Man Lost

Delta Air Lines lost an 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease who was supposed to have been given an escort between flights in the Atlanta airport, said his relatives.

Antonio Ayala was flying from New York's LaGuardia airport to El Paso, Texas, and had to change planes in Atlanta.  He disappeared after his flight landed and was not found until nearly 24 hours later, near a bus station in downtown Atlanta, several miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. 

Delta spokeswoman Peggy Estes said the airline was not told of Ayala's medical condition and it cannot be held responsible for the whereabouts of every adult passenger. 

The airline flew Ayala's relatives to Atlanta and housed them in a hotel while they waited for him to be released from the hospital.  It is not the first time that a person with Alzheimer's has been lost by an airline.  In 2001, Margie Dabney, 70, became separated from her husband during an American Airlines stopover at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.  Dabney was never found.  Last year, her husband, Joe Dabney, agreed to an undisclosed settlement with American Airlines. He had sought $10 million.

Brazil to Fingerprint US Tourists

According to a recent poll, Brazilians appear to approve of measures to photograph and fingerprint US tourists entering the country, a move that sparked a diplomatic tiff between the nations.  Of 2,000 people surveyed, 74.4 percent said they agreed with the immigration procedures, which were enacted at the start of the year in a tit-for-tat retaliation for similar security checks by the United States.  The measures sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries and have been widely criticized by US travellers, including an American Airlines pilot and a retired US banker who showed their displeasure by giving their middle finger while being photographed.  Although some Brazilians worried the measures would deter US visitors at the height of the tourist season, the system has revealed resentment among Brazilians over what they consider to be costly and humiliating procedures to get a US visa or enter the United States.  Visitors from other countries need not worry, however, as only 3.2 percent of those polled thought the procedures should be extended to other foreigners entering Brazil.

Hydrogen Fuelled London Buses

The UK’s first hydrogen fuel cell buses have gone into service in central London for a two-year trial that also involves nine other European cities, making it the largest project of its type in the world.   DaimlerChrysler developed and manufactured the Citaro buses and BP is managing the project and providing the hydrogen-refuelling facilities.  In London, three of the No 25’s are being trialled on the 11-mile from Ilford to Oxford Circus from January 14th.  Each bus has a range of 125 miles between each refuelling.   

Fiji Storms Cause Loss of Life

Seven people have died and hundreds have lost their homes in Fiji after severe storms hit the main island of Viti Levu in the South Pacific.  Nine people are still missing.  In one of the worst incidents, five people died when their bus was swept away by a landslide.  

Frequent Flyers Vetted for Fast Track

The US government wants to begin testing a program this summer that would allow low-risk frequent fliers to avoid extra security inspections at airports.  Passengers could volunteer to pay a fee and submit to government background checks.  If they are not found to be potential threats, they would avoid being randomly selected for the follow-up screening at checkpoints where carry-on bags pass through metal detectors.  The aim is to move law-abiding and non-threatening travellers more quickly to their planes and permit screeners to focus more on people about whom the government has less information, said David Stone, acting chief of the Transportation Security Administration.  The program, which will last 90 days could begin in June, is expected to appeal mostly to frequent travellers who would think the cost would be offset by the time saved at airports.

Airline News: March 2004

National carrier Air New Zealand announced it would cut average airfares on routes to the Pacific Islands by up to 50 percent as it unveiled the final stage of its revamp of short-haul services.

Air NZ has already introduced a no-frills model on trans-Tasman and domestic flights, stimulating demand as it fends off competition from Virgin Blue and Qantas. The new Pacific Express service would see fares across both business and economy classes between New Zealand and Australia and the islands of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands reduced by up to 50 percent, the company said in a statement. The cheapest one-day flight between Auckland and Fiji, excluding taxes and levies, would cost NZD$229 and NZD$289 to the Cook Islands.

An airline pilot, reported by passengers for flying his Boeing 737 erratically, was fined 1,500 euros (USD$1,845) after a breath test showed he had been drinking, German police said. The pilot worked for a north African airline and was flying from Morocco to Düsseldorf in western Germany. Police declined to name his airline. Police launched an investigation against the pilot for “endangering air traffic” and the civil aviation authority had confiscated the plane’s flight recorder. “Several of the 108 passengers complained about the pilot’s ‘erratic’ flying style,” Düsseldorf police said in a statement.

New European low-cost airline WIZZ Air secured its third base in Gdansk, Poland. The airline plans to start operations from May to coincide with European Union enlargement. Low-budget airlines are emerging across Central Europe, where treaties protecting national carriers must be scrapped after several countries in the region join the EU.

WIZZ Air said it planned to become central Europe’s third-biggest airline this year after Poland’s LOT and Czech CSA

JetBlue has announced its intention to begin nonstop service from its hub in New York to Santiago and Santo Domingo, both in the Dominican Republic.

Privately owned Spirit Airlines, which currently flies to Mexico, recently won federal approval to fly to 11 countries: Aruba, the Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Panama.

America West announced nonstop service from Los Angeles to four new international destinations in Canada and Mexico.

British Airways plans to introduce a new Russian regional route and increase the number of flights on its existing routes to Russia. BA franchisee British Mediterranean Airways will operate three flights a week from London to the Urals city of Yekaterinburg from May 10.

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Being Careful: Thailand

This is what the Foreign and Commonwealth office of the UK says about visits to Thailand.

There is a general threat to British and other Western targets from terrorism in South East Asia including Thailand. You should be particularly vigilant in public places, including tourist resorts. Following a resurgence of violence in the far southern provinces the Government has implemented new security measures in Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani.

There was an explosion on 27 March 2004, outside a bar in the Thai-Malaysian border town of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat Province in which 30 people were injured, some seriously.

Watch out for crimes of opportunity. Theft of passports and credit cards is a problem. Possession of even small quantities of drugs can lead to imprisonment or in serious cases the death penalty. The vast majority of visits are trouble-free.

The Beetle spent a few happy days in Bangkok in January of this year, and she thought it was a wonderful place, but as always, all travellers and tourists should be careful wherever they are.

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Why Do Mosquitoes Bite?

Researchers have discovered that a key chemical found in sweat is what attracts the mosquito that spreads malaria in Africa to bite its human victims. With this knowledge, scientists believe that they can develop a range of new anti-mosquito sprays and traps. Only the female mosquito bites people, and can identify a human victim largely using its sense of smell even up to hundreds of metres away. There are at least 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than a million deaths. Around 90% of these deaths occur in Africa, mostly in young children.

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Have you got a tale to tell?

If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites

Where is the US’ 2nd Oldest Tourist Attraction?

If you had to guess: where and what do you think is the US’ second oldest tourist attraction after the Niagara Falls?

Answer, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. It is not only a world heritage site, but the longest cave in the world with more than 360 miles (580 kilometres) of connected tunnels.

Guided tours have run here since 1816 and 4,000 year old mummies have been found in the cave, and you can still see petroglyphs of snakes and humans on the walls.

The cave was discovered at the end of the 18th century when a man shot and wounded a bear then followed it into the entrance that is still used today. The mummies became travelling shows. Today, you can take a Violet City Lantern Tour, a three-hour, 3-mile (4.8-kilometre) hike without electric lights. Hikers use kerosene lamps to light the cave’s steep, dark paths, just as visitors did 150 years ago.

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Travel Quiz: Tibet

The winner of last month’s guidebook on the Azores is: Joan Haladay, congratulations!

This month, win a Trailblazer guidebook on Tibet Overland. See www.trailblazerguides.com for info on Trailblazer Guidebooks.

Some people have said the quiz is difficult, we say do some research: try google.com or Ask Jeeves, if you need help with the answers.

1. What is the more usual name for the mountain known in the Tibetan language as Quomolangma?

2. In which city would you find the Potala Palace?

3. What religion is predominantly practiced in Tibet?

4. Which religious leader is exiled in Dharamsala?

5. The Yangtse runs through Tibet – true or false?

Your Name:

Your e-mail address:

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Planet Reunited

When travelling, it’s hard enough to remember where you were yesterday, let alone the phone number of that fabulous girl you met in Hong Kong, or the postal address of your Uncle Bertie.

But now there’s no excuse for losing touch, with Planet Reunited a website with the ambitious aim of keeping travellers connected,. With as many as 4 out of 10 backpackers losing their address books or diaries while travelling, it’s the ultimate travel accessory to keep in touch with old and new friends.

Talk at the RGS, London

The Effects of Logging on the ‘Pygmies’ in the Congo Basin Congo Basin, presentations and launch of a major new photographic exhibition on the Ba’Aka ‘Pygmies’ of the Republic of Congo at The Royal Geographical Society.

Date: Wednesday 28th April 2004
Time: Doors open and reception 6.00pm
Address: The Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR
Admission: £10.00
Tickets: Freephone: 0800 970 1014
Web: Rainforest Foundation

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Ghana Airways Overbooks

Be warned – if you are planning on flying with Ghana Airways, be warned. Ghana Airways allegedly has something of a reputation for overbooking and not refunding money for seats that are not ultimately available.

Questions were asked in the Ghanaian Parliament about overbooking of seats on Ghana Airways. It was said that whereas overbooking is a normal practice in the airline business to allow for no shows, over sale was an illegal practice employed by travel agents to extract money from customers and inconvenience them in the process – and that there is a difference between over booking and deliberate over-sale of non existent seats

It was explained that in the case of overbooking, the ticket was usually not confirmed so the customer was aware that there were chances of him/her not getting a seat, but with over-sale the Travel Agent usually assured the customer of a seat without consulting the airline.

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Outsouring Travel Jobs

A growing number of U.S. airlines and online travel companies are outsourcing customer service jobs overseas in a bid to reduce costs. United Airlines is about to source a customer call centre in Nova Scotia. Travelocity will outsource about 300 jobs to India over the next year and expects to save $10 million in 2004 as a result of the change. American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and US Airways said they do not redirect any calls from U.S. customers to call centres outside the United States. Delta Air Lines, which outsourced nearly 1,000 jobs last year to three call centres in Bangalore, Bombay and New Delhi India, says it is aware of the potential pitfalls.

The Beetle’s own experience of speaking with e-bookers, a travel booking organisation that has been outsourced to India has not been good. The operatives are charming and polite, but pushy and lack in-depth travel knowledge. They also returned calls at 10pm!

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Burma to Create a Tiger Reserve

The Burmese government has given the go-ahead for the creation of the world’s largest tiger reserve. The reserve is planned to add to the existing Hukawng Valley reserve making the area some 30,000 sq km, which is about the same size as Belgium.

The news has pleased conservationists who were alarmed when a 2003 survey revealed only 150 to 200 tigers left. Conservationists say that work must be done to train rangers and stamp out the lucrative trade in tiger body parts and new avenues of income will have to be found for local people so they do not succumb to the temptation to profit from the growing regional demand for tiger products. At $200 per kilo, the profits from even a small tiger could be equivalent to 10 years of income for many in this area.

Tiger skins, heads and claws are often prized as trophies, while bones and internal organs are used in Asian medicines. China is the largest market for the trade.

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