Tag Archives: March 2004

Mac’s Jottings: Languages

U. S. Soldiers Home, Washington: during a century of travel (well 78 years!) both in and out of service I have travelled to over 150 countries (I count both North and South Dakota as countries) and for some reason have jotted signs and happenings that I thought funny at the time (and now wonder why). So here is the perfect opportunity to share some of my anecdotes.

I admire those that speak many languages. I don’t. This reminds me of the guy that spread out the blanket for his girl friend and noticing the wet grass said: “some dew”. She replied “I don’t”.

The Japanese are very polite. You can be murdering their language and they will say: “You speak very good Japanese”. You then know you don’t. The French sneer at me if I don’t get the pronunciation right. I would try out a few words of French and would get the sneer.

In India and the Philippines because there are so many languages their leaders sometimes give their speeches in English. This surprised me but I was told they reach more people that way. In Mexico, I don’t speak much Spanish, but I am a very good guesser. I have a booklet that has pictures in it of different objects and no matter what country I am in when I want something I point to the picture. I am a good pointer.

I envy those that speak French as it sounds so sophisticated to me. My French is limited to: “Come and tie my shoe”, “Mow de lawn”, “Chevrolet coupe”. I was asked to leave France. I met some French people individually on a one to one basis having been introduced by someone and even was invited to a French couples’ home (both were school teachers.) They had a copy of newspaper printed the day after D Day when the Germans were printing the paper and gave me a copy, interpreting it for me. It said such things as The Terrorists (allies) have arrived but they will be pushed back. I had copies made and gave one copy to French embassy here.

While we Americans don’t speak very many languages, at the same time I think American are a friendly lot and are apt to invite foreigners into their homes or help foreigners on the street. I also lived in a French couple’s home right after the War. It is a long story but they were very hospitable to me. This was in Biarritz, France and the townspeople did not like us. We thought Hitler was going to go down to Spain to meet Franco and go thorough a train station in Biarritz. Our airplanes were meant to hit the train station but travelling so fast they bombed a path from the ocean right though the town.

On the other hand when the Germans occupied Biarritz they had the elite of their troops there and the French told us so they were so neat when they went to the beach lining their equipment up nice etc.

Next month, Mac discusses his 1990’s travel trip to Malaysia, Singapore, India, and on komodo dragons .

If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com

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Cycle Sri Lanka

Your chance to see Sri Lanka, get fit and help raise money for disadvantaged children.

Cycle Sri Lanka 2003 was a great success, raising over £80,000 for ICT and all of the participants considered it to be one of the most memorable experiences of their lives. As far as we know, ICT is the first charity to cycle up into this virtually unexplored part of the island! After our 5-day cycle, we will unwind by spending a well deserved day snorkelling or relaxing on Nilaveli beach, which is notorious for being one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!

The entry fee is £250 for the cycle and minimum sponsorship (which covers flight, hotel accommodation, provision of bike, etc) seems too good to be true.

The double challenge is: are you- or can you get- fit enough? And can you raise enough for ICT?

If you are interested, please visit: www.cyclesrilanka.com or contact us by email at cyclesrilanka@ict-uk.org or local rate phone call: 08453 300 533.

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Meeting News from Texas

The Texas branch has both good news and bad news. The bad news is the cancellation of the April meeting on the 10th. The good news is the speaker for the May 8 meeting has been confirmed.

The Texas branch meets at the New Braunfels Public Library every second Saturday of the month at 2 p.m. There is no charge for the wonderful meeting room and all a/v equipment is provided. The location is convenient for Globetrotters Club members and all travellers in south central Texas. The room is being used by AARP to help folks do their taxes on April 10. So, no meeting.

We have our room back on May 8, with an exciting presentation: we will be hearing about Servas, a wonderful program for travellers who care about World Peace. If you like to travel and care about World Peace, this is a must attend event. Wayne Thomas will be the speaker. I guarantee you life will be enhanced after meeting him.

So, no meeting in April and an exciting one in May. See you then.

For more information about the Texas Branch: please contact texas@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates at our website (click here) or call Christina at 830-620-5482

If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk

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Our Friends Ryanair

Ryanair has carried out its threat to scrap services between London and Brussels’ Charleroi airport, in an escalation of its battle with the European commission over illegal state aid from the Belgian authorities. In its summer schedule, it was revealed that its eight daily flights between the two cities would end on April 29. Ryanair blamed the EC’s ruling this month that the airline’s landing deal at Charleroi was illegal. Rivals say that the route may have been hit by competition from rival airlines and Eurostar.

Ryanair has banned eight passengers for life for compromising passenger and crew safety by smoking on board. The eight people were on different flights, and all cases have been referred to police.

Never let it be said that we are always horrible about Ryanair. Here’s a website where you can see some positive comments about our friend: http://www.ciao.co.uk/ryanair_com__77254 This website allows you to enter your views, pros and cons about using Ryanair. All three of the pros that the Beetle saw when she looked at it were to do with price – it’s cheap, the cons say impractical deals, no meals on board and a slow website.

For the sake of balance, here’s another website where you can record your own Ryanair misery story: Stories include luggage not being on the same flight as the passenger and all the hassle involved in getting some sort of recompense from Ryanair, money taken without confirmation and comments about the way Ryanair operate – little things, like using premium rate telephone numbers if you want to contact them and lack of e-mail address. It’s sober reading.

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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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Write for the Globetrotters monthly e-newsletter

If you enjoy writing, enjoy travelling, why not write for the free monthly Globetrotters e-newsletter! The Beetle would love to hear from you: your travel stories, anecdotes, jokes, questions, hints and tips, or your hometown or somewhere of special interest to you. Over 8,000 people currently subscribe to the Globetrotters e-news.

To see your story in cyber print, e-mail the Beetle with your travel experiences, hints and tips or questions up to 750 words, together with a couple of sentences about yourself and a contact e-mail address to Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

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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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A Hiking Guide to Easter Island by David Stanley

Ask me which Pacific island has the most to offer hikers and I’ll probably answer Easter Island. Here on an island 11 km wide and 23 km long you’ll find nearly a thousand ancient Polynesian statues strewn along a powerfully beautiful coastline or littering the slopes of an extinct volcano. Getting there is easy as Easter Island can be included in Oneworld’s round-the-world Explorer airpass, and a fine selection of inexpensive places to stay and eat awaits you.

The legends of Easter Island have been recounted many times. What’s less known is that the island’s assorted wonders are easily accessible on foot from the comfort of the only settlement, Hanga Roa. Before setting out see the sights, however, visit the excellent archaeological museum next to Ahu Tahai on the north side of town (the term “ahu” refers to an ancient stone platform). Aside from the exhibits, the museum has maps which can help you plan your trip.

The razon-backed ridge on the ocean side of Rano Kau crater.The first morning after arrival, I suggest you climb Easter Island’s most spectacular volcano, Rano Kau, where Orongo, a major archaeological site, sits on the crater’s rim. But rather than marching straight up the main road to the crater, look for the unmarked shortcut trail off a driveway to the right just past the forestry station south of town. It takes under two hours to cover the six km from Hanga Roa to Orongo, but bring along a picnic lunch and make a day of it. (If climbing a 316-meter hill sounds daunting, you can take a taxi to the summit for around US$6 and easily walk back later in the day.) Once on top, you’ll find hiking down into the colourful crater presents no difficulty. It may also look easy to go right around the crater rim, but only do so if you’re a very experienced hiker and have a companion along as shear 250-meter cliffs drop into the sea from the ridge.

Another day, rise early and take a taxi to lovely Anakena Beach at the end of the paved road on the north side of the island (you should pay under US$10 for the 20 km). A few of the famous Easter Island statues have been restored at Anakena and you could go for a swim, although the main reason you’ve come is the chance to trek back to Hanga Roa around the road-free northwest corner of the island. You’ll pass numerous abandoned statues lying facedown where they fell, and the only living creatures you’re unlikely to encounter are the small brown hawks which will watch you intently from perches on nearby rocks. If you keep moving, you’ll arrive back in town in five or six hours (but take adequate food, water, and sunscreen). This is probably the finest coastal walk in the South Pacific.Anakena Beach, starting point for the northwest coastal hike.

Almost as good is the hike along the south coast, although you’re bound to run into other tourists here as a paved highway follows the shore. Begin early and catch a taxi to Rano Raraku, the stone quarry where all of the island’s statues were born. This is easily the island’s most spectacular sight with 397 statues in various stages of completion lying scattered around the crater. And each day large tour groups come to Rano Raraku to sightsee and have lunch. However, if you arrive before 9 am, you’ll have the site to yourself for a few hours. When you see the first tour buses headed your way, hike down to Ahu Tongariki on the coast, where 15 massive statues were re-erected in 1994. From here, just start walking back toward Hanga Roa (20 km) along the south coast. You’ll pass many fallen statues and enjoy some superb scenery. Whenever you get tired, simply go up onto the highway and stick out your thumb and you’ll be back in town in a jiffy.

An outstanding 13-km walk begins at the museum and follows the west coast five km north to Ahu Tepeu. As elsewhere, keep your eyes pealed for banana trees growing out of the barren rocks as these often indicate caves you can explore. Inland from Ahu Tepeu is one of the island’s most photographed sites, Ahu Akivi, with seven statues restored in 1960. From here an interior farm road runs straight back to town (study the maps at the museum carefully, as you’ll go far out of your way if you choose the wrong road here).

A shorter hike takes you up Puna Pau, a smaller crater which provided stone for the red topknots that originally crowned the island’s statues. There’s a great view of Hanga Roa from the three crosses on an adjacent hill and you can easily do it all in half a day. A different walk takes you right around the 3,353- meter airport runway, which crosses the island just south of town. Near the east end of the runway is Ahu Vinapu with perfectly fitted monolithic stonework bearing an uncanny resemblance to similar constructions in Peru.

A fallen statue on Easter Island's south coast.Easter Island’s moderate climate and scant vegetation make for easy cross country hiking, and you won’t find yourself blocked by fences and private property signs very often. You could also tour the island by mountain bike, available from several locations at US$10 a day. If you surf or scuba dive, there are many opportunities here. A minimum of five days are needed to see the main sights of Easter Island, and two weeks would be far better. The variety of things to see and do will surprise you, and you’ll be blessed with some unforgettable memories.

David Stanley is the author of Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands http://www.southpacific.org/tahiti.html which also contains a full chapter on Easter Island. His online guide to Easter Island may be perused at http://www.southpacific.org/text/finding_easter.html

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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


Knysna by Kevin Brackley

The town of Knysna in the western Cape of South Africa lies a scenic 500km east of Cape Town along the Garden Route. There is the option to drive all the way into town, but a far more interesting way is to take the Outeniqua choo-Tjoe train that departs from George. If you are lucky your train will be pulled by a steam engine. Once you have left George’s shanty towns behind the scenery is wonderful, sweeping curves where if you peer out of the window you can see the engine going round the bend ahead. At Sedgefield the line passes over a scenic bridge, under which flows an inlet from the Indian Ocean on your right. The train takes a couple of hours and costs approximately 120 rand.

Knysna itself has much to offer including trips into the surrounding countryside where you can hike, abseil and go mountain biking amongst others. At the waterfront area there are lots of touristy shops and restaurants to while away some time. From a jetty at the waterfront it is well worth taking a trip out to the Knysna Heads. Knysna itself is in a lagoon protected from the ocean by a narrow inlet where the surrounding hills almost meet. The trip out is on one of the worlds most advanced ferries, even though it does have the appearance of a bathtub!

The boat actually has three legs that can be put down on the sea floor so that it is lifted up like an oil platform. This can be used in rescues and also to drop passengers off at places where there is no jetty. The “Heads” are a raging torrent even on a semi calm day, they have claimed hundreds of ships and thousands of lives over the centuries, so much so that if you intend to take a vessel through them you have to inform the shipping insurers Lloyds of London. The boat staff keep up an interesting flow of information as you cruise, not only about their very interesting boat, but also about the nearby nature reserve and about what you are seeing.

After all this activity it is hard to beat a meal at “Bosuns” a pub come restaurant, which does excellent bar and sit down food for around 80 Rand, including a drink.

East of Knysna is the Tsitsikama National Park, which is located right next to the ocean. From the beach you can follow a lovely boardwalk through the forest called the “Mouth Trail”, which eventually comes out at the spectacular Hangbrug suspension bridge, from where you can gaze onto the crashing Indian Ocean waves. On the way back to town you can take in the adrenaline junkies Mecca of the Bloukrans bungy jump, this is currently the world’s highest bungy with a drop of 216 metres, reputed to be the longest seven seconds of your life as you free fall, are there any Globies out there who can confirm this, as this one has no intention of finding out!

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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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Travel Stats: Largest No of Airports per Country

World airpports top 10

Rank Country Name Airports
1 United States 14,720
2 Brazil 3,264
3 Russia 2,743
4 Mexico 1,848
5 Canada 1,417
6 Argentina 1,359
7 Bolivia 1,093
8 Colombia 1,091
9 Paraguay 915
10 South Africa 741

Source:

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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.


An Ascent (Finally) of Stok Kangri by Jules Stewart

With a shuddering sob Helen collapsed on the ridge and burst into tears.“I cannot take another step,” she sobbed. “Oh, I know it’s all vanity and pride!”

She was referring to the summit, looming in full infuriating view an hour’s slog above us. “You go on,” she said with quivering lip, “I’ll wait for you here”.

“Forget it, I’m not going up without you and frankly I’m not that bothered about the summit. And for goodness sake stop crying. You’ll need that energy for the descent”.

So that drew a line under our climb of Stok Kangri in Ladakh, surely one of the Himalayas most accessible 20,000 foot peaks. The error that day was to have taken the summit head on across the moraine from our advanced base camp, which was set up on the wrong side of the glacier. Had we crossed the glacier and pitched our tent on a platform below the start of the climb, and then headed off diagonally left across the moraine towards the ridge… who knows?

It doesn’t matter: I repeated the mantra to myself on the silent trek back to base camp and down the trail to Stok village at the road head, the last stop before picking up the jeep to Leh. Success, failure – every mountaineer knows these are mere words, devoid of significance. The summit is a trap cunningly laid by our ego, designed to keep us bound to the wheel of samsara.

What’s that, you failed to summit Stok Kangri? There it is, the very word of shame and humiliation, enslaving us to our egos. It’s all rubbish, of course, we reassure ourselves. What really matters is the camaraderie, the days spent with good companions in the inspiring environment of the high mountains. The summit is a bit of icing on the cake. It adds nothing to the experience apart from a false sense of prestige, derived from the Latin praestagium, meaning illusion. The summit, in fact, is a mere illusion.

Oh yes.

So it was that the following August found us starting off once more from advanced base, this time camp properly sited on the far side of the glacier, plodding manfully across the moraine straight towards the summit ridge.

Two hours into the climb and “Oh, God,” Helen moaned, collapsing once more on the ridge, in fact the very same spot as the previous year. “It’s such a long way…”

Not again, I thought with inner rage, an eye fixed on the beckoning summit.

“All right, have a little rest. Have a drink of water, catch your breath, count to ten – but we’ve got to carry on because the weather is looking pretty naff.” Bands of mist rolled up from the valley, intermittently obscuring the snow-capped summit. It was obvious we would have to move smartly if we were to enjoy any view at all from the top. Helen began rummaging in her day sack and what happened next left me gaping in stunned disbelief.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing with that?” “It’s all right,” she smiled. “It’ll boost my morale”. But – lipstick! We’re nearly twenty thousand feet up in the Himalayas and you… “There we are.” She zipped up her sack, smacking her brightly rouged lips. “Let’s go.”.

Helen is six feet tall and she is maddeningly unaffected by altitude. Once suitably made-up off she marched at a sprightly quip, unheeding of my protests about the importance of keeping a slow and steady pace. We negotiated the handful of slightly exposed spots on the ridge and three and a half hours after leaving out tents we found ourselves on the top of Stok Kangri, with just enough sunlight left for a couple of snapshots of K-2 on the horizon, before the mist billowed over the summit.

Jules Stewart is leading a Ladakh trek and ascent of Stok Kangri on 17th-31st July 2004. Details are available on 0207 2294774 or e-mail: Jjulesstewart@aol.com

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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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A Surprising First Night (in the Brazilian rain forest) by Tony Annis

That night the local tribe was going to perform a ceremony that would involve singing and some sort of dancing, and Adam Baines and I were invited go along. The tribe held hands and formed itself into two circles, one inside the other, both facing inwards.

One circle moved to the left and the other moved in the opposite direction and at the same time started moaning. This singing or sort of moaning continued as the circles moved slowly in opposite directions. I started the tape, the moaning continued, the bullfrogs joined in, the jungle added its chorus, the circles turned.

Adam and I stood there bemused, as the minutes went by, with nothing more happening other than the continuous circling and moaning. I joined the tribe, held hands and moaned with everybody else, circled with everyone else and, I think just like everyone else, wondered what the hell was going to happen next.

I was beginning to think that this whole ceremony was being put on for our benefit, as a sort of show for these strangers from the outside world. I stepped out of the circle and stood back with Adam whilst continuing to watch this ritual. Adam asked me what the ceremony had done for me. I replied that I had always dreamt about holding hands with strangers, walking in circles, moaning out loud under the stars in the Amazon rainforest! Adam tried everything to stifle his laughter.

We both concluded that this show was being put on for our benefit and, deciding to call it a night, thanked our hosts and walked back to our hut, leaving the tribe still moaning under the full moon. As we reached our hut the moaning stopped and we smiled at each other as we went in, but the last laugh was to be on us. We slipped into our sleeping bags being careful not to let any mosquitoes under our nets and I fell gently asleep after such a busy day.

I awoke to my shoulder being shaken by one of my moaning friends who said it was Party Time, and that this hut was the party hut. We were to sleep in the next hut with others that did not want to dance the night away. I looked at Adam stumbling about when he was woken as I had been. We grabbed our belongings in our arms, everything falling out of everywhere, and moved huts in pitch darkness.

We staggered to the next hut, which was totally full off about fourteen hammocks, mostly containing a couple, to find the only place we could sleep was under someone’s hammock. The music started, not the moaning of a couple of hours before but the loud music called Forro, which was coming from a ghetto blaster running off a car battery and which was overlaid by the noise of dancing feet.

The Forro, a corruption of the English ‘For All’ came from the North East of Brazil,. As the British who built the railway there sometimes had parties for which the invitations were ‘For All’. It was now my turn to feel like moaning as the music blasted into the night from all of twenty yards away.

The Indian in the hammock above Adam started to do the horizontal samba with his woman and the swaying and groaning made me see the funny side of life. Or would have, if the mosquitoes hadn’t been eating me alive and something I’d rather not know about slithered over me. A hellish night, to end a near perfect day.

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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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