Category: Sidebar

Airlines in Europe will have to pay increased compensation to
passengers who are stranded by cancellations or overbooking
on flights if new legislation is approved.

At present, passengers who are forced to take a later flight
because of overbooking – a common practice among carriers –
or find their flight has been cancelled get between EUR150
and EUR300.

The new levels of compensation are lower than figures first
proposed by the European Commission that were proposed at
between EUR750 and EUR1500 depending on length of flight.
Travelers on short haul services that are “bumped”
from a flight or are affected by a cancellation, can now
claim EUR200 (USD$195).

Those on longer flights can be compensated by up to EUR600
(USD$586). Some low cost carriers have warned that the
proposals, passed by the European Parliament on Thursday,
could mean a rise in fares unless carriers are willing to
accept lower profit. The low cost airlines are unhappy about
this and believe that the level of compensation should be
adjusted to the price of the passenger ticket, rather than a
flat rate covering every airline.

Not covered by this new compensation are events outside the
direct control of carriers, including poor weather, long
running strikes and security matters.

The US carrier Horizon Air, based in Seattle, is set to equip
its entire fleet of 60 regional aircraft with defibrillators
and medical kits to deal with in-flight heart attack
emergencies.

Horizon is making the move two years ahead of a US Federal
Aviation Administration deadline requiring any US commercial
plane of at least 7,500 pounds and carrying at least one
flight attendant to install the life-saving equipment.

There are a few to choose from, so we thought we'd tell
prospective visitors to London about the top four, plus the
Harrods coach.

The convenient thing about taking one of these tours is that
you can get to see pretty much all of the major sites of
historical importance in one day, and this can save a lot of
shoe leather, tube journeys and strange bus journeys going in
the wrong direction!

Once you've “done” the touristy thing, there
are plenty of less famous sites of equal interest to keep all
site seers happy. And this includes mastering the London bus
by not going in the wrong direction….we drive on the
left, you see!

Convenient places to board these tours include St Pauls
Cathedral, St. Martins-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar
Square, Baker Street underground station, Haymarket Street
just off Piccadilly Circus, and opposite Victoria Station at
Grosvenor Gardens.

Coach and Bus Tours – Harrods in Knightsbridge offer a 90
minute coach tour around the city. Sign up at the store.

The following three companies offer double-decker bus tours
that feature hop-off service. The Big Bus Co has an all-night
service if you just can't wait to see the sights after
you arrive (or you are suffering from jet-lag and your body
hasn't caught up to local time).

The Big Bus Company

Adults £16, children £6

bigbus.co.uk

Email: info@bigbus.co.uk

London Pride

Adults £15

Children £7.50 londonpride.co.uk

The Original London SightseeingTour

Adults £15, children £7.50

theoriginaltour.com

Whilst walking her dog, a local hotelier on Staffin island,
off Skye found a dinosaur footprint dating from the Jurassic
period in rock on the beach.

Experts say huge meat-eating dinosaurs that left their prints
in the sand 165 million years ago probably made the tracks.
Scientists have described the discovery on the east coast of
the Isle of Skye as significant.

LAPA, the Argentinean domestic airline went belly up a
while back but the name LAPA is to be revived by new owners
who rescued it from receivership. It has been operating as
AIRG since the Aeroandina group raised capital in both
Argentina and Bolivia to put it back in business. Plans are
afoot to start regional services to Sao Paulo, Brazil, the
Chilean cities of Santiago and Puerto Montt and to Santa Cruz
de la Sierra, Bolivia, by the end of this year.

Due to the dreadful and unpredictable event in Bali, the new
Bali based airline Air Paradise, which was due to
start flying in October 2002, said it was delaying its launch
indefinitely and refunding tickets it has already sold. The
airline was due to make its first flights to the Australian
cities of Perth and Melbourne.

According to union sources, a one-day strike planned by
Air France unions for October 24 has been switched to
November 5.

Workers are protesting over French government plans to
privatise the French flag carrier and reduce the state's
controlling stake.

Expanding Australian budget airline Virgin Blue plans
to add flights to New Zealand to its schedules and will cause
a few ruffled feathers in the Australian flight market,
largely operated by Air New Zealand and Qantas. Virgin Blue
was launched in August 2000 with a single route between
Brisbane and Sydney. It now serves thirteen Australian
destinations. Now, Virgin Blue plans a code share arrangement
with United Airlines so that it will be faster and easier for
booking flights from Brisbane to San Francisco and Los
Angeles and beyond.

Meanwhile, back in the US, Boston Logan Airport is to
introduce security scanners that can make immediate checks on
driving licenses and passports against government databases
or “watch lists.” Despite concerns expressed by
civil liberties groups, the airport said it will go ahead
with the system. Initially, it will only be used to check
around 10,000 people who work at Logan. However, the
airport's operators, Massachusetts Port Authority, say
they would like to see the system extended and in tests
carried out during the Summer discovered a number of
passengers flying out of the international departures on
forged passports.

Passengers due to fly into or out of Stansted (the
Beetle's most HATED airport, ever) near London may want
to alter their travel plans if this involves early morning or
late evening flights.

Due to alleged rail improvements, from Sunday 29th September
2002 through to Spring 2004, all Sunday train services to and
from Stansted Airport will be replaced by a slow coach
service.

Incidentally, the last coach leaves Stansted at midnight on
Sunday for Liverpool St station and 11pm from Liverpool St.
First coach to Stansted from Liverpool St is allegedly at
4.30am and 5am from Stansted to Liverpool St. You have been
warned, and allow plenty of time – preferably around 2
hours journey time! Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport
is closing down international services from Terminal 2 at the
end of October week due to reduced numbers of passengers. The
decision, by the Israel Airports Authority, is part of a
series of cost-cutting measures, according to daily newspaper
Haaretz. If international passengers start to increase the
Terminal 2 facility may reopen.

You would have to be living in a world with no access to the
radio, newspapersor tv not to hear about the recent bombing
in Bali. News reports say that around 75 percent of those who
died (around 200) in the blasts were Australian nationals.

But let's not forget the local people of Bali and other
nationals too, who lost their lives in Bali. A further 300
people were injured in the attack. As investigations start
into Saturday's nightclub bombings on Bali, Australian
airline Qantas is laying on extra flights to bring tourists
and injured victims back from the Indonesian island.
Singapore Airlines has also been carrying additional
passengers.

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and
Australian police and intelligence services are helping in
thesearch for the bombers.

The governments of Australia and the United States are
advising against travel to Indonesia and the US State
Department has asked all American citizens to leave the
country. All US government personnel, apart from those in key
positions, are being withdrawn.

The UK has also issued a travel warning, advising the
cancellation of non-essential visits to Indonesia.

Despite some expected cancellations, Singapore Airlines says
it is continuing to operate four daily flights to the area.

The airlines say they will not impose penalty charges on
passengers who change or cancel their flight reservations.
Those without tickets wishing to leave Bali are being offered
discounted fares.

Overland in Africa

New Globetrotter Renate would like to make contact with
others who share her interests: overlanding in Africa,
archaeology, anthropology, natural history and the
environment, conservation, and, others who have travelled in
the following countries in North and South Africa: Libya,
Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Sahara desert, Chad, Niger,
Mali, Mauritania and, S Africa: North Cape Province, Zambia,
Zimbabwe, Kalahari Desert, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique,
Tanzania, Angola. If this is you, please contact Renate on desertfox@freeuk.com

Advice and Travelling Companion(s) wanted

Bengt from Gothenburg, Sweden is looking for a travelling
companion(s) for a road trip around June/July/August 2003 to
join him in full or in part for a 6-12 month trip overland in
the USA, Canada, Alaska and down through Central America to
Panama. He/she must speak decent Spanish as whilst Bengt
speaks good English, he is not so good with Spanish. They
must also be able to drive as he is shipping his own Toyota
Landcruiser over to the USA, probably to Jacksonville (Fl).
In addition, if any Globetrotter out there can help Bengt
with any advice about driving around, where to visit, car
documents etc, he would be very grateful. He also asks if
anyone knows if it's still exist a boat carrying vehicles
between Colon Panama to Cartagena Colombia? If you can help
Bengt with travel advice about specific countries or is
interested in being a travel companion, please e-mail him or
phone Bengt on: +46(0)31403327

UK Winter Break

Simon from the UK asks: I wondered if you could help me. I am
looking to get away for a winter break in the UK and want to
rent an isolated cottage without neighbours or developments
just the cottage and the elements. I have searched
extensively for this but can't seem to find it anywhere..
Do you know of such a company that can help me out with this.

Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or
country – want to share something with us – why not visit our
Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual
Aid

There are three galleries offering a change of photographic
exhibitions from photographers around the world.

Admission is free and the small gallery can be found at
5&8 Great Newport Street WC2H, tel: 020 7831 1772,
website: www.photonet.org.uk From
4^th October to
16^th November, there is a great
exhibition called Brixton Studio which looks at local
photographer Harry Jacobs and four other contemporary
artists. There's a great bookshop too.

The nearest tube is Leicester Square, so you could combine
this with a visit to the great National Portrait Gallery that
is close by, followed by a Chinese dinner in China Town, or a
film in Leicester Square.

Extract from The Star (Johannesburg): “The situation is
absolutely under control,” Transport Minister Ephraem
Magagula told the Swaziland parliament in Mbabane.

“Our nation's merchant navy is perfectly safe. We
just don't know where it is, that's all.”

Replying to an MP's question, Minister Magagula admitted
that the landlocked country had completely lost track of its
only ship, the Swazimar:

“We believe it is in a sea somewhere. At one time, we
sent a team of men to look for it, but there was a problem
with drink and they failed to find it, and so, technically,
yes, we've lost it a bit. But I categorically reject all
suggestions of incompetence on the part of this government.
The Swazimar is a big ship painted in the sort of nice bright
colours you can see at night. Mark my words, it will turn up.
The right honourable gentleman opposite is a very naughty
man, and he will laugh on the other side of his face when my
ship comes in.”