Posts Tagged ‘swine flu’

Airlines ramp up swine flu prevention

Monday, September 7th, 2009

The airline industry ramping up measures to reduce the risk of transmission of swine flu by stowing pillows and blankets and issuing disinfectant wipes.

William Schaffner, head of preventative medicine at Vanderbilt University medical school said that aircraft cabins have been renowned for spreading infection from one part of the world to another, as proven by the SARS epidemic

He also doesn’t believe that much can be done, as the airline industry has had to fight the pandemic, as well as global downturn in the travel industry.

Over 10 percent of flights between the US and Mexico have been cancelled since September last year, according to the Official Airline Guide.

Although the airline industry has no desire to play doctor, they are ready to stop a flight if need be, as the US Centre for Disease Control has set up a stringent policy on dealing with passengers who show symptoms of swine flu.  One such measure is to deny boarding to any passenger showing signs of a serious communicable disease, and that reporting of patients whose diagnosis has been confirmed.

Southwest Airlines spokesman, Paul Flaningan said that crew were trained to respond to sick passengers at the gate and in flight, and to work closely with medical personal to identify the appropriate course of action.

As a precaution, some airlines including Virgin American and Southwest have scrapped issuing blankets and pillows on some flights.

A Virgin America spokeswoman said that the airline has began issuing antibacterial hand-wipes and gels for use for guests and crew, as well as offering masks for those who request them.

In Asia, authorities have attempted to use specially designed cameras to detect passengers who have the illness, but experts believe that machines are not perfect.

Most other airlines have been painting a different picture on the swine flu pandemic, claiming that there is no greater risk of travelling by air than by using public transport, as the air inside the cabin is completely exchanged with air outside between 10 to 15 times per hour.

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Thomas Cook increase holiday prices by 8%

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Travel giant Thomas Cook have increased holiday prices by about 8%, which works out to be £140 extra on a typical family getaway.

The company has taken advantage of recent wet weather in the UK, leaving those looking for last minute bargains with fewer deals.

The increases in prices work out to be about 8%, which is roughly £35 to 450 per person, helping to boost profits following the impact of swine flu and also by cutting the number of holidays its sells, by almost a million per year since 2007.

Following the collapse of travel giant XL and competitor TUI also cutting the number of packages, Thomas Cook’s move has meant that there are about 2.5 million holiday packages for sale compared with two years ago.

Many travel operators have reported a surge in last minute bookings, with Egypt and Turkey being popular destinations for families.

Thomas Cook have 9% fewer holidays than the same time last year, allowing it to raise prices to offset some of the impact that has been caused to travel by the swine flu outbreak, with losses already at about the £12 million.

The travel company had sold around 90,000 holidays to Mexico before the swine flu outbreak, with many choosing to cancel their break or to choosing to book at the last minute to destinations closer to home.

Many hotels still have their doors closed in Mexico, with Thomas Cook anticipating annual losses of £20 due to swine flu.

In spite of the losses, Thomas Cook remain confident that profits will be around £430 million, and believe that the number of ‘staycationers’, those choosing to holiday at home due to the recession, is exaggerated.

Quotes thanks to the Mirror.  For more information on this article please visit their website at www.themirror.co.uk

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Thomas Cook blames losses on swine flu

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Tour operator Thomas cook has reported positive summer trading despite last-minute bookings and taking a £20 million hit from the outbreak of the swine flu pandemic.

The group said that although UK bookings were down 11 percent, average selling prices were up by 8 percent, with many last minute bookings due to Britain’s recent wet weather.

However, it follows TUI Travels grim forecast of the upcoming winter season, with UK bookings down by 13 percent to the same time last year, with key markets flat or ahead of last years bookings in line with capacity cuts.

The group is uncertain how next summer will be, they will continue to anticipate further growth in profits and margins next year, and has abandoned the operating profit target of £480 million.

Thomas Cook’s chief executive, Manny Fontenla-Novoa, said the world had become “a very different place” since he made that forecast, adding: “We’re confident we’ll hit £480 million but not next year.”

He went on to play down suggestions that the group may cut capacity again next summer, insisting that predictions were based on unemployment reaching 3 million.

Mr Fontenla-Novoa claimed the swine flu impact was “more significant than we anticipated”, forecasting a yearly profit hit from the pandemic of more than £20 million, partly due to negative publicity in Germany over the recent outbreak in Majorca.

He added that Thomas Cook continued to seek further acquisitions, and was in talks over opportunities in Russia and China.

Thanks to timesonline.co.uk for the above quotes.  For more information please visit their website.

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Russians advised not to travel to UK

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Russia has issued a travel advisory to its citizens not to travel to the UK following the outbreak of H1N1 virus across the country.

Russian football fans, estimated in the thousands, are expected to attend the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday for a FIFA World Cup European Qualifying match.  Russian health authorities have branded the circumstance as “completely inappropriate”.

Gennadi Onishchenko, Russia’s chief public health official said: “We will be dissuading our countrymen who express a willingness to travel there. This is absolutely unnecessary and inappropriate at the time of a flu epidemic.

“The liberalism that Britain and other European countries are demonstrating is absolutely inappropriate in the circumstances.”

Britain has been viewed as highly irresponsible for continuing to allow major sporting events in spite of the outbreak.

The UK has become the centre of the world for the outbreak of swine flu in the past few weeks, with almost 12,000 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus, and 31 deaths.

It is believed that the actual number of cases may be much higher, closer to 100,000 a week suspected cross the nation.

Britain is one of the worst countries affected by the virus, which has spread to over 160 countries.

Thanks to Travelbite for the above quotes.  For more information visit their website www.travelbite.co.uk

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Washout Summer Brings Last Minute Travel Surge

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Travel companies across Britain are reporting a recent surge in foreign holidays following predictions of more rain.

Britain has already received a fortnight of rain, while the Met office has revised a forecast of wet weather until September, with travel firms inundated with requests for late deals.

Online travel company Expedia said that in the last few days there has been a significant increase in queries for long haul destinations, with Thailand up 165% and Hong Kong up by 122%.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) was reporting that its members were experiencing increases of business of over 40% as many people had put off booking in advance.

Holidaymakers were either planning on staying at home or postponing their holidays until next year, but the bad weather has forced many to reconsider.

Spokesman for the ABTA, Sean Tipton, said “We were expecting a late booking market because of the recession and people worried about their jobs were leaving it as late as possible to make a decision, but the bad weather has created a real surge.

“We sold 45 million holidays last year and were running well down on that. The good news for consumers is that means there are more late deals than usual as tour operators struggle to fill capacity.”

Travel companies say that perceptions of the price of European holidays were usually wrong, with many operators is Greece and Spain forced to drop the prices to fill hotels.

A survey released in July showed that a cup of coffee and a bottle of beer were all cheaper in Spain and France than in the UK.

Britain’s favourite destinations to travel abroad this summer are Turkey, Greece and Spain, and prices to Mexico have slumped following the outbreak of swine flu.

Thanks to the Telegraph for the above quotes.  For more information visit telegraph.co.uk

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Swine Flu Threat To Tourism

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Foreign journalists are likely to face the wrath of British diplomats under plants to curb the impact of swine flu to the already fragile industry.

The Foreign Office has been asked to rebut misleading or hysterical reporting amid fears that tourists will cancel plans to visit when many hoped that tourism would help the country during the recession.

The number of new cases of swine flu has decreased across the nation with the estimated number of cases for this week being 110,000, marginally higher than the week before.

As it appears that the spread of the H1N1 virus is stalling, ministers are concerned that foreign media is portraying Britain as a panic-stricken nation paralyzed by the outbreak.

Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said that there was no reason that tourists should avoid travelling to the UK and asked the Foreign Office to ensure embassies overseas monitor negative coverage of the UK in relation to swine flu.

He said: “Britain is open for business. This is not like foot-and-mouth and it’s very important that we get those messages across and we rebut any misleading reporting that could damage our fragile tourist industry. We don’t want to see their numbers fall off.”

Latest figures show that fewer people are choosing the UK as a holiday destination, despite hopes of a bumper summer, fuelled by cash-strapped families opting to stay at home and foreign tourists enticed by the low value of the pound against the dollar and euro.

Quotes thanks to The Cornwall Guardian.  For more information visit www.thiscornwall.co.uk

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Swine flu in Britain jumps by 100,000 cases

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Britain is becoming the hardest hit country in Europe in the battle against swine flu.  Reported cases of the disease doubled this week. One of the reasons Britain has been affected more than the other countries is because it is used more as an international travel hub, with more people moving in and out.

Thirty one people in the UK have lost their lives to the disease so far.  There have only been four deaths in Spain, and no deaths reported in all of the rest of Europe.  Even so, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control is warning other countries to prepare for a marked increase in outbreaks in the upcoming weeks.

“Look at the UK. This is what you are going to have to face later in the year, but with a lot more cases than the UK is seeing at the moment,” said Angus Nicholl of ECDPC.

A streamlined medical service was set up in the UK on Thursday, in order to provide faster access to drugs and medical assistance over the Internet and by telephone.  The service is called the National Flu Pandemic Service.

Medical personnel in the worst affected areas such as London and Birmingham are swamped by patients seeking help. Phone lines have been jammed.  In the latest move to combat the disease, churches and schools are changing schedules or closing altogether.

Thanks to www.reuters.com for the above quote.  For more information about this article, please visit their web site.

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Schools may have to extend holidays

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Schoolchildren across the UK are happy to learn that they may be getting an extended holiday thanks to swine flu. The DCSF is indicating that should the swine flu outbreak get any worse, they might keep schools closed for longer than expected.

So far, 29 deaths are attributed to the pandemic in the UK. More than 1000 schools were affected last school year with outbreaks of the disease. In spite of the problem, most schools remained open at that time. The DCSF is considering closing them down instead and is monitoring the situation daily.

A DCSF spokesman described the situation as follows: “We expect that schools and early-years and childcare settings will reopen as usual, but at this time, we cannot be certain what the situation will be then; we will need to monitor developments over the summer, and take decisions based on the best advice available shortly before the start of term”

Cases of swine flu are on the increase worldwide as well as in the UK. Fifty two schoolchildren were recently quarantined in China after having contracted the disease in the UK. Airlines have instituted policies to prevent people suspected of having the disease from flying. There is hardly a segment of the population that has not been affected in someway by the disease.

According to the Department of Health, if cases continue rising at the same rate as today, by September the pandemic will reach its peak and approximately 30% of the entire population will have some form of the disease.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quote.  For more information on this story please visit their website.

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British Airways refuses to rebook passengers with swine flu

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

In a move further angering prospective passengers, British Airways says they will not rebook passengers that are refused boarding of planes because of swine flu risk.

The airline says that this is just standard ticketing procedure and doesn’t involve any new policy.  Passengers with flexible first-class tickets will be rebooked but travelers in the cheap seats will have to turn to their travel insurance for reimbursement.

The Air Transport Users Council, a passenger advocacy group, is angered by BA’s attitude. “It is unworkable to expect travel insurance to cover it. We would have hoped there would have been a facility to rebook.” said a spokesperson for the group.

The Association of British Insurers is reportedly worried that the British Airways policy could open the floodgates for claims in the coming months as the incidence of swine flu increases.  They are currently engaged in discussions with the Department of Health over what to do about the situation.

British Airways intends to have medical staff available at boarding gates and is training staff on how to prevent passengers from boarding.  The system is arbitrary because a positive diagnosis of swine flu can actually take several days to confirm.

This raises concerns about whether or not travel insurance would actually cover a refused boarding if the passenger later failed to contract the disease.  Medical experts have said that of all the people who exhibit the symptoms of swine flu, only about 30% of them actually have the disease. The rest simply have severe colds.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quote.  For more information about this article please visit their web site.

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Travel insurance exempting swine flu

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Cancellation of travel plans due to swine flu may not be covered by travel insurance. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) is advising holidaymakers to check their travel insurance policies as it has been reported that some insurance carriers are introducing exemptions for swine flu illness. (more…)

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