Swine flu update #6

I previously blogged on the impacts of H1N1 (swine flu) on travel, what to do about the potential impacts and how savvy travellers can benefit.This is an update on how the potential impacts are developing.

A reminder that for medical advice or up to the minute information on the spread of swine flu, check out the World Health Organization (WHO) website. Note they call it H1N1 Influenza A instead of swine flu.

Current swine flu status

Transmission rates and death rates are similar to or lower than normal seasonal influenza levels. At the time of writing over 100 countries have reported confirmed H1N1 cases and 13 countries have reported H1N1 deaths - it has spread everywhere, just like normal flu.

Current impacts on travel

Many countries have changed their approach to dealing with H1N1 as they accept it is now no longer contained. In general this means less hassles for travellers, although this is not yet the case everywhere. As previously reported, China still is taking a highly precautionary approach of putting into quarantine all arrivals who show a temperature, or seated nearby to someone with a temperature on a plane, or in a neighbouring cabin/room on a boat or in a hotel.

Mark Ashley of Upgrade: Travel Better has blogged about health authorities in Bali/Indonesia going one step further over the top by taking blood tests of all arriving visitors.

Other than in these few countries still taking a hard line, the only travellers significantly impacted by swine flu now should be those who actually contract it. Generally they are required to be quarantined for 3 or 7 days, and in some cases are hospitalised. The risk of this is low.

I've travelled to several countries since swine flu broke out, and in most (but not all) a health form is required for all arriving travellers (and in some cases also transit passengers) as well as a request to self-proclaim if feeling unwell. Thermal cameras in countries which had been using them only the past couple of months has been discontinued, but generally not in Asia where they have been in place for some years.

There are still some reports that China is slow to issue visas to Mexicans, Americans and Australians.

Outlook

With many countries easing restrictions and their reactions to swine flu I think it is a great time to be travelling. The sales this year have been the best in a decade or more on some routes - this can't last. I expect airlines will keep slashing capacity if passenger numbers don't bounce back. Hotels don't have the luxury of altering supply so we should still see more good deals for the rest of the year at least. I'm wary of booking any non-refundable accommodation in the interim.

I'm keeping an eye on China and Indonesia as their actions are getting further and further out of step with other countries. Fortunately I have no upcoming travel to either planned in the short term.

Flight Connectivity Index as at 30 June 2009

For those interested here is the full listing of the Flight Connectivity Index (FCI) as at 30 June 2009.

Flight Connectivity Index
as at 30 June 2009
Country	FCI	Rank
Afghanistan	13	112=
Albania	12	116=
Algeria	27	60
Andorra	0	189=
Angola	21	72=
Antigua and Barbuda	15	102=
Argentina	24	66=
Armenia	19	86=
Australia	30	55=
Austria	61	14
Azerbaijan	20	79=
Bahamas	5	159=
Bahrain	31	51=
Bangladesh	16	97=
Barbados	14	104=
Belarus	20	79=
Belgium	62	13
Belize	3	178=
Benin	19	86=
Bhutan	4	171=
Bolivia	9	136=
Bosnia and Herzegovina	14	104=
Botswana	3	178=
Brazil	33	44=
Brunei Darussalam	12	116=
Bulgaria	30	55=
Burkina Faso	14	104=
Burundi	5	159=
Cambodia	7	146=
Cameroon	21	72=
Canada	52	16=
Cape Verde	14	104=
Central African Republic	7	146=
Chad	12	116=
Chile	21	72=
China	64	12
Colombia	20	79=
Comoros	4	171=
Congo	18	92=
Costa Rica	18	92=
Côte d'Ivoire	26	61=
Croatia	29	59
Cuba	21	72=
Cyprus	34	42=
Czech Republic	48	20=
Denmark	43	27
Djibouti	8	140=
Dominica	5	159=
Dominican Republic	25	64=
DR Congo	12	116=
Ecuador	11	125=
Egypt	53	15
El Salvador	12	116=
Equatorial Guinea	9	136=
Eritrea	10	131=
Estonia	20	79=
Ethiopia	47	22=
Fiji	11	125=
Finland	37	38=
France	104	2=
Gabon	21	72=
Gambia	7	146=
Georgia	16	97=
Germany	106	1
Ghana	21	72=
Greece	49	18=
Grenada	8	140=
Guatemala	11	125=
Guinea	12	116=
Guinea-Bissau	6	152=
Guyana	5	159=
Haiti	6	152=
Honduras	10	131=
Hungary	40	31=
Iceland	15	102=
India	47	22=
Indonesia	19	86=
Iran	33	44=
Iraq	8	140=
Ireland	33	44=
Israel	40	31=
Italy	83	5
Jamaica	14	104=
Japan	36	41
Jordan	39	35=
Kazakhstan	22	71
Kenya	45	24=
Kiribati	1	185=
Kuwait	39	35=
Kyrgyzstan	9	136=
Laos	5	159=
Latvia	32	49=
Lebanon	41	30
Lesotho	1	185=
Liberia	7	146=
Libya	37	38=
Liechtenstein	0	189=
Lithuania	14	104=
Luxembourg	21	72=
Madagascar	7	146=
Malawi	6	152=
Malaysia	42	28=
Maldives	11	125=
Mali	17	95=
Malta	25	64=
Marshall Islands	2	183=
Mauritania	12	116=
Mauritius	16	97=
Mexico	23	68=
Micronesia	3	178=
Moldova	16	97=
Monaco	0	189=
Mongolia	5	159=
Montenegro	14	104=
Morocco	40	31=
Mozambique	4	171=
Myanmar	5	159=
Namibia	5	159=
Nauru	2	183=
Nepal	13	112=
Netherlands	79	7
New Zealand	18	92=
Nicaragua	7	146=
Niger	6	152=
Nigeria	31	51=
North Korea	3	178=
Norway	32	49=
Oman	19	86=
Pakistan	30	55=
Palau	4	171=
Panama	23	68=
Papua New Guinea	8	140=
Paraguay	6	152=
Peru	20	79=
Philippines	20	79=
Poland	34	42=
Portugal	38	37
Qatar	49	18=
Romania	31	51=
Russian Federation	68	10=
Rwanda	8	140=
Saint Kitts and Nevis	5	159=
Saint Lucia	8	140=
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	6	152=
Samoa	5	159=
San Marino	0	189=
Sao Tome and Principe	4	171=
Saudi Arabia	44	26
Senegal	31	51=
Serbia	30	55=
Seychelles	12	116=
Sierra Leone	11	125=
Singapore	42	28=
Slovakia	19	86=
Slovenia	26	61=
Solomon Islands	5	159=
Somalia	6	152=
South Africa	48	20=
South Korea	37	38=
Spain	69	9
Sri Lanka	19	86=
Sudan	20	79=
Suriname	4	171=
Swaziland	1	185=
Sweden	40	31=
Switzerland	68	10=
Syria	33	44=
Tajikistan	10	131=
Tanzania	16	97=
TFYROM (Macedonia)	13	112=
Thailand	52	16=
Timor-Leste	3	178=
Togo	11	125=
Tonga	5	159=
Trinidad and Tobago	14	104=
Tunisia	33	44=
Turkey	80	6
Turkmenistan	10	131=
Tuvalu	1	185=
UAE	76	8
Uganda	12	116=
UK	104	2=
Ukraine	45	24=
Uruguay	10	131=
USA	86	4
Uzbekistan	23	68=
Vanuatu	4	171=
Venezuela	26	61=
Vietnam	17	95=
Yemen	24	66=
Zambia	9	136=
Zimbabwe	13	112=

Which countries have flights to the most & least number of other countries?

A factor in common for my own travel plans to visit every country, and also in the how to get to series, is that some countries have flight connections with lots of other countries while others do not.

I find it useful to have an idea of how well connected by air various countries are, and based on questions I often get I hope others will find it useful too.

Introducing Flight Connectivity Index (FCI)

To get a quick high level view I have calculated a Flight Connectivity Index (FCI) based on airline schedules at 30 June 2009. The FCI value is the number of other countries to which you can fly directly from a given country, based on published schedules of IATA airlines. Domestic flights do not count. To simplify the calculation, countries are defined as members of United Nations, as opposed to using one of the many other country lists available.

As airline schedules change I intend updating the calculation from time to time.

Selected 30 June 2009 FCI results

There are 192 member countries of the United Nations, thus the maximum possible FCI is 191 (because domestic flights do not count). No country has direct flights to all other countries - the highest FCI score is 106 for Germany. Four countries have a zero flight connectivity index - these are the small countries of Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino. The average across all countries is 23.

The top 10 flight connectivity index values at 30 June 2009 are equal to or greater than 68, and the bottom 10 are equal to or less than 3. There are 57 countries with a FCI of 9 or less, 3 countries with a FCI of 100 or more (Germany, France, UK) and 17 countries with a FCI score of 50 or more.

The countries with the highest and lowest FCI values are shown in the two tables below.

Flight Connectivity Index (FCI) - Top 10 as at 30 June 2009
Rank	FCI	Country
1	106	Germany
2=	104	France
		UK
4	86	USA
5	83	Italy
6	80	Turkey
7	79	Netherlands
8	76	UAE
9	69	Spain
10=	68	Russia
		Switzerland

Flight Connectivity Index (FCI) - Bottom 10 as at 30 June 2009
Rank	FCI	Country
No flights
189=	0	Andorra
		Liechtenstein
		Monaco
		San Marino
Flights
185=	1	Kiribati
		Lesotho
		Swaziland
		Tuvalu
183=	2	Marshall Islands
		Nauru
178=	3	Belize
		Botswana
		North Korea
		Micronesia
		Timor-Leste

Full Flight Connectivity Index

I've posted the full Flight Connectivity Index at 30 June 2009.

Airline lounges - my second home

As I have been asked about airline and airport lounges a lot lately, I figure it is time for another blog post about them. Airline lounges can generally be accessed by:

• paid club membership - of the specific airline's club or a partner airline's club with reciprocal useage rights
• pay per use membership
• frequent flyer elite status
• airline class of travel

So far, I have never bought club membership or paid for day use of a lounge. Despite this I have used over 260 lounges in over 120 airports worldwide, several of them over 100 times. The quality of lounge varies widely from the luxury of the Lufthansa First Class Terminal with dozens of fine single malt whiskies, to a peaceful oasis of calm in what is otherwise a horrid airport (lounges in Dhaka and Lahore spring to mind), to the downright nasty crowded rooms (such as the LAT Lounge at Beirut which makes the Red Carpet Club at Los Angeles look good!).

What do I look for in a lounge?

Showers

Most airline lounge users do not shower in the lounge. However, for me it is an invaluable asset and I wish more lounges had them. Whether it is because I'm in the middle of 2 or more days constant flying, or because I'm rushing straight from work to flight to work with no time to visit home or hotel in between, I use airline lounge showers very frequently.

Of course not all showers are equal. Most have towels, soap and other amenities. Some do not. I bring my own towel just in case. Some have toilet and basin in the shower room, others do not. Some are heavily used and require lengthy waits (eg Lufthansa Frankfurt nonschengen B lounge in the morning and evening).

The best airport showers I've had are in the Los Angeles Air New Zealand lounge. It is great to wash away the hassles of security (and often lengthy immigration queues too) in the middle of 30 odd hours of flying. Oh yes, the cabanas at Cathay Pacific Hong Kong The Wing First Class lounge are also pretty nice.

Business facilities

I'm in the minority here amongst business travelers, but a lot of the time I travel without a laptop. Downtime in transit is an opportunity to catch up on messages and get some work done. For this reason I wish every airline lounge had free internet computers, preferably with printers and photocopiers available. Free local calls are a nice bonus if available.

The best airport lounge business facilities I've used are the bookable rooms in the Melbourne and Sydney Qantas First Class lounge. Not only do they have all of the above, but also little things like office stationery (pens, pencils, paper even a stapler & sellotape). To keep any meetings confidential there are also privacy blinds and enough space and chairs for a few people to use the room at once.

Lounge agents

When things go wrong, as they are bound to from time to time, having good airline agents in the lounge who are authorised to fix things is invaluable. Not only does it save time queueing at a desk in the main part of the terminal or on hold on the phone, but by getting quick access you sometimes can take advantage of fleeting opportunities.

One example is in the United San Francisco Red Carpet Club (RCC) a few years ago. I had one of those tricky itineraries flying to Anchorage via Portland and Seattle, having just arrived from New Zealand. The weather along the west coast was bad with many flight delays. My flight to Portland was delayed a couple of hours which would likely mean misconnecting with the once a day flight from Seattle to Anchorage. I spotted the issue when a delay announcement was made at the gate and headed straight back to the RCC with it's service desk inside. The nice agent in the lounge quickly saw the problem and rebooked me on the nonstop flight to Seattle that was just about to board. If I'd tried calling or heading to the landside service desk I wouldn't have even reached an agent in time to take this option.

The extras

Showers, computers and good agents are the 3 things I really look for in an airline lounge. Other stuff, however, may be the difference between a good lounge and a great one. Here are some examples of lounge extras I like. See if you can pick which lounges I am referring to?

• children's play room, complete with playstations - less noise in the main part of the lounge and keeps kids away from the computers
• air hockey table - for the inner child
• special lounge security and immigration to bypass the regular ones - faster and less intrusive
• great picture windows overlooking tarmac, runway and scenery
• wide selection of magazines and newspapers
• great restaurant quality food and drink with proper meal service
• Fauchon green tea ice cream
• spa or massages
• sleeper rooms, complete with wakeup service so you don't miss your flight
• bar tenders that remember my order and have it ready when they see me coming

Rant - inappropriate airline frequent flyer marketing emails

I generally like getting emails from airlines and frequent flyer programs. I subscribe to dozens of email lists and it is a chance for me to be informed of deals and offers that I may have missed from other sources. Every day I get several such emails. Most I can't take advantage of but the few that I can use make it very worthwhile.

However, there are some marketing emails that serve only to annoy me. Here are a few recent examples from my inbox.

• Click to enter a competition for free flight/holiday/miles, open only to residents of a certain country. The frequent flyer programs know I am not resident of that country, and thus I am ineligible for the competition.
• Sign up for a new credit card for bonus miles. The card is only available in USA, a country in which it is notoriously difficult for non-residents to get credit cards. You guessed it, the frequent flyer program knows I am not a resident.
• Sale offer which is almost over. What is the point of sending an email at the end of a 2 week sale? Extra rant points if it is a sale which I could have used but have already bought a higher fare during the un-notified portion of the sale.
• Lengthy email about a sale, followed a day later by a long corrected email. The corrected email doesn't spell out what was corrected forcing a full re-read to see if the change affects me or not.
• Fantastic one day only offers which due to lack of internet access I only get to read the next day. Okay, this one is my fault.

What are your airline or frequent flyer program email peeves?

How to get to | Alaska

This blog post is how to get to Alaska. See also how to get to USA.

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Alaska

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The easiest way to get to Alaska is by cruise ship or ferry in the southeast (from Seattle or Vancouver), or by air. There are a few roads to/from Canada - driving distances are very long. Airlines flying to Alaska (mostly Anchorage) include:

• Star Alliance - Air Canada (seasonal), Continental, US Airways
• Oneworld - American (seasonal)
• Sky Team - Delta
• Other selected - Alaska, Vladivostok Air, a few seasonal charters mostly from Asia

TIP Other than on Sky Team or on Alaska Airlines it is difficult or impossible to include flights to Alaska in business/first on awards or discounted tickets.

TIP Book as early as possible if travelling to/from Alaska during (northern) summer.

UPDATED November 2009 - Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. No change to advice.

How to get to | Croatia

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Croatia

Source: Eric Ostermann

Croatia is very easy to get to, by ferry from Italy and Slovenia, by road or bus from all neighbouring countries, by train from north and east, and by air. Flight options are numerous and include:

• Star Alliance - Austrian (Dubrovnik & Split & Zagreb), blue1 (Dubrovnik & Split), Croatia (Dubrovnik & Split & Zagreb), Lufthansa (Dubrovnik & Split & Zagreb), SAS (Split & Zagreb), TAP (Zagreb), Turkish (Zagreb)
• Oneworld - British Airways (Dubrovnik), Iberia (Dubrovnik & Zagreb), Malev (Split & Zagreb)
• Sky Team - Aeroflot (Split & Zagreb), Air France (Zagreb), Czech (Split & Zagreb)
• Other selected - most European low cost airlines

TIP There are more flight options in summer than in winter with several airlines and routes operated on a seasonal basis.

TIP Fares are lowest on routes with competition through low cost carriers.

TIP Many fares on Croatia Airlines allow domestic add-on flight for little or no cost. If economy fare is high (ie the cheap fares have sold out) check discounted business class fares as these are normally cheaper than full fare economy.

How to get to | North Korea

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

North Korea

Source: Martyn Williams

There are essentially only two ways to visit North Korea. One is to take a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from Seoul, and the other is by organised tour from China.

DMZ tours may include either or both the western tunnel complexes and Panmunjeom in the Joint Security Area. On these tours it is possible to "cross the border" into North Korea to a very limited extent (eg inside buildings which straddle the border). There is a long list of rules to follow on these tours concerning clothing and items you can/cannot bring with you. The tour passes through many security checkpoints en route.

Independent travel to North Korea proper is not allowed. Visitors can take part in (highly controlled and supervised) organised tours, flying to Pyongyang from Beijing on either Air Koryo or Air China (Star Alliance) or taking the train from Beijing. There are no other airlines with scheduled service to North Korea, although there are occasional charter flights.

Most of the time Americans are not allowed to visit however some years an exception is made for the Mass Games.

The visa and entry requirements for North Korea can change rapidly - be sure to double check at the time of booking and again before departure.

How to get to | Lord Howe Island

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

See also how to get to Australia.

Lord Howe Island

source: Fanny Schertzer

There is only one practical way for visitors to get to and from Lord Howe Island, and that is by flying on Qantas from Brisbane or Sydney. Note that as the flight travels a long way overwater, using a small aircraft, and with no alternate airports to fly to in case of problems, there are strict and very low baggage limits allowed. Passengers are also routinely weighed before boarding (especially Lord Howe Island to mainland Australia).

TIP Fares are high, only available from mainland Australia (although can be added to international fares), and there are never any sales. Book as far ahead as possible, whether on paid or award tickets.

TIP A longhaul economy class award to Australia with included flights to and from Lord Howe Island using Oneworld miles is especially good value. Likewise if you can include these flights on an Oneworld round the world economy fare.

Singapore Airlines A380

I'm the most excited I've been about an upcoming flight for a long time. After a very long wait I will soon finally get to fly Singapore A380. To think that I was planning to be on the inaugural A380 flight years ago. Now I've already flown Qantas (last year on a joyride and more recently longhaul) and Emirates on their A380s.

I can't wait to try it out.

How to get to | Chile

This blog post is how to get to Chile the country. There is another post on how to get to Easter Island specifically.



This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.




Chile

Source: Vincent Huang

There are buses from all neighbouring countries. By sea there are ferries from Argentina in the far south, plus cruise ships on the Patagonia and Antarctica circuit. There are not many airlines which fly to Chile (and these mostly to Santiago). These include:

• Star Alliance - Air Canada
• Oneworld - American, Iberia, LAN
• Sky Team - Aeromexico, Air France, Delta
• Other selected - all major South and Central American airlines

TIP Intra-South America air travel sold in South America is cheaper than the same flights sold on US or international websites or travel agencies. Eg for LAN use the Chile homepage (in Spanish) rather than the international website.

TIP South America is difficult to include on a Star Alliance RTW due to lack of a connection across the Pacific Ocean. Consider taking a side-trip (separate ticket) from North America on other airlines.

TIP The LAN airline group has hubs in Santiago, Lima, Guayaquil and Buenos Aires. If a direct flight intra-South America from Santiago is not available for reasonable fare or award, try routing via one of the other hubs. Note business class is limited to flights operated by A340 or 767.

TIP Some LAN domestic flights may use international terminals, at Santiago and elsewhere, due to the continuing or originating international leg.

TIP For travel between Australia/NZ and South America fares are fairly high and award availability limited - especially in business class. Check all the options, including codeshares and starting in NZ. Availability may differ between Sydney and Santiago (via Auckland) compared with between Auckland and Santiago, and may differ between LAN and the QF codeshare.

How to get to | Sweden

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Sweden

Source: Max Anderson

There are lots of Baltic Sea ferries plying between Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Norway and Sweden. Most routes other than Finland and Estonia are ice free and operate year round. Roads and trains connect with Denmark between Malmo and Copenhagen on the famous Oresund bridge, and Norway between Stockholm and Oslo. There are also numerous road crossings with Norway and a lesser number with Finland. Flight options (mostly to Stockholm Arlanda airport) include:

• Star Alliance - Adria, Air China, Austrian, blue1, Continental, LOT, Lufthansa, SAS, Spanair, Swiss, TAP, Thai, Turkish, US Airways
• Oneworld - British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Malev
• Sky Team - Aeroflot, Air France, Czech, Delta, KLM
• Other selected - most European and some Middle Eastern full service, low cost and charter airlines

TIP Some longhaul airfares (eg around the world) are significantly cheaper from Sweden than from most other places in Europe, particularly in business and first class.

TIP When flying a low cost airline to Stockholm check carefully which of the 4 airports is being used. For example Ryanair uses Skavsta about 60 miles south of the city and Vasteras 70 miles west.

UPDATED November 2009 - Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. No change to advice.

Gate to gate IFE is great

Just a brief update on my post about inflight entertainment. I've recently had a few trans-Tasman flights on both Qantas and Air New Zealand. The flights are about 3 1/2 hours heading west and 3 hours heading east.

Thanks to IFE being switched on at boarding and not being turned off until touchdown, on Air NZ I was able to watch 2 movies + 1 TV program each flight (in both directions). Compare this with Qantas where it is only possible to watch 1 movie each flight (and warned against selecting a long movie for Australia to New Zealand). The wider selection on Air New Zealand also meant more movies worth watching.

How to get to | Israel

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Israel

Source: David Shankbone

Due to the political situation, most visitors to Israel arrive by air at Tel Aviv airport. There are also land border crossings open with Egypt (only at Eilat) and Jordan (at a few places). Borders with Syria and Lebanon are closed. There is also a ferry between Cyprus and Haifa. Flight options include (all to Tel Aviv except as noted):

• Star Alliance - Air Canada, Austrian, bmi, Continental, Croatia, LOT, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish, US Airways
• Oneworld - British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Malev, Royal Jordanian
• Sky Team - Aeroflot (Tel Aviv and Eilat-Ovda), Air France, Alitalia, Czech, Delta, KLM, Korean
• Other selected - El Al, several European charter airlines

TIP the security at Tel Aviv airport is very high, allow plenty of time before departure

TIP Israeli passport stamps can cause problems arriving at some other countries (eg Lebanon, Syria, various Gulf countries, Malaysia). For arrival & departure by air you can request a separate piece of paper be stamped, or otherwise some countries permit people to hold 2 passports concurrently. Land arrival & departure without passport evidence is more difficult because a departure stamp from Jordan border for example gives the game away.

TIP If visiting more than one such country, then make Israel the last stop (via bladespace).

TIP Israel is considered part of Europe on most fares and frequent flyer programs. This means awards and around the world tickets can be well utilised (but avoid having Israel and certain other countries on the same ticket or itinerary).

TIP Normal fares to/from Israel are generally high, although there can be good sales from US east coast (usually whenever capacity is increased or a new airline commences flights to Tel Aviv).

UPDATED November 2009 - Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. No change to advice.

Swine flu update #5 - pandemic declared

Image courtesy of BBC

Today the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an H1N1 pandemic on the basis the flu is being spread in material numbers in both Americas (USA & Mexico) and Australia.



I previously blogged on the impacts of H1N1 (swine flu) on travel, what to do about the potential impacts and how savvy travellers can benefit.

This is an update on how the potential impacts are developing. A reminder that for medical advice or up to the minute information on the spread of swine flu, check out the World Health Organization (WHO) website. Note they call it H1N1 Influenza A instead of swine flu.

Current swine flu status

Transmission rates and death rates are similar to or lower than normal seasonal influenza levels. The majority of confirmed H1N1 cases are concentrated in a handful of countries, although 74 countries have reported it, with deaths in 7 countries.



Current impacts on travel

Travellers who contract H1N1 swine flu are impacted the most. Generally they are required to be quarantined for 3 or 7 days, and in some cases are hospitalised. The risk of this is low or very low almost everywhere. However, it can take a day or so to confirm whether someone has H1N1 or regular influenza, so many more travellers may be temporarily quarantined while tests are being performed.



There is a minor impact in many countries - health forms are being required of all arriving travellers (and in some cases also transit passengers). Thermal cameras are being used widely in airports and cruise ship terminals together with medical staff visually inspecting people as they walk past through chutes.



There is a more significant impact, on those who are well, in a few countries. Countries such as China and Australia are treating all those who travel with someone who is infected as also being infected. Now a pandemic has been declared I expect many more countries will adopt a similar approach. There is not much you can do to protect against thus short of not travelling at all.



Some countries are restricting travel from affected areas. For example there are some reports that China has stopped issuing visas to Mexicans, Americans and Australians; or lengthening the application process to try to screen out those who are unwell.



Outlook



International travel will be more risky in respect of the potential to be caught up in quarantine or travel restrictions even if fully healthy. At the moment it is not significant enough to stop me travelling - I have several international trips booked for the next few weeks which I fully intend to take. However I am reviewing transfer times between flights with a view to making sure these are long enough for possible delays (eg because of the extra health screening on arrival).



As the effects of cancellations and reduced bookings are now widespread (not just Mexico), and adding to the travel downturn caused by the economic climate, great sales are continuing. There have been fantastic airfares and hotel room rates (and cruise rates too although I don't follow these) - in some cases the best in a decade or more.



Since I don't think this is sustainable, I expect to see more airline schedule changes cancelling more flights. Keep an eye open in your mailbox, and also check the airline website and itinerary lookup sites in case the airline fails to notify you. My recent post on how I dealt with a flight cancellation includes how to use the itinerary lookup sites. Hotels are in a more difficult position as they cannot easily reduce supply - they must either keep rates low or through in more benefits to attract travellers, or temporarily shut down.



I'm continuing to keep an eye on bargains and where practical ensuring my travel plans can cater for a modest delay entering or leaving a country. It is, however, difficult to allow for a potential enforced quarantine if someone else on your flight or ship or in your hotel is confirmed to have H1N1 swine flu - especially as the length varies by country from a few days to a week or more. Insurance coverage continues to be important.

How to get to | Sabah

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Sabah

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Sabah is a state of East Malaysia, on the northeastern portion of the island of Borneo.

Travel options to Sabah are relatively limited. There are ferries from Brunei and southern Philippines. Land travel between Sabah and the state of Sarawak or Indonesia is almost nonexistant. The only international airport is at Kota Kinabulu, although there are a couple of other small airports with domestic flights. Airlines flying to Sabah include:

• Star Alliance - Asiana
• Oneworld - Dragonair
• Sky Team - Korean
• Other selected - Air Asia, Jetstar Asia, Malaysian, Silkair, Tiger

TIP Fly to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and then onwards on Malaysian or one of the several low cost airlines. Fares on the fuller service airlines (Asiana, Dragonair, Korean and Silkair) tend to be high relative to the alternatives.

Know your places? Enter the Earth TV competition

I've watched EarthTV live video from hotels in many countries. Now they are celebrating their launch in North America with a "where in the world is" competition. Pick where the pictures are from and win Briggs & Riley luggage (that is really good stuff if you haven't come across the brand before). More info on the EarthTV website.

Disclaimer - when you enter you can state where you heard about the competition. If a winner says they heard from my blog then I also win a small Briggs & Riley case.

Flying finale

I've flown about a dozen times on inaugural flights - the first time an airline flies a route, or starts a network. The other day I flew my first flight finale - the last time an airline flies a route or network.

Qantas (Jetconnect) has stopped flying domestically in New Zealand after 7 years, to be replaced by low cost carrier Jetstar. This is a shame - the Jetconnect staff & crew are by far the friendliest and most helpful people in the Qantas group, and many have been redeployed or lost their jobs. The domestic lounges have a reprieve, but this will only be temporary.

The finale was a sad day for many of their frequent flyers also, and I'm glad I got one last chance to fly Qantas in New Zealand, and to visit the domestic Qantas Clubs one last time.

How to get to | Antarctica

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.




Antarctica

Source: Zila Minkova

Almost all visitors to Antarctica arrive by ship, whether as scientists and research base support staff or as tourists. All visits are in the height of summer - there are no options in winter. Flight options for tourists are extremely limited:

• Most summers Qantas has a few charter sightseeing flights over the coastline south of Australia, but these do not land. Since they are charter flights, these are not available for purchase as part of any regular fare or as a frequent flyer award.
• There is an extremely expensive charter flight available from Ushuaia which does land

By ship there are a few more options. Several cruise and former research ships operate from southern South America to the Antarctic Peninsula - these are generally rather expensive. Don't forget to allow for the relatively high cost to reach the originating port (unless the cruise commences from Buenos Aires or Santiago).

Some research ships may have one or two cabins available for paying tourists at rates lower than the cruise ships. However the trade off is a less comfortable journey and the itinerary is based on scientific requirements rather than places of interest for tourists.

There are currently no ship options from Australia or New Zealand that go all the way to Antarctica, although there are a limited number (one or two a year) that visit subantarctic islands.

How to get to | Papua New Guinea

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.



Papua New Guinea

Source: Wikimedia Commons

There are not many ways to get to Papua New Guinea (PNG). A few airlines fly to Port Moresby, mostly from Australia:

• Star Alliance - none
• Oneworld - none (Qantas flights are codeshares on Air Niugini)
• Sky Team - none
• Other selected - Air Niugini (from several Australian, Pacific and Asian cities), Airlines PNG (from Cairns and Brisbane), Pacific Blue (from Brisbane)

With no alliance flights to Papua New Guinea it is impossible to include on an around the world fare and almost impossible to include on awards (see the tip below for the one exception).

Flights to Port Moresby still require paper tickets - it is one of the few major airports in the world still unable to handle e-tickets. Despite the limited number of international flights Port Moresby is a major airport because flying is the main way to travel in PNG - the combined length of all the airports is about the same as the combined length of all paved roads in the country!

TIP Fares to Papua New Guinea are generally high or very high. Low cost airline Pacific Blue started flights in 2009 and it is hoped will bring down air fares in general.

TIP Qantas Frequent Flyer points can be used on the Air Niugini flights between Australia and Port Moresby (but not for internal Papua New Guinea flights or flights to Asia & Pacific). These offer great value compared with fares. Less points are required from Cairns than from Brisbane or Sydney.

Fantastic deals USA to Australia this year

It's amazing the effect of increased competition on air fares. Case in point USA to Australia. Previously Qantas and United had a virtual duopoly (a monopoly for two). This year we have V Australia and soon Delta also on the route.

The result is fares lower than they've been for many years and almost continuous sales. If you want to visit Australia but have been put off by the fares, go this year. There is an added bonus in the relatively low Australian dollar making accommodation, food & drink, inter-Australia travel, activities and shopping even cheaper.

There have also been some good fares from Australia to USA, but not as heavily discounted as in the reverse direction.

The situation cannot last - either the newcomers will stop expanding flights or drop if the competition is too much, or the airlines will eventually settle into more realistic fares.

Domestic travel

Today is my first domestic flight in a month (although I've had several international trips). It seems an age - some years I have 200 domestic flights - a month is a long time.

I keep forgetting how lucky we have it despite the never ending changes and gripes about cutbacks. Within a minute of arriving at the airport I am in the lounge having already cleared security. I'll have another coffee from the in-lounge barista in a minute. There is no need to pay for lounge access as my frequent flyer status gives free access (unlike in USA).

There is no check-in required, my e-pass rfid tag is read at the gate as I board. If I didn't have a bit of work to do first, I could have arrived at the airport as little as 10 minutes before departure.

Online I have had the option to select and change seats at any time since making the booking.

There is no IFE but I have a paper from the lounge and hopefully a great view out the window.

How to get to | Hawaii

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Hawaii

Source: Julius Silver

Most visitors to Hawaii arrive by air, although there are also some cruise options across the Pacific. Many US-based airlines fly between various Hawaiian airports and the US mainland. Most international flights are to/from Honolulu. Airlines flying to Hawaii include:

• Star Alliance - Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Continental (US mainland as well as micronesia), United, US Airways
• Oneworld - American, Japan Airlines, Qantas (caution some flights are on Jetstar thus not Oneworld)
• Sky Team - Delta, Korean
• Other selected - Hawaiian

TIP Fares between continental USA and Australia/NZ on Star Alliance and Oneworld often allow routing via Honolulu for little or no extra cost.

TIP Fares between Asia and Hawaii are relatively high due to limited competition (except on the Tokyo to Honolulu route).

TIP Premium (first or business class) awards and discounted fares sell out quickly due to limited supply and high demand. Book as early as possible.

TIP Oneworld around the world fare rules stipulate no back-tracking between Hawaii and continental USA.

UPDATED November 2009 - Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. No change to advice.

How to get to | Costa Rica

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Costa Rica

Source: Wikimedia

Visitors to Costa Rica can arrive by cruise ship, by bus from Panama or Nicaragua (some buses originate in a few other Central American countries), and by air. Several airlines fly to Costa Rica (San Jose and Liberia except where noted) including:

• Star Alliance - Air Canada, Continental, United (Liberia only), US Airways
• Oneworld - American, Iberia (San Jose only), Mexicana (San Jose only)
• Sky Team - Delta
• Other selected - TACA

TIP Be careful flights are booked to the correct San Jose. The Costa Rican San Jose has an airport code of SJO, whereas the Californian one has an airport code of SJC.

TIP - some fares to Costa Rica are common-rated with other Central American destinations. This means if there is a cheap fare advertised to say San Salvador (El Salvador) or Managua (Nicaragua) there may also be cheap fares to Costa Rica.

TIP - the market is fairly competitive from many major US cities. When TACA has a sale other airlines typically match.

UPDATED November 2009 - Mexicana joins Oneworld and Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. No change to advice.

Inflight Entertainment

The few readers who have travelled with me know I am easily kept amused while travelling, especially in good company. There is always plenty to watch out the window (perhaps not at night flying over oceans), papers to catch up on, books and magazines to read. On some trips I end up lugging a book with me for a couple of weeks without reading any of it.

That said, I do appreciate good inflight entertainment (IFE). It is easier on the eyes than reading if sleepy, easier to do while eating and drinking, and a way to sample movies & shows from around the world that may never have seen otherwise. With many hundreds of flights on smaller aircraft with no IFE I appreciate it all the more when flying aircraft that do have good inflight entertainment.

The best IFE I have experienced are on Emirates and Air New Zealand. They are AVOD (audio video on demand) systems, have hundreds of options and don't seem to break down. They can also be used gate to gate, from the moment you board (except during safety briefing of course) until touchdown. The new system on Qantas A380 is also quite good, but still suffers in comparison due to the long wait to get started and lengthy commercial shown which you cannot bypass.

Recently I have had a run of problems with IFE. In the past two weeks I've had the following experiences with the inflight entertainment (as well as other flights with no IFE or IFE that worked fine):

• DVD players not handed out
• DVD player broken, replacement DVD player battery ran out
• DVD player battery out when handed to me
• no sound for almost all passengers including me
• AVOD system rebooted itself repeatedly and reset every time touched the control (eg to adjust volume or pause)

What do others look for in an inflight entertainment system?

How to get to | Montenegro

Thanks to Carissa W for the suggestion of Montenegro for the 50th "how to get to" destination.

Montenegro! It's the newest country in the world (at least it was when I
visited, 2 summers ago), and you can easily get to it from Croatia or Bosnia,
which are both worth visiting. The sea town of Kotor is an easy drive from
Dubrovnik and has an old fort high on the hill with a rock staircase good for a
day climb. Inland, the limestone mountains look like something out of a Star
Wars movie, it's shocking that they're not in movies. Montenegro is one of the
few places I've been that nobody else I know has ever heard of, let alone
traveled to.

Carissa please contact me so I can arrange to send the goodies your way.

Montenegro

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Source: Brian Dell

Most visitors to Montenegro arrive by car or bus across the borders with Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia or Albania. At present not many airlines fly to Montenegro, but more are being added every year. Currently the options are (all to Podgorica unless stated):

• Star Alliance - Adria, Austrian, Croatia
• Oneworld - Malev
• Sky Team - none
• Other selected - Montenegro Airlines (from Podgorica and Tivat), some Russian airlines (to Tivat)

Check with your airline or alliance of choice even if it is not listed above as more airlines add flights to Montenegro each year. Also some airlines currently flying may reduce or cease service if demand doesn't meet their expectations.

While low cost airlines haven't yet established flights to Montenegro, there are some seasonal charter flights (mostly to Tivat). Fares are generally higher than other nearby places. However it is still easy to get discounted fares and awards.

TIP land travel in the region has never been easier. Save your money or miles for somewhere harder or more expensive to get to.