Chile Earthquake An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck 285 miles southwest of the capital of Santiago at approximately 0700 GMT on 27 February.  The cities of Concepcion, Talca and Santiago have been the heaviest affected.  The Chilean government has designated the regions of Maule and Biobio as "states of catastrophe".  A curfew will be in force in these two regions from 2100 - 0600 until further notice. All but essential travel to these regions should be avoided until further notice. The Chilean authorities have confirmed 723 dead but this number is expected to rise.  There have been frequent and sometimes heavy aftershocks, including one measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale. The capital Santiago is operating fairly normally but there has been some damage to buildings and at least two road flyovers have collapsed. Electricity and water supplies are sporadic in some areas. Santiago Airport has been closed since the earthquake for both international and internal flights although we are expecting it to open officially within the next couple of days.    The main tourist regions of Northern Chile (Atacama), Lake District around Puerto Montt and Patagonia have been spared by the earthquake. Fortunately none of the employees of our local agent or any of our clients have been hurt.                                                                                                                                 updated 02/03/10

 

Madeira Situation - we have confirmation of the following information: The airport and the Harbour are already open and working, but the Harbour still doesn’t have potable water. Therefore flights are still operating. Most areas already have light and water. The main roads to East and until Ribeira Brava are open, except for the road to the North Mobiles and Internet are now starting to work perfectly, so the island is already connected to the world (except for the North of the island) The Government has around 170 trucks and about 150 machines working on cleaning For more information on the situation in Madeira please see the official report from the regional government last updated 23/02/2010 at 06.30pm. Or call us for information regarding travel updates on 020 8758 4722                          updated 24/02/10

New restrictions on flights travelling to the USA From 26 December 2009, additional security measures have been put into place for all flights going to the US. This includes extra screening of passengers and hand baggage at the gate immediately before boarding. In order to minimise delays and congestion, we are asking all passengers to arrive at the gate early. Hand baggage allowances for all passengers flying into all US airports has been reduced to only one item of hand baggage. This item should not exceed 23 x 36 x 56cm, (approx 9 x 14 x 22 inches) and 13lb/6kg in weight, and should only contain the items you need during the flight. There will be no charge for checking in extra items of hand luggage.  Hand baggage allowances on all other routes remains unchanged.                                                                                                                updated 29/12/09

 

Sunvil Holidays/Greek Islands Club Prize Winners 2009 Every year, all questionnaires are entered into a prize draw and five lucky winners are drawn, to each win a £100 voucher towards the cost of a holiday the following year. So the lucky winners this year are... Dr. B of London Mr. A. of Twickenham Mrs. P of Berkshire Mrs. P. of Kent Mrs. M of Lancashire updated 10/12/09

Vaccination entry requirements for Costa Rica All visitors to Costa Rica arriving from any of the following countries (Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, French Guyana, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Gambia and Sudan) are now required to produce an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis documenting yellow fever vaccination before entry to Costa Rica will be granted. Certificates are valid 10 days after the date of vaccination. updated 9/12/09

British Airways changes charges for extra bags from 10 Nov09 From 10Nov09 extra baggage charges are increasing. Customers paying for extra bags online will pay £32/$48 for the first extra bag and £72/$112 for the second and all other extra bags. Customers paying for extra bags at the airport will pay £40/$60 for the first extra bag and £90/$140 for all additional bags. The extra bag charges for short haul flights will remain at £28/$40 when paid for online or £35/$50 when paid at the airport. Visit www.ba.com for further details on their baggage policy. Pay for any extra baggage before 10Nov and the online charge for an extra bag on long haul flights is a flat fee of £32/$48 per bag, up to 10 bags. updated 21/10/09

Gatwick Airport is to install a new inter-terminal transit system between the North and South Terminals To allow this work to take place the current monorail service between the terminals will cease on 27 September 2009 and will be replaced by a bus shuttle service from 28 September until the end of May 2010. The shuttle buses will operate from the upper forecourt of both terminals and will run every 3 minutes between the hours of 04:00 and 18:00, and every six minutes between 18:00 and 04:00. Passengers should allow 20 minutes for their journey updated 24/09/09

No Smoking in all public places throughout Greece From 1 July 2009, it is illegal to smoke in all public places throughout Greece. Under the new law, smoking will be banned in public places, including all bars and restaurants, offices, schools, hospitals, vehicles and on all forms of public transport. The restrictions will also apply in all outlets that produce and sell food. The penalty for violating this law is a fine of up to €500 updated 30/06/09