Untitled Document

ENHANCED AIRLINE SECURITY MEASURES [Top Of Page ]

New security directives from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have been in place since January 4, 2010. They come as a response to an alleged attempt by a Nigerian man to set off an explosive device on an Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight on Christmas Day 2009. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is believed to have direct ties to Al Qaeda terrorist cells in the Middle Eastern Republic of Yemen.

Every individual flying into the United States from or through any one of 14 countries is to now be subject to enhanced screening measures, regardless of where their US-bound flight originated. These fourteen countries include four state sponsors of terrorism -Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria -and ten "countries of interest" -Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. Enhanced screening measures will include full-body pat-downs, physical inspection of personal items, full-body scanning and use of explosive detection technology.

The TSA directives also call for enhanced screening technologies and additional random screening for passengers on all US bound international flights.

The first week following the TSA's announcement saw sporadic implementation of the directives, however. In Europe, where 800 US-bound flights originate each day, the effects on airport security varied from country to country. So, as Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport put 15 full-body scanners into use to screen its US-bound passengers, and announced its plans to purchase 60 more, French airport officials announced that no changes will be implemented until they are approved by the French government.

Few changes in security procedures were initially reported in the 14 countries named as security risks. Asian airports have had stricter security measures in place in the aftermath of the attempted Christmas attack.

Yet to be determined is how widespread the use of advanced imaging machines will be in the US, Europe and other locations. The TSA now plans to buy a total of 450 body scanners, and the Department of Homeland Security has announced it will buy 300 machines in 2010, doubling its original order of 150. It remains to be seen how or where the machines will be used, and there are many concerns about the scanners' ultimate effectiveness, their privacy implications and their potential negative impact on the passenger screening process. The European Union is discussing the implementation of scanners as part of a coordinated EU approach, but no decisions have been reached as of yet. Until then, individual members states are free to use the scanners and set security procedures that are stricter than EU-mandated minimums.

Security checkpoint requirements for passengers whose flights originate in the US remain the same. Passengers may notice some additional security measures at the airport, however. While it remains unclear how the new directives will impact the time required for passengers to clear security, it is advisable for travelers to arrive at the airport two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international departures.

WINTER CRUISE SEASON [Top Of Page]

In today's difficult economic climate, the Caribbean is becoming increasingly popular with American tourists. It's closer than Europe, there are great travel deals to be had, and -in some cases -you don't even need a passport to get there. The Caribbean sun, surf and sand can be especially appealing for travelers during the holiday season, and many couples and families leave colder climates for warmer ones in late December each year.

As SecurAssist originally pointed out in June, however, crime rates have been on the rise in many Caribbean locations since the global economic downturn began in late 2008. This includes some of the more traditionally safe destinations in the region, including Barbados, the Bahamas and Belize. In other locales, such as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, crime has been a serious domestic problem for many years, existing just a short distance from all-inclusive resorts and white sand beaches. Murders, armed robberies, organized crime, drug trafficking and money laundering have become prevalent in many Caribbean countries. Poverty and limited career opportunities have led more than a few individuals to enter illegal, but more lucrative, careers.

While the Caribbean remains a very safe destination for travelers overall, these longer term trends are converging with contemporary economic discord to create a situation that bears monitoring. Several cruise lines have altered their security measures and limited their itineraries since 18 tourists were robbed at gunpoint near Nassau, Bahamas, earlier this month. While no one was injured in the incident, it was especially notable because all of the individuals involved were participating in a cruise-sponsored excursion -not wandering on their own in areas that are "off limits" to tourists.

The Bahamian example is obviously an extreme one. The vast majority of visitors to the Caribbean will enjoy safe, relaxing stays. However, it can only benefit travelers to be aware of the nature of the issue and plan accordingly. As much as possible, remain in popular areas with sufficient tourist infrastructure. Be especially vigilant for instances of petty theft, which is by far the most common crime in the islands. Plenty of visitors to the Caribbean have had negative encounters with pickpockets, purse snatchers, car break-ins, and even sheer opportunists on the beach or in hotel rooms. Keep your valuables close to you or in the hotel safe, and leave anything expensive or irreplaceable at home. Finally, keep a secure file that includes copies of your passport, credit card numbers, customer service numbers and SecurAssist contact information.

Amid recent reports that the number of uniformed police is inadequate in many Caribbean countries, and that authorities' responses are often slow and ineffective, having SecurAssist can greatly enhance your security options while traveling in any of these locations. Whether as a supplemental response to a security incident or as an external force for gathering information and managing interactions with local law enforcement, SecurAssist knows the Caribbean and can help its customers in any conceivable situation. We encourage any SecurAssist members planning to visit the Caribbean over the winter to contact us for more information.

RECENT 'OUTBREAK' OF LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE CAUSES CONCERN [Top Of Page]

A recent outbreak of Legionnaires' disease at a hotel in Miami, Florida, infected three guests, one fatally, with no clear cause yet discovered. The disease has long been associated with travel.

Background
Legionnaires' disease is caused by a bacteria. It was first encountered in July 1976 when an outbreak of pneumonia occurred among people attending a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia. It was later discovered that the causative agent was a previously unknown bacterium, subsequently named Legionella.

Symptoms
Legionnaires' disease usually has symptoms like pneumonia, so it can be hard to diagnose. Tell-tale signs are a high fever, chills and a cough. Some people may also suffer from headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite, loss of coordination and occasionally diarrhea and vomiting. The time between exposure to the bacterium and the onset of any symptoms of Legionnaires' disease ranges from two to fourteen days.

Causes
Legionnaires' disease is contracted when people breathe in a mist or vapor that has been contaminated with the Legionella bacteria. The most common sources of contaminated water include cooling towers used in industrial cooling water systems, large central air conditioning systems, evaporative coolers, hot water systems, showers, whirlpool spas, architectural fountains, room-air humidifiers, ice making machines, misting equipment, and similar disseminators that draw upon a public water supply. Exposure can occur in or near whirlpool spas, while showering in a hotel or touring cities with buildings that have cooling towers. Legionnaires' disease is commonly associated with hotels, cruise ships and hospitals with old, poorly maintained pipe work and cooling systems. The bacteria is not spread from one person to another, and is not found in natural water sources such as rivers or lakes.

Those most at risk of getting sick from exposure to Legionella bacteria are the elderly (usually 65 years of age or older), and smokers or those who have chronic lung disease (such as emphysema). People with weak immune systems from diseases like cancer, diabetes or kidney failure, as well as those who take drugs to suppress the immune system (like after a transplant or chemotherapy) are also more susceptible to the illness.

Travel
About 21% of all Legionnaires' disease cases reported to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a recent 20-year period were travel-related, and as reporting techniques improve, that number is expected to increase. Reported cases of the disease remain an underestimation of the true incidences of travel associated Legionnaires' disease, since many studies are finding that the disease is both under-diagnosed and under-reported. Legionellosis patients in the United States frequently report overnight hotel stays or travel outside of their residence.

In Europe, about 20% of all reported Legionnaires' disease cases are travel related. Travel- related Legionnaires' disease represents a significant public health issue in many European countries, impacting otherwise healthy individuals as a result of their travel abroad or within their own country. The countries most frequently associated with Legionnaires' disease have remained consistent over the past few years, including France, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

Prevention
There is no vaccine for legionellosis.
Despite the presence of Legionella bacteria in many aquatic environments, the risk of developing Leigionnaires' disease is low. This risk can be further reduced by lowering susceptibility to infection and avoiding exposure to the Legionella bacteria. The most important factor in lowering susceptibility to infection is to stop smoking. Among those who otherwise have healthy immune systems, smoking is the number one factor in acquiring Legionnaires' disease.

Travelers, especially those at increased risk of contracting the disease (mentioned above), should avoid high-risk areas such as whirlpools and spas. If exposure cannot be avoided, travelers should seek medical attention immediately if they develop any symptoms. One way of making the hotel water supply as safe as possible is to run the taps in the bathroom for a few minutes with the door closed, which allows the release of any air bubbles in the pipes that may harbor the Legionella bacteria. Once the steam has settled, you can use the taps.

Treatment
Most Legionnaire's cases can be treated with antibiotics and healthy people usually recover from the infection. However, it is still serious enough to cause death in up to 30% of cases.

For travelers with Legionnaires' disease, a specific antibiotic treatment with fluoroquinolones and macrolides is necessary and should be administered promptly. Treatment may be necessary for up to three weeks and in more severe cases might include a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit. Consultation with an infectious disease specialist is also advised.

Legionnaires' disease is important to diagnose and report because its identification implies the presence of an environmental source to which other susceptible individuals are likely to be exposed. Clusters of Legionnaires' disease associated with travel to hotels or aboard cruise ships are rarely detected by individual clinicians or health departments; travelers typically disperse from the source of infection before developing symptoms. Therefore, a travel history should be actively sought from symptomatic patients, and Legionella testing should be performed for those who have traveled in the 2 weeks before onset of symptoms.

Most people exposed to the Legionella bacteria do not become ill, but if for some reason you believe you were exposed, talk to your doctor or local health department. Be sure to mention if you have traveled in the past two weeks, and note whether you have been exposed to any obvious potential source of the bacteria. If you are diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, remember you are not a health threat to others in your home, workplace or school.

Because of the public health importance of timely reporting, inform CDC of travel-associated cases by emailing travellegionella@cdc.gov.

If the case is cruise ship related, inform the CDC Division of Global Migration Quarantine and the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program. (Can be a single email: VSP@cdc.gov , FMA0@cdc.gov., and travellegionella@cdc.gov)

FROM THE ASSIST AMERICA CASE FILES: COLLISION IN COLORADO [Top Of Page]

Leaving his home in Michigan behind, Brendan* arrived in Denver, Colorado, flush with excitement for a two-week summer hiking trip with his college roommate, Adam. They breakfasted at a diner while poring over regional maps and planning their itinerary, and then headed for an adventure outfitter store to buy some last-minute gear. But they never made it to the shop-on the drive over their car was hit by a pickup truck speeding through a stop sign. Adam, who was driving, received only minor cuts and bruises, but Brendan took the brunt of the impact on the passenger's side and was severely injured. He was rushed to the nearest hospital. Adam called Brendan's parents to let them know what happened, and they immediately called Assist America for help.

Our medical coordinators conferred with Brendan's treating doctors to find that he suffered a concussion, fractured vertebrae, broken leg, bruised kidney and collapsed lung. It would be a lengthy recovery at the hospital.

Monitoring Brendan's condition all the while, Assist America quickly supplied round trip tickets for his mother to travel to his bedside in Colorado. After spending nearly four weeks in the hospital convalescing and rehabilitating, Brendan was finally fit for travel. Assist America arranged and paid for him and his mom to fly home via first class commercial air with a medical escort, where he made a full recovery. Though Brendan's hiking adventure never came to pass, he and his family were thankful to have Assist America''s help with a difficult situation. Another happy ending thanks to Assist America!

Member's Comment
"The nurse that traveled with me was the sort of person that inspired confidence.""

*name has been changed for privacy

THE POWER OF TWITTER [Top Of Page]

Social media is not just about connecting with old friends, sharing photos and playing games. Twitter has become quite a useful tool, especially for those travelers with mobile devices such as BlackBerry® and iPhone®. Travelers can find breaking news including weather, delays and solutions to other challenges they may face along their journey, and can also use Twitter for immediate travel advice from friends. In addition to @AssistAmerica, here are a few other tweeters who might help you while traveling:

General Travel Advice Expertise
@Orbitz (Orbitz)
@Travelocity (Travelocity)
@fareologist (Bing Travel)
@globtrav (The Global Traveller-frequent-flier advice and savvy travel tips)
@brillianttips (Brilliant Tips)
@flightawaresqwk (Flight Aware-aviation News, including news and airport/airline updates)
@flightview (Flight View-real-time tweets from fellow travelers)
@seatguru (SeatGuru-The ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information!)
http://wefollow.com/twitter/travel/ (a list of a variety of travel twitter users)
http://tweepml.org/Travel-Insights-100/ (another list of a variety of travel twitter users)
http://tweepml.org/The-Twitter-Hotel-Airline-and-Travel-Deals-Guide/ (The Twitter Hotel, Airline, and Travel Deals Guide)
http://tweepml.org/50-Travel-Twitterers-You-Should-Follow/ (These are a combination of hotels, consumer travel folks, and all around good people to follow when it comes to travel)

Health Security
@cdcemergency (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
@whonews (World Health Organization)
@tsablogteam (Transportation Security Administration)
@dipnote (US State Department)
@homelandsecurit (US Department of Homeland Security)

Weather Updates
@weather (Weather)
@twci (The Weather Channel)
http://www.accuweather.com/twitter/ (allows you to set which city's weather you would like to follow)

Airlines
@AAirwaves (American Airlines)
@AirAsiaDotCom (AirAsia.com)
@AirCanada (Air Canada)
@AirFranceUS (Air France US)
@AlaskaAir (Alaska Airlines)
@Aloha Airlines (Aloha Airlines)
@BritishAirways (British Airways)
@continental (Continental Airlines)
@deltaairlines (Delta Airlines)
@flyairnz (Air New Zealand)
@FLYSAS com (Scandinavian Airline)
@JetBlue (JetBlue-insider tips and problem resolution)
@JetBlueCheeps (JetBlue-deals, last minute flights, offered every Monday)
@KenyaAirways (Kenya Airways)
@lufthansa (Lufthansa)
@MexicanaAir (Mexicana Airlines)
@NOTEmiratesAir (United Arab Emirates)
@philippineair (Philippine Airlines)
@QatarAirways (Qatar Airways)
@SouthwestAir (Southwest Airlines)
@SpiritAirlines (Spirit Airlines)
@SQairlines (Singapore Airlines)
@SrilankanUK (SriLankan Airlines)
@SwissAirLines (Swiss Int'l Air Lines)
@TAMAirlines (Tam Airlines)
@UnitedAirlines(United)
@UnitedAirlines (United Airlines)
@usairways (US Airways)
@VirginAmerica (Virgin Airlines)
@westcoastair (West Coast Air)

Hotels
@AmericInn (AmericInn Hotel)
@CaesarsPalace (Caesars Palace)
@DaysInn (Days Inn Worldwide)
@DeluxStudios (Extended Stay Hotels)
@diamondresorts (Diamond Resorts)
@Dolce Hotels (Dolce Hotels and Resorts)
@doubletreehtls (Doubletree Hotels)
@Embassy Suites (Embassy Suites)
@ExecuStay (Marriott ExecuStay)
@Four Seasons (Four Seasons Hotel)
@HamptonFYI (Hampton Hotels)
@HiltonOnline (Hilton)
@HyattConcierge (Hyatt Hotels-for the sort of help you'd get from a real-life concierge)
@MarriottIntl (Marriott International)
@RitzCarltonPR (Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company)

Car Rentals
@AlamoRentaCar (Alamo)
@Auto Europe (Auto Europe)
@AvisWeTryHarder (Avis)
@ConnectbyHertz (Hertz)
@thriftynz (Thrifty)
@ZipCar (Zipcar)

Breaking News
@abc
@bbc
@cbsnews
@cnn
@foxnews
@msnbc
@nbcnews
@skynewsblogs

Just for Fun
@RoamingGnome (Travelocity Gnome)
http://tweepml.org/Travel-Channel-Hosts/ (list of hosts from popular programs on the Travel Channel)
http://tweepml.org/Travel-Technology/ (travel technology)
http://tweepml.org/Spot-Cool-Travel-Tweeters/ (A collection of Spot Cool Stuff's favorite travel tweeters (in no particular order)
http://tweepml.org/follow allows you to search topics to view lists of twitter users in that category.

TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' [Top Of Page]

As we approach 2010, a decade since the turn of the millennium, the travel industry has experienced many changes. Rapid increases in technology, as well as the tragic events of 9/11 have truly altered the landscape for travelers. Consider:

Despite the hassles and headaches of traveling by air, U.S. air travel hit a record high in 2007 with 769.6 million passengers; 100 million more than flew in the year 2000. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, more people flew in the first eight months of 2009- 478.6 million -than in the first nine months of 2000- 453 million, despite an economic recession.
Airline fuel costs have also increased quite a bit. In January of 2000, the total cost per gallon (both domestic and international combined) was $.72 USD; in August of 2009, the price per gallon jumped to $2.02 USD. Thus, the costs over this same period of time rose from $1,080.10 million in 2000 to $2,878.10 million in 2009.
Even with higher fuel costs and the public perception that air travel is too expensive these days, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that average domestic itinerary fares for the second quarter show that prices were actually 11 percent lower in 2009 at $301 than at $339 in 2000.
In 2000, 61.3 million U.S. residents traveled abroad. In 2008, that figure rose to 63.5 million. Americans are making more international trips than in the past and are choosing more exotic destinations.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, the number of Americans going to Western Europe declined by about 20 percent, but travel increased to many other regions. Travel to Eastern Europe and South America both increased by 30 percent, while travel to India, China and Vietnam roughly doubled since 2000.
In 2009, for the first time, more than half of all travel arrangements were made online. This may seem shockingly low, but travelers still tend to book a majority of their accommodations through travel agencies via the phone or in person.
The percentage of delayed flights decreased since 2000 from 23% to 19% in 2009. The number of flights cancelled also decreased from 147,978 in 2000 to 71,915 in 2009.
The total number of flights, both international and domestic has decreased since 2000 from 8,942,374 to 7,556,923.
With many innovations, turning ships into small cities able to carry 4,000 passengers, cruise ships have grown in popularity over the past decade. Many ships even have amenities like ice rinks, rock-climbing walls, planetariums, surfing machines and water slides, allowing them to cater to families as well as partying singles and spring breakers.

For the latest, up-to-date information regarding key regions, click on the links below: