Urgent update: The latest US weather estimates have raised Hurricane Earl to a category four storm, warning “catastrophic damage” will occur if it makes landfall as it barrels across the Caribbean towards the US.

Earl had brushed past the northern Virgin islands early yesterday and was now forecast to pass east of the islands of Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas before possibly swiping the eastern US coast later in the week.

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The First Hurricane for the Caribbean is heading for the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Hurricane Earl is generating sustained winds of 160km/h (100mph).

Forecasters say it could develop into a major hurricane later on Monday, as it approaches the Leeward Islands, which include the British Virgin Islands.

Strong winds and heavy rains are already lashing the islands, east of Puerto Rico in the northern Caribbean.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, St Maarten, Saba, St Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands.

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Hurricane Earl Northern Caribbean

The potential strike threat at Virgin Atlantic seems to have been averted –

Talks between Virgin Atlantic and the pilots union, BALPA, were adjourned last night and will be resumed at later date.

The unions is saying the airline – Virgin Atlantic is denying pilots their entitlement to the minimum number of days off agreed previously.

I suppose even pilot’s are entitled to a weekend off.

It says this is 120 rostered days off a year, “the equivalent to an office worker’s weekends and bank holidays”.

A spokesman for BALPA said the talks made progress and were constructive, but could not give any further information.

He could not confirm when the talks would resume.

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Virgin Atlantic talks constructive

Hoseasons is adding capacity to its 2010 programme in a bid to cope with demand for last minute holidays.

Cheaperholidays bookings with Hoseasons, have seen a 21% uplift in sales of UK Parks and Lodges holidays in August so far, compared with the same period last year

Nearly 1,500 extra units of accommodation have been added to its 2010 Holiday Parks and Lodges programme, in a bid to cope with a growing demand for holidays in the UK.

Company operations director, Pali Badwal, said: “In 2009 many British holidaymakers had their first experience of a UK holiday, and many are coming back for a second year, recognising the ability to simply ‘pack up and go’ at the last minute.”

“Alongside other well-reported problems such as volcanic ash, airline and airport strike threats, and three high-profile company collapses,.

He added: “It’s great that we need to increase capacity at this stage of the seasons, and it is an indication that the renaissance in UK holidays is not a one-year ‘staycation’ phenomenon, but rather a trend which looks set to continue. This is in stark contrast to many overseas operators who are busy reducing their inventory due to falling demand.”

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Hoseasons Last minute holidays increase

Here is a round up of the latest last minute travel deals departing from the UK –

Please do remember that Goa travel needs a visa before departure, you can get one from the Indian high Commission. Call 0121 212 2782.

When you’re looking for last minute travel it makes sense to be as flexible as possible with the regard to departure dates because availability is obviously less than if you book well in advance.

Booking last minute holiday bargains at Cheaperholidays couldn’t be easier. Our simple holiday search engine lets you select the date that you want to travel and then choose to search up to two days in advance to find a range of last minute holiday bargains.

Flexibility is key to finding your perfect last minute holiday and if you can choose a range of dates and even alternative departure Airports then your chances of successfully finding a superb last minute deal are much greater

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Last minute travel – what’s on offer

BALPA general secretary Jim McAuslan said Virgin pilots were being denied an agreed entitlement to a minimum number of rostered days off a year. This is Vrigin Atlantic the airline and not Virgin holidays.

Virgin Atlantic faces the threat of industrial action by pilots in a row over time off. The British Airline Pilots’ Association has called on the carrier to hold “last ditch” talks today (Tuesday) to avoid a dispute.

The dispute centres on the union’s claim that the airline is denying pilots their right to a minimum number of scheduled days off as previously agreed.

The 120 scheduled days off a year are the equivalent of an office worker’s weekends and bank holidays, but without the same predictability.

“BALPA always does what it can to assist airlines through downturns, as many airlines will testify, and we did this with Virgin during these past difficult years,” he said.

“To now find that the company is breaching an agreement and denying many pilots their entitlement to the equivalent of a weekend off is a real slap in the face and one which we cannot accept.”

The airline holds “a regular monthly meeting with our pilots, and the next one is on Tuesday,” a Virgin spokesman said. “We have had no notification of any ballot.”

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Virgin atlantic Strike possible

Here is a damning report on the state of the travel industry – Nine out of ten Brits are now more nervous about booking their holiday with a less well-known travel firm according to research by Cheaperholidays.

DO NOT BOOK WITH ANYONE IF THEY DO NOT HAVE ABTA BONDING AND AN ATOL licence.

This is great news for the main UK tour operators as they have been competing on an uneven field.

Competing with DIY agents who are now in a terrible mess… Trying to rebook customers on non existent or grossly overpriced flights…

A poll of over 3,980 Brits in the last 49 hours reveals 91% would be nervous of booking with a firm they didn’t know in the wake of collapses including Kiss Flights, Sun4u and Goldtrail.

As we are constantly stating – DO not book with anyone that is not ABTA and ATOL bonded – Firms like ON the beach and travel republic are not atol bonded you decide what you make of that… “With so many holiday-makers uncertain about their rights regarding compensation and repatriation it’s perhaps not surprising that nine out of ten Brits are now thinking twice before choosing a travel firm they have not heard of.

“This lack of confidence could see the larger, better-known travel firms benefiting as travellers opt to stick with what they know and shun purely price-driven options.”

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Nine out of ten will not book with unknowns

With the spectacular demise of Kiss Flights, Goldtrail, Sun4u. Who in the travel world can you trust to actually take you on holiday without the uncertainty of them going bust?

Well lets look at the facts Kiss flights were run by same management team the took down XL, Goldtrail were running on such ridiculous margins they should never have been allowed to trade and Sun4u were a joke.

Do you remember the adage? “You only really get what you pay for” well its time everyone stopped looking at the really cheap end of the market as that has gone.

So who does that leave discounting the rubbish out there, you have Tui travel which owns Thomson and First Choice. Then Thomas Cook – plus Kuoni and Virgin – finally Lowcostholidays.

We should all be looking at the best value for money we can get, for out travel and holiday needs, and that means we should be looking at booking with companies that have a track record in providing the best value, that have an ATOL licence to protect you and have been trading for a long time, and dont work on stupid profit margins.

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Travel who can you trust?

If you are affected by the collapse of KISS flights then our travel advice, if you are yet to fly is to contact your credit or debit card company for an immediate charge back refund..

You will also be entitled to a refund from the civil aviation authority but this will take time, several months in fact.

The problem for you the travel consumer is this:-

Kiss flights generally sold flights and not so many package deals, so in most instances you would have been sold a flight and then had the accommodation tacked on or Dynamic packaging, this means that the flight is ATOL protected but the accommodation is not.

So unless you can get another flight you are still liable for the cost of the accommodation and you will not get a refund from the CAA.

Advice for Flight Options / Kiss Flights customers who are currently overseas.

The CAA will ensure that ATOL-protected customers are able to fly home as planned; they should therefore arrive at the airport in time to check-in for their flights home as normal.

In order for customers to determine whether they are ATOL protected or not, they should check that they booked a flight with Flight Options / Kiss Flights. To do this, customers should check the invoice/receipt received at the time the booking was made and paid for.

After 22:00 this evening (17/08/2010) ATOL-protected Flight Options customers who are currently abroad and experiencing difficulties should contact the CAA for more information on 0044 161 444 5811. Those with forward bookings requiring general advice about refunds under the ATOL scheme should go to the CAA website or can contact the CAA on 0844 571 7262.

Chargeback
Chargeback is a process that allows you to reverse a transaction if you are unhappy with the item received or if the compnay has gone bust or you do not receive the goods or items if your credit or Visa debit card has been used fraudulently.

Chargeback is not enshrined in law like section 75 of the consumer credit act or CCA, but is part of the Visa Scheme Rules, which participating banks subscribe to.

It applies to all Visa debit cards, and can also be used for Visa credit card purchases where section 75 is not applicable – for goods costing less than £100 for instance. It also covers prepaid Visa cards and Visa Electron purchases.

MasterCard operates an equivalent scheme, but this only applies to MasterCard credit card payments, not to purchases made with a Maestro debit card. American Express does not offer a chargeback scheme.

When can chargeback be used?
Like section 75, chargeback can be used in cases of goods not arriving, arriving damaged, arriving not as described, or where the merchant has ceased trading.

Claims must be addressed to the bank that provides your Visa debit card or your credit card, which in turn will put in a request to the merchant’s bank. As a result, you should still get your money back from the merchant’s bank, even if the merchant has ceased to trade.

Flight Options traded under the following names:Africa Options
America Options
Canada Options
Caribbean Options
Dubai Options
Elgouna Options
Elgouna Villas and Apartments
Flight Options
Florida Options
Florida Owners Club
Golf Options
Holidayops.com
Kiss Flights
Kiss Holidays
Orlando Villas Direct
Sportops.com
Travel Options Direct
Travelplus

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Kiss flights travel advice – charge back

The Oil spill that threatened to destroy the Florida beaches, has been thoroughly cleaned up and now those pristine white beaches are white again, so there is no need to avoid travelling to the Florida coastal resorts to enjoy that hot Florida sunshine.

Even President Obama has got in on the act, after he faced mounting criticism for not following his own advice that Americans should holiday in the Gulf.

The President was joined by his family on a trip to Panama City to help restore confidence in the state.

Obama told reporters: “As a result of the clean-up effort, beaches all along the Gulf Coast are clean, they are safe and they are open for business. That’s one of the reasons Michelle, Sasha and I are here.”

Florida resort towns have suffered heavy cancellations during the peak season, following the BP oil spill. The towns on the panhandle were on the edge of the oil leak, but were still hit by tar balls and oily type sheen.

Over the next three years, the spill could cost coastal towns in the four Gulf states some $23 billion in lost tourism arrivals, a study by Oxford Economics for the US Travel Association revealed.

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Florida beaches are clean once again

If your planning a holiday to the USA or for buisness in the next 2 years, save the $14 per person fee and apply now.

A family of four will save $56, or about £40, by applying early. All passengers travelling under the Visa Waiver Program must have a valid ESTA to gain entry to the USA.

The US has just set the fee for using the – Electronic System for Travel Authorization or Esta at $14 per person, including all credit card charges and it will be introduced from September 8 2010.

However if you are considering a holiday to the USA, you can still apply for the free version which is valid for 2 years, so apply now.. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

Visit USA’s chief operating officer Alan Waddell said holidaymakers could complete the Esta process before the fee was introduced next month even if they did not plan to go to the US immediately.

“It lasts for two years so you can do it now and avoid the fee,” he said. “Esta allows travel for two years, so even if you’re not planning to go to the US for some time, you can still sign up.”

The $14 charge is higher than the $10 fee originally announced – US border authorities said $4 of each fee would be used to cover the costs of administrating the system.

The Visit USA Association had feared that the eventual cost to the holidaymaker could be as high as $20.

“We thought it could be around the $17-$20 mark so it’s a bonus that it is lower,” said Waddell.

The remaining $10 will be used to fund a new organisation set up to promote tourism under the Travel Promotion Act, which came into law this year.

The fee will be imposed from September 8 and all payments will have to be made by card or debit card at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. The system accepts only MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover.

This is a Consumer travel advice & issues post by Cheaperholidays.com - Cheap holidays from the UK -

Traveling to the USA – Esta Fee $14 per person