Police in New York have beefed up security in subways and on trains before the Thanksgiving holiday, on warnings by the government that al-Qaida terrorists were contemplating suicide bombing attacks on the city’s mass transit system.

The Associated Press obtained an internal memo indicating the FBI received “plausible but unsubstantiated” reports that al-Qaida terrorists may have had discussion about attacking the city’s subway system.

It was reported that the internal bulletin said al-Qaida terrorists “in late September may have discussed targeting transit systems in and around New York City. These discussions reportedly involved the use of suicide bombers or explosives placed on subway/passenger rail systems.”

“We have no specific details to confirm that this plot has developed beyond aspirational planning, but we are issuing this warning out of concern that such an attack could possibly be conducted during the forthcoming holiday season,” noted the warning that was issued by the government on Tuesday.

A person who had been briefed on the threat spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of intelligence gathering. He said that the threat may also involve all of the passenger rail lines that run through New York, including Amtrak and the Long Island Railroad – both of which are typically very busy over the Thanksgiving holiday.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/security-increased-in-ny-subways-on-holiday-terror-threat-5633925.html

Bluegreen Corp. is closing three of its sales offices in Wisconsin and eliminating an undisclosed number of jobs across the country, including 153 in the state.

The timeshare resort company (NYSE: BXG) has informed officials with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development that it is closing offices in Sun Prairie, Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells and substantially reducing staff at a fourth sales office at its Christmas Mountain Village resort in the Dells. The sales office closures, which will occur Jan. 20, are part of a company plan to close offices and reduce staff across the country to concentrate on operating its existing resorts, according to Bluegreen's third-quarter Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Earlier in the month, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based company reported to the state of Florida that it was laying off 122 workers at its headquarters starting Jan. 20.

The firm also said in its third-quarter Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it plans to conserve capital. This will reduce its inventory spending, which includes construction, acquisition and sales, from $215 million during the 12 months ended Sept. 30 to about $45 million in 2009.

The layoffs and closings are expected to cost the company $10 million to $15 million in pre-tax charges in the fourth quarter.

The filing didn’t say how many employees Bluegreen would dismiss nationwide. A Bluegreen executive didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/11/24/daily36.html

Low-cost carrier bmibaby will be suspending flights on five of its routes from busy Birmingham airport in the summer of 2009.

Beginning at the end of March and continuing to the end of October, the airline is cutting services from Birmingham to Bordeaux, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan and Rome.

The budget airline is part of the bmi group, and has cited worsening economic conditions and the resulting changes in travel patterns as the reasons for the decision.

A spokesman for bmibaby said: “These seasonal summer 2009 routes are being suspended in response to a weakening of consumer demand, which is being impacted upon by the current economic climate and its unpredictability. Travellers are now booking to fly to typical sun destinations for their annual holiday, rather than flying to the more impulsive short-break city destinations.”

He continued by saying: “In sharp contrast, the key Mediterranean routes from Birmingham are performing extremely well and bmibaby will continue to operate flights to our other destinations from Birmingham.”

The airline will be contacting customers with bookings on the suspended routes during that period. Customers will be eligible for a full refund or transfer to another bmibaby destination, at no additional charge.

“Bmibaby is committed to flying from Birmingham International Airport with 10,000 flights planned to and from the airport in 2009,” the spokesman for the carrier added.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/bmibaby-to-suspend-service-on-five-routes-next-summer-5633924.html

The latest company to offer luxurious floating condominiums for sale is Residential Cruise Line, based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Earlier this week, sales commenced for what are being billed as the most luxurious units on a residential cruise ship ever offered. The ship, called the Magellan Club, is a 76,000-ton vessel, featuring 210 condominium units that have price tags ranging from $2.8 million to $18 million.

On December 15, the cruise line will hold an invitation-only sales event at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.

Work on the cruising residential community began in 2005 and completion is scheduled for 2011. The Magellan will feature top-of-the-line amenities and facilities including an all-weather heliport, a Broadway-style theatre, four restaurants for fine dining, an observatory, a putting green, a spa, a tennis court and two swimming pools.

Passengers will own cabins outright and board and disembark whenever they choose. Time shares on the vessel are also being offered.

Two 624-square-foot cabins are the least expensive residences on offer. They come with a single bedroom and bathroom, and are priced at $2.82 million. Prices rise quickly, however, with the smallest two-bedroom cabin (1,130 square feet) priced at over $4 million.

The most luxurious residences on board are the two $18 million ‘Portofino’ penthouses, complete with four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a total size of over 4,300 square feet.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/residential-cruise-line-offers-luxury-floating-condos-5633917.html

Peter Deilmann Cruises has announced that Thomas Cook will be selling its cruise offerings at the travel operator’s 800 agencies throughout the UK.

The distribution arrangement will make it possible to sell its European river cruises for 2009 through Thomas Cook, raising the profile of this cruising sector.

The deal came from a commitment made by Stuart Perl, who is the managing director of Peter Deilmann Cruises, when he joined the cruise line in 2007. He said that he would expand the company’s links to the trade and focus on building interest in river cruising around Europe as an alternative to more traditional cruising holidays.

Perl commented: “The signing of this agreement with one the UK’s most trusted travel brands is a great achievement for our team. It offers us a fantastic opportunity to increase sales by taking our product to a new and wider audience.”

He added: “Despite the economic downturn, 2009 is shaping up to be a great year for Peter Deilmann Cruises with bookings already ahead of this time last year and the exciting launch of our new Christmas Markets cruises as well as extending the season through Christmas and New Year 2010 on the Danube and Rhine rivers.”

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/river-cruises-to-be-offered-by-thomas-cook-5633915.html

wo employees at the Marriott MountainSide timeshare resort in Park City confirmed that Marriott Vacation Club International announced the closing of the MountainSide sales office last week.
Economic concerns were given as the reason.

Ed Kinney, vice president of corporate affairs, told The Park Record just days before the announcement that he expected declines in timeshare sales to affect Park City "minimally" and that Marriott was well-positioned to weather the economic storm.

Kinney was not available for comment on the announced closing. Even though Marriott's corporate office is not keeping the closing a secret, the local MountainSide human resources office declined to comment on the fate of the sales staff citing company policy that refers all media inquiries to corporate headquarters. An employee said most would have the option of transferring within the company.

The two timeshare resorts operated by Marriott in Park City, Summit Watch and MountainSide, are both mostly sold out.

The closing is part of a downsizing that other timeshare companies are engaged in as well.

On Sept. 27 the Orlando Sentinel reported Westgate Resorts' president announcing major lay-offs, but Westgate's spokesman refused to comment to The Park Record on that event.

http://www.parkrecord.com/business/ci_11072761

It all started when Low Cost ferry company Speedferries ferry "SpeedOne" was arrested in northern France in a dispute over unpaid taxes and dues.

The Dover to Boulogne SpeedFerries vessel, called SpeedOne, was stopped on Thursday 6th November in the evening in Boulogne by the French authorities.

The Boulogne Port Authority said it obtained an order enabling seizure of the ship over outstanding payments.

Well now it has ended up with the company going into administration, and with no buyer forthcoming the Administrators are winding up the business.

SpeedFerries workers have said "Christmas is cancelled" this year after the company confirmed its closure and the loss of their jobs.

More than 100 posts are being axed at the ferry operator because a buyer could not be found to take it over.

We ourselves, like many had booked a number of crossings using a multitrip ticket. Though we bought the ticket using a credit card, the remaining value is too low to be able to recover the lost money.

The good news for passengers it that Norfolk Lines are offering a 20% discount for anybody with an existing speedferries booking. We have rebooked with them.

http://www.speedferries.co.uk/

http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/FAQ/Passenger_ferry/Discounts+for+SpeedFerries+customers/

The economic slump helped Sylvia Flores of Milwaukee find a deal last week on an inexpensive Christmas gift for her son and granddaughter.

It's a flight to Las Vegas.

Tickets for a mid-December trip from Appleton to Sin City cost her $29 to go and $89 to come back. She also found a room at the hotel Circus Circus for $29 a night.

"My son thought I was kidding," she said "My son and I were just in Las Vegas last month and I was just looking on the Internet to see how much the prices have changed. I really didn't expect to find such a great deal."

Andrea Rowe Richards, a City of Milwaukee spokeswoman, said she and her husband found tickets over the weekend for a trip from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to San Francisco, where her mother-in-law lives.

Her late-December tickets on United Airlines cost $264 round trip. "We've not been able to fly for this price over the holidays for years," she said.

The deals are everywhere, travel experts say.

Usually, airfares go up as holidays approach. But tickets for December travel have dropped an average of $53 nationwide over the past five weeks. The average fare at Mitchell International Airport has fallen $31 during the past five weeks.

The average fare at Chicago's two airports has dropped $79.

Genevieve Shaw Brown, senior editor of the Web site Travelocity, said airlines have reduced the number of planes they're flying this holiday season, but the economic downturn has forced travelers to cut back plans more quickly than the airlines.

That means airlines have to cut prices to fill seats.

"People who priced out December travel a few months ago and deemed it too expensive may want to take a second look," said Brown whose company compiled information on the lower fares.

Brown also said airfares to other countries are dropping for December travel, she said. Thanksgiving travelers aren't getting a break on those fares, she said.

Airlines expect Mitchell to be a little less crowded over the next month. Airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe said a survey of airlines shows they expect about 151,000 passengers during the 11-day Thanksgiving period, down from about 170,000 for the same time in 2007.

The heaviest travel days will still be fairly busy, Rowe said. About 19,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport Wednesday, down from about 20,000 on a typical day, Rowe said.

But on Friday, for instance, only 9,000 travelers are expected at Mitchell.

"They're not flying unless they have to go for work or unless they got one of the good deals," she said.

Brown said travelers should check out different options to find deals. For instance, being flexible on your travel date by a day can produce a significantly cheaper flight, she said.

Flores said she could have saved more money if she had checked out more options. She got her tickets as a package deal - $650 on Allegiant Airlines for three passengers to spend four nights in Las Vegas. But she thinks she could have saved a bit if she had purchased the flights and hotel separately.

But she's happy with the deal. And she expects her granddaughter to be happy.

"My granddaughter is only 3 years old, but has always wanted to fly on an airplane," Flores said.

Tips for travelers

Domestic travelers should get tickets 90 minutes to two hours early. International travelers should arrive three hours early.

Don't wrap gifts. If security screeners need to check the package, "your nice wrapping job is not going to be so nice anymore," Mitchell International Airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe said.

Families, especially those carrying baby formula, and travelers with medically necessary liquids should use the airport's family line at the security check-in. There will be less pressure from expert travelers to rush through the line.

Leave lots of layover time. Many flights are full, so if you miss a connection, it may be hard to get rebooked.

Checking bags will cost. Most airlines have added $15 fees for checking your first bag and $25 for a second bag. Pack light or budget for extra costs.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/35034019.html

Bluegreen Corp., which sells timeshares and land for homes, is laying off 122 people at its Boca Raton headquarters by Jan. 20, as the credit crunch hurts sales.

The company is scaling back marketing efforts and new construction to conserve cash because lenders are tightening credit to timeshare buyers, Chief Executive John M. Maloney said in a securities filing Nov. 10.

Bluegreen had been hoping for a cash infusion from Las Vegas-based timeshare company Diamond Resorts, but that deal has not concluded.

As of July, Bluegreen employed about 6,000 people worldwide, including 600 in Boca Raton.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzbluegreendig11250sbnov25,0,2030815.story

A windpipe transplant that was eventually carried out successfully almost didn’t happen when a low-cost airline refused to transport the stem cells that were required for the operation, according to reports in UK newspapers on Friday.

The delay in transporting the cells jeopardized the operation’s success, reports in the British media added.

An operation in Barcelona last June was to be the world’s first windpipe transplant and it required stem cells grown in a Bristol laboratory to be flown in.

There was a 16-hour window for the transport of the cells, and the medical team needed to make their way to Barcelona as quickly as possible. However, in spite of the importance of the operation to the 30-year-old patient, Claudio Castillo, they decided to save money and fly on budget airline, easyJet.

A lead project researcher, Professor Martin Birchall, said to the media that he had had a number of conversations with airline staff in the hours preceding the flight, and was assured that there would be no problem in taking the stem cells on board.

When arriving at the Bristol airport, though, easyJet staff told him that the package of cells was a security risk as the fluid it contained was over 100ml.

The airline was contacted by CNN, and the news network was told that easyJet had no record of a request to transport medical materials on the flight to Spain.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/budget-carrier-refused-to-transport-stem-cells-5633910.html

A public broadcaster in Belgium, recently criticized over a cooking show that featured Adolf Hitler’s favourite dish, is in the spotlight once again – this time for a travel show that ran ads with a Hitler caricature.

The ads were run in a magazine with national circulation that is associated with De Morgan, the news daily. In the ads, TV presenter Thomas Desoete, appears as a stripper, sporting a Hitler-style moustache and an armband bearing a swastika.

The travel show is aired on the Canvas channel, which belongs to Flemish broadcaster VRT. Management at the broadcaster were not available for comment.

Michael Freilich, who edits Joods Actueel, a Jewish weekly, believes that VRT is simply “looking for excuses” and opportunities to portray Hitler.

“They obviously weren’t happy with our response [to the cooking show], so have added Hitler for no obvious reason other than getting attention and angering the Jewish community and the 15,000 Belgian non-Jews who were deported during WWII,” said the editor in an interview with Haaretz. “The Jewish community is furious. Some are even considering whether they want to live here.”

In the meanwhile, two Dutchmen were each fined 1,100 euros by a court in Belgium last week for saluting Nazi-style at a white supremacist event last year.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/hitler-travel-advertisement-in-belgium-criticized-5633912.html

The emirate struggles to combat a tidal wave of illegally dumped sewage in the Gulf

Tourists who use Dubai’s beaches run the risk of contracting serious illnesses – including typhoid and hepatitis – as the Middle Eastern resort struggles to combat a tidal wave of illegally dumped sewage, doctors have warned.

Authorities in the emirate have come under fire from hoteliers and business owners for failing to address the problem, which is blighting beaches in the upmarket Jumeirah district, where most tourists stay.

Human waste from Dubai’s 1.3m inhabitants is collected daily from thousands of septic tanks across the city and driven by hundreds of tankers to the emirate’s only sewage treatment plant, in the desert at Al-Awir.

At least, that’s what should happen. In reality, the effluent is being illegally dumped into storm drains or hidden behind dunes in the desert by tanker drivers unwilling to join the 10-hour queues at the plant.

Last week, Jumeirah’s sailing club was forced to reschedule a regatta after tests showed dangerous levels of faecal contamination in the water. Keith Mutch, manager of the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, said the situation was “disgusting”.

“It’s happening every day,” he said. “Once again, the club and the harbour smell like a sewage farm. The harbour is black and stinks, and the public beach is swamped with sewage and black sludge. I have again stopped all sailing and swimming on the beach.”

Dubai has threatened to deport any driver found pouring sewage into storm drains, but worried citizens say that the problem ofE coli contamination will remain long after the dumping is stopped.

“Because rain storms are so infrequent, the drains will remain contaminated for many months to come,” said expat Thomas Aldredge. “Considering the hot weather, there are many diseases that could begin to flourish, including cholera. It is shocking that Dubai does not seem to have the will to address this most built to accommodate Dubai’s infrequent rainfall – run straight into the sea, and the sewage tipped into them, often miles from the coast, fundamental of problems.” quickly contaminates inshore waters before washing up on the beaches.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article5207225.ece

The cruise operator Hurtigruten has said that it will deploy another ship to meet customer demand for voyages to the Arctic destination of Spitsbergen, for polar bear-viewing expeditions in 2009.

The Norway-based cruise line has added the 58-cabin MS Expedition to operate 13 new sailings scheduled from June through August of next year.

Built in 1972, the ship is currently undergoing modernization and, when the work has been completed, will feature a bar, expedition lounge, panorama lounge, restaurant, library, fitness room and sauna.

All accommodation on the ship will be in outside cabins having private amenities and windows or portholes.

The ship will be rated as having an ice class of 1B and its stabilisers will ensure that journeys are smooth. A fleet of 10 Zodiacs will be used for landings as well as excursions.

MS Expedition will operate the same itinerary as MV Polar Star, which is a nine-day ‘Kingdom of the Polar Bear’ cruise, beginning and ending in Longyearbyen, circumnavigating Spitsbergen, as weather permits.

Prices for the expedition start from £3,456 per person, for eight days, including full on-ship board, one night of accommodation and sightseeing in Longyearbyen and all taxes and transfers. Flights are additional.

Spokeswoman Kathryn Beadle said: “Agents have plenty of time to promote this new ship and can now confidently sell these departures to see the Polar Bears in their natural habitat.”

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/demand-increases-on-polar-bear-cruises-5633899.html

New London - Local residents fear they may have lost tens of thousands of dollars by investing in timeshare condominiums at the Lighthouse Inn, which is in foreclosure.

It's unclear exactly how much money might be at risk, but if most of the timeshares available have sold, the number could top $2.5 million.

However, no records of any timeshare sales have been recorded at the city clerk's office. Gail Garrity, owner-broker of Gail Garrity Realtors, who regularly resells timeshares, said it's “highly unusual to have a piece of property not deeded.”

Garrity said all timeshares at Water's Edge Resort in Westbrook, the only other timeshare resort in Connecticut, are deeded in perpetuity.

The Lighthouse Inn's restaurant and hotel rooms have been condemned by authorities, but auxiliary space at the Carriage House has remained open. The inn's owners, Maureen Clark of Stonington and Christopher Plummer of Lyme, have both been charged in the past few weeks with failure to pay employee wages.

The century-old Lighthouse Inn mansion became affiliated with RCI, a timeshare-exchange company that boasts more than 3 million members, in 2003. It immediately earned billing as a Gold Crown Resort, RCI's highest designation, based on the quality and range of its offerings, which included an outdoor pool, nearby beach and banquet and restaurant facilities.

Local couples who bought into the timeshare concept in its first year included Joe and Linda Cook of Uncasville and Sal and Selenda Cardello of Gales Ferry. Each said they paid Lighthouse Group of Connecticut LLC $13,000 for a one-week timeshare over a 50-year period.

”It seemed like a good vacation spot,” Sal Cardello said in a phone interview. “Whenever we tried to transfer to another RCI resort, we never had a problem.”

But this year, Cardello said, the Lighthouse Inn refused to let him “bank” his week, meaning he couldn't exchange his room in the mansion for a vacation at another resort affiliated with timeshare firm RCI. At the same time, he said, the inn cashed his annual check for maintenance fees of more than $400.

Linda Cook said her annual maintenance fee of $395 will not be sent this January, when it is due. She said she has had nothing but trouble with the timeshare since Lighthouse Inn owner Clark convinced her and her husband to buy into the resort five years ago after having dinner at the inn's restaurant.

”She showed us the Carriage House, and it was a spectacular room ... but it was not the room we ended up staying in,” Cook said. “We just got in over our head.”

Cook said neither the Lighthouse Inn pool nor its rooms were well maintained.

”The furniture was old,” she said. “Everything smelled old.”

Calls to the inn and to Plummer went unreturned this week. The doors to the inn were locked during a visit around lunchtime midweek, and only two young men - who identified themselves as Maureen Clark's sons and who said they were there to check on the property - were at the site.

Cardello and Cook said they have been unable to contact the inn's owners.

Cardello said he has talked to an attorney who believes there will be no resolution for timeshare owners until a change of ownership at the inn occurs. It's unclear if the inn files for bankruptcy whether timeshare owners will be able to recoup any of their money or whether the inn's new owners would be obligated to abide by the original timeshare agreement.

Lighthouse Inn is still listed as an RCI resort on the company's Web site. Two calls on separate days to the RCI public-relations office elicited no response, and Cook and Cardello said the company has shrugged off their complaints.

Cardello said he hopes to organize a group of local timeshare owners that might be able to band together to negotiate with any new owner of the Lighthouse Inn. Cook said her best hope is that the Lighthouse Inn - in whatever guise that might take over the coming months - will buy her timeshare back.

If the hotel hadn't closed, Cardello and his wife, barred from trading their timeshare, would have been enjoying a vacation this week at the Lighthouse Inn.

”It's our anniversary week,” Cardello said. “It was a week we set aside to go away, relax and do nothing.”

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=6142faeb-1871-431e-8c2f-33d60818453b

A court in Utah County ordered a Florida-based timeshare firm to pay $1 million in punitive damages for attracting people to its Westgate Park City Resort and Spa using travel vouchers that were too difficult to redeem.

"They weren't telling them they were getting a voucher, they were telling them they were getting an Anaheim trip," said attorney Scot Boyd, who represented the plaintiffs in the case. "For all timeshares, they have to get bodies through the door so they can do the sales. Now how different companies choose to get people through the door may tell you who's reputable and who's not so reputable in the industry."

His client, Consumer Protection Group, was created to sue Westgate Resorts on behalf of nearly 30 Utahns who the business defrauded, Boyd said.

"[Consumer Protection Group] sent out letters to people who toured Westgate in late 2000, 2001, saying, hey, you may have been defrauded, and out of that got a very, very strong response from about 930 individuals," Boyd said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

In exchange for touring Westgate's new spa, the company promised free California trips including airfare and lodging for two in Anaheim worth about $500, Boyd said.

"Of course you don't get your 'gift' until after you have toured at Westgate," Boyd explained. "Two or three of the people took one look at the restrictions, including the fact that they had to pay money up front, and just threw it out. A lot of people actually followed all of the instructions and were told dates were not available."

The travel certificates and $135 needed to be sent to the redemption company within 21 days for the coupons to be valid, he said.

"Then they find out that you can only fly on Tuesday, you have to fly back on Thursday and you cannot fly either the week before or the week after any of the following holidays. There are 10 of them," Boyd added.

The judgment was levied Friday in Provo following a nearly three-week jury trial.

"In the trial itself the jury gave damages to the individuals who didn't get to travel of $500 apiece," Boyd said. "They found it was a fraudulent scheme and fraud across the board and that's why they gave punitive damages. This is to make a point to the timeshare industry, to Westgate, that you cannot have a fraudulent scheme."

Consumer Protection Group was formed because of the expense involved pursuing smaller individual claims separately, he said.

"The 15 [parties] who are involved don't stand to make a lot of money from all this," Boyd said.

Westgate will appeal a final civil judgment, he added.

"Westgate knew early on that there was a problem, yet they continued to use this certificate literally until they got sued," Boyd said.

Because Westgate only paid $32 for each travel certificate the company should have known the vouchers had little value, Boyd said.

"There's your hint right out of the gate that there's a potential problem," Boyd said.

Attorneys for Westgate claimed the independent telemarketing firm that helped schedule the tours failed to warn callers of travel restrictions, Boyd said.

A Westgate attorney and corporate officials in Orlando, Fla., were not immediately available to comment Tuesday.

http://www.parkrecord.com/todaysheadlines/ci_11015378

Local timeshare biz steady despite national scares

Timeshare companies are feeling a hit from the slowing economy. Park City though, may be immune, according to local timeshare companies.

Orlando, Florida-based Westgate Resorts, which operates a property at The Canyons, announced major lay-offs recently, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Mark Waltrip, a spokesman for Westgate at the corporate headquarters, said he believes news reports have been exaggerated and refused to confirm or deny them.

The Sentinel on Sept. 27 reported that the company president announced the lay-off of "hundreds" of people and the closing of sales offices in 28 resorts in the U.S.

Timeshares Daily, an industry publication, reported that 106 people were laid-off from a Houston Westgate office.

Local timeshare properties are not expected to be affected.

Kelly Marshall with Premier Timeshare Resale on Main Street, said she hasn't seen any changes in the resale market. This year's sales numbers are only two-thirds of last year's, but her company is only three years old, she explained, and doesn't believe that's evidence of a trend.

One observable impact is that companies sometimes reserve the right to buy-back property before an owner puts it on the open market. She said she's seeing fewer companies opt to buy-back right now, but that's it.

David Fishlock, general manager for the local Westgate, said everything is status quo. He said sales are normal and they're looking forward to ski season which is a busy time for the resort as well as the sales team.

Waltrip, the corporate spokesman, said that's because Park City is a vibrant market and the company is doing well here. He doesn't anticipate any changes in the company affecting Park City at all.

He said the Westgate resort is mostly sold out and predicts it to be fully sold soon.

There are two Marriott timeshare properties in the area, Summit Watch and MountainSide, and they are sold-out.

Ed Kinney, vice president of corporate affairs for Marriott Vacation Club International, said there's only a small sales team in Park City to handle re-sales and to sell other locations. He said impacts on the timeshare industry nationally will have a "minimal" effect locally.

He said sold-out timeshares are great for tourism towns like Park City because even if the economy is bad, people still vacation to timeshares because they pre-paid for them.

"We saw that after Sept. 11, 2001. The timeshare business stays solid and constant," Kinney said.

He said over-all, his company is doing well because they self-finance. Inter-bank lending freezes don't affect its ability to complete a sale.

http://www.parkrecord.com/business/ci_11015382

The Money Coach, Bill Stanley, talks with FOX21 Morning News anchor Grace Polanski on the Tuesday, Nov. 18, "Money Matters" segment and talks about purchasing timeshare property.

Stanley says there are five reasons not to buy into a timeshare:

* High pressure tactics by the salepeople

* High cost--paying $15,000 for one week, for example, amounts to $780,000 per year. Consider if it's worth that much.

* High interest rates, which can be as high as 20 percent

* High fees--maintenance fees and taxes typically run $600 to 4800 per year. Stanley says rise can rise 2.5 times the inflation rate.

* Highly unlikely it's the place an owner will always want to vacation every year.

Stanley says purchasing a timeshare is really not an investment.

"If you try to sell your $15,000 timeshare, the offer might be $2,500--an 85 percent drop in value," he says.

An alternative to purchasing a timeshare property can be to rent one from someone else for $400 to $600 per week. Other vacation options are to participate in a house exchange program.

http://www.kxrm.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=223979

When the co-pilot suffered what appeared to be a mental breakdown during a flight over the Atlantic Ocean, a flight attendant helped land the aircraft that was carrying 146 passengers, an official report stated.

The Air Canada flight was headed to the UK in January, and was forced to make an emergency stop at Shannon airport in western Ireland after the flight officer began speaking incoherently, according to air incident investigators.

Another flight attendant suffered injuries when crew members forcibly removed the co-pilot from the flight deck, restraining him in a passenger cabin seat.

The Boeing 767 captain of the Air Canada flight from Toronto to London Heathrow asked cabin crew to find out whether there were any trained pilots on board.

A female flight attended said that she had a commercial pilot’s licence, and was asked to take over the co-pilot’s responsibilities.

The captain praised the flight attendant for her assistance in helping to land the aircraft safely at Shannon, where the disturbed flight officer was taken off the plane and admitted to a local hospital’s psychiatric ward for 11 days.

According to the investigation report, the co-pilot was later flown back to Canada by air ambulance to receive further care.

The official incident report was released by the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU), but did not disclose the medical condition affecting the co-pilot.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/attendant-helps-land-aircraft-when-flight-officer-breaks-down-5633897.html

Just a week after Atlantis, Paradise Island, shed 800 of its workers, Harbourside Resort at Atlantis has followed suit by following about 100 workers from its property.

Reports indicate that the firings came from the company’s Sales and Marketing Department.

Harbourside, a timeshare, is owned by US-based Starwood Vacation Ownership.

The property features seven buildings – six with 33 rooms and one with 60 rooms.

On Monday, workers could be seen toting blue folders, which they said contained their severance packages.

According to some workers, they were called into a meeting in an Atlantis Ballroom with hotel executives late Monday morning. There, they were told that they were no longer employed at the luxury resort.

Former Senior Director of Sales John Clarke said many of the workers that he personally recruited were terminated from the Harbourside.

He said it comes as a shock for many of the workers.

"We had individuals who were top in their areas and who have represented the company internationally," Mr. Clarke said.

"With no explanation they were told to turn in their stuff and given a cheque."

"They are very, very upset and I am very concerned."

Mr. Clarke said he believes the situation was handled badly.

"We know the economic situation in the United States but I think there ought to be some respect to sit down with us. Someone could have asked me if I would like to have a pay cut and I may have said no. Some one could have said could we do some things to cut back. None of this was done."

The former executive said another astonishing aspect of the firings was the fact that many people thought the resort was "doing well."

"The vacation-home ownership business is a viable business for The Bahamas," Mr. Clarke said. "If you look at Harbourside the lowest occupancy was eight percent. Of the staff that works there, they are working six days a week. Yes, there are times that we make great money and there are times when it is low and down. Sales and Marketing was cut because of cost. We made great gains in providing benefits for our staff."

Some workers, like Raquel Darville, were visibly upset as they left Atlantis.

"It’s just that we got this letter on Monday saying that business would be closed for the entire day. We didn’t get much notice all we were told was that we don’t have a job anymore."

Ms. Darville, who was a hostess for nine months, said things could have been handled better.

"It’s just a blow. They said it cold just like that. It’s not about the money. It’s close to Christmas. It’s not about the money its principles," she said as tears streamed down her face.

"We are taken by surprise because Harbourside always has business."

Donrica Burrows, who was an employee at marketing, was also shocked.

"We didn’t really know because they made it seem like we were safe because we were under Starwood and not Kerzner," she said. "It’s not like we were doing so bad. To me it just seemed like they were following fashion."

She said nonetheless she was satisfied with her package.

"I think that it is going to last me long and I do have resumes out," she said.

Kendra Mortimer said she had no problem with her package as well.

"It seems pretty decent," she said. "But I am not going to give up on finding another job."

Meantime, Mr. Clarke said he would fight for those who were disappointed with their severance packages.

"This is something I don’t really want to go and deal with legally but I think many of them don’t deserve it," he said.

http://www.jonesbahamas.com/news/45/ARTICLE/18681/2008-11-18.html

Higher fuel costs have led to a £92 million drop in profits for easyJet despite a 17.3% increase in passenger numbers.

The airline’s preliminary results for the year ending September 30 2008 (pdf) showed its profits before tax were £110 million, as opposed to £202 million in the previous year.

In the same period easyJet’s fuel costs rose by 66.6%, costing it £708.7 million for 2008, while it carried nearly 43.7 million passsengers, nearly half of whom originated from outside the UK.

EasyJet chief executive Andy Harrison descirbed the results as a “good trading performance” and added the airline's winter bookings for the first quarter of 2009 are “slightly ahead” of the previous year.

However, he warned of tough times ahead, adding: “We recognise that economic conditions will be very difficult and easyJet is planning accordingly, which means focusing on offering customers great value, driving down controllable costs and preserving cash.”

Harrison added despite growing the airline’s fleet to 165 aircraft over the last year - the acquisition of GB Airways in January saw it take on 16 additional aircraft alone - easyJet would remain flexible in its future growth plans.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2008/11/18/29504/high-fuel-costs-cause-easyjet-profits-to-fall-by-92.html

Cruiselines are introducing increasingly aggressive tactical offers and in some cases slashing prices in half to shift sales for winter and next summer.

With a later booking season predicted in the economic downturn, many cruiselines are lowering prices on specific dates to boost early bookings.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines general sales manager Lol Nichols said some of the company’s Caribbean cruises were on sale at half their usual £1,400 price this winter.

He said: “We are having to work very hard to get the business in for 2009. For late business this winter we are having to discount quite heavily; people are buying when the price hits a certain level. Some cruises are selling at half the price they should be.”

He maintained current sales for 2009 were on a par with this time last year, with healthy regional departure sales.

Carnival UK’s sales arm Complete Cruise Solution, representing P&O Cruises, Ocean Village, Cunard and Princess Cruises, is using money-off deals or bonus commission payments to boost trade bookings.

Sales director Giles Hawke said bookings were “adequate” but admitted the lower end of the market, including Ocean Village, was a harder sell. “At the lower price end you have to do more to attract customers who have never cruised before. There are some cruises where you have to go to a certain price point, but a lot are selling at the normal tariff.”

He insisted Ocean Village prices were “no lower than normal”.

Meanwhile, sister brand Costa Cruises is using tactical deals and investing more in marketing. Managing director Marco Rosa said volumes were holding up but at lower yields. “The last three weeks have been amazing in terms of volumes but with lower yields, although they are at reasonable levels.”

Budget brand easyCruise hopes to attract customers looking for cheaper deals. Sales and marketing director Paul Ellerby said: “Overall our pricing should be 30% lower than competitors in the Greek islands.”

But he admitted the lates market could be tough because of competitive flycruise offers from larger cruiselines.

SeaDream Yacht Club has introduced a last-minute Cancel for any Reason policy allowing customers to cancel up to 48 hours in writing prior to departure and delay trips for up to 18 months. It operated a similar policy after the September 11 attacks.

Head of UK business Ian Buckeridge said: “We have introduced this to stimulate the market.”

The company is also using more aggressive tactical offers on less popular dates, such as Caribbean sailings next spring, and special ‘take a mate’ deals until December 15 worth up to 25% off.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2008/11/18/29500/cruiselines-slash-prices-to-shift-sales.html

Wyndham Vacation Ownership expands its selection of resorts in Southern California with the opening of its newest flagship vacation ownership property, WorldMark Anaheim.

Operating within the company’s WorldMark by Wyndham portfolio of world-class resorts, the 241-unit, 14-story property is one of WorldMark’s largest resorts and is the company’s second property in Anaheim. The company acquired the premier land for development of the property in 2005 and began construction the following year. WorldMark Anaheim marks the company’s 15th WorldMark by Wyndham resort in California.

“We have been eagerly anticipating the opening of WorldMark Anaheim as it demonstrates our continued efforts to add value and enhance the vacation ownership experience for our more than 250,000 WorldMark owners who can now enjoy yet another world-class resort,” said Franz Hanning, president and CEO, Wyndham Vacation Ownership. “WorldMark Anaheim in an ideal location for those looking to visit Southern California’s many appealing attractions and it provides a unique perspective of Disneyland® and the Anaheim area that can only be found at our resort which our owners are sure to enjoy for many years to come.”

This premier resort includes a mix of beautifully appointed studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units as well as two-, three- and four-bedroom luxurious Presidential units. Each spacious unit features an urban contemporary design and contains such comforts as a full kitchen; living and dining area; flat screen televisions; and in-unit washer and dryer. The grand Presidential units include upscale touches such as high-end, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops throughout.

The contemporary design of the property’s units is carried across the resort. Bold colors and shapes are utilized throughout to evoke a dynamic Southern California experience. In addition to the colorful finishes, the resort includes over-sized sculptural and lighting elements designed to subtly provide the feel of a theme park. Artwork in the resort includes images of famous characters from the neighboring Disneyland property, appealing to all ages of visitors.

In addition to its bold design, WorldMark Anaheim provides owners with a number of amenities to enjoy during their visit. The resort features an expansive game room complete with pool tables, video games and air hockey tables as well as a large fitness center. Owners and their guests can soak up the California sun at the resort’s outdoor pool and hot tub, children’s pool and rooftop sundeck with additional hot tubs. As one of the tallest buildings in Anaheim, the 14-story tower’s rooftop deck boasts spectacular views of the surrounding area as well as Disneyland’s fireworks displays.

An urban destination in beautiful Orange County, Calif., Anaheim has a wide range of activities and attractions every family member can enjoy. Beyond the magic of the Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure® Parks, visitors to Orange County can experience the thrills at Knott’s Berry Farm®, watch the Anaheim Angels baseball team, shop at nearby Anaheim GardenWalk or travel a short distance to numerous beautiful beaches.

In recent years, Wyndham Vacation Ownership has greatly expanded its presence in California, adding a number of premier resorts to its portfolio. Wyndham Vacation Ownership has 19 {banned word/phrase} combined in its WorldMark by Wyndham and Wyndham Vacation Resorts portfolios. Throughout the state there are properties in sought-after destinations such as Oceanside, San Diego, Palm Springs, Big Bear, San Francisco and Windsor.

http://www.thetimeshareblog.com/wyndham-vacation-ownership-opens-highly-anticipated-worldmark-anaheim-resort/

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is threatening to sue the government if ministers proceed with plans to construct a third runway at Heathrow airport.

The Mayor, along with a coalition of local authorities that represents over four million Britons, has said that the proposed expansion, which would see the number of annual flights at the airport increase from 480,000 to 700,000, would be in breach of EU air pollution regulations.

Any legal action could mean that Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon’s target of runway completion by 2030 would be put in jeopardy. Hoon is expected to approve the expansion before the end of this year.

A spokesman for Johnson said that the May and the local authorities coalition was analyzing the government decision to see if there were ground for legal action.

The Mayor has committed £15,000 initially towards the cost of a legal challenge if his lawyers agree that there are grounds for a lawsuit, and has said that City Hall may contribute more to the action if necessary. A spokesman for the Mayor has said that the business case for a third Heathrow runway does not outweigh the significant noise and air pollution concerns raised.

Whether or not there is a judicial review is likely to depend on a determination if EU air pollution limits would be exceeded by the increase in flights at Heathrow. A white paper issued by the government has said that approval would only be granted if environmental and noise standard are met.

www.heathrowairport.com

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/mayor-of-london-threatens-lawsuit-over-heathrow-expansion-5633882.html

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the Orlando timeshare unit of Wyndham Worldwide Inc., has opened a 32-unit resort in Santa Fe, N.M.

The property, called Worldmark Santa Fe, is the company’s third location in New Mexico. Others include WorldMark Taos and WorldMark Red River.

The company acquired the WorldMark Santa Fe property late last year and spent eight months renovating it. It includes hotel, studio and one-bedroom units.

At the end of last year, Wyndham Vacation Ownership operated 145 resorts in the United States. It is the world’s largest timeshare company with 17,700 employees globally.

http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/11/10/daily40.html

A construction problem delaying the opening of Aspen’s most luxurious timeshare project now threatens to nullify several multimillion-dollar sales, according to a lawsuit.

Four parties that have signed contracts to purchase fractional-ownership interests at The Residences at The Little Nell are asking a judge to declare their contracts terminated and order the developer to refund their earnest money.

If the buyers are successful, they would force the Residences to refund $1,875,000 collectively in earnest money, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Pitkin County District Court.

But there are bigger stakes involved. The plaintiffs could potentially force cancellation of millions of dollars worth of contracts and lead to a broader uprising by buyers.

The development firm, The Residences at Little Nell Development LLC, hasn’t had a chance to respond to the lawsuit yet, and a spokesman for the firm couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

The luxury project ran into trouble almost immediately after construction started in July 2005. The 26 opulent residences are being constructed at the base of Aspen Mountain, west of the Silver Queen Gondola where the Tippler nightclub was located.

Movement of Aspen Mountain’s soils during excavation forced Swinerton Builders, the general contractor, to build a shoring wall and undertake a major structural redesign.

The construction headache forced the developer to miss the intended target opening date on June 1, 2008. When contacted this week before the lawsuit was filed, a spokesman for the project said the opening remains “a moving target.” R.J. Gallagher of Gallagher Sharp West in Aspen said the project will open sometime during the ski season. The delay isn’t a result of the financial crisis that is effecting so many developments in the Roaring Fork Valley and around the country, Gallagher said.

“We are financed, and we are financed to complete the project,” he said. “We are in good standing here.”

The project calls for 26 luxury units of three and four bedrooms. They are sold in one-eighth interests with four weeks guaranteed and two additional floating weeks.

Gallagher said about 97 percent of the inventory is already under contract. All of the weeks in the four-bedroom units are sold, and only eight of 152 weeks available in the three-bedroom units are available.

The project will be managed and operated by the Aspen Skiing Co.’s Little Nell Hotel. That boosts the appeal with wealthy clientele because the hotel is a highly regarded five-star, five-diamond property.

The allure was reflected in soaring sales prices. The three-bedroom units started selling for $1 million and now have reached $1.9 million, Gallagher said. Interests in the four-bedroom units surged from $1.25 million to $3 million.

Earnest money, up to $500,000 per interest, has been collected from the buyers, and they signed contracts that will close upon completion of the project.

But the four plaintiffs in the lawsuit say events occurred that allow them to escape the contracts. Brooke Peterson, the agent for the development firm, sent a letter to buyers Sept. 5, 2008, informing them that the soils work required took “a good deal of time” to analyze and correct.

Peterson’s letter says the construction problem signified a “casualty” in a legal contractual sense. And because of that casualty, it would delay the closing of sales contracts. The letter claims the developers have an option of extending the closing date by 90 days. Although they targeted June as the completion, they built in a cushion by placing end-of-year closings in the contracts. Now, they are exercising their right to extend the closings further because of the construction problem.

“Accordingly, we are hereby advising you of our election to extend the closing deadline until March 31, 2009, pursuant to the terms of Paragraph 14 in our contract,” Peterson’s letter says.

The plaintiffs don’t see if that way. The lawsuit was filed by C-4 Trust; Bonnie Englebardt 1998 Retained Annuity Trust; Julie and William Macklowe; and Ellis Partners LLC.

Through their attorney, Neil Karbank of Aspen, they claimed the contract the developer insisted on was very clear about what would occur if the “casualty clause” was triggered: The damage had to be repaired within 90 days or the contract would be terminated. The critical date was when the casualty occurred, which was in 2005, the lawsuit said. It took more than one year and perhaps as long as two years to repair the damage, not the 90 days as required by the contract. Plus, it took the developer more than three years to even notify buyers of the problem.

“Since the Casualty was not repaired within 90 days, Defendant was obligated to terminate Plaintiff’s Contracts and return the Earnest Money to Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit says. The development firm refuses to cooperate, according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs also seek damages for “breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, conversion, conspiracy, unjust enrichment [and] breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing.”

The earnest money was used as partial collateral by the developers for securing nearly $160 million in construction financing from the Deutsche Bank Trust Co. Americas, the lawsuit alleges.

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20081114/NEWS/811139888/1077&ParentProfile=1058&title=Buyer%20uprising%20at%20Residences%20at%20Little%20Nell%20in%20Aspen

On Holiday Group chief executive Steve Endacott has forecast a tough recession ahead for the travel industry.

Speaking at the EyeforTravel Conference held at World Travel Market, he said: “The next two years, it’s not about how much money you make, it’s about how much cash you have got. It’s about getting through to the next stage. It’s going to be hell: batten down the hatches.”

Using his experience of tough trading conditions while at MyTravel, he offered travel businesses some recommendations.

Firstly, he said business should control their cash vigilantly. “Companies do not go out of business because they fail to make a profit, it happens because they run out of cash,” he said.

If a business needed to delay paying suppliers, communication was essential, he said. “Get more people in to answer the phones quickly. Let suppliers know why they can’t be paid now and be truthful about when they will be paid. It’s amazing how much credit you can get when you do that.”

The one department you should look to hire more people was the credit control department, he said. Businesses should know if anyone they are supplying is near bankruptcy.

In terms of reducing company overheads, many companies are considering redundancies, he said. “If you are going to do it, do it quickly. Employees know it is coming, they see the sales figures. And be aggressive, because in a downturn, it’s very easy to employ people.”

Endacott also said travel business should look into partnering to drive more volume and lower overheads per sale by combining transactional systems. “Think of the deals that you do not want to do, working with your enemies over the last ten years, and what you can do to drive more volume through your [fixed] overheads.”

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2008/11/14/29479/on-holiday-group-forecasts-tough-recession-for-travel.html

THE US embassy has advised Irish people intending to travel to America in the new year to obtain online travel authorisation before they leave.

From January 12th, the existing in-flight visa waiver system comes to an end, to be replaced by a new system requiring travellers to register their details at least 72 hours before departure.

Electronic System for Travel Authorization (Esta), which allows the US authorities to vet travellers before they get on flights, has been operating on a voluntary basis since August.

In that time, 6,046 Irish people applied for Esta, of which 6,015 were approved and 31 denied.

The new procedures have raised concerns about a possible invasion of privacy. US officials who briefed travel agents in Dublin yesterday said Esta would make travel easier for the vast majority of transatlantic fliers.

Paul Morris of US Customs and Border Protection said the data sought from the traveller under Esta is "virtually identical" to the old paper-based system.

Over 99.5 per cent of Esta users have been authorised to travel, he said. Travel was not authorised in cases where a person is suspected of travelling on a lost or stolen passport; is on an anti-terrorism watchlist; or has answered "yes" to any of the traditional questions about criminal involvement, communicable diseases, terrorist activities, previous visa refusal or drug-taking.

Authorisation lasts for two years and so covers multiple flights. Mr Morris said the new system would reduce the number of people who flew across the Atlantic only to be refused entry and sent back.

Although Esta was being introduced for Ireland and 33 other visa-waiver countries from January, immigration authorities would for an initial period look benevolently on travellers who failed to apply for pre-authorisation, he said.

"We will also try to accommodate last-minute travellers, but they take the risk of being denied and not being able to board the aircraft." People who are refused authorisation can apply for visas but this takes at least two weeks.

Esta applications are free and can be made at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

Some commercial websites charge up to $250 to make applications, but Mr Morris said these were not supported by the US government.

An estimated 550,000 Irish people travel to the US each year.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1115/1226700611203.html?via=mr

Chairman Of “Timeshare Consumers Association” Behind Libellous Websites

The Organisation for Timeshare in Europe (OTE) welcomes the recent verdict in a libel case against Alexander (Sandy) Grey, Chairman of the self-styled “Timeshare Consumers Association, which has been consistently critical of the reputable timeshare industry.”

The High Court found that it was Sandy Grey himself who was behind the so-called “Crimeshare – Timeshare Frauds and Scams” and related Websites. The Website not only included personal attacks against employees and directors of timeshare companies and OTE, but also produced so-called “black lists” falsely incriminating reputable timeshare companies.

Even though Grey denied his involvement; the Judge – Mr Justice Eady, found that Mr Grey had published the Crimeshare website on all five of the domain names which formed the basis of the High Court claim. Grey was ordered to pay the substantial costs involved in proving his responsibility for publication. Over a number of years Grey had denied that he was behind these sites and had even signed court documents to verify his false denials.

Despite this, he continued to portray himself as an independent advisor on timeshare issues to consumers, the media and government. It is believed that up to 1.5 million individuals may have relied on his “advice” over the years.

More than 200 companies were “blacklisted” by Grey including publicly traded companies such as RCI - the timeshare vacation exchange company, the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe (OTE), to which most European developers belong and ARDA - the American Resort Developers Association.

Peter van der Mark, Secretary General of OTE said of the judgement:
“OTE is very concerned about the legitimacy of a number of private organisations set up around Europe to purportedly provide “consumer advice”. These companies have absolutely no link to the industry or to any government authority. We would advise consumers to exercise caution in dealing with any organisation that refers to the so-called Crimeshare blacklist, Mr Grey or the TCA.”

OTE provides guidance and advice on timeshare through its website www.ote-info.com and offers a free of charge arbitration service for timeshare owners who own at OTE member resorts. Consumers may also contact TATOC – The Timeshare Association - on 0845 2302430 for further advice.

Over the past few years OTE has worked successfully with a number of different European consumer organisations, including European Consumer Centres, ConSeur in Brussels and with TATOC, to name just a few. OTE has valued and continues to value constructive comment and criticism of the timeshare industry by consumer organisations as it contributes to the maintenance of a high level of best practice for the timeshare industry. This has for example resulted in all European Consumer Centres having input into OTE’s 2005 Code of Conduct through a meeting organised by the European Commission and OTE.

OTE tried to establish cooperation with the TCA in 1999 but its Chairman Mr. Grey personally refused any cooperation. It now appears, from the judgement of the High Court on 28 October 2008, that for the past five years Mr Grey has been responsible for publishing serious and false allegations about many of the leading brands in the timeshare industry in Europe.

Club La Costa is also involved in High Court proceedings against a company over unfounded and serious allegations. It is believed that the defendant company had worked closely with Sandy Grey. High Court proceedings continue.

More about OTE:
OTE is the pan-European trade association representing the timeshare industry throughout Europe. It promotes best practice in the industry for the benefit of both consumers and the industry. All members are bound by a code of ethics that ensures the protection of consumers’ rights. OTE provides information and advice to consumers and offers a free conciliation service to consumers dealing with its members.

OTE represents the majority of timeshare companies in Europe which are responsible for some 65-70% of all timeshare sales. These include major hospitality groups such as De Vere, Hilton, Sol Melia, and large independent timeshare developers, namely the Petchey Leisure Group, Club La Costa, Hapimag and Seasons Holidays.

http://www.thetimeshareblog.com/chairman-of-“timeshare-consumers-association”-behind-libellous-websites/

Delta Air Lines, (DAL) whose merger with Northwest Airlines closed two weeks ago, will soon become the USA's No. 1 airline between the East Coast and Asia.

Delta said Wednesday that next summer it will add three new non-stop flights from the U.S. to Tokyo's Narita airport, Northwest's Asia hub, from which Northwest flies to 13 other Asian cities. Northwest is also launching new non-stop flights between Seattle and Beijing and between Detroit and Shanghai.

With the addition of the non-stop flights to Tokyo, Delta says it will become the top U.S. carrier to Asia overall, eclipsing United (UAUA) and Continental Airlines' (CAL) substantial service to that region. Most significant will be Delta's new non-stop service between New York — the USA's biggest travel market — and Tokyo.

Wednesday's announcement vividly illustrates one of the chief reasons Delta and Northwest sought to merge, creating the USA's largest carrier.

Delta is the leading carrier at New York's Kennedy airport, operating scores of daily flights feeding passengers to Kennedy from all over the country, where they can connect to international flights. Northwest has long operated a big Asia hub at Tokyo.

With the merger now closed, Delta can leverage that New York hub to Tokyo's Narita airport, the leading gateway to Japan and the world's sixth-busiest international airport.

When Delta's new Tokyo service begins next June, Delta will morph overnight from having no service at all between New York and Asia "to being the No. 1 player between New York and Asia," Delta Executive Vice President Glen Hauenstein said Wednesday.

Continental, which operates a huge hub at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, currently operates the most non-stop service between the New York region and Asia, Continental spokesman David Messing said.

Continental flies non-stop from Newark to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing, and will launch non-stop Newark to Shanghai service in March.

Chicago-based United, the USA's leading carrier to China, operates one non-stop a day between Washington Dulles and Beijing. Its other China service departs from Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Altogether, Delta Wednesday announced 15 new international routes for next summer to Europe, Africa and Asia. Those include flights between Atlanta and Johannesburg, Delta's first daily non-stop service to South Africa.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2008-11-12-deta-airlines-asia-tokyo-routes_N.htm

Wyndham Worldwide said it closed on a new $943 million conduit facility that is being secured by timeshare receivables.

Eight banks participated in the financing, led by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and interest on the 364-day facility is based on variable commercial paper rates plus a spread.

"The conduit adds valuable liquidity to our financing capability," said Wyndham Worldwide Chairman and CEO Stephen P. Holmes. "We are pleased with the execution of this transaction in a challenging credit environment."

The hospitality company claims its Wyndham Vacation Ownership unit is the world's largest timeshare business, as measured by the number of resorts, units and ownership interests. As of Dec. 31 Wyndham Vacation Ownership had developed or acquired about 145 vacation ownership resorts throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific that represent more than 17,500 individual units and more than 800,000 owners of timeshare interests.

The business is somewhat controversial because it is pitched as an alternative to owning real estate. However, even before the global real estate collapse, timeshares have been classified in the same manner as automobiles — with new units depreciating in value as soon as a deal collapses.

In addition, financing is usually provided by the timeshare developer, at rates that are relatively quite high even during stable economic times. That presents a question of whether cash-strapped recent buyers might choose to walk away from their timeshares altogether.

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/12586619/c_12586130?f=home_todayinfinance

At the British Travel Awards ceremony held at the end of last week in London, the honours of top large travel retailer of the year went to Thomas Cook, while Flight Centre received the award for small travel retailer. The winners of awards in 71 categories were announced at the ceremony.

In the airline of the year category, Etihad Airways was named the winner, with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines coming in first place among cruise operators. Thomson Holidays won the award for large operator of the year and Olympic Holidays the award for the top specialist operator.

Top small operator honours went to Premier Holidays, and the hotel chain award to Riu Hotels. Avis was voted best car hire company, P&O Ferries the best ferry company and Crystal Holidays won the award for the top activity/sports operator.

Although it will be phased out two years, Ocean Village was named best mainstream cruise line of the year, and its sister operator, P&O Cruises, was voted the top premium/luxury line. Hurtigruten won the award as best niche cruise line.

The best UK/domestic operator honours went to Haven, and Manchester Airport was chosen airport of the year.

Top honours as the most environmentally-responsible carrier went to First Choice Airways, and Flybe took top honours as the most environmentally-responsible low-cost carrier.

Awards for environmental responsibility also went to First Choice Holidays and Keycamp Holidays.

The best technology provider award went to Amadeus, while Expedia won for the best flight booking website. Hotels4U.com was awarded the best website for accommodation booking.

VisitBritain was chosen as the best tourist board and Royal Caribbean’s training programme was named tops for the year.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/winners-of-the-2008-british-travel-awards-announced-5633857.html

Alitalia had to cancel more flights on Wednesday as the protest by some of its pilots and flight attendants entered its third day. By 0830 GMT, 18 flights had been cancelled, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

On Tuesday, the airline was forced to cancel 124 flights.

A group of Italian investors has proposed new employee contracts as part of its rescue plan for the bankrupt national carrier. The group, known as CAI, is investing one billion euros in Alitalia.

Pilots and flight attendants belonging to four of the major unions representing Alitalia employees are protesting the proposed contracts via a ‘work to rule’ labour action. They are doing the minimum work required by their contracts, slowing the operations of the airline and hoping to convince management to take their grievances seriously.

Representatives of the reorganized carrier and government officials have said they would not reopen negotiations with the unions, and instead have threatened to hire individual pilots and flights attendants as needed.

The transport commissioner for the EU, Antonio Tajani, commented on Wednesday that he had approved the Alitalia takeover plan, but warned that the airline must pay back a loan of 300 million euro to Italy’s government, according to a report in the Associated Press (AP).

Tarjani noted that the sale of the carrier’s assets would be followed by the formation of a smaller Italian airline that could operate with greater efficiency, the AP report stated.

http://www.asap.co.uk/news/strike-causes-third-day-of-delays-at-alitalia-5633871.html

Bath's most notorious crook is featured in a new book by television investigator Roger Cook.

Multi-millionaire John 'Goldfinger' Palmer, who once lived at Lansdown, spent eight years in jail for masterminding a Canaries timeshare scam in the 1990s, which netted him an estimated £33m.

Many of his victims were pensioners hoping to enjoy their retirement in holiday homes in Tenerife, who lost their life savings.

Mr Cook, 65, who is from the West Country, was famed for uncovering elaborate business scams in his ITV series The Cook Report.

He has dedicated a chapter of his new book to Palmer, who he calls one of the nastiest criminals of all time.


Roger Cook's Ten Greatest Conmen also features Frank Abagnale Jr, the real life Catch Me If You Can conman.

Undercover journalist Mr Cook said: "There are many more interesting criminals than John Palmer but he was certainly one of the nastiest.

"As well as taking money from more than 17,000 people, he managed to make an ass of the law for years. He was selected for the book because he is very clever man."

Mr Palmer was exposed on The Cook Report after an extensive undercover operation.

Palmer was jailed for eight years in 2001 for masterminding the timeshare scam, although he has always maintained his innocence.

His Bath home was the scene of a police swoop in the 1980s as officers hunted for £26m of gold stolen from Heathrow Airport in 1983.

Palmer was released from jail in 2005, after serving half his sentence.

Roger Cook's Ten Greatest Conmen is published by John Blake on November 20, priced £17.99.

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Cook-report-city-conman/article-465007-detail/article.html

A major restructuring programme is underway at Group RCI that will continue into the first quarter of 2009.

The strategic realignment streamlines exchange operations across its international businesses by cutting layers of management “to improve regional autonomy and accountability”. No numbers of lay-offs were made public.

According to the company, a portion of the restructuring savings will be reinvested in the business to accelerate and promote its new web-based exchange platform which, it says, “will improve overall member experience and satisfaction while reducing operating costs”.

Speaking in Madrid where he attended the OTE Business Forum, Geoff Ballotti, president and chief executive officer of Group RCI, told OTe-news the economic crisis and credit squeeze had had the effect of “dampening the growth we have been used to”.

The company was seeing sales slow in many big markets, people were travelling closer to home and not booking as far in advance as had been the case previously.

Having said that, its European business had increased year on year. “Our inbound and outbound exchanges are up 15 per cent in this part of the world,” said Mr Ballotti. “What we have seen in the last three or four weeks is that growth has not been that strong. It has been slowing.”

The company had been very strong up to the second quarter. “We will grow the business again this year,” he added.

GuestInvest Group – the HBOS-backed company that develops hotels and sells individual rooms to investors – has appointed Deloitte as administrators. It is the latest company to fall foul of the UK property crash.

GuestInvest purchased two central London properties in January for £120million and said it was looking to expand overseas.

In a statement, Stuart Law, chief executive of property investment boutique Assetz, said the move into administration “appears to be a direct result of HBOS running out of capital to lend to clients during the ongoing credit crunch”.

He added: “It is the company and not the investment model that has fallen into trouble. Hotels continue to offer excellent potential for investors in the current climate.”

Three companies in Finland have purchased the majority shareholding in the Holiday Club Resorts timeshare company from London & Regional Properties (LRP), a UK-owned property investment firm.

LRP became the prime owner of the Finnish company in 2005. The new owners -- they bought out LRP’s shareholding for an undisclosed sum – are Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Finnish Industry Investment and a group of private investors.

In a statement Holiday Club said the transaction returned the company to “financially sound and well-established Finnish institutions and private investors”.

Holiday Club has approximately 40,000 weekly timeshare owners, more than a thousand of which are companies or organisations. It operates more than 1,100 holiday homes in 16 locations in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Spain. The Club also runs the Holiday Club Spa Hotel business in Åre, Sweden.

According to Vesa Tengman, chief executive of Holiday Club Resorts Oy, “The new structure of ownership improves our opportunities to expand our business and to make future investments. At the moment we are increasing the number of weekly timeshares in Kuusamo, Katinkulta and Salia.”

Donald Trump, the American billionaire developer, has won government approval to build a resort in Scotland that will encompass 950 timeshare units, a 450-room hotel, 500 luxury homes, 36 villas, two golf courses and a golf academy.

The decision follows a protracted planning process where environmentalists opposed the project that will be developed on the Menie Estate, north of Aberdeen. The site incorporates a series of sand dunes, home to a variety of wildlife.

Although the plans were originally rejected in a close vote by the area council a year ago, the government, which has power over planning policy, called in the proposal and set up a public inquiry.

The development was widely supported by business and tourism leaders along with Alex Salmond, first minister of the Scottish government. It could also generate 6,000 jobs, some 1,400 locally, he said.

A new Directive, adopted by the European Parliament, has clarified the rights of consumers purchasing timeshare products and services. More importantly it establishes strict requirements for operators of Discount Travel Membership Clubs (DTMCs).

The Directive is due to go to the Council of Ministers for final adoption next month.

OTE welcomes the development that will harmonise timeshare regulation across Europe. “Also the Directive will increase confidence for consumers investing in holiday ownership,” said secretary general Peter van der Mark.

The next stage in the legislative process is for all 27 members of the European Union to incorporate the Directive into national law which could take up to two years.

The Directive updates the 1994 Directive, covering new products and services and closing loopholes exploited by rogue operators. “With the new rules, traders will have to provide comprehensive pre-contractual information so that consumers can make an informed choice,” said Meglena Kuneva, the EU commissioner responsible for consumer affairs.

The Legislative Council, which spearheaded OTE’s lobby, is satisfied that many of the new requirements are already common practice among member companies.

The cooling off period for consumers is now 14 calendar days across Europe that can be extended to three months or even a year if key data is omitted from sales contracts.

For the first time re-sales, trial memberships and exchange services are covered by the Directive.

With its legislative programme, OTE has been successful in blocking contentious proposals that would have been detrimental to the timeshare industry. They included a 21-28 day cooling off period as well as cumbersome and unnecessary rules allowing consumers themselves to run highly complex timeshare resorts.

According to Mr van der Mark, Discount Travel Membership Clubs have ceased to be commercially viable by the new legislation. “Consumers increasingly complain about these travel clubs and the authorities estimate they have been responsible for a massive amount of fraud within the EU,” he said. “This will now be effectively stopped.”

OTE has urged the authorities to remain vigilant against DTMCs and unscrupulous re-sale companies, a task that should be made easier with the new law.

OTE has also welcomed the recognition in the Directive of the role of trade associations along with their Codes of Conduct and independent arbitration service. Non-member companies will have to disclose that they have not signed up to the Code and the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system.

“This is important for OTE members who often felt at a competitive disadvantage against developers and marketers outside OTE membership who did not have to observe the Code,” said Mr van der Mark.

He went on to say: “Now is the time for those non-member companies operating in the EU to consider joining before individual member states implement the Directive and they find themselves at a disadvantage with consumers who will want to know why they are not prepared to abide by the Code.”

Administered by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the ADR service is potentially available to every consumer making a timeshare purchase from an OTE member company.

RCI Signs Timeshare Affiliation Deal With Salwan Property Management For Exclusive Jumeirah Beach Residence Development

RCI, the world’s largest timeshare exchange company and a part of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), has signed an affiliation agreement with Salwan, a property management company and a subsidiary of Dubai Properties Group (DPG), to offer the RCI Points® exchange program to the owners at Salwan Hotel Apartments.

Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO of Group RCI, speaking at the signing ceremony at Salwan Hotel Apartments, said: “We are very proud to have Salwan Property Management join RCI’s worldwide exchange network of over 4,000 affiliated resorts. Owners at Salwan Hotel Apartments will benefit from the myriad of value added services and travel benefits we provide. Our global reach serves as an added incentive to future Salwan owners who will have access to the largest portfolio of vacation resorts in the world and be supported, both on-line and by dedicated, multi-lingual vacation guides in our call centers across the globe.”

Saeed Bushalat, Chief Executive Officer of Salwan said: “We have launched the Salwan Hotel Apartments to allow international clientele an opportunity to visit and spend time at one of the most sought after locations in Dubai. Affiliating with RCI will help Salwan Hotel Apartments create worldwide brand awareness and attract tourists from abroad. At the same time, some RCI members will have a benefit of access to properties at the exclusive Jumeirah Beach Residence. The flexibility this tie-up provides to Salwan means that we are able to offer our buyers a product that can change as their lifestyle does, adding weight to our sales program.”

The Salwan Hotel Apartments will offer 80 luxuriously appointed one, two and three bedroom units allocated to the timeshare program, all equivalent to five star hotel accommodations. The property, located in Dubai’s highly sought after Jumeirah Beach Residence in the heart of new Dubai, offers direct access to the beach, the Marina, and The Walk featuring the latest in designer shopping and haute cuisine across a 1.75km beachfront boulevard.

Bushalat added: “We are confident all 80 apartments will be quickly snapped up by investors worldwide seeking the winter sun, as well as others from the broader Gulf area, keen on Dubai’s world class shopping and leisure options that are at the doorstep of the hotel residence.”

About RCI
RCI was founded in 1974 when it introduced the concept of timeshare exchange. Today, RCI is the global leader in vacation exchange with the largest timeshare exchange network in the world and is a leading provider of travel services to businesses and consumers. RCI offers over three million members flexible vacation options at more than 4,000 resorts in more than 100 countries through its RCI® Weeks, traditional week-for-week exchange program, and RCI Points®, the industry’s first global points-based exchange system. RCI delivers customized, integrated and results-driven solutions to help meet the needs of its affiliates and consumers worldwide. RCI is a division of Group RCI, a global leader in leisure real estate and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN). For additional information, visit www.rci.com or www.grouprci.com.

About Salwan
Salwan Property Management, a subsidiary of Dubai Properties Group and a member of Dubai Holding, is a leading provider of innovative leasing and property management solutions and the introducers of the strata management system to the region. Established in 2008, Salwan offers a full spectrum of enabling services to residential and commercial stakeholders. Its service portfolio includes property auctions through Mazad Auction House, property management, leasing, third party leasing, hotel apartments, and a real estate advisory service.

Salwan also offers a complete range of construction supervision and administrative services ranging from contract negotiations and build-out to leasing and risk management. The company currently offers premium real estate services to more than 14,000 properties around Dubai including Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Cordoba Villas, Al Quoz Community Housing, Al Razi Residence, 558 Villas at Dubailand, Dorat Mirdiff, and Office Park at Dubai Internet City.

http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=11970

Holidaymakers wanting to escape the cold and the recession are being given a break this weekend, as airlines and tour operators slash prices in an attempt to keep the ailing travel industry afloat, amid the biggest slump in sales since the 9/11 terror attacks.

A summer of soaring oil prices and falling passenger numbers contributed to the demise of 30 airlines this year – including XL, the UK's third-largest tour operator – with industry bodies warning that hundreds more British tour operators face collapse.

Travel firms are becoming increasingly concerned. BMI announces today that it will be scrapping fuel surcharges on flights within the UK and Europe in an attempt to give cash-strapped travellers a break.

The airline, which specialises in short-haul flights to destinations such as Dublin, Brussels and Venice, hopes that the reduction of these "hidden charges" will persuade holiday-makers to travel despite the current economic conditions.

Last week British Airways announced that it was slashing fares to more than 70 destinations, with as much as 40 per cent off some flights. Holidaymakers can now head to the Caribbean island of St Kitts for just £499 – saving £256 on the full-price fare.

New figures from Ascent Market Intelligence's Leisure Travel Monitor have revealed that September holiday sales in the UK were down 8 per cent on the same time last year, with cheap European package deals to destinations such as Spain, Greece and Cyprus proving particularly hard for travel agents to shift.

"September was a quiet month for travel agents, but it isn't that bad. The credit crunch has been an issue in the industry for a while now, but in summer 2008 we sold as many holidays as in summer 2007," said a spokesperson from the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta).

Parents are proving particularly reluctant to book expensive holidays in the midst of the credit crunch, with sales of family holidays 16 per cent lower in September than at the same time last year.

Some believe that the fall in sales is due not to reduced demand, but to strategic capacity cuts implemented by the tour operators – which saw travel agents offer around 275,000 fewer holidays this summer.

"If you look at what the industry has been doing over the last few years, companies have been steadily reducing capacity so that they don't have empty seats on planes or empty beds in hotels – each company has probably reduced its capacity by around 4 per cent," said the spokesperson.

"This means that you won't be looking at large numbers of cheap holidays, because they have cut the supply."

The gradual reduction in the number of holidays available was accelerated by the collapse of XL Leisure Group in September. Thousands of passengers were left stranded after the company went into administration – citing rising fuel prices and a weak business model.

While overall holiday sales may have slumped, the research from Ascent shows that sales of more expensive package deals – those priced between £400 and £1,000 – actually rose by 8 per cent this summer.

This buoyancy may be due to the huge discounts that many high-end companies are offering. Virgin Holidays are currently advertising "Halloween" specials, including a £719 discount on a seven-night holiday in Mauritius, reducing the price from £1,668 to £949.

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/holiday-firms-give-travellers-a-break-984654.html

Qatar Airways and a US aircraft charter firm were among the interested parties for the sale of Greece's state-owned Olympic Airlines, daily Naftemporiki reported on Saturday.

Citing unnamed sources, the paper said Qatar Airways, US aircraft charter firm Chrysler Aviation, Greek-US investors consortium York Capital/Olympic investors and a consortium of Greek shipowners and private equity funds have expressed initial interest in the ailing airline.

Greece's conservative government launched a tender in September to split the loss-making carrier into three parts, the airline services along with the ground handling and the technical maintenance units, and sell them off. Investors had until the end of October to express an interest to bid.

Five firms, including Goldair, Chrysler Aviation and Spain's Swissport and Flight Care, have submitted interest for Olympic's ground handling services, the paper added.

Officials at Greece's Transport Ministry declined to comment on the report.

The government said on Friday it would announce Olympic's short-listed applicants early next week. Interested parties will then be allowed to conduct due diligence on Olympic and submit non-binding bids by the end of the month.

Greece aims to conclude the tender by the end of 2008, ending years of failed attempts to privatise Olympic.

The plan has been approved by the European Commission, which agreed to suspend action over illegal state subsidies if the sale went ahead.

Lazard, NBG International, Alpha Bank and Emporiki Bank are advising the government on the tender.

In an article in another newspaper, Greek Transport Minister Costis Hatzidakis defended the 1.3 billion euro plan for the sale of Olympic, saying the privatisation would be to the Greek people's benefit.

"Greek taxpayers will be benefited, as they will have to pay much less money than what they would pay if we kept the current ailing and loss-making Olympic," Hatzidakis wrote in Kathimerini newspaper.

Olympic Airlines carried 6.2 million passengers in 2007 to 36 cities and islands in Greece and 37 destinations in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa. It has losses of over 2 million euros a day.

http://www.reuters.com/article/euMergersNews/idUSL111784720081101