Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT
Willie Walsh head of BA one of the worlds largest airlines disagrees with claims in The Lancet the UK's prestigious medical journal that DVT is caused by flying. The article written by Dr Richard Dawood of The Fleet Street Travel Clinic in London. He says that it is not due to flying but to long periods of inactivity that occurs in other types of travel. The Lancet article says DVT is caused by factors including poor air quality and low oxygen pressure as found in aircraft not likely in busses or trains. Don't worry too much as the likely hood of dying from DVT is one in two million.
If you are worried elastic compression socks can be worn to reduce the risk of DVT.

New US Entry Rules
New regulations introduced during early March 2006 require all passengers arriving in the US to provide their country of residence and the address where they are staying on the first night of their stay in the US. This requirement could cause delays at check-in at the departure country if this information is not readily available.

EU Bans Suspect Airlines
Nearly 100 foreign airlines have been banned from flying in EU airspace because of poor safety standards. Most are from Africa but the list includes Phuket airways which was banned from UK skies after a serious fuel leak from one of it's jets.

Rising Hotel Rates in the US
While European average hotel prices dropped over 8% during 2005 US average rates climbed by 2.3%. New York prices rose by 13% to an average of £160 pn. Stockholm dropped by 24% to £83 pn.

Worth Thinking About!
by Simon Calder from The Independent
What, you may wonder, is the maximum number of destinations you could visit on a standard bucket-shop flight to Australia and back, using only one airline?
The most convoluted route I can find is on Royal Brunei, whose base is on the island of Borneo. From Heathrow you takeoff for Dubai, Calcutta, Singapore and Brunei en route for Brisbane. Make your own way west across Australia, for example by Virgin Blue (www.virginblue.com.au) for around £100, and come home from Perth via Brunei (again), Bangkok and Dubai (again) - having visited seven different cities along the way.
Through Trailfinders (020-7938 3939; (www.trailfinders.co.uk) the fare between 15 August to 20 September is £775; in November, it falls to £665 - less than £100 a destination.
Arran Sutherland, air product manager for Quest Travel (0870 444 5552; www.questtravel.com) suggests a variant using Emirates and its associate company, SriLankan. Start from Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow or Manchester and fly out via Dubai to Mumbai - or anywhere else Emirates flies in India. Travel overland to Trivandrum in Kerala, hop across to Colombo, then fly to Singapore and take in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth before returning non-stop to Dubai. This trip costs around £750 any time until 9 December.
Airpass in Italy
Alitalia has launched a series of Visit Italy air passes, offering. reduced prices on flights within Italy. The passes, which must be bought in conjunction with an Alitalia international ticket, are valid for three, four or five internal flights. A three-voucher pass would allow you to fly from London to Rome, for example, on to Florence and Venice and then back to London from Milan. Three-coupon passes cost E135 plus taxes, which vary according to your itinerary; four are E166 and five E198. Passes must be bought and .your first internal leg booked before you leave the UK. The rest is up to you once you are there. As well as Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan, Alitalia flies to 16 other Italian cities and Catania in Sicily. M Tel: 0870 544 8259; www.alitalia.co.uk

Passports Quickly
If you need a passport quick try Trailfinders Visa and Passport Service at
194 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AH. For a fee of £18 it will issue passports within 10 working days.