The Department of Health has issued the following statement regarding yellow fever vaccinations and the current shortage, "The public is advised to note that Zambia is not presently on the list of countries from which South Africa requires a Yellow Fever certificate and travellers to and from this country are not required to have a valid Yellow Fever certificate. Should the policy change, members of the public including travel agencies will be properly informed. The supplier of Yellow Fever vaccines has informed the Department that demands have exceeded supply and that there is currently a shortage in the country, which will only be corrected by late August.
South Africans who intend to travel to Zambia or through high risk areas are advised to postpone travel if possible. If not, such travellers should avoid mosquito bites by wearing long sleeved clothes, especially in early evenings and when outdoors; to apply insecticide repellent to the exposed body parts and to sleep under treated mosquito nets. These travellers should also ensure that they are aware and watch out for Yellow Fever symptoms, which include a sudden onset of fever, headache, backache, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice. In very severe cases there may be nosebleeds, vomiting of blood and blood in stools. The clinical symptoms may be confused with other viral infections therefore, confirmation of the presence of Yellow Fever virus is critical. Upon their return into the country, they need to continue monitoring themselves for symptoms and be in telephonic contact with port health officials for a period of up to six days."
We have also received information that Randburg Mediclinic's travel clinic as well as Brenthurst Clinic in Johannesburg reportedly still has stock of the vaccination.
Friday, July 22, 2011
TRAVEL ALERT - MALAWI
The army has been deployed in three Malawian cities on a second day of anti-government protests in which at least 18 people have been killed. President Bingu wa Mutharika has vowed to use any measure possible to quell the demonstrations. Protesters accuse him of plunging Malawi into its worst economic crisis since independence. The army has been deployed in the capital, Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu in the north. Nine people died in Mzuzu, six in Lilongwe, two in Blantyre, and one in the town of Karonga on the border with Tanzania. Another 44 people suffered gunshot wounds in the clashes between protesters and security forces. Security forces reportedly opened fire in Lilongwe to prevent shops being looted and cars being smashed. Lorry-loads of soldiers were patrolling central Lilongwe, clearing barricades set up by protesters. The city centre is deserted with shops closed.
Civil groups which organised the nationwide protests said Malawi was facing a "series of catastrophes". The cost of living was rising and the country was facing acute shortages of fuel, electricity and foreign currency, they said in a statement. The government passed an austerity budget recently, raising taxes to reduce dependence on aid. Last week, the UK cut aid to Malawi after accusing the government of handling the economy badly. Other donors have also reduced aid.
Civil groups which organised the nationwide protests said Malawi was facing a "series of catastrophes". The cost of living was rising and the country was facing acute shortages of fuel, electricity and foreign currency, they said in a statement. The government passed an austerity budget recently, raising taxes to reduce dependence on aid. Last week, the UK cut aid to Malawi after accusing the government of handling the economy badly. Other donors have also reduced aid.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Been Bumped off an airline? The Consumer Protection Act Protects you. Demand compensation!
AIRLINE passengers bumped due to overbooking can now expect to be compensated, according to the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act.
Lucien Pierce, partner at Phukubje Pierce Maithela Attorneys, says the Act also provides for compensation for any other expenses that the consumer incurs.
Says Lucien: “Section 47(3) is specifically directed at suppliers of goods and services who, in the past would arbitrarily and unilaterally implement changes to what they had promised to supply, without fear of any serious consequences.
“The Act says that where they can find someone else who can provide the same service to you, then they must do that. They must try and put you on another flight, perhaps one of that airline’s competitors or whomever they have an agreement with. That is what they technically should be doing.
“What is interesting is that section 47 provides that a supplier such as an airline can mitigate its failure to provide the service by supplying or procuring ‘another person to supply a consumer with comparable goods or services’.”
Adds Lucien: “In theory, we could see rival airlines using each other to transport their bumped passengers, on a regular basis, only to remain compliant with the Act.”
Lucien advises that in cases where the airline has overbooked a flight, the passenger would not only be entitled to a refund of the cost of the ticket but also interest on the cost until it is repaid.
In addition, a passenger could justifiably claim the reasonable costs of a meal, of calling home, reasonable accommodation costs and basic toiletries.
Overbooking is an industry standard for most airlines to ensure that every seat is filled when a flight departs.
BA Comair says overbooking saves the airline around R60m a year on no-shows. Passengers who are bumped are placed on the next available flight at no extra cost.
Heidi Brauer, marketing director, told BTN that the challenge was that airlines around the world had revenue management models based on a complex set of interrelated factors that were essential for maintaining revenue integrity.
Says Heidi: “The CPA has been formulated as a generic solution. Many industries, including airlines, are working with their bodies (in the case of airlines, the Airlines Association of Southern Africa) to propose a set of considerations or guidelines to ensure sustainability for the industry, whilst ensuring customers are cared for.”
Each airline applies its own policies at present, taking into account the provisions of the CPA, says Chris Zweigenthal, AASA ce. “We are busy working on proposals that could be considered for inclusion in an industry code, should such a code be approved. This is a work in progress but at the moment each airline will manage its own situation with regard to the CPA.”
Stephen Forbes, spokesperson for British Airways, told TNW that it strived to keep overbooking and offloads to a minimum. He says BA meets the stringent standards of compensation required by the European Union.
“The Acts may be different but, as far as I’m aware, the details pertaining to the airline industry have not yet been finalised by the CPA. Our legal advice is that in terms of the general Act, we should be compliant, given the provisions in the European regulations for the moment.”
Chris Hoare, chief revenue officer at SA Airlink, says Airlink has not traditionally overbooked its flights as it operates limited frequencies to remote centres and the consequence of denied boarding can have serious consequences for passengers.
“As a result of a substantial no-show factor of in excess of 15% experienced on some Airlink routes, we implement a no-show forfeiture rule for all tickets and fare classes. The CPA, therefore, did not really have any substantial effect on Airlink and the no-show rule change was implemented some 12 months ago.”
From BTN now
Lucien Pierce, partner at Phukubje Pierce Maithela Attorneys, says the Act also provides for compensation for any other expenses that the consumer incurs.
Says Lucien: “Section 47(3) is specifically directed at suppliers of goods and services who, in the past would arbitrarily and unilaterally implement changes to what they had promised to supply, without fear of any serious consequences.
“The Act says that where they can find someone else who can provide the same service to you, then they must do that. They must try and put you on another flight, perhaps one of that airline’s competitors or whomever they have an agreement with. That is what they technically should be doing.
“What is interesting is that section 47 provides that a supplier such as an airline can mitigate its failure to provide the service by supplying or procuring ‘another person to supply a consumer with comparable goods or services’.”
Adds Lucien: “In theory, we could see rival airlines using each other to transport their bumped passengers, on a regular basis, only to remain compliant with the Act.”
Lucien advises that in cases where the airline has overbooked a flight, the passenger would not only be entitled to a refund of the cost of the ticket but also interest on the cost until it is repaid.
In addition, a passenger could justifiably claim the reasonable costs of a meal, of calling home, reasonable accommodation costs and basic toiletries.
Overbooking is an industry standard for most airlines to ensure that every seat is filled when a flight departs.
BA Comair says overbooking saves the airline around R60m a year on no-shows. Passengers who are bumped are placed on the next available flight at no extra cost.
Heidi Brauer, marketing director, told BTN that the challenge was that airlines around the world had revenue management models based on a complex set of interrelated factors that were essential for maintaining revenue integrity.
Says Heidi: “The CPA has been formulated as a generic solution. Many industries, including airlines, are working with their bodies (in the case of airlines, the Airlines Association of Southern Africa) to propose a set of considerations or guidelines to ensure sustainability for the industry, whilst ensuring customers are cared for.”
Each airline applies its own policies at present, taking into account the provisions of the CPA, says Chris Zweigenthal, AASA ce. “We are busy working on proposals that could be considered for inclusion in an industry code, should such a code be approved. This is a work in progress but at the moment each airline will manage its own situation with regard to the CPA.”
Stephen Forbes, spokesperson for British Airways, told TNW that it strived to keep overbooking and offloads to a minimum. He says BA meets the stringent standards of compensation required by the European Union.
“The Acts may be different but, as far as I’m aware, the details pertaining to the airline industry have not yet been finalised by the CPA. Our legal advice is that in terms of the general Act, we should be compliant, given the provisions in the European regulations for the moment.”
Chris Hoare, chief revenue officer at SA Airlink, says Airlink has not traditionally overbooked its flights as it operates limited frequencies to remote centres and the consequence of denied boarding can have serious consequences for passengers.
“As a result of a substantial no-show factor of in excess of 15% experienced on some Airlink routes, we implement a no-show forfeiture rule for all tickets and fare classes. The CPA, therefore, did not really have any substantial effect on Airlink and the no-show rule change was implemented some 12 months ago.”
From BTN now
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)