Airport scan protest fizzles out

AP

A traveller receives instructions from a TSA agent while using a body scanner at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago (AP)

Despite some tough talking there was little if any sign of a passenger revolt at many major US airports about tighter security, with few declining the X-ray scan that can peer through clothes.

Many travellers said the stepped-up measures made them feel safer and were, in any case, unavoidable.

A loosely organised internet campaign is urging people to refuse the scans on Wednesday in what is being called National Opt-Out Day. The extra time needed to physically search people could cause a cascade of delays at dozens of major airports, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.

Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole pleaded with passengers for understanding and urged them not to join the boycott on one of the busiest US travels day of the year because it is the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.

"We all wish we lived in a world where security procedures at airports weren't necessary," he said, "but that just isn't the case."

About two-thirds of Americans support using the full-body scanners to increase security, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll . But half of the 514 adults surveyed by phone said the more rigorous pat-downs go too far.

"Just one or two recalcitrant passengers at an airport is all it takes to cause huge delays," said Paul Ruden, a spokesman for the American Society of Travel Agents, which has warned its more than 8,000 members about delays.

More than 400 imaging units are being used at about 70 airports. Since the new procedures began on November 1, 34 million travellers have gone through checkpoints and less than 3 % are patted down.

Roads are dangerous, say children

More than 60 per cent of nine to 13-year-olds think roads around their home and school are dangerous

Children are at risk from speeding drivers and "dangerous roads" around schools and homes, a survey has revealed.

As many as 10% of nine to 13-year-olds have been knocked down while walking or cycling, the poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company QBE found.

More than 60% of nine to 13-year-olds think the roads around their home and school are dangerous for those on foot or bicycles. And almost nine in 10 of these children reckon drivers go too fast in their community.

Based on responses from more than 15,000 children aged between nine and 13, the poll showed that 50% of nine to 11-year-olds and 61% of 11 to 13-year-olds have had a near-miss while walking or cycling.

The survey was launched as part of Road Safety Week during which a petition about road safety will be handed in at 10 Downing Street.

Brake believes that urban speed limits should be lowered to 20mph and strictly enforced.

Brake campaigns director Julie Townsend said: "For a society that places so much importance on the safety and well-being of our children, it is shocking and unacceptable that so many children die and suffer appalling injuries on our roads."

Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, but if we are to continue to reduce casualties then everyone has a role to play.

"The Government is working on a new national road safety strategy and this week we launched an exciting new initiative to help children stay safe when they are out on the roads.

"Local authorities are able to implement 20mph limits outside schools or on other roads where they feel it is appropriate and they are best placed to make these decisions using their local knowledge."

Union chief slams BA 'fear culture'

New Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has attacked a 'culture of fear' at British Airways

The new leader of Britain's biggest trade union has attacked the "culture of fear" at British Airways as he launched a drive to discover the level of "bullying and harassment" against cabin crew.

Len McCluskey, newly-appointed general secretary of Unite, said the behaviour of the airline's management had been "disgraceful" in the wake of the 14-month-long dispute which remains deadlocked.

He said: "We have launched a survey asking whether our members have been subjected to or witnessed bullying, harassment or intimidation.

"BA is back in healthy profit and its senior management have their pockets jingling with gold, so it's time they showed respect for our members.

"George Orwell's 1984 is alive and kicking in British Airways. What is going on is absolutely outrageous, with people scared stiff to say a wrong word for fear of being suspended."

Unite has complained to the airline about the suspension of a cabin crew worker for collecting contributions towards the cost of Christmas for colleagues suspended or sacked by BA following a series of walkouts earlier this year.

Unite has decided not to ballot its members on a recent offer aimed at resolving the row.

The union is seeking urgent talks with the company over how to resolve the bitter dispute, which started last year over cost-cutting, but worsened after BA suspended a number of workers and withdrew travel concessions from staff who went on strike.

Heavy fog at Heathrow hits flights

Persistent fog at Heathrow airport has led to numerous flight cancellations and delays

Persistent fog at Heathrow airport has led to numerous flight cancellations and delays.

British Airways, the main carrier at the west London airport, axed some short-haul flights, while others were subject to long delays.

BA said the fog had led to air traffic controllers imposing "very severe restrictions on the number of aircraft that could take off and land each hour".

BA went on: "Customers were rebooked onto alternative services or given a full refund. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused, but the situation was beyond our control."

Tube workers balloted over strikes

Tube workers are to be balloted for strikes in a row over alleged harassment against two union members

Hundreds of London Underground workers are to be balloted for strikes in a row over allegations of victimisation against two union members, threatening fresh disruption on the Tube.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said several hundred workers will vote in the next few weeks on whether to take industrial action in support of the two men.

The union claimed that Eamon Lynch, a health and safety representative on the Bakerloo Line, was sacked because of his role as a union official, while Arwyn Thomas, a driver on the Northern Line, was facing "trumped up" charges as a result of recent strikes over job losses.

Members of the RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association have staged a series of strikes in recent weeks and are planning another 24-hour walkout from next Sunday evening.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "Instead of harassing our members and activists on trumped up charges the London Underground management should be directing their energies into reaching a settlement to the on-going disputes over Tube safety and safe staffing levels."

Talks aimed at averting the next strike will resume on Monday at the conciliation service Acas. Voting in the two ballots will end on December 7, raising the threat of industrial action in the run-up to Christmas.

The unions have signalled they would suspend action over the festive period in the row over job losses if progress was made during long-running talks, but there has been no sign of a breakthrough.

A Transport for London spokesman said: "It is completely irresponsible for the RMT to call a ballot for strike action when the disciplinary and appeal process for both drivers has not been exhausted and in the case of the Northern line driver has not even started. For the RMT leadership to threaten to disrupt Londoners in this way shows a complete disregard for Tube passengers.

"The Bakerloo line driver was dismissed after a serious breach of Tube safety rules and the appeal process has not yet concluded while the Northern line driver was suspended for unacceptable conduct towards London Underground colleagues with a disciplinary hearing yet to be held.

"The RMT leadership should call off this pointless and unnecessary ballot immediately."

Diverted passengers stage sit-in

Around 90 angry passengers have spent almost five hours on a diverted Ryanair plane refusing to disembark

Around 90 angry passengers spent almost five hours on a Ryanair plane refusing to disembark after their flight was diverted to Liege instead of landing at Beauvais airport in northern France.

Passengers from three other diverted Ryanair planes accepted an offer of bus transport to France when fog shut down the Beauvais airport, 225 miles away.

But the mostly French tourists returning from Morocco on a fourth Ryanair plane refused to leave when it landed about midnight in Liege.

A spokesman for the Liege Airport, said the situation was tense and some passengers "were very aggressive, very rude."

He said passengers finally left the plane at the request of police.

Customers 'stick with same insurer'

Around 56% of drivers have not switched insurance provider during the past year

Just over half of consumers have used the same motor insurer for the past year, but some companies are only managing to retain a third of their customers, research indicates.

Around 56% of drivers have not switched insurance provider during the past year but policyholder retention rates range from 80% for some firms to just 35% for others, according to market research group JD Power and Associates.

The research, which was based on interviews with 5,000 policyholders, found that insurers Zurich/Zurich Connect, Liverpool Victoria and RSA had the highest customer retention rates.

Jeremy Bowler, senior director of insurance practice at JD Power and Associates, said: "While some of the highest-performing car insurance companies in the UK market successfully renew more than eight in 10 policyholders, others manage to retain barely one-third of theirs, which means they have to invest in advertising and lead commissions to replace two-thirds of their customers annually.

"Furthermore, 44% of customers overall switched insurers during the past 12 months, which represents nearly £3.5 billion in premiums that were up for bid.

"It's clear that focusing on customer retention can bring insurers substantial benefit in reducing costs and boosting profitability."

The group, which measured customers' overall satisfaction with their motor insurer, found that RSA is most likely to have happy customers, achieving an average score of 762 out of 1,000, followed by Liverpool Victoria. Sheilas' Wheels, Diamond and Swiftcover made up the rest of the top five.

The study also found that insurers are beginning to offer significant discounts to people who take out car insurance alongside other policies, and this is likely to continue.

The AA recently said the average cost of comprehensive motor insurance had soared by 40% during the past year on the back of high fraud losses and increased personal injury claims.

The cost of cover is expected to continue rising for the foreseeable future as the industry struggles to become profitable again.

Diesel at 'highest price this year'

The price of diesel at the pumps has returned to around its highest level of the year

The price of diesel at the pumps has returned to around its highest level of the year, according to the AA.

The average cost of a litre of diesel is now 123.07p compared with the 2010 high of 123.08p reached in May, the AA said.

Diesel has risen 1.77p a litre from mid-October to mid-November while petrol has gone up 1.33p a litre to 119.08p.

The AA said the stronger pound had prevented prices going even higher, with petrol still not as expensive as the year-high figure of 121.6p a litre reached in May.

Increased pump prices were largely blamed earlier this week for the October inflation figure of 3.2%.

The cheapest region for petrol is Yorkshire and Humberside, where average prices are 118.2p a litre. Northern Ireland and London remain the most expensive areas for petrol at 119.7p a litre.

Wales and Northern Ireland share the spot for most expensive diesel in the UK at 123.6p a litre while Yorkshire and Humberside (122.3p) has the cheapest.

AA president Edmund King said: "Knife-edge, dread and uncertainty are the words describing the state of UK fuel prices at present.

"The stronger pound has shielded drivers and consumers from the worst of the market changes. However, the fall-out from next January's increase in fuel duty and higher VAT doesn't bode well for inflation figures and sterling, if this week's market reaction is anything to go by.

"At street level, a steady increase in pump prices, impending higher domestic energy bills and even reduced reward points for supermarket fuel purchases add to the sense of dread for the coming months."

Protests held at ferry company

Unions representing hundreds of workers at the Isle of Man Steam Packet will step up their campaign to defend ferry services to the mainland

Unions representing hundreds of workers at the Isle of Man Steam Packet will step up their campaign to defend ferry services to the mainland, claiming attempts are being made to undermine them using vessels crewed by seafarers on "poverty pay and appalling conditions".

Workers will stage protests on the island and in Liverpool as part of a campaign to protect local jobs and services, claiming that shipowners were employing seafarers on rates below the minimum wage.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union RMT) , said: "It is a scandal that there is now an orchestrated attempt to undermine the viability and the future of the Isle of Man Steam Packet, putting more than 300 island jobs, plus many more that depend on the continuation of the service, on the block.

"The Steam Packet is a cornerstone of the Isle of Man economy with nearly 200 years of history and we are demanding that the island's House of Keys intervenes to secure the future of this vital freight and passenger link."

The 180-year-old Steam Packet is the longest continuously operating ferry company in the world, said the RMT, employing 350 permanent and a further 150 seasonal staff.

It operates services from Liverpool, Heysham and Birkenhead to Douglas.

Union offers to suspend strikes

Union leaders have offered to suspend strikes on the Tube if a safety evaluation takes place into proposed job cuts

Union leaders have offered to suspend further strikes on London Underground if a safety evaluation takes place into planned job cuts.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are due to stage a fourth 24-hour strike from 5pm on Sunday evening in protest at 800 job losses, which threatens fresh travel chaos for commuters.

During talks at the conciliation service Acas today, the unions tabled a new proposal which included a recommendation for the suspension of industrial action if the management side agreed to a 12 week suspension of the implementation of the station staffing cuts proposals to allow for a station-by-station safety evaluation to take place.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "After many hours of talks we have now pinned down the issue of the station-by-station safety review, the mechanism for that review and the timescale to allow it to be carried out thoroughly taking into account the looming Christmas and New Year period.

"Clearly, the review can only happen in a meaningful and thorough fashion if the job cuts process is suspended for the 12 weeks that we believe is required to assess the safety implications for each station properly. If the management agree to that then we will recommend the suspension of the industrial action through Christmas and into the New Year."

TSSA leader Gerry Doherty said: "The unions have today put forward a proposal seeking to address safety, ticket office closures and the impact of cuts on passengers.

"It would seem after long discussions at Acas, London Underground management have finally arrived at a point where they are willing to at least consider suspending their unnecessary job cuts programme to allow for a meaningful safety and customer service review.

"It seems incredulous that it has taken three days of strike action to get here but if management agree to our proposal we will seek to persuade our members to suspend the strike action planned for next week."

Johnson 'must act over Tube chaos'

Boris Johnson has been urged to tackle mounting disruption on the London Underground

London's Mayor is being pressed to take urgent action to tackle the mounting delays and disruption on London Underground as passengers suffered fresh problems.

Labour's Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone and Labour London Assembly Transport spokesman Val Shawcross told Boris Johnson he had to "get a grip" on the Tube "chaos".

They said that over the past month there had been "serious disruption" on one or more underground lines every single day because of a combination of over-running repairs, cracks on the lines, signal failures and faulty trains, causing "misery" for millions of commuters.

There were delays in the Monday morning rush hour because of signal failures on the District and Piccadilly Lines and a lack of available trains on the Metropolitan Line.

Transport for London reported a good service on just four Tube lines on Sunday, with nine lines either closed or part-closed, said Mr Livingstone.

"Londoners are fed up with the daily delays on the Tube. It's about time that the Mayor acted to tackle the failures which are causing misery for millions of commuters."

Val Shawcross said: "The Mayor has taken his eye off the ball on his key responsibility of keeping the Tube running. He is clearly not managing the planned closures and his inaction has caused a crisis in industrial relations on the transport network."

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London's transport adviser, said: "The Mayor watches the levels of service on the Tube from a screen in his office like a hawk and is in constant contact with Tube chiefs about what needs to be done.

"More fundamentally, he put an end to the Public Private Partnership that has caused huge disruption and has been able to secure unprecedented levels of investment, despite the toughest of economic backgrounds, which will remedy these problems, add 30% capacity to the Tube and protect the economic prosperity of the capital.

"We utterly reject the easy rhetoric and gall of the former mayor who refused to condemn recent strikes and left behind a gaping black hole in finances as well as Tube upgrades that were spiralling over budget and over time."

TfL accused of 'lying' over Tube

Transport for London has been accused of 'lying' over staffing levels on the Tube

Transport for London (TfL) has been accused of "lying" over staffing levels on the Tube after the biggest rail union said a leaked document showed some stations were being left unmanned.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) stepped up its call for a halt to job losses because of the internal management document, which stated that "some stations were left unstaffed from time to time".

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The management claim that they have no plans for unstaffed stations as a result of the cuts is a total lie."

The union said Transport for London had previously pledged that all stations with a ticket office would continue to have one despite plans to axe 800 jobs.

Mr Crow said: "Once again TfL have been caught out lying about the service and safety impact of their station staff jobs cuts plans. They have repeatedly told the public that they have no plans to run unstaffed stations and yet this communications report shows that that is exactly what they are planning for.

"There is no way that on an unstaffed station they will be able to communicate with the public in the event of an emergency or pass on service information. This report shows that the cuts are a disaster in the making.

"Unstaffed stations are also a muggers and vandals paradise. The mayor has promised that there will be no unstaffed stations but his officials say not only that there will but that there already are. It's about time they told the public the truth about their cuts plans."

A TfL spokesman said: "London Underground has staff at all stations and staff rostered for shifts covering all hours that a station operates. This will not change. On rare occasions, at small above-ground stations, when staff are not available for short periods due to sickness or other unplanned circumstances, a station maybe left unstaffed temporarily while another member of staff is found. This is preferable to closing the station and causing inconvenience to passengers.

"London Underground is a very low-crime environment, with crime falling by 4% last year - just 13 crimes for every million passenger journeys."

Tube safety staff job cuts anger

Plans to cut back safety staff on London Underground have been attacked

A fresh row over job losses on London Underground flared up when union leaders complained that safety staff were being cut back.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said it "beggared belief" that jobs in LU's Safety Directorate were being cut by 50% under plans for hundreds of job losses which have sparked a series of strikes.

The union said it had been told that 65 jobs out of a total of 127 at LU's headquarters were being axed.

General secretary Gerry Doherty said: "It beggars belief that at a time of heightened security in the capital the Mayor is talking about cutting back on safety staff on a system used by three million people every day. This news comes during the inquest into the July bombings five years ago in which the heroism of LU staff has been widely recognised and praised.

"This is the thanks they get from a Mayor who is more interested in scoring cheap political points than entering into serious negotiations with the trade unions on maintaining and improving the Tube in the run up to the Olympics in 2012."

Members of the TSSA and the Rail Maritime and Transport union have staged three 24-hour strikes in recent weeks over plans to cut 800 ticket office jobs, with another walkout planned for the end of the month.

A Transport for London spokesman said: "As part of the review announced last month to reduce back office jobs at London Underground by around 800, around 60 posts will be removed from the company's Health, Safety and Environment directorate.

"The posts represent less than a quarter of the directorate's total staff and are non-operational advisory roles, not in those teams which carry out maintenance and safety checks on the railway."

Meanwhile, Labour's Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone and Labour's London Assembly transport spokeswoman Val Shawcross have written to Mayor Boris Johnson listing a series of questions about the delays and disruption to Tube services in recent weeks.

The Mayor was asked to explain the "daily problems" being experienced by travellers and questioned about any actions he had taken to improve services.

Cost of running a car jumps 9%

The cost of running a car has leapt by twice the rate of inflation in the last 12 months, an RAC survey showed

The cost of running a car has leapt by twice the rate of inflation in the last 12 months, an RAC survey has shown.

Including vehicle depreciation, average annual new-car motoring costs now stand at £5,869 - a 6.3% increase on the figure a year ago.

Stripping away depreciation and car financing deals, the average new-car running costs have risen almost 9% to £2,417.

Overall, it now costs an average of £736 more to own and run a car than it did in 2007.

RAC motoring strategist Adrian Tink said: "Rises in the cost of motoring for Britain's 34 million drivers shows no sign of ending.

"Owning a car is a necessity for most people but they're once again being hit in their pockets - this time by an increase in costs which is double the rate of inflation."

He went on: "Fuel continues to be a major contributor in the rising costs, with little being done to control the spiralling prices at the pumps. It's time for the Government to look closely at the problem and take action, starting by cancelling the planned fuel duty rise of 0.76p in January 2011.

"Motorists will continue to be hit hard in the new year with the additional rise in VAT to 20%. This is likely to take us into a new era of record petrol prices, which is why it is vital the Government takes a close look at the issue to help end the war on motorists' pockets."

Hammond in aviation costs clash

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond clashed with a Commons committee chairman over security at airports

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has clashed with a Commons committee chairman over spending on aviation security.

Mr Hammond told the House of Commons Transport Committee that there were plans to transfer some of the cost of aviation security to the industry. He said that there would be no relaxation of security standards but there would be more flexibility in introducing measures.

But the committee's chairman, Louise Ellman MP, said she was concerned that it was emerging that there would be "quite significant cuts" in spending on aviation security.

She went on: "There is a concern that this is being cost-driven rather than needs-driven."

Mr Hammond told MPs that he was looking to transfer some of the responsibility on aviation security from the Department for Transport to the Civil Aviation Authority or to aviation industry operators.

He said there were different ways of introducing aviation security, adding: "I am not suggesting we relax the standards we require. I am suggesting more flexibility."

Mr Hammond was asked if it was possible to have fewer checks at airports and still maintain good security.

He replied: "The way forward is to try to focus more effectively on high-risk behaviour. It's possible that in some cases more searches (of passengers) than are necessary have been carried out."

Mr Hammond said he "completely rejected" the notion that some areas - such as aviation security - were somehow immune from the need for savings. He added: "Almost every activity is capable of yielding some efficiency gains."

Royal wedding 'will boost tourism'

Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding will be a huge boost to UK tourism, travel chiefs said

Next year's royal wedding will be a huge boost to UK tourism, travel chiefs has said.

With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics following in 2012, the tourism industry has a tremendous opportunity to attract extra overseas tourists, VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said.

He said: "I'm absolutely thrilled for William and Kate, and thrilled for tourism as well.

"The wedding next year will mean that once again the eyes of the world will be turned to our nation. We will have a wonderful opportunity to showcase all that is best about the country - its heritage and its history and what being English is all about."

Mr Berresford continued: "We now have the boost of the royal wedding next year and then in 2012 there is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and then the Olympics. The wedding announcement today is great news and is a real shot in the arm for tourism."

Last week the Office of National Statistics announced that the number of visits made to the UK by overseas residents in the first nine months of this year totalled 22.48 million - a 2% dip on the January-September 2009 total.

Spending by overseas residents during UK trips so far this year has reached £12.57 billion - 1% down on the January-September 2009 figure.

M25 widening cost 'increases £660m'

The cost of widening Britain's busiest motorway has increased by 660 million pounds, partly due to project delay

The cost of widening Britain's busiest motorway has increased by 24%, or £660 million, partly due to the slow way the Highways Agency took the project forward, a report by a Government spending watchdog has said.

An 18-month delay in preparing and finalising the widening procurement for the M25 meant the contract was let in May 2009 at the height of the credit crisis, the report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

This increased the net present cost by £660 million to £3.4 billion, the NAO said.

The report added that the Government had announced in 2003 its intention to reduce congestion on the M25.

At that time, the Highways Agency was starting to carry out trials of an alternative, potentially cheaper solution of allowing drivers to use motorway hard shoulders at peak times - known as hard shoulder running (HSR).

The NAO said on Thursday that the savings from a conventionally-procured HSR solution for the M25 might range between £400 million and £1.1 billion.

The report said: "The slow progress on testing HSR and the agency's commitment to widening meant that the agency limited its options.

"As a result, it did not give itself the opportunity to secure a better price for the taxpayer. The agency is now using HSR on a number of major roads."

NAO head Amyas Morse said: "The Highways Agency's PFI (private finance initiative) project to widen the M25 could have achieved a materially better value-for-money outcome. This was partly because the slowness with which the project was taken forward subjected it to the cost effects of the credit crisis.

"The agency should have adopted a more agile approach to procurement, recognising the potential for making savings using an alternative method of relieving congestion - hard shoulder running. The agency should have kept its contracting approach open to allow the use of this method."

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Tenerife, Canary Islands : Beach Guide - Travel Channel Catch It The Travel Channel Home Shows Featured Food Wars Ghost Adventures Man v. Food Mysteries at the Museum Shows A-ZBert the ConquerorBizarre FoodsDhani JonesFood WarsGhost AdventuresMan v. FoodMysteries at the MuseumNo ReservationsSamantha BrownThree SheetsWhen Vacations Attack View Full TV Schedule » ScheduleVideoPlaces & TripsSweepstakes Places & Trips  >    >    >   Tenerife, Canary Islands Tenerife, Canary IslandsSun, Sand and Surf Impossible to Resistby Douglas Holaday Link to This Travel IdeaClose Copy to ClipboardShare This Travel IdeaCloseYour emailRecipient's emailSeparate multiple emails by commas or semi-colonsSubjectMessageCancelPost to:

Playa de las Américas is a series of contiguous beaches in the towns of Arona and Adje on the south shore of Tenerife Island. Tenerife is the largest island in the Canary Island archipelago, which is part of Spain. The beach there is protected by an artificial reef and features an attractive yellow-grey sand and shallow water.

Getting There
The nearest major international airport is Reina Sofía International. Most tourists arrive on flights from Madrid (2 hours.)

Airport transportation
Buses make the 10-mile trip to Las Américas every hour. Car rentals are plentiful and their prices reflect ample competition.

Timing
Tenerife's tradewinds and proximity to the equator make the weather there remarkably stable -- visitors are attracted to the island year-round.

Temperatures range from 68F to 77F, and the water temperatures range from 66F to 72F. The island receives about 29 days of rain each year, although the South is far more arid than the North. The beaches are busiest at Christmas and Easter, when northern Europeans flock to the sun, and during August when the Mediterranean countries are on holiday. May and November are the slowest months.

Lodging
The hotels start at the waterfront, and neither selection nor availability pose a problem. Las Américas has hotels, apartment complexes, and rental homes to suit virtually any taste or budget, and still the construction continues.

Cuisine
Canarian cuisine is known for featuring locally grown tropical fruits: banana, guava, mango and papaya. Fish specialties also figure prominently. Ask for sancochio canario, a blend of stewed salted fish, bananas and potato with a spicy sauce. Olive oil sauces are popular: try mojos verdes, (made with coriander), or mojos rojos, (made with paprika). Eat these with gofio, which is a roasted blend of wheat, corn and barley. 

Travel Tips
The southern shore is the most developed area in the Canaries, but also offers the most attractions and the best dining and nightlife. The emphasis is on fun and enjoyment so don't expect peace and quiet. Tenerife is a duty-free island, and you can find all types of products for less than the duty-free sections of airports in their countries of origin. Liquor, perfume, cosmetics, and cigarettes are least expensive in the large supermarkets. Cameras, watches and specialty crafts from Africa and elsewhere are readily available at low prices, especially if you haggle.

Although the local drinking water is safe, its mineral content is very high and bottled water is suggested.

Remember that the sun's rays are far stronger at these southern latitudes than in North America or Europe. 

While you are there
Join a tour or drive to the National Park of the Teide volcano which, at an elevation of 12,200 feet, dominates the island.

Take the short hydrofoil ride to the lush neighboring island of La Gomera where Columbus last provisioned his ships in 1492.

Lighten your pockets at the Casino Playa de las Américas in the Hotel Gran Tenerife.

To fake that you've been there
Nonchalantly refer to the (typically European) topless nature of the beaches.

Linking for a better vacation
Budget Travel Tenerife contains contact information for tourism-related businesses such as hotels and cybercafes.

That's Tenerife provides a basic survey of the island.

Doug Holaday is the Mining Co. Guide for the 'France for Visitors' site and enjoys visiting beaches around the world.

 

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Bulgaria 'best value for skiers'

Skiers should head to Bulgaria if they want a bargain break, a survey suggests

Bulgaria is best for bargain-hunting UK skiers, according to a winter sports price comparison table.

But British skiers should shun Switzerland, which has the highest prices among the European resorts surveyed by the Post Office's travel money section.

The survey showed that, based on ski prices and the cost of living in ski resorts, the best-value break was in Bansko, Bulgaria.

Lift passes, equipment hire and instruction on a six-day trip to Bansko totalled £974, while the cost of basic items such as a cup of coffee, a family meal and drinks came to £28.

This overall total of £1,002 was less than half that for Wengen in Switzerland (£2,015) and very much less than the most expensive resort in the survey - Winter Park in Colorado, USA, where the total cost was £2,639.

Overall, ski resort prices in Europe and North America have risen by 15% since last year, the Post Office said.

After Bansko, the next-best bargain resort was Kranjska Gora in Slovenia (£1,101), followed by Ellmau in Austria (£1,378).

Almost as expensive as Winter Park was Fernie in British Colombia, Canada (£2,329).

Post Office travel money head Sarah Munro said: "Families who want to save money should look hard at exchange rates before booking their skiing trip. Sterling's weakness will make Swiss ski trips an expensive choice this year, compared with its main competitors, France, Austria and Italy, where the euro's value has dipped."

She went on: "Although resort prices have risen across the board this year, there is still good value to be found if parents plan trips carefully. Resort-switching to cheaper options like Bansko or Kranjska Gora, which have benefited from heavy investment in ski facilities, can have a massively beneficial impact on the family purse."

Terminal opens at Dublin Airport

A member of the public walks through Dublin Airport's new Terminal 2

Passengers have passed through Dublin Airport's Terminal 2 as the new 600 million euro (£513m) project was officially opened.

Aer Lingus operated the inaugural flight from Manchester as Taoiseach Brian Cowen formally unveiled the new three-storey facility.

Mr Cowen said: "T2 was designed and built not just for this year or the next, but for many decades into the future. To view it through the prism of the current downturn would be short-sighted in the extreme.

"By investing prudently in improved facilities, we are laying the foundations for future growth and prosperity; not just for Dublin Airport, but also for the wider Irish economy."

Construction on the new building began in October 2007 and, at its peak, employed up to 2,600 workers on site, with 1,000 new jobs created with the building's opening.

T2 will be home to Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways and US Airways. It will open on a phased basis.

Aer Lingus will have transferred all its services to the new facility by January and has asked all passengers to come to Terminal 1 for advice on where to go. Etihad will start operating its services from Tuesday.

T2 will also house a new US pre-clearance facility allowing passengers on US-bound flights to clear all customs, immigration, agriculture and security checks before leaving Ireland. US carriers will transfer when the pre-clearance facility opens in the New Year.

Online travel agency GoHop.ie said people were confused over the new travel arrangements.

Founder Stephen McKenna said: "The situation in relation to US customs and immigration needs to be clarified further and implemented as soon as possible before people can enjoy the real benefits of this new terminal."

New strike vote for rail staff

Workers at Merseyrail are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pay

Workers at a second rail company are to be balloted for strikes in another row over pay.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said its members at Merseyrail, excluding guards and drivers, will be urged to support industrial action in the vote, which ends on November 30.

The union said lengthy pay negotiations with Merseyrail had ended with two "derisory" offers being rejected by RMT members.

General-secretary Bob Crow said: "It is crystal-clear to us from the failure of the negotiations that what drives Merseyrail is not a wish to reward the hard work and loyalty to the staff but an escalating desire for bigger profits to line the pockets of the shareholders.

"RMT is sending out a clear message today that this situation can no longer be tolerated. Without the hard work of our members, there would be no company profits and it's high time that Merseyrail recognised that.

"We are calling on our members for an overwhelming Yes vote for industrial action, and industrial action short of a strike that will force Merseyrail management to get back round the table and put forward a decent pay rise that properly rewards their staff."

The RMT is also balloting its members at Arriva Trains Wales for industrial action, while the train drivers' union Aslef has announced that its members at the Welsh firm will walk out on November 19, 26 and 27, with other dates for action to be announced later, also over pay.

Tougher fines for uninsured urged

Motorists want to see a four-fold increase in fines for those caught driving uninsured, a survey suggests

Fed-up UK motorists want to see a four-fold increase in fines for those caught driving uninsured, according to a survey.

The current fine for getting behind the wheel without insurance is around £200.

But the 2,000 people polled by insurance company Direct Line came out with an average figure of £900 for the fine they would like to see imposed.

In addition, 34% wanted those caught to have to take their driving test again, while 28% would support life driving bans for offenders.

Also, 77% would like an uninsured drivers' hotline or website where they could "shop" someone they knew was driving while uninsured.

Direct Line motor underwriting director Andy Goldby said: "We fully support what the UK's fed-up motorists want.

"Those responsible drivers who insure their cars have had enough of the additional £30 on their premiums that these uninsured drivers cost them.

"They want harsher penalties, larger fines and a hotline to give information on those driving uninsured, though most of all they want decisive action."

Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "Uninsured driving is a serious offence, which is why the courts are able to fine offenders up to £5,000 as well as ban them from driving.

"In addition, uninsured drivers face having their car seized. More than 400 uninsured vehicles are taken off the roads every day."