Seismic activity has been recorded on the island of El Hiero, promting officials to raise the risk level of a volcanic eruption from green to yellow.

According to the British Foreign Office, there has been low intensity seismic activity on El Hierro over the past 12 months, with over 8,000 tremors recorded, but most of them below 1.5 on the Richter scale.

Volcanoes are rated green while in a normal “dormant” state. The yellow label is given when the volcano is described as showing signs of “elevated unrest above known background levels”.

Last weekend saw two large tremors measuring 3.4 and 3.2 on the Richter scale.

Local government authorities are now monitoring the situation “very closely”, the Foreign Office said, though it added that the authorities have set the risk level of a volcanic eruption as being “very low”.

On Tuesday 53 people were evacuated from the area of Frontera as a precautionary measure against possible landslides caused by seismic movements.

Affected areas include El Lunchon, Pie Risco, Los Corchos, and part of Las Puntas and Guinea.

But travel agents it seems are are having a hard time as their credit and debit card payment terms, have either been extended and or re -negotiated by the merchant providers.

This is because the Credit card companies are trying to reduce their exposure to bad debt.

Where previously the average turnaround for a credit or debit card payment for travel was just 3 days, from transaction to those funds arriving at the travel agents bank. Now it seems to be more like 5 to 10 days and some merchant providers want to extend this to weeks, if this happens travel agents will be in a dire situation.

Part of the problem is this :- Credit card payments. If you paid over £100 per person, per component of the holiday, under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, credit card firms are jointly liable with retailers if something goes wrong. Which means you can get a full refund.

Visa debit payments. The card issuer operates a chargeback scheme, where it gets your cash back from the retailer’s bank if something goes wrong, regardless of the amount spent. This is not a legal requirement, but a customer service promise. You must notify your card company within 120 days.

For example: If you book a late travel deal and pay by credit card or debit card the travel agent will in a worst case scenario, have paid for the holiday before they get paid by the merchant services. This will cause many to reconsider if its worth carrying on..

“Travel Agents naturally need the cash flow to pay for the holiday package or seat only, but this will leave them with no cash-flow.

Since most travel agents have most of their customers using credit or debit cards, agents will lose at least 90% of their cash-flow overnight.”

Merchant account provider Streamline is understood to have suggested options that may include bringing back bonds and extending its payment terms to 42 days as it looks to reduce the credit card facilities it gives to agents.

The average payment term is currently three days, but Barclaycard Merchant Services has according to TTG – reportedly threatened to extend that to 60 days.

Alan Bowen, legal advisor to the Association of Atol Companies, said: “On the basis that companies have lead-in times of three weeks, this could delay payments until after the holiday.

Bowen said credit card companies had been discussing plans to limit their exposure for months and that the government’s decision to delay the conclusion of the Atol scheme had triggered a “renewed fear among banks that the Atol system was not going to be as robust as it could have been”.

NO ATOL LICENCE NO BOOK should be your mantra – On the beach has no Atol, nor does 118 travel and nor does Travel republic.

Turkey specialist agent Holiday Click has entered administration after being hit by the collapse of Goldtrail, prompting fears that other small agencies could be forced out of business by the failure.

The agency, which was a call centre and website, was a member of the Hays Travel Independence Group.

All customers in destination and with forward bookings will be protected by Hays’s bond.

Hays Travel commercial director Jill Gardner said: “Their main market was Turkey so the business was badly affected by the failure of Goldtrail. It is disappointing for us as they were a good member.”

It is understood the business, which was set up in 2003 by Chris Jannelli and Nick Lima, employed less than 10 staff.

Alan Bowen, legal adviser to the Association of Atol Companies, said the impact of the failures of Goldtrail and Kiss Flights could put small agents under pressure.

Please avoid the ride of respect Souvenir packs they are a tacky sideline, plus they are not donating to the charity so refuse to buy a pack until they do donate..

If you ride a motorcycle you may be interested in the Ride of respect ride which will cost £10 on Mother’s Day, 3rd April, 2011 with funds going to Afghan Heroes. Do read below, as the t shirt packs for this event contribute nothing to the Charity just some chancer…

The run will be called “Ride of Respect” as a way of The Bikers saying farewell to RAF Lyneham and Thank you to the generous and warm people of Wootton Bassett who have invited us back after last years very successful and emotional ride.

But there is a problem with the merchandise promoting the ride as none of the profits will be going to Afghan heroes, which is a shame and quite unbelievable.

The organisers have come out with this nonsense below to say they are non profit making… http://www.rideofrespect.org.uk/souvenir.htm

The merchandise contained in the pack is non-profit-making. So to make you aware, all of your contribution will go towards the manufacturing of the merchandise which is specific to the ride. The reason behind this is that it is our way of giving something back to The Bikers who have been so generous in the past.

We are not a business, so as your contributions come in they are banked under a Ride of Respect account and as funds build up, we will buy the merchandise.

There is no way you can set up to offer shirts and bits and bobs to be posted out to perhaps thousands of well wishers and not make a profit, the logistics alone would be horrendous.

We would ask that the packs donate at least £1 to Afghan heroes or they should be boycotted.

But as they sold to the cheaper end of the market, its fair to say that companies like “on the beach or OT BEACH” will have had a fair exposure to this mess…

The ATOL element of holiday makers bookings will be refunded by the CAA, but not the accommodation, and its this that will hit consumers hard.

This should be a startling lesson that unless all elements of you holiday are ATOL protected do not book, this means the flights and the accommodation…

OTBEACH and travel republic do not have an ATOL licence..

Spanish air traffic controllers are expected to decide on whether to strike on Thursday. They have to give 10 days notice meaning that any walkout could not take place until August 22.

Meanwhile the even more lazy workers at BAA, which owns Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, will finish voting on their own potential strike action on Thursday which could force the closure of the airports.

If the 6,185 airport staff vote to strike, the earliest they could walk out would be August 19 as the union Unite has to give BAA at least seven days notice.

Unite is also due to meet British Airways again this week for talks on the cabin crew dispute after BA’s last proposed deal was rejected last month.

“Dynamic packaging was created to feed the hunger for cheap, no frills travel. However, many customers are unaware that some of these cheap providers are not accredited by ATOL, ABTA or the CAA which can have disastrous results if the company fails, as happened with XL last year.

“My advice to travellers is to avoid dynamic packaging where possible, or make sure that providers are accredited and have a solid reputation.

“Saving a few pounds can be a false economy in the long run and that cheap getaway can quickly turn into a holiday from hell.”

A crisis centre has been set up in Turkey for customers hit by the collapse of Goldtrail on Friday.

The Governorship of Mugla is instructing worried holidaymakers to call +90 (0)252 214 1234 or from Turkey call the Mugla Call and Information Centre by dialling 179 from any landline.

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism said it is working hard to assist affected customers in Turkey.

It said the crisis centre is designed to ensure holidaymakers can continue their holidays in Turkey and return home at the end of their stay.

One of Monster Travel’s two directors which ran Monster bankrupt is the sole director of a new travel company registered just two months before the dramatic failure of Monster travel.

The new Cheap Holidays Company is registered to Julie Gilmore’s Tyne and Wear home address which she shares with David Hawke, her partner and managing director of Monster Travel which went into administration last Thursday.

Gilmore was appointed director of the Cheap Holidays Company on the day of its incorporation on May 24 this year and is also its sole shareholder. Gilmore is also registered as the secretary and marketing director of Monster Holidays.

118 travel have terrible reviews to be found here – Beware_118_travel_they_are_not_worth_using_conners-

•The site does NOT sell package holidays but a combination of a wide range of low cost, scheduled and charter flights.

This means you are not booking a package holiday in the traditional sense, so you will not get ATOL protection on all elements of your holiday both flight and accommodation – do you want to take the risk.. If your booked on low cost flight such as easy jet and they go bust your on your own..

118 Travel is supported by two travel agencies:-

118 Travel
Suite 2-3
Your Space
23 New Mount Street
Manchester
M4 4DE

ABTA Member L6313 Going On Holiday Limited Terrible reviews beware
Suite 6871
Your Space
23 New Mount Street
Manchester
M4 4DE

ABTA Member L6328
_________________________________________________

Flight and hotel is supported by two travel agencies:-

118 Travel
Suite 2-3
Your Space
23 New Mount Street
Manchester
M4 4DE

ABTA Member L6313 Going On Holiday Limited
Suite 6871
Your Space
23 New Mount Street
Manchester
M4 4DE

ABTA Member L6328

But if you booked flight with through an agent and then booked accommodation separately then you have only the flight element to be refunded the accommodation is lost.. This is why we alway say book with ATOL holders.

You could try and obtain a Chargeback through you credit or debit card provider for the accommodation element of your holiday.

Forward Bookings
Passengers who have flight inclusive bookings with Goldtrail are advised to contact their travel agent in the first instance.

Details on how passengers may be able to claim a refund, and a claim form will be posted on the CAA site by Monday 19 July 2010

Passengers with forward bookings can telephone the CAA helpline on 0844 856 2585 although we are dealing with a high number of calls at present and people are advised not to call unless the query is urgent