WARNINGS PAGE


This page will give "Our Take" on the poorer aspects of our trip.
We will warn other travellers where we feel the may be compromised
We hope(ed) NEVER to write here.
Warm Regards Mal & Lee

Back to the Home Page | Guestbook


AIRLINE TRAVEL
EMIRATES AIRLINE – BEWARE.

We flew with them from Singapore to UK May 2007. They wanted $SGD2500.00 (About $2,100.00 Aussie Dollars) for the bikes... OR $SGD85.00 per kilogram! There were many large people on our flight from Australia, one was at the very least 150kg.. If Emirates charged him a per kilo ticket at those rates he would pay $SGD25,500.00 (About $21,000 + Australian Dollars) for his ECONOMY CLASS ticket.

This is clearly punitive and is meant to do as much damage to a passenger as is allowed by international law. I have often heard of the “legendary” Arab hospitality, from my own experience this is VERY true.. I can cite examples that would humble many. This Arab Airline is a disgrace to this wonderful heritage and it's obscene “greed” is an insult to the Islamic roots of it's home country.
They are relatively new to my country, but, one can guess they are already “greasing” the right palms with charity/sponsorship(s) donations and courting the influential, so that they can continue this plunder with impunity. Finally (for the moment) I challenge anyone to find their excess baggage rates on line – I have little doubt that these will be secret... or extremely difficult to find. I was unable to find the “rates” chart despite an extensive search. Of course hiding stuff like this is indicative of a company that does NOT value transparency.
All this happened despite me letting our booking agents know we were travelling with bikes; clearly they have not done their job... Of course hidden in the bowels of the “Lawyer Speak” they will have every contingency covered, except the important human one....... their own morality. (Written MAY 2007)

UPDATE ON EMIRATE AIRLINES (Written March 08)

They now have a “baggage policy” on line. We emailed them re our bikes, on the return journey, AND THEY REPLIED FOR THE FIRST TIME Incredibly they have gotten even worse in their punitive approach towards Cyclists. Their baggage policy is this:- Of course the email is NOT signed (they can lie and deny).


(QUOTE VERBATEM) Thank you for your enquiry. Bicycles are counted as part of your standard checked baggage allowance - no special allowance is provided and so if the total checked amount exceeds 20kgs, excess baggage charges will apply (GBP36.67 per kg, one-way, between Manchester and Singapore).If a bicycle is accepted as checked baggage it should have the handlebars fixed sideways pedals removed or folded inwards, wheels removed or placed on either side of the frame and the tyres deflated. Kind regards, Emirates UK.


To put this punitive approach into some sort of perspective..

  • <snip from their email>IF a bicycle is accepted as checked baggage” <end> I emailed them telling them I HAD PAID FOR MY TICKET. Can you imagine how many passengers would feel reading this... One could get to the airport after months of planning a trip and be told they do not want to take your bike... This could be at the “whim” of anyone who got out of bed the wrong way that day.

  • £36.67 per KG OR $US73.00), a 30kg bike box would cost you $2190 EACH WAY. Imagine if they charge for passengers using this weight scale.. I paid less than $US600 each way for my flight sin-man-sin excluding tax (You don't pay departure tax on your bag) I weigh 100 +/- KG. If I were charged on a weight basis it would be $14,600 for my return ticket + Tax... Clearly I would never buy from them.

  • Take the last airline we flew that charged us (Note some airlines have charged us nothing) “Thompsonfly”. After our terrible experience with Emirates we called them FIRST. And booked by phone. We told them we had bikes, we told them they had been boxed and disassembled. WE told them the box size and weight (we mentioned the MAX weight of 32kg, even though it was less than this.) Now, despite this airline being a budget carrier and needing to capitalise on any/all extras. The had a “Green” policy and were concerned to “Give back”, by promoting a lower CO2 footprint... (e.g. cycling) (ALL airlines have a huge co2 footprint). WE were told they had 25 bike spots on the flight. We were charged 25.00 for EACH BIKE (a bit less than $US40.00). We booked and paid on the phone, and within minutes we had WRITTEN confirmation of our flight AND the bikes flight. They honoured everything they said to the letter. Thank you Thompsonfly

For more disgusting treatment stories by Emirates Airline see THIS page and THIS page and THIS page and THIS page and THIS page and I cannot be bothered putting the countless other links.. Typing “Emirates Airline Complaints” in Google gets 42,000+++ hits!



ROAD USERS, aside from Cyclists.
20-30% of Truck drivers.
“Thugs Law” replaces state law(s) as far as road rules go. This 20-30% of Trucks and the retarded morons that drive them, write the rules and ALL Cyclists, Caravan'ers, Private Cars, Road Workers etc... are to do as they are told by them. These 100+ Tonne killing machines in the hands of drug crazed retards is simply frightening. Hundreds of innocents will need to be killed or maimed by these morons, before the Votes/Money equation starts to favour innocent humans. Remember these lunatics are driving amongst School Buses loaded with our rural Children, how horrifying. The speed(s) some of these trucks travel at is simply beyond belief.
The other 70-80% of Truck Drivers: Are much like the majority of drivers on the road, some are VERY good drivers, skilled and caring family men and women. We have spoken to many that resent, with a passion, the “cowboy” minority. The ONLY entity that has more power than the Truck Driver(s) is the Police.

SUNBURN (Severe health warning)

Ref: http://www.sunprotection.com.au/pages/protection/sunburn.html

Sunburn & Immunity

Mild UV dose reduces immunity by 40%
Researchers at the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research Institute (MASCRI) at Australia's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney have recently reported the results of a new study examining whether sunscreens offer protection against the harmful effects of ultra violet (UV) radiation on the skin's immune system.
It has been known for more than 20 years that UV radiation can suppress the function of the skin's immune cells, by inactivating and depleting Langerhan's cells in the skin, and although these immune cells appear to recover their function two to four weeks after the UV exposure, repeated exposures can result in chronic immunosuppression. The immune system is an important line of defence against melanoma and other skin cancers and it is believed that UV immunosuppression may result in an increased risk of these skin cancers. Dr. Diana Damien, Dr. Gary Halliday and Professor Ross Barneston have developed a simple and effective method for measuring immune responses in the skin of human subjects.
The study found that even relatively small doses of ultraviolet radiation caused significant immunosuppression in the skin of volunteers. Using less UV than is needed to cause mild sunburn, once daily for five days, the skin's immune responses were reduced by an average of 40%. Interestingly, individuals with darker skin were just as easily immunosuppressed as those with very pale skin.
Sunburn a risk to Immunity
"Ultraviolet radiation exposures here are higher than almost anywhere else in the world, due to our climate, our latitude and the ongoing depletion of the ozone layer."
The "Journal of the American Medical Association" warns that, as well as causing skin cancer and cataracts, even a slight case of sunburn suppresses immune-system protection against a variety of infectious diseases.
These include tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria, measles, chicken pox, herpes and fungal diseases.
There are also fears that vaccination programs could be compromised.
Research shows that too much ultra violet radiation changes the behaviour of the immune cells which operate directly under the skin layer.
Immune cells which normally would repel infections coming in contact with the skin, slow their actions which makes it easier for an infection to become established.


2006 - 2009.  All rights reserved.  Design:(c) Mal & Lee