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MAY 2009
 USA Today - May 31, 2009
Mexico's economics museum aims for solid financial future
MEXICO CITY — If you think an economics museum would be boring, you've probably never lived in Mexico.
Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation - May 29, 2009
Oil price at six-month high, jet fuel rising. Airline surcharge increases "impossible" - CAPA
Oil prices have surged above USD65 per barrel to a six-month high overnight in New York - placing considerable pressure on an airline industry reeling from weak demand and steep reductions in yields. Crude prices have doubled in less than three months on some "green shoot" signs of improvement in the US economy. Crude still remains down 50% on the same level a year ago, but the global economic landscape couldn't be more different.
msnbc - May 29, 2009
Southwest allows small pets, raises, adds fees
DALLAS - Southwest Airlines Co., which has bashed competitors for charging fees, said Friday it will add new fees for passengers who bring small pets onboard and for unaccompanied minors.
Transportation Security Administration
TSA’s Secure Flight Enters First Public Phase
WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that beginning May 15 the Secure Flight passenger vetting program will begin asking passengers to enter their name – as it appears on the government issued identification they will be traveling with – when making airline reservations.
Latin American Herald Tribune - May 23, 2009
Mexico to Lose Over 600,000 Jobs This Year
Mexican Economy Shrank 8.2 Percent in 1st Quarter
USA Today - May 23, 2009
British Air reports worst annual loss ever, says outlook is bleak
While things have been rough recently at most U.S airlines, conditions appear to be dramatically worse across the pond. British Airways this morning announced its worst full-year earnings report since the carrier was privatized in 1987.
Reuters - May 22, 2009
Earthquake hits Mexico, no casualties
PUEBLA, Mexico, May 22 (Reuters) - A moderate 5.7 magnitude earthquake rocked central Mexico on Friday, shaking buildings in the colonial city of Puebla and the capital Mexico City, but there were no reports of casualties or major damage.
TravelDailyNews.com - May 22, 2009
Mexican partners market safe tourism
AeroMexico, the Mexico Tourism Board and other travel industry partners are joining together to encourage people in the United States, Canada and other countries to travel to Mexico.
msnbc - May 22, 2009
TSA scraps airport screening program
WASHINGTON - The government is scrapping a post-Sept. 11 airport screening program because the machines did not operate as well as intended and cost too much to maintain.
msnbc - May 21, 2009
Air travel fees: The good, the bad and the wacky
Looking forward to a quick getaway this summer while everyone else stays home? Don’t expect to see empty seats all around you. Even though the Air Transport Association is expecting a drop in summer travel, planes will still seem full because airlines have taken aircraft out of service, reducing the number of available seats.
CDC DOWNGRADES FLU WARNING
Read More: CDC statement on Mexico travel
Four in five of the 31,000 hotel rooms in Cancun and the Mayan Riviera – are empty. The figure was one in five before the outbreak.
Both the CDC in the United States and the FCO in Great Britain have lifted their travel warnings that have been restricting travel to Mexico since the swine flu/H1N1 crisis. Both organizations have downgraded their warnings to "precautions" and are no longer limiting citizens to essential travel. In addition, Carnival Cruise Lines are set to resume their Mexican ports of call.
Authorities have lifted the restrictions places on bars and restaurants, all facilities are now allowed to operate at 100% in the state Quintana Roo [Cancun - Mayan Riviera].
TravelDailyNews.com - May 18, 2009
Mexico Tourism Board announces recovery plan
The Mexico Tourism Board has announced an investment plan to rebuild confidence in travel to Mexico. The action plan has three main objectives.
TravelDailyNews.com - May 18, 2009
The total U.S. travel market will decline 11% in 2009
Recessionary markets provide extraordinary opportunities to observe shifts in consumer behaviors and attitudes. PhoCusWright, the travel industry research authority, projects that the total U.S. travel market will decline 11% in 2009, returning the industry to pre-2006 levels.
Latin American Herald Tribune - May 15, 2009
US to relax flu travel warning for Mexico: official
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States is poised to relax a travel advisory for Mexico, some three weeks after warning against non-essential travel to the country at the heart of a swine flu outbreak, a health official said Friday.
Latin American Herald Tribune - May 15, 2009
Deserted Mexican hotels offer flu-free guarantees to lure visitors
Hot in Mexico’s coastal resort of Cancún, one of the world’s most popular getaways, are adopting extreme measures as holidaymakers scramble to cancel bookings in the wake of the swine flu scare.
Latin American Herald Tribune - May 14, 2009
Flu-Stricken Mexico Looking to Woo Tourists
MEXICO CITY – Hit hard by the swine-flu outbreak, hotels on Mexico’s Caribbean coast have begun coming up with imaginative ideas for attracting foreign visitors, including an offer of three years of free holidays for anyone who contracts the AH1N1 virus while vacationing.
eTurboNews - May 13, 2009
Free holidays offered to tourists who catch swine flu in Mexico
Tourists are being offered free holidays for three years if they catch swine flu on Mexico's Caribbean coast in a bid to lure business back to the country.
msnbc - May 13, 2009
Travel agency fee cuts may become permanent
CHICAGO - U.S. online travel agencies, hungry for business in an economic recession, may extend or make permanent the booking fee cuts and waivers they implemented this year on a promotional basis.
msnbc - May 12, 2009
Baggage container sucked into jet's engine
LOS ANGELES - Authorities say a metal baggage container was sucked into an engine of a Boeing 747 at Los Angeles International Airport.
TravelDailyNews.com - May 12, 2009
Mexico occupancy drops following influenza A
Mexico’s hotel industry occupancy dropped more than 50 percent at the end of April and beginning of May, after the outbreak of influenza A (H1N1), or the swine flu, was announced, according to data from STR.
CNN - May 11, 2009
Where's my travel insurance check?
(Tribune Media Services) -- It's been a year since Anita Isaia's cruise, but the insurance claim she made through a company that offered traveler "protection" is apparently lost at sea. Will she ever get her $675 back? Find out.
Reuters - May 7, 2009
Mexico gets back to normal, China eases quarantine
* Mexico slowly returns to normal life as businesses reopen
* China begins lifting quarantine on Mexicans
* Flu spreads in Europe; Sweden, Poland report first cases
TravelDailyNews.com - May 7, 2009
ETOA guidelines on Swine Flu
Ever since Dr Margaret Chan, the director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), raised the pandemic alert on the H1N1 virus “Swine ‘flu” to Level Five, worldwide concern has been expressed at the possibility of a rampant disease cutting down individuals on every continent.
TravelDailyNews.com - May 7, 2009
Swine Flu sparks 300% rise in travel insurance bookings
Concerns about the threat of a swine flu pandemic have led to a soar in the number of bookings for travel insurance. Insurance providers Multitrip.com have seen a 300% increase in bookings since cases of swine flu were first reported in Mexico.
Latin American Herald Tribune - May 7, 2009
Mexico Cuts Taxes to Help Sectors Hit by Flu Outbreak
MEXICO CITY – The Mexican government on Tuesday announced a $1.31 billion package of temporary tax breaks with the aim of counteracting the negative effects the outbreak of swine flu has had on the country’s economic activity.
A/H1N1 - WHAT WE KNOW May 7, 2009
There has been one confirmed case of A/H1N1 in the State of Yucatan. An 8 year old boy is in the hospital in Merida.
INAH [National Institute of Anthropology and History] has reopened archaeological sites and museums in the Yucatan Peninsula.
There have been three confirmed cases of AH1N1 in Quintana Roo. The governor of Quintana Roo confirmed that there are three cases of the flu in the state, one in Cancun, one in Chetumal, one in Felipe Carrillo Puerto [non-fatel].
Hotels are taking a major hit. The large hotels are scaling back staff and closing entire sections of the resorts. Employees at some hotels are being put in rotation to keep everybody working. Many are simply being let go. Some hotels are juggling guests and relocating to other properties in their chains, consolidating guests/employees at one main hotel.
The number being expressed for persons un-expectantly thrust into unemployment in the tourist corridor [Cancun/MR] is 40,000.
The CDC sent a groups of scientist and epidemiologists to set up diagnostic labs. One is in Yucatan and one in is in D.F. [Distrito Federal, which includes Mexico City].
Ferry services to Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Isla Holbox continue to operate as normal.
Xcaret and Xelha remain open.
Various travel agencies and airlines have cancelled all flights to Cancun [dates for resuming travel vary].
New reservations have plummeted however cancellation much to our surprise remain low. We feel many people are taking a "wait and see" attitude.
Reports in from Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, Holbox and Tulum describe "things as usual" except "no touristas"! Stores, malls and attractions are open [ruin sites & museums closed]. People going about their lives unaffected except those persons involved in the tourism industry.
Since this started more people have died in Mexico from car accidents than the pandemic.
H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)Updates
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
AirportBusiness.com - May 5, 2009
Airlines, already in bind, strive to cope with flu
Lufthansa has placed a doctor on board each of its flights to Mexico; American Airlines has issued medical kits to cabin crews; British Airways is distributing face masks; and Alaska Airways is removing pillows as fears of a flu pandemic rattle the global aviation industry.
Reuters - May 5, 2009
FACTBOX-Worldwide spread of flu outbreak
Here are details of the latest number of worldwide cases of the new strain of the H1N1 flu virus.
Reuters - May 5, 2009
Chinese, Mexicans return home as flu fears ease
SHANGHAI/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico was flying home dozens of its citizens on Tuesday quarantined in China over fears of a new flu virus and announced plans to revive its economy hit by the deadly epidemic, which showed signs of easing.
USA Today - May 5, 2009
Airport Check-in: Taking swine flu precautions; Volaris targets U.S.
Route news: Volaris Airlines, a small Mexican carrier, will bring service to the USA for the first time in its three-year history.
USA Today - May 4, 2009
U.S. airlines cutting service to Mexico
DALLAS — Most of the largest U.S. airlines said Friday they will temporarily reduce service to Mexico, as swine flu fears keeps many U.S. travelers from venturing south of the border.
Reuters - May 4, 2009
Mexico says flu epidemic over the worst
* Mexico says H1N1 flu epidemic is past its peak
* Government looks to ease partial economic shutdown
* Experts say virus may be no more severe than normal flu
* WHO says world should not "lower guard" (Adds Calderon, health minister quotes, El Salvador cases)
WIRED Science - May 4, 2009
Swine Flu Genes Show Virus May Be Weak
Preliminary evidence suggests that swine flu may prove relatively mild, though scientists warn against drawing firm conclusions from on-the-fly early research.
WIRED Science - May 4, 2009
Swine Flu Ancestor Born on U.S. Factory Farms
Scientists have traced the genetic lineage of the new H1N1 swine flu to a strain that emerged in 1998 in U.S. factory farms, where it spread and mutated at an alarming rate. Experts warned then that a pocket of the virus would someday evolve to infect humans, perhaps setting off a global pandemic.
[DFW] NBC News - May 4, 2009
AA Crew, Passengers Detained Over Flu Concerns
Two American Airlines flight attendants and at least 35 passengers have been detained in Japan over concerns about swine flu, according to a spokesman for the union that represents the airline's pilots.
NBC News - May 2, 2009
Swine Flu Might Be More Smoke Than Roast: Scientists
ATLANTA — The swine flu outbreak that has alarmed the world for a week now appears less ominous, with the virus showing little staying power in the hardest-hit cities and scientists suggesting it lacks the genetic fortitude of past killer bugs.
Yahoo News - May 2, 2009
Flu fighters warn against complacency, seek clues
MEXICO CITY – The leader of an international team helping Mexico face down the swine flu outbreak said it should soon learn whether the epidemic is really stabilizing in Mexico, but that many key questions about how the disease kills still need to be answered.
The Washington Post - May 2, 2009
Flu's True Severity Is Still Unknown
So is this new swine flu outbreak the next great plague, or just a global spasm of paranoia?
Associated Press - May 2, 2009
Swine flu may be less potent than first feared
The swine flu outbreak that has alarmed the world for a week now appears less ominous, with the virus showing little staying power in the hardest-hit cities and scientists suggesting it lacks the genetic fortitude of past killer bugs.
msnbc - May 1, 2009
Swine flu fears ease — for now at least
President says U.S. preparing for the worst despite relatively mild outbreak.
USA Today - May 1, 2009
Woman just back from cruise to Mexico has swine flu
A Colorado woman who recently returned from a cruise to Mexico has the H1N1 swine flu, according to health officials in the state.
The Times of India - May 1, 2009
Govt launches hunt for 2,000 fliers from Mexico
NEW DELHI: In the largest ever manhunt in India's history, authorities are tracking down the 2,000-odd passengers who are known to have arrived in the country from Mexico over the past week.
Bangkok Post - May 1, 2009
Hong Kong reports first case of swine flu in Asia
HONG KONG — The first confirmed case of swine flu in Asia was recorded in Hong Kong on Friday after a Mexican man who arrived via Shanghai tested positive, Chief Executive Donald Tsang announced.
Huffingtonpost.com - May 1, 2009
Symptoms' Divert Plane To Boston
BOSTON — A flight from Germany to Washington has been diverted to Boston because a passenger complained of flu-like symptoms.
SPIEGEL - May 1, 2009
Germany Confirms First Human-to-Human Infection
Swine flu is spreading -- and it's not just affecting travellers returning from Mexico. Germany reported its first case of human-to-human infection on Friday.
Bloomberg - May 1, 2009
Swine Flu Probe Slowed by Backlog in Mexican Sample Testing
May 1 (Bloomberg) -- Swine flu samples caught in a laboratory backlog in Mexico are slowing the probe into the severity of the virus that’s sweeping across the world, experts including the World Health Organization’s Francesco Checchi say.
msnbc - May 1, 2009
Swine flu reshapes Mexican tourism
ACAPULCO, Mexico - Acapulco's mayor is telling tourists from Mexico City to go home, and residents are stoning their cars. Cancun's hotels are pleading for visitors to fill their empty rooms. The swine flu outbreak is remaking tourism in strange ways in a country heavily dependent on it.
msnbc - May 1, 2009
Continental halves number of seats to Mexico
HOUSTON - Continental Airlines, the biggest U.S. carrier to Mexico, said on Friday it will cut in half the number of seats it flies to that country as swine flu worries keep travelers home.
From: CDC Head Virus Sleuth
Q: What’s the newest part of this strain?
R.D.: Neuraminidase and the matrix are the newest to be seen in North America. They were not part of the team—I talk about flu virus as teams of genes. There are eight players. They have these two new players from Asia.
Q: It suggests a mixing of pigs from North America and Asia.
R.D.: One little detail we haven’t discussed is [that] these Midwestern viruses were exported to Asia. Korea and many countries import from the U.S. Swine flu is economically not such a big deal that many countries don’t check for it.
Q: How do you get Europe in there?
R.D.: There are some parts of the puzzle I don’t have the answer to. The genetic lineages of Asia and Europe mix quite a bit.
Q: How does the pig get back here?
R.D.: Who said it was a pig that came from Asia? Did I say that? It could be a person.
Q: So the origin might trace back to Europe or Asia.
R.D.: I didn’t say that. I don’t want to point the finger at anyone.
Q: It does suggest that mixing didn’t happen in Mexico.
R.D.: Probably not. The amazing thing is the hemagglutinins we are seeing in this strain are a lonely branch that have been evolving somewhere and we didn’t know about it.
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If you are planning a trip to Cancun, the following articles written by Jules Seigel are recommended reading. Jules has lived in the area for over 20 years.
