By Gill Charlton Published: 8:00AM GMT 19 Feb 2010
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The best places to view polar bears are the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway and around Churchill in Manitoba, Canada Photo: ALAMY Grounded by airline"s oxygen banSusan Moore, Halifax, writesLast November, my husband Russell and I booked flights to Cyprus with Jet2. We had taken Russell"s little portable oxygen concentrator (POCs) on a Jet2 flight last year to help him breathe, so we didn"t expect any problems.
More advice from the experts Contact Gill Ask Gill: two weeks too long for lost bag Ask Gill: shouldn"t my insurer pay more? Ask Gill: who pays for a cancelled flight? More from Gill CharltonBefore booking I had phoned Jet2"s customer services team to ask whether last year"s medical information sheet was still valid. I was told to send it in again with a doctor"s letter.
A month later we received a call to say that we could not take the concentrator "because it"s dangerous". We could only take oxygen bottles. These are heavy and, in my view, much more dangerous.
I spoke to a supervisor who said that the airline had decided last July to refuse all POCs because certain concentrators "use too much oxygen".
We are very upset because we paid £3,000 for the concentrator so that Russell could go somewhere warmer and drier in winter. Can you find out what"s going on?
Gill Charlton replies
I am afraid that Jet2 is proving intransigent. It cited "safety reasons" and "the increasing number of models being introduced, with different standards of oxygen concentration" as its reasons for refusing to allow the use of any POCs. I asked the airline if it would give you a refund because its customer service agent had not alerted you to the change in policy since your previous flight.
Jet2 has also refused to do this and says that passengers with serious health conditions should fill in the medical form and get permission to fly before making a confirmed reservation.
The Civil Aviation Authority, responsible for health and safety on British airlines, says there are no safety problems with using POCs on board aircraft but that it does allow airlines to make their own decision. Jet2 is the only British airline to refuse the use of POCs on board. Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Qantas, Qatar, MAS and Wizz Air also refuse.
The US Federal Aviation Authority requires airlines to allow the use of POCs and has an approved list of 15 models. It is hoped that the EU will legislate on the issue later this year. Last month, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association published a report on the attitude of airlines that fly from Britain towards passengers who need oxygen during a flight. Its secret shoppers found an abysmal lack of knowledge about POCs among customer-service staff.
The association"s website phassociation.uk.com has a list of airline policies and charges for using oxygen cylinders and POCs. Click on "Living with PH" and then "Travelling with PH".
Australia visa feesValerie Carn, Paderne, Portugal, writes
Having read about people making unnecessary payments for authority to enter the US after using commercial websites, I wonder if I was caught last week when obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) to visit Australia.
I Googled "entry conditions for Australia" and paid £20 for an ETA visa through one of the suggested websites, www.visabureau.com
Gill Charlton replies
You"ve been had. As with the American ESTA system, there are lots of companies trying to make a buck by procuring visitor visas for Australia.
ETA visas are now reserved for non-EU passport-holders and cost £10 to issue.
As an EU citizen you should instead obtain a free "eVisitor" visa. Apply online through the Australian government"s official website: www.immi.gov.au Click on "eVisitor" under "Online Services" on the right.
Ski holiday claimPhilippa Fairburn, London, writes
Over the New Year we took a ski holiday to Borovets in Bulgaria. Unfortunately, there was hardly any snow. We are trying to make a claim for piste closure under our travel insurance with Europ Assistance for £30 per person per day.
However, Europ Assistance would like proof of closure and the reason behind it (lack of snow, in this case). I am struggling to provide this as the tourist office in Borovets is not being very helpful. We booked the holiday independently, so we have no tour operator to ask. Can you help?
Gill Charlton replies
As you have discovered, it"s much easier to obtain this sort of written proof in the resort as there"s no incentive for tourist office staff to help once you have left.
Europ Assistance says that if customers are on a package holiday, a letter from their ski rep is sufficient. If they are travelling independently, it must see written confirmation of piste closure from either hotel/chalet hosts or from an official information centre.
Too many clothesJackie Marsden, Yorkshire, writes
We are cruising from Southampton to San Francisco, travelling overland across the United States and flying back from New York. My problem is what to pack because we will need warm clothes, summer clothes and formal clothes for more than a month. We don"t really want to lug heavy cases across the US, nor to have to pay the airline"s excess-luggage charges.
Gill Charlton replies
If you travel a lot, you might consider taking one of the new generation of lightweight suitcases with wheels, packing light, and using laundry services. But it sounds as though you like to dress up a bit.
The solution is to use a luggage delivery service to repatriate your cruise suitcase when you disembark in San Francisco. There are two specialist companies. First Luggage (0800 083 5503; firstluggage.com) charges £175 to transport a 30kg suitcase from San Francisco to your home using its door-to-door service. For a similar service, Excess Baggage (0800 082 1985; excess-baggage.com) charges £190.
Looking for polar bearsRob Green, Cardiff, writes
My wife is 60 this year and we want to do something special to celebrate. She has always wanted to see polar bears in the wild and I wondered if you could advise on destinations and companies that specialise in this sort of trip. My wife is a teacher, so we are limited to school holidays.
Gill Charlton replies
The best places to view polar bears are the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway and around Churchill in Manitoba, Canada. Sightings in Svalbard are not guaranteed but they are most likely between June and August.
Discover the World (01737 218 800; discover-the-world.co.uk) advises taking its 10-day "Around Spitzbergen" cruise; £3,570 per person full board. The ships carry 50-100 passengers and use inflatables to get close to bears.
Churchill in Manitoba is the place to go to be certain of seeing polar bears. About 1,000 bears start migrating north from the town to Hudson Bay in early October, so a visit during the school half term would be perfectly timed. You need to book well ahead as the season is short. If you are experienced travellers you could make your own arrangements, flying via Winnipeg to Churchill, and reserving a room in the Tundra Buggy (tundrabuggy.com), white portable buildings on wheels that follow the migration. Wildlife Worldwide (0845 130 6982; www.wildlife worldwide.com) has an escorted tour this autumn for £3,795 per person, including flights.
Contact GillQueries may be sent by email to askgill@telegraph.co.uk
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