LETTER FROM ABTA PRESIDENT. You should by now have received a letter from ABTA's President, Martin Wellings, updating you on changes following the 30 January announcement about ABTA's membership criteria. If you have not received this letter, please contact the Members' Information (membersinfo@abta.co.uk) on 0845 177 ABTA (2282).

ELECTIONS 2006. Nominations closed yesterday for elections to the Board of Directors and the Council of Regions to take effect from the AGM on 26 April 2006. Ballots will be held in the following categories: Board Retail Bands A and B. A list of candidates and those elected unopposed can be found at www.abtamembers.org/elections. Ballot papers will be sent out shortly to those Members entitled to vote in each category.

DUO AIRWAYS. We are pleased to advise that following pressure by ABTA, the Administrator has now agreed to refund those agents who submitted refund applications for tickets on Duo Airways. The net amount will be credited to agents by BSP UK via Agency Credit Memo by April. For further information, contact BSP UK (info.uk@iata.org) on 020 8607 6332.

EVERY LESSON COUNTS. The Department of Education and Skills has now decided to extend the Every Lesson Counts campaign until at least April. Members' offers can be posted on www.abta.com/offers/school-holiday-breaks.html For further information, please contact Frances Tuke (ftuke@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1900.

TERM-TIME HOLIDAYS. The recent High Court ruling, reported last week, confirming that parents can only take their children on holiday during term time if they have the school's permission, applies to England and Wales but not to Scotland and Northern Ireland. For further information, please contact Frances Tuke (ftuke@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1900.

PLAN FOR FLU. ABTA has put together a briefing and planning document for Members to help them prepare their businesses for a human flu pandemic. This has been approved by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department of Health. It can be found at www.abtamembers.org/reference. For further information, contact Frances Tuke (ftuke@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1900. You can also obtain advice on business continuity planning from ABTA's free crisis management helpline, which is operated by Travel Industry Partner Docleaf. For details, go to www.abtamembers.org/abtahelplines/crisishelpline.htm

ABTA CODE OF CONDUCT MONITORING: BROCHURE MONITORING FORM A. Members are reminded that, when publishing a brochure, they should complete the Brochure Monitoring Form A and send it to the Legal Department. There is no longer a requirement to send a copy of the brochure, although we may request one if necessary. Forms can be downloaded from www.abtamembers.org/reference. For further information on this or other aspects of the Code of Conduct, please contact the ABTA Legal Department (legal@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1961.

COUNCIL OF REGIONS. The latest issue of CoR Bulletin is now available on our website at http://www.abtamembers.org/corbulletin/bulletin32.htm

THE ABTA TRAVEL CONVENTION. If you are planning to attend this year's ABTA Travel Convention (Athens, 23-25 November), you can pre-register now and pay last year's delegate rate. This offer ends on 21 April. For further information and to pre-register, go to www.theabtatravelconvention.com or contact CO Plus (moreinfo@theabtatravelconvention.com) on 01920 873 030.

NEW TRAVEL INDUSTRY PARTNER. J&M Insurance Services (UK) plc specialise in providing competitive travel insurance for people with disabilities. Wherever possible their product, Travelbility, will provide cover for people with pre-existing medical conditions or disabilities, using a confidential medical screening service. The company offers prompt, considerate service, excellent terms and cover that can include disability equipment and carer and escort provision. To obtain a quote, or for more information, contact J&M Insurance Services (info@jmi.co.uk) on 01992 566 919.

SHOWCASE ASIA PACIFIC. Members are invited to attend the Pacific Asia Travel Association's (PATA) Showcase at Manchester Airport on 23 March. The show will feature Asia Pacific tourist boards and suppliers and will offer an unrivalled training opportunity for the travel trade. For full details and to register for free entry, please visit www.pata.org.uk/manchester2006. For further information, contact PATA's Executive Director, Ian Hawkes (ian@pata.org.uk) on 0870 027 5166. The event is being sponsored by Manchester Airport, an ABTA Travel Industry Partner.

For a list of forthcoming ABTA events, including regional meetings and seminars, go to www.abtamembers.org/diary.htm For a list of ABTA publications, consumer leaflets, and ABTA-branded items, go to www.abta.com/publications

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If you cannot access the internet but would like further information about any of the topics covered in this issue of ABTA Today, please contact the Members' Information line

on 0845 177 ABTA (2282) or 020 7307 1994.

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