�Welcome to my new round-up of some of the work that ABTA's doing which doesn't always get into the pages of the trade press. Tonight I'm starting my trip around the regions at the Marriott Royal County Hotel, Durham. Do come along and discuss your concerns. I hope to visit all of the regions this year and look forward to meeting you face to face. The Legal Department has had some very encouraging discussions with the DTI about reviewing the Package Travel Regulations, as well as fine-tuning next week's Travel Law Seminar. We've also had some useful discussions with various insurance companies to source policies covering supplier failure. This is essential given the horribly fragmented cover currently on offer. Congratulations to everybody who sat and passed our insurance training exams. We are currently working on updating them, but don't worry; we're not going to make you sit them again!� Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. All Members are invited to attend ABTA's AGM which is being held at Newman Street at 1230 hours, followed by a finger buffet, on Wednesday 26 April 2006. There are a number of Resolutions which require the agreement of Members and you are encouraged to exercise your right to vote for your Association. Formal Notice of the Meeting was sent to all Members by email yesterday and a copy of the notice and official documents can be found at www.abtamembers.org/agmdoc2006.pdf. If you are unable to attend in person, a proxy vote is available and must be returned to ABTA by 1230 hours on Tuesday 25 April. For more information, please contact the Members' Information line (membersinfo@abta.co.uk) on 0845 177 2282.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE SALE OF TRAVEL INSURANCE - CODE OF CONDUCT. The Legal Department will shortly be contacting Members to ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct concerning qualifications for the sale of travel insurance. Members are reminded that they should ensure that their travel insurance qualification records are correct by going to www.abta.co.uk/app/insurance.htm. Instructions for accessing this area, including a unique password, were sent to all Members on 15 February 2006. If you have not received this letter, please contact Clare Thomas (cthomas@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1959. Please note that it is important that you update your record even if you have opted not to sell insurance. Any Members that are waiting to hear the results of their travel insurance exam should contact TTC Training (abtatitp@ttctraining.co.uk) on 01483 713 391.

IDENTITY OF OPERATING CARRIER. The Regulation on the Identity of the Operating Carrier came into force on 16 January 2006. Members are reminded that, as of 24 March 2006, they have an obligation to bring the Community blacklist to the attention of passengers. A list of the blacklisted airlines is available at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_084/l_08420060323en00140028.pdf. From 16 July 2006, Members will also be required to inform passengers of the airline they will be travelling with, at the time of reservation. Where a change of carrier occurs, passengers should be informed at check in or at the time of boarding. Full details can be found at www.abtamembers.org/aviation/identitycarrier.pdf. If you have any queries, please contact the ABTA Legal Department (legal@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1961.

ELECTIONS 2006. Ballot papers for vacancies on the Board of Directors (Retail Bands A & B) were posted last week to those Members entitled to vote, i.e. Members in the same turnover band. If eligible Members have not received their ballot paper, duplicates may be obtained from Daryl Nurthen (dnurthen@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1996. The closing date for the return of ballot papers is Tuesday 11 April at 1700 hours. Please use your vote!

ABTA SEMINAR: CRISIS MANAGEMENT. This seminar takes place on Tuesday 16 May 2006 at ABTA's Newman Street office in London W1. Whether you are a medium to large-scale tour operator, a specialist tour operator, or dynamically packaging, you can be sure of one thing: there is an incident out there just waiting to happen. It takes many years to build a successful business, but just a few hours to demolish it. To book a place or places for this event please go to www.abtamembers.org/seminars/crisismgt.htm. For specific event questions, please contact Colin Yonge (cyonge@abta.co.uk) on 020 7307 1979.

HARRY WEEKS TRAVEL ACHIEVES ABTA GOLD. Harry Weeks Travel and Leisure Group Ltd of Orpington, Kent (62929) is the latest ABTA Member to receive the prestigious ABTA GOLD Training Award. The ABTA GOLD Training Award is awarded to ABTA Members who are committed to staff development and training, and is open to all Members who fulfil the criteria. To find out more or to apply for the Award visit www.abtamembers.org/goldaward or contact People 1st on 0870 060 2550.

NEW ABTA MEMBER. We are pleased to welcome Blu Marble Ltd (G8466/ W9078) in Bude as a new ABTA Member. For a full list of companies that have recently joined the Association, go to www.abtamembers.org/abtel/new.htm

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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

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.

Association of British Travel Agents Limited 68 - 71 Newman Street London W1T 3AH

Telephone: +44 (0) 20-7637 2444

Telefax: +44 (0) 20-7637 0713

General e-mail: abta@abta.co.uk

Web Site: www.abta.com