Budget airline Air Australia has gone into voluntary administration, cancelling all flights and leaving thousands of holidaymakers stranded.

The international and domestic airline, formerly known as Strategic Airlines, grounded its five-jet fleet and put a halt to new bookings after revealing it cannot pay its bills.

Approximately 4,000 passengers are currently overseas with Air Australia on round-trip tickets, with destination as far-flung as Honolulu, Hawaii and Phuket, said voluntary administrator Mark Korda.

One unfortunate passenger is Priya Sinh, who was unable to make it home from Honolulu for her 18th birthday party on Australia’s Gold Coast. She used her tablet computer to tell her 70 guests via Facebook not to come.

“We tried to laugh about it, but it wasn’t funny,” said Sinh. Luckily her mother was able to reserve the last four seats to Sydney with the airline Jetstar.

Voluntary administration allows companies some breathing space to trade out of their financial problems. The airline will give refunds to passengers who bought tickets with credit cards or who had
travel insurance .

A spokesperson for the airline said: “It currently appears that there are no funds available to meet operational expenses so flights will be suspended immediately.”

Evidence has been found to suggest that you are more likely to become sick when jet-lagged.

A Yale School of Medicine study in the United States found that the circadian clock, which regulates the sleep cycle, also controls a key immune system gene that activates in the presence of bacteria and viruses.

The circadian clock is a delicately balanced genetic mechanism that regulates our sleep cycle and key metabolic changes. According to Yale University researchers it may also directly contribute to the likelihood of getting sick.

The scientists found that when levels of the Toll-like receptor 9 gene (TLR-9) were highest, the immune system response to vaccination was greatest and mice were best able to withstand infections.

Many people often say that when jet-lagged they feel more susceptible to illness and this may be the medical explanation. Travellers are advised to take out
medical travel insurance when flying across several time zones to help make sure their trip doesn’t get off to the worst possible start.

Evidence has been found to suggest that you are more likely to become sick when jet-lagged.

A Yale School of Medicine study in the United States found that the circadian clock, which regulates the sleep cycle, also controls a key immune system gene that activates in the presence of bacteria and viruses.

The circadian clock is a delicately balanced genetic mechanism that regulates our sleep cycle and key metabolic changes. According to Yale University researchers it may also directly contribute to the likelihood of getting sick.

The scientists found that when levels of the Toll-like receptor 9 gene (TLR-9) were highest, the immune system response to vaccination was greatest and mice were best able to withstand infections.

Many people often say that when jet-lagged they feel more susceptible to illness and this may be the medical explanation. Travellers are advised to take out
medical travel insurance when flying across several time zones to help make sure their trip doesn’t get off to the worst possible start.

Evidence has been found to suggest that you are more likely to become sick when jet-lagged.

A Yale School of Medicine study in the United States found that the circadian clock, which regulates the sleep cycle, also controls a key immune system gene that activates in the presence of bacteria and viruses.

The circadian clock is a delicately balanced genetic mechanism that regulates our sleep cycle and key metabolic changes. According to Yale University researchers it may also directly contribute to the likelihood of getting sick.

The scientists found that when levels of the Toll-like receptor 9 gene (TLR-9) were highest, the immune system response to vaccination was greatest and mice were best able to withstand infections.

Many people often say that when jet-lagged they feel more susceptible to illness and this may be the medical explanation. Travellers are advised to take out
medical travel insurance when flying across several time zones to help make sure their trip doesn’t get off to the worst possible start.

Spanish airline Iberia has once again been affected by an ongoing dispute between company management and pilots.

Iberia said it recently had to cancel 121 of 323 scheduled flights after pilots and other ground and air staff went on strike over the breakaway launch of a budget brand, Iberia Express.

Around 10,000 passengers were affected by the industrial action, and many of them were either placed on other flights or refunded.

The most recent action was the eighth one-day strike since December and there remains four more stoppages planned for 17, 20, 24 and 29 February.

Holidaymakers are advised to check flight details
before beginning their journey to ensure that disruption at the airport does not affect their holiday.

Iberia, which merged with British Airways to form the International Airlines Group in January 2011, plans to launch Iberia Express on 25 March. The budget airline will offer short and medium-haul flights to European destinations.

The dispute centres on fears among pilots and unions over how the budget offshoot will affect working conditions.

Martin Rothwell, Managing Partner at Rothwell & Towler, said: “The situation with ongoing and repeated strikes really highlights the need for
travel insurance and the benefits of buying it as soon as you have booked your trip.

“Policyholders are covered against travel delay and cancellation/abandonment under their insurance for any planned strike dates so long as the insurance was purchased prior to the strikes being announced.

“We would advocate buying annual travel insurance so travellers can benefit from cover for any holidays as soon as they have been booked rather than leaving it to the last minute – if you insure after the strikes have been announced you won’t be covered because it is no longer an unforeseen event.”

A hotel resort has partnered with a number of Hawaiian golf courses to offer visitors to the island a chance to experience some of the best golf around.

Under the new Kona Golf Trail Package golfers will be able to choose to play at the three courses during the period of their stay, which must be for a minimum of three nights.

The deal was made possible after Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa joined forces with Kona Country Club, Big Island Country Club and Makalei Golf Club.

“Hawaii Island is an island of adventure and for many residents and guests, that adventure includes golf,” said Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa Area managing director and general manager Steve Lindburg.

“We’re pleased to offer an attractively-priced golf package so that more of our guests might enjoy some of the finest courses in Hawaii that happen to be right here in our community.”

With the deal covering everything from accommodation to the golfing, the only thing left really for travellers to sort out is
sports travel insurance .

Big Island Country Club’s course has been specifically designed with both novice and expert players in mind, while Makalei Golf Club boasts an elevation range from 1,800 to 2,850 feet.

As well as making sure your
travel insurance is up to date, it’s wise to make sure you know the basics about any possible emergencies which might crop up abroad. With this in mind, it is surprising that not a lot of people know about the EU-wide tourist emergency number, 112.

Some Britons even thought it was a brand of perfume, a study has revealed. The research also found that just 14% of people from the UK thought that by dialling 112 they can reach emergency services.

The Foreign Office study also found that just 3% knew that this was the EU’s recognised emergency number. The UK, where the number is of course 999, is one of three countries where awareness was the lowest.

Just over one in ten thought that dialling 112 would put them in contact with directory inquiries, while others believed that 112 was a new scent, the number of a bus, or “a pair of Levi jeans”.

Lynda St Cooke, from the FO’s Know Before You Go campaign, said: “Knowing that you can phone 112 can save you time in critical situations. It is an essential number which we would encourage everyone to carry with them when on holiday in Europe.”

The Epilepsy Society has created a set of guidelines for those with the condition who are planing to travel abroad.

Holidaying abroad doesn’t have to be overly problematic, the Society says, as long as sufferers take some simple steps.

People are advised to plan ahead and to consider anything that could affect their condition.

According to the Society, epilepsy does not usually prevent sufferers from travelling by air, but if their seizures are triggered by tiredness, dehydration, excitement or anxiety, then long journeys or ‘jetlag’ have the potential to trigger a seizure.

If you have ascertained that you are able to fly, then ensure you’re comfortable on board and able to relax, the Society says.

You may also wish to inform the person you are travelling with, or the airline, if you are concerned that you may have a seizure while in the air.

You should also consider comprehensive
epilepsy travel insurance

Planning medication is vital, the guidelines say. Sufferers should ensure they take enough to cover the entire trip, as well as a few extra does in case of travel delays.

They should also keep their complete supply of tablets (in their original containers) with them in their hand luggage, in case their main luggage gets lost or delayed.

Coke, lemonade or Gatorade – most children love soft drinks and tend to drink more than is healthy for them, especially when they’re on an all-inclusive family holiday.

But new research suggests parents should take out adequate
medical travel insurance before they take their kids abroad as high levels of soft drink consumption were found to be connected to asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The study by researchers from the University of Adelaide analysed data from more than 16,000 participants in South Australia and found that 10% of people aged 16 or over have more than half a litre of soft drinks a day.

Of those 10%, around one in eight (13.3%) had asthma and just under one in seven (15.6%) was diagnosed with COPD.

Overall, people who drink more than half a litre of soft drinks every day were found to have a 1.26 times higher risk of having asthma and a 1.79 times higher risk of having COPD.

Lead researcher Zumin Shi said the odds ratio was even worse for people who smoked, especially for COPD sufferers.

Zumin said: “Our study emphasises the importance of healthy eating and drinking in the prevention of chronic diseases like asthma and COPD.”

Coke, lemonade or Gatorade – most children love soft drinks and tend to drink more than is healthy for them, especially when they’re on an all-inclusive family holiday.

But new research suggests parents should take out adequate
medical travel insurance before they take their kids abroad as high levels of soft drink consumption were found to be connected to asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The study by researchers from the University of Adelaide analysed data from more than 16,000 participants in South Australia and found that 10% of people aged 16 or over have more than half a litre of soft drinks a day.

Of those 10%, around one in eight (13.3%) had asthma and just under one in seven (15.6%) was diagnosed with COPD.

Overall, people who drink more than half a litre of soft drinks every day were found to have a 1.26 times higher risk of having asthma and a 1.79 times higher risk of having COPD.

Lead researcher Zumin Shi said the odds ratio was even worse for people who smoked, especially for COPD sufferers.

Zumin said: “Our study emphasises the importance of healthy eating and drinking in the prevention of chronic diseases like asthma and COPD.”