If your kids, like mine, are getting to the point where they are beginning to have their doubts about that jolly fat chap with the supersonic sled and the flying reindeer, then the Norad Santa Cam may scrape you through and let you hold on to the magic that little bit longer.

As you can see Santa has already visited New Zealand and is probably well on his way through Australia by now. Norad will keep up with him throughout the night so bookmark the link and just click on it every time you hear the questions that starts, ” But how can Santa…”

Feliz Navidad –

The dog that you threw from the window as you drove past K9 Animal Refuge today ran its heart out to try to to catch up with you. It tried so hard to get to you that it was out of sight by the time the alarm was raised and the people of K9 were not able to catch it.

Your ‘best friend’ will be spending the night alone, in the hills or perhaps on the roadside of the TF1, terrified, cold, hungry and very likely soaked to the skin. Perhaps if he makes it through the night , he will be found and brought back to safety tomorrow.

On the other hand, perhaps you will drive past his dead body tomorrow on your way north to pick up your kids’ Christmas or Three Kings presents from Carrefour or Decathalon. I only hope that in amongst the glittering display of regalos that you have for your children this year, that there are none with a pulse and a beating heart.

Still, perhaps you can console yourself and justify your cowardly act in knowing you are not alone. Your heartless betrayal has been seen and recorded many times before. In fact, just the other day I came across a poem by Robert William Service – the Bard of the Yukon – which practically mentions you by name.

They dumped it on the lonely road,
Then like a streak they sped;
And as along the way I strode
I thought that it was dead:
And then I saw that yelping pup
Rise, race to catch them up.

You know how silly wee dogs are.
It thought they were in fun.
Trying to overtake their car
I saw it run and run:
But as they faster, faster went,
It stumbled, sore and spent.

I found it prone upon the way;
Of life was little token.
As limply in the dust it lay
I thought its heart was broken:
Then one dim eye it opened and
It sought to lick my hand.

Of course I took it gently up
And brought it to my wife
Who loves all dogs, and now that pup
Shares in our happy life:
Yet how I curse the bastards who
Its good luck never knew!

Whew! You can repack the cases. BA’s union has been told that they didn’t play fair when they included ex-staff and soon to be ex-staff amongst those balloted about the strike.

While you would generally find me alongside Citizen Smith in any action for the workers I think the Unite union which represents BA staff is taking the proverbial and is not doing its members any favours at all. What is there to win in driving the company that pays you into the ground plus making it the most universally despised national organisation in the travel sector?

This Christmas strike action, which could have taken from many their hard-earned holiday, was a cynical and cold-blooded game of chicken. Tactics used to secure the vote to walk out were underhand and relied on numbers being made up by possibly disgruntled ex-employees.

Growing up, our family holidays were hard won. Every penny had been salted away to ensure that we got to go somewhere special for the Glasgow weekend. That might have been Saltcoats, Skegness or Stranraer – one memorable year it was even Spain – but those holidays were never taken for granted and they gave us all something to look forward to throughout the rest of the year. I can’t imagine that that much has changed since then.

Call me naive, but if the BA staff want to push the bosses’ backs to the wall, announce a strike now for Easter. No-one in their right mind will book BA for Easter and there will be bloodshed in the boardroom until a deal is struck that ensures full service during this lucrative time of the year. The results would be the same but no innocent bystanders would have been hurt in the process.

Those who have Christmas holiday flights booked to Tenerife and elsewhere with Scottish airline FlyGlobeSpan have been advised to ‘remain at home or make alternative arrangements’ as the company was today put in the hands of administrators and is expected to go into receivership tomorrow.

For the moment the FlyGlobeSpan website is still operational but I wouldn’t be surprised if that went down tomorrow under the weight of panicked visitors who will be looking for answers when they arrive at airports only to find that their flight will never leave the ground.

I know of one family who are expecting to meet their first grandchild at the TFS airport off a FlyGlobeSpan flight just before Christmas. They will not be alone in their bitter disappointment.

According to the website, those with bookings made through  Globespan Group PLC  will be protected under the ATOL scheme but those who booked with Globespan Airways Ltd are not protected.

At the moment the least that can be done is to ensure that anyone affected at least has access to as much information as possible. In that light I am going to reprint verbatim all the information that is available on the FlyGlobeSpan website so that if it does go down, there is a record of the advice given.  I should hope that they will not have any problem with me violating copyright seeing as how basic customer trust seems to have been first violated then thrown from the window of the last FlyGlobeSpan plane to take to the air just before the fleet was grounded forever.

Bruce Cartwright, Graham Frost and Ian Oakley-Smith at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have been appointed as joint administrators to Scottish travel firm, The Globespan Group plc and Alba Ground Handling Ltd (�the Group�) on 16 December 2009. It is likely that other Group companies including the airline which operated as Flyglobespan will be placed into administration on 17 December 2009.

The companies entered into Administration having suffered liquidity issues.

Unfortunately, the Joint Administrators have been unable to continue trading the companies and therefore all flights operated by The Globespan Group plc or Globespan Airlines Ltd have been cancelled and the aircraft grounded.

INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS

I had booked my travel and was due to fly imminently. What is the position?

All flights have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

I have booked a package holiday, what should I do now?

Any customers who have booked a Globespan package holiday with The Globespan Group plc are likely to be protected under the ATOL scheme and should visit the Civil Aviation Authority (�CAA�) ATOL website (www.atol.org.uk) for further information.

I had booked a flight, what steps should I take now?

Any customers who have booked a flight through Globespan Airways Limited operating as Flyglobespan are unlikely to be covered by the ATOL scheme.

Customers who have paid by credit card or Visa debit card should contact their card issuer in the first instance to determine whether they can claim a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and/or their insurance provider.

The Companies are unable to offer any refund to customers in respect of cancelled flights, holidays or accommodation. Any claims customers may have in connection with such circumstances should be sent to the Joint Administrators c/o Erskine House, 68-73 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 4NH.

I am currently abroad. Can I continue my holiday?

For those customers who had booked a holiday with The Globespan Group plc, you should be able to continue to stay in your hotel or villa and complete your holiday. In the majority of cases, your accommodation provider will be paid directly by the CAA so you should not incur any additional expense. In the event that you do have to incur additional expenses as a result of the Administration, please retain receipts where possible as the CAA will be able to consider claims for refunds in respect of these amounts.

How do I arrange to fly home?

The CAA will arrange a flight to bring you home. You should check the ATOL website (www.ATOL.org.uk) for more information. The CAA also have a helpline (+44 (0) 2891 856 547) for those customers in particular distress.

All passengers who booked through a travel agent should contact that agent in the first instance. If you booked through The Globespan Group plc, please contact ATOL directly.

Unfortunately, those customers who have booked flights with Globespan Airways Limited are not ATOL protected. As a result, you will not be eligible for a refund from ATOL in respect of your flight home.

Flyglobespan passengers already abroad will need to make their own arrangements to return to the UK using alternative airlines. Other airlines may make available special ‘repatriation’ fares to help Flyglobespan passengers � these are usually available, by telephone only, within a few hours of an airline going bust (but maybe not immediately) and last about two weeks. Information about alternative air services is available on the CAA website: www.atol.org.uk. There is also information about your rights on the Directgov website. In addition, the Foreign Office website can be accessed at www.fco.gov.uk Customers with travel insurance should check their policy to see whether airline insolvency cover is included. Customers of other tour operators booked with Flyglobespan flights should speak to their tour operator or their travel agent to find out whether or not they are able to travel.

Can I make my own arrangements to get back to the UK?

Those customers wishing to make their own arrangements for return travel should note that the CAA is not in a position to cover the costs of independent travel. If you do wish to make independent arrangements, please ensure you retain your receipts.

Customers should check their travel insurance policy as it may provide cover for airline or accommodation failure. The type of protection provided may vary depending on the type of policy taken out. A policy may cover all or part of the cost of the original tickets or accommodation purchased.

If you paid by credit card, you may be protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. If you paid by Visa debit card you may also have some protection. Please check with your card issuer for further advice.

[In the event that you do wish to make your own travel arrangements, the carriers detailed below may be able to assist you:

Thomas Cook � 0871 010 1806 Lufthansa � 0871 945 9747 Easyjet � 0871 244 2366 Thomson � 0871 231 4787 Ryanair � 0871 246 0000 Air France � 0871 663 3777 Who can I contact for more information? On appointment, the administrators set up a helpline. This helpline will be available between the hours of 9am and 8.00pm, Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.30pm on Saturday and from 9am to 5.00pm on Sunday. The number to call is: From the UK � 0871 271 9000 From Abroad � +44 141 332 3233 Press related enquiries All press related queries concerning the Companies Administration should be redirected to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Press Office on 0207 839 4051 / 0141 355 4015. All press enquiries concerning ATOL protection should be directed to the CAA Press Office on 0207 453 6030.