I often have concerned parents telephoning because their children are flying by Aeroflot to say, Hong Kong. I say that its record is actually not that bad, but obviously, if they want to pay more for peace of mind then they can."After the break-up of the old federation, the rot set in. "After 1990 they jettisoned the old infrastructure without replacing it," said Learmount. The civil aviation authorities in Russia went through a particularly low period in 1995 with internal flights run by Aeroflot's successors - the so-called "baby-flots" - that became notorious for running late as well as for poor safety standards.Todd Curtis, who runs the exhaustive Airsafe website, said: "Air travel in the former Soviet Union is improving, partly as some of the bad airlines are going out of business." But he warned: "There is no equivalent of the FAA in the US, so the ability to research airline safety is limited. It's difficult to tell if the rules are being adhered to."Curtis's advice to flyers in the former Soviet Union is to "do a little research into the airline". He added: "If it has links with Western air infrastructures so much the better, as it will have been exposed to stringent checks."He is not as sanguine as Learmount about the air-worthiness of ex-Soviet craft. "I'd fly a Western plane if possible, and try to land in big cities.".

The beach towel battleground shifts. The number of Germans going to the Balearic Islands has slumped, signalling an end to decades of pre-dawn races for the best sunbeds by a pool. A leisurely post-breakfast stroll is now all that is needed for the Brits to secure prime seats The beach towel battleground shifts. The number of Germans going to the Balearic Islands has slumped, signalling an end to decades of pre-dawn races for the best sunbeds by a pool. A leisurely post-breakfast stroll is now all that is needed for the Brits to secure prime seats. Figures released at the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) conference yesterday indicate that German and Scandinavian tourists are forsaking Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca in favour of more far-flung destinations. There are now more British tourists - 1.2 million - to Majorca than those of any other nationality.Some British holidaymakers have felt uncomfortable about sharing resorts with German tourists.

One frequent British visitor to the island said: "It's annoying that all the menus are in German." Some brochures even emphasise individual hotels that are exclusive to tour operators in the UK.The most senior delegate at the Abta convention condemned the continuing enmity as absurd. "This is something that started after the War," said Rene Chandler, the financial director of The Travel Club of Upminster, who began her career in travel in 1936.But it's not all good news for xenophobic British holiday-makers More of their cash could be going to Germany. Rumours are rife at the convention on the Greek island of Kos that a big British tour operator is a likely target for a German buyer.Stefan Pichler, the chief executive of C&N Touristic, is known to be considering a bid for one of several companies. He told delegates: "The Germans are more efficient in the way of production, but the UK market is better at retailing."German holidaymakers pay higher prices, on average, than their UK counterparts, and get better quality; German charter aircraft offer more legroom than British airlines, and there are fewer night flights.Thomson Holidays was recently bought by the German company Preussag.