 Poster: A snowHead
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| bambionskiis wrote: |
I had an email this morning from Avanti insurance saying they're giving cover for becoming ill with covid whilst away:
Be covered for COVID-19 when abroad
We can cover you for medical expenses and repatriation if you become unwell as a result of COVID-19 whilst travelling abroad. Like other insurers, we can’t cover claims related to coronavirus before you travel or if you are positively diagnosed before you leave home. However, we think this will come as a relief for anyone who still hopes to travel outside the UK when restrictions are lifted.^
3 months FREE cover with our annual multi-trip policies
If you're starting to think about when your next holiday may be, then take advantage of our 15 months for the price of 12 special offer on Annual Multi-Trip policies.† Pay for 12 months cover and we give you an extra 3 months FREE.
It doesn't address if your holiday is covered for covid cancellation etc just the health aspect but it's a start. Hopefully others will follow, and build on it. |
This is an interesting approach and is seductively sweet. Thinking about it though, what are the costs to the insurance company if you are diagnosed with C-19? Given the symptoms are flu like or non-existent, ot would have to be detected. If say you are detected as being C-19 positive at an airport, then its likely that you will be forced into State run quarantine. So really the only likely payout that the insurance company will have to make is your flights home and in a very small number of cases hospitalisation. The real cost from an insurance perspective is cancelled travel arrangements. By excluding C-19 cover before you travel then the risk for the bulk of the holiday cost is on you.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We were supposed to be flying EasyJet to Spain for a week this Friday but rebooked about 6 weeks ago to go next easter free of charge - we couldn’t see the point in waiting. It seems from speaking to others though that the “free” change of booking is absorbed in the cost of the new flights!! I’d assumed it was just because we’d opted for a holiday period but others have said that wasn’t the case for them.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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My wife had flights booked to Lisbon at Whitsun, cancelled by Air Portugal. She accepted a voucher (though with little option to do anything else) to the value plus a 20% bonus and was happy with that. She has just rebooked for next Whitsun and her flights were about 19.97% more expensive than last year. Who could have guessed! In fairness she is happy that she is booked up again, paying nothing extra and has putting the remaining voucher value of about £1.37 down to experience.......
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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As an update......my wife now has a suspected ACL injury.......C-19 be damned......on the plus side, we now have another reason to claim on our insurance for our cancelled trip Down under in July!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just a heads up of something that came through over the last couple of days to do with Ski Lessons with New Generation. These could appeal and whilst New Gen are not a cheap option for ski lessons they are pretty good. I think the offering below is pretty fair, especially if you travel insurance wont cover you for C-19.
"2020.21 Winter Season COVID Updates
All bookings for Winter 2020.21 come with the following three New Generation guarantees as standard.
1. Financial Guarantee - 100% Refund Until October 31, 2020
Any bookings made for 2020.21 may be cancelled and fully refunded up until October 31, 2020. No questions asked.
2. Flexibility - Defer Your Booking for 24 months - At No Cost
Need to move your lessons? You now have the option to defer your lessons for up to 2 years, at no additional cost. You must let us know no later than 28 days before the start of your first lesson.
3. New Generation COVID Cover
We are also well aware that the COVID-19 situation may change over the coming months, in which case we’re offering you extra flexibility. If one of the following happens due to COVID-19, we are offering a 70% refund up until 48hrs before the start of your first lesson:
You are prevented from travelling due to government travel restrictions
You are sick with COVID-19
Your ski resort destination has closed all lifts
If you'd prefer zero risk, you have the option to pay a small fee for 100% refund guarantee.
Zero Risk - 100% Refund Guarantee Option
We are now providing an option for you to add a ‘100% Refund Guarantee’ onto your booking. For a small fee of 7% of your booking, selected and paid for at the time of purchase, we’ll guarantee a full refund up until 48hrs before your lesson."
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Eurotunnel:
Our August outbound booking for £88 would now cost £127 for the same slot, although our late Jan 2021 outbound for £92 is only £1 more.
This is almost certainly people deciding that the indicators are now good enough to make a summer holiday reservation, producing a rise in bookings. The site is certainly overloaded and very very slow at the moment.
But what I'd suggest is that if you're intending to use Eurotunnel next winter, then just check every few weeks to see if the prices start to rise. I suspect that there will be a point sometime where sentiment will similaraly chage re winter hols and a lot of people jump in to make their bookings.
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| RobinS wrote: |
JanetS and I have a job running a chalet for next season - so everybody get booking please  |
Which Chalet, Which resort ?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We were all set to head off to Colorado for xmas and New Years, but given how USA currently going, have decided we will postpone this year.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Europe is likely to be in the middle of a second wave in the Autumn the way things are going. I’m starting to think my Jan trip to the Dolomites won’t go ahead. This virus is going nowhere until a vaccine is found and deployed.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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We got a letter from Nicola Sturgeon last week which mentioned that anyone could be contacted at any point and told to isolate for 2 weeks as they've been in contact with someone who tested positive- this would make booking any kind of trip a big gamble as could be contacted just before due to go. Presume no insurance companies offering cover for this?
we're booked in a self catering up north in August but that's only a fraction of the price of a ski holiday for two if we can't make it at the last minute.
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I expect lots of junk mail over the next few months from all the Ski companies offering massive reductions for next year. I normally get offered £100 off and half price ski hire etc, however looking last night not much reductions on some of the smaller resorts. As for some of the real expensive places like Chamonix and so on i can see they've already knocked a lot off on the top hotels.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm looking at booking for February half-term week and everywhere I'm interested in seems to already be fully booked! I know it's probably the busiest week of the year and a lot will be regulars that book every year, but I'm still quite shocked!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@schifoan, suspect there is a lot of pent up demand and panic buying. Plus a guess a lot of places won't have committed to opening.
I have a crossing booked for Christmas. Will start looking in Sept/Oct as I normally do but will be interesting to see what the situation is then. I'm pretty flexible about where we go and also happy to play chicken and book last minute. Feb Half Term a different kettle of fish though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I imagine lot of people simply moved their bookings from last Half Term or Easter, hence low availability
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I guess there must be a lot of pent up demand - but not from last Feb half-term as most people still went skiing then, as far as I can tell. It was a few weeks afterwards that everything shut down.
And the places I'm contacting are definitely full - it's not that they've not committed to opening yet. I always book independently, so I contact places directly.
Oh well, it gives me hope that we might get some skiing in next year! Either that or there are a lot of over-optimistic skiers around 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We've 'partly' booked for Zermatt next Feb half-term. I too was surprised that many places had no or little availability already. So far, the outlay is £28 for one single flight to GVA (bought a while ago, 'just in case'), CHF370 deposit on an apartment, and about £190 tunnel. We know the apartment owner, so won't have to pay the balance until arrival, and the tunnel is transferable to another date if necessary. But I assume Zermatt will be doing their usual early-booking offer for lift passes in October, which saves 20%, so that may be an interesting decision.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| MCL wrote: |
| We got a letter from Nicola Sturgeon last week which mentioned that anyone could be contacted at any point and told to isolate for 2 weeks as they've been in contact with someone who tested positive- this would make booking any kind of trip a big gamble as could be contacted just before due to go. ... |
+1.
Not just a risk that you as an individual might be positive. Any of the following could occur, with not much notice:
- local lockdown in your town, or national lockdown in Scotland / UK;
- local /national lockdown at your destination accommodation / resort / country;
- local lockdown at any significant transit location (Glasgow, Geneva, Dover, Eurotunnel, ..., which conceivably could be kept open for freight but not private travel);
- add the risk that the virus resurges, and is more difficult to control, in the winter;
- add the indirect virus-related risks that some travel / accommodation element fails or cuts services prior to your holiday;
- then add the weather and other risks that exist in any normal year.
Impossible to say if in total these add up to a 50% / 5% / 0.5% / 0.05 % or even lower risk. But what is certain is that it is many many times greater than in previous years, and significantly further increased by booking early.
Someone who wants a specific accommodation / resort / week, or is okay with losing the (probably uninsured) deposit/full cost, might be prepared to take on the increased risk. But there will be plenty who leave things much later.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've just booked my accommodation for New Years week - didn't want to leave it any longer. Got it with free cancellation until xmas, for only a tiny amount over other comparable properties.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| fixx wrote: |
| I've just booked my accommodation for New Years week - didn't want to leave it any longer. Got it with free cancellation until xmas, for only a tiny amount over other comparable properties. |
Must be something wrong with it.
Not wishing to be a killjoy - just don't want you to get fleeced.
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| Layne wrote: |
| fixx wrote: |
| I've just booked my accommodation for New Years week - didn't want to leave it any longer. Got it with free cancellation until xmas, for only a tiny amount over other comparable properties. |
Must be something wrong with it.
Not wishing to be a killjoy - just don't want you to get fleeced. |
I appreciate the concern - it's through AirBNB, paid by credit card, dozens of reviews over past 4 years, and a friend has previously stayed there  It's not cheap - it's just not overpriced.
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My feeling is IF the virus is still a threat to ski holidays other travelling and general life by Jan 21 losing a few quid on the booking is the least of our worries.
The worlds economy will be destroyed and unless we go to monopoly money we will be back to the dark ages.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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First post!
I've booked flights from Bristol to Geneva for 15-21 December. Will hopefully go to Tignes or wherever the snow is. First time snowboarding since 2010 so will definitely need some refresher lessons before I go
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@martyn76, Welcome to Snowheads.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Eurotunnel have now withdrawn the frequent traveller ticket options due to current demand on the service.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| ecureuil wrote: |
| MCL wrote: |
| We got a letter from Nicola Sturgeon last week which mentioned that anyone could be contacted at any point and told to isolate for 2 weeks as they've been in contact with someone who tested positive- this would make booking any kind of trip a big gamble as could be contacted just before due to go. ... |
+1.
Not just a risk that you as an individual might be positive. Any of the following could occur, with not much notice:
- local lockdown in your town, or national lockdown in Scotland / UK;
- local /national lockdown at your destination accommodation / resort / country;
- local lockdown at any significant transit location (Glasgow, Geneva, Dover, Eurotunnel, ..., which conceivably could be kept open for freight but not private travel);
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This is why I’m happy to live in Sweden
Even if there are a few countries that we can’t travel to at the moment, there are still plenty.
Summer skiing in Cervinia (Warren Smith course) is booked. Already hiked the Swedish “high coast” and will enjoy another trip or two to the Swedish mountains this summer.
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| ecureuil wrote: |
| MCL wrote: |
| We got a letter from Nicola Sturgeon last week which mentioned that anyone could be contacted at any point and told to isolate for 2 weeks as they've been in contact with someone who tested positive- this would make booking any kind of trip a big gamble as could be contacted just before due to go. ... |
+1.
Not just a risk that you as an individual might be positive. Any of the following could occur, with not much notice:
- local lockdown in your town, or national lockdown in Scotland / UK;
- local /national lockdown at your destination accommodation / resort / country;
- local lockdown at any significant transit location (Glasgow, Geneva, Dover, Eurotunnel, ..., which conceivably could be kept open for freight but not private travel);
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This is why I’m happy to live in Sweden
Even if there are a few countries that we can’t travel to at the moment, there are still plenty.
Summer skiing in Cervinia (Warren Smith course) is booked. Already hiked the Swedish “high coast” and will enjoy another trip or two to the Swedish mountains this summer.
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You know it makes sense.
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Except sadly I read the swedish people are now questioning their government/medical advisor's very sensible approach which I have admired throughout the pandemic.
At the moment I am booking nothing and, if I do go it, will only be to a resort with chairlifts and not gondolas as a 60 something. If I was a 30 something I would not worry in the slightest. Not that I am overworried about this disease but risk managing one's life is nevertheless what one does at all times - even down to not jumping off walls from such a height as I used to or crossing rivers at high levels in fishing waders.
There are other activities and lower risk countries where I can indulge in good winter walking eg Spain, with higher temperatures and certainly outside the major cities on the costa del sol very low transmission of covid, and even low within some cities such as Almeria. There is little doubt, if there is no vaccine, that cold low humidity conditions are ideal for the spread of this virus as Ischgl and others have shown us.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| GeorgeVII wrote: |
| @martyn76, Welcome to Snowheads. |
Thank you! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| countryman wrote: |
Except sadly I read the swedish people are now questioning their government/medical advisor's very sensible approach which I have admired throughout the pandemic.
At least the moment I am booking nothing and, if I do go it, will only be to a resort with chairlifts and not gondolas as a 60 something. If I was a 30 something I would not worry in the slightest. |
Some, but the majority support the approach (like me). Don’t want to turn this into a Covid-19 thread so let’s leave it there!
Probably Norway would be good then? Small resorts but amazing views. Stay in a cabin. Skiing more of Norway is on my list if “little brother” will let’s the Swedes in.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@BergenBergen, wow! Bought mine on Friday so feeling very fortunate... they made no mention of excess demand at that point.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@snowdave, I had been checking prices during the week and was ready to hit the button on the basis of trying to book as close to departure date as possible to get the benefit of the calender year before the tickets expire. When I went to create the wallet, the system just booted me back to the log in screen. Today they have updated the site to say its no longer available. Hope they reinstate at some point in the future as its just cost me an extra £130 on a return trip 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@BergenBergen, that’s a bit poo poo. I had the same debate, but since I was planning to share with a mate, I thought it best to just get it all set up.
Hopefully they’ll reinstate it before the ski season for you.
There’s always the alternative discount option... spend £300k on eurotunnel shares and you get 30% off Then hope the shares don’t zero themselves again.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| snowdave wrote: |
@BergenBergen, that’s a bit poo poo. I had the same debate, but since I was planning to share with a mate, I thought it best to just get it all set up.
Hopefully they’ll reinstate it before the ski season for you.
There’s always the alternative discount option... spend £300k on eurotunnel shares and you get 30% off Then hope the shares don’t zero themselves again. |
Is that 300 grand or 300 quid ? and is it 30% off every ticket or just once ?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@robs1, the former. £300,000. It’s 30% off a certain number a year, but hard to make the maths work...!
Eurotunnel shareholder discount was much better for those in the original flotation, but they lost all their money on the shares instead
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| robs1 wrote: |
| snowdave wrote: |
@BergenBergen, that’s a bit poo poo. I had the same debate, but since I was planning to share with a mate, I thought it best to just get it all set up.
Hopefully they’ll reinstate it before the ski season for you.
There’s always the alternative discount option... spend £300k on eurotunnel shares and you get 30% off Then hope the shares don’t zero themselves again. |
Is that 300 grand or 300 quid ? and is it 30% off every ticket or just once ? |
https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2019/12/191205-conditions-generales-avantages-tarifaires-UK.pdf
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| BergenBergen wrote: |
| @snowdave, I had been checking prices during the week and was ready to hit the button on the basis of trying to book as close to departure date as possible to get the benefit of the calender year before the tickets expire |
If you left it very late they probably wouldn't have had any FT tickets available anyway. That's presumably why they withdrew them.
I am not sure it's in the public domain how many FT tickets they allow for each train at peak times but it would be interesting to know.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I have accommodation with Free Cancellation booked for the final weekend of Jan 2021 in Gastein. Will confirm with the guys going closer to the event - accept that flight prices will be higher, but if we get a spike then having not booked i'm less likely to get burned.
Looking at potentially a weekend with my girls in Feb/Mar - may head to Cervinia if I can get a decent free cancellation deal on accommodation.
For the family ski we are looking at Easter, but won't commit until a couple weeks before - in terms of resort or accommodation.
Will be very much a last minute booking!
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| Layne wrote: |
| robs1 wrote: |
| snowdave wrote: |
@BergenBergen, that’s a bit poo poo. I had the same debate, but since I was planning to share with a mate, I thought it best to just get it all set up.
Hopefully they’ll reinstate it before the ski season for you.
There’s always the alternative discount option... spend £300k on eurotunnel shares and you get 30% off Then hope the shares don’t zero themselves again. |
Is that 300 grand or 300 quid ? and is it 30% off every ticket or just once ? |
https://www.getlinkgroup.com/content/uploads/2019/12/191205-conditions-generales-avantages-tarifaires-UK.pdf |
That link says 750 of the consolidated (ie current) shares required which are trading at EUR13.75. So a holding of about £9.5k would qualify just now?
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FAQ
