Special Correspondent Gerd Clemens takes time off from the World Cup to bring us up to date with World Baggery...

"Before the next games in world championship start today I would like to use the time to inform you about a sensational month for barf bags at Ebay.

As well in numbers of auctions taking place as in the prices paid, May was a real exciting month.

Let's start with a collection of 21 rare bags for which 9 bidders fought. This fierce bidding brought the price up to £138.25 (equal to €202), the highest price for barf bags I have ever seen at Ebay.

But for single bags too prices were high and the #1 in May is a Portuguese bag from Air Atlantis at a price of £90.00 equal to €132.

About the half of this price but still in a very high region runner up was the Canadian Intair at US$ 89.88 or €70.49. This airline was founded in 1988 and integrated in Canadian Regional Airline in 1991.

#3 is an Indian carrier Goair, which started operation in 2005 at Mumbai. Price of the bag was £45.44 or €66.84. It is to be expected that more of this bag will be offered shortly as this airline is growing fast.

Not far behind and #4 a bag from the defunct Spanish airline Nortjet at a price of £44.75 equal to €65.59. This airline was founded in 1987 and merged with Lineas Aereas Canarias to form Meridiana Air in 1992.

The Mexican airline Allegro, which operates since 1992 came in as #5 at a final bid of US$ 72.10 or €57.02.

An Arabian airline - sorry but I could not find more information - Aecoair was #6 at a price of £37.21 equal to €54.52.

Another defunct airline, this time from UK became #7. BIA British Island Airways is the name of this company, which was founded in 1962 as British United Airways BUIA, renamed as BIA in 1980 and then forced to cease operations in 1990 because of financial problems. The price of £34.53 or €50.32 is a proof that bag is scarce.

Bulgarian Airlines normally offers ordinary bags and I guess that most of us have some bags from them. But in May a bag was offered which was quite different to all the others, and this brought price up to £32.10 which are €47.13.

Chunqiu or Spring Airlines is the first Chinese low cost carrier situated in Shanghai. It started operation in July 2005. Their bag was offered in a direct sale at US$ 52.88 or €41.03. In course of May another deal with this bag was made at €19.50.

#10 is a further bag from China, an old one from CSWA at a price of €33.33, followed by an Ukraine bag Aerosvit at a price of €31.60.

Bags from Iran are always of interest, this time it is Eram Air, an airline which still operates with Tupolev TU-154M. The bag, not the plane, was sold at €30.49.

Nature Air from Costa Rica found strong interest and price went up to £18.53, which is €27.01.

A bag from Uruguay from the airline Pluna was sold at £17.55 equal to €25.77. It was a plastic bag and not one of the paper bags, most of us have already.

#15 is another bag from South America, this time from Colombia, namely Satena, which is an acronym for Servicio Aereo Territorios Nacionales. This airline was established in 1962 and still exists. The bag was sold at €25.04. Later in May same bag was sold at €14.59 which is rank #32.

Canadian North is one of a high number of regional airlines in Canada, which was founded in 1989. Since 1998 the airline belongs to an aboriginal-owned holding company. Their bag was sold at US$ 28.53 or €22.63.

Still new editions of bags are of interest. The French carrier Star Airlines gained the ranks #17 and #19 at prices of €21.60 and €21.10 for its deep blue bag.

In between another new bag from Italian Blue Panorama in plastic at a price of €20.51.

#20 is a further bag from IndiaAir Sahara at €20.50, followed by a grey Uzbekistan Airways bag at €20.49.

Azteca is a Mexican airline, formed in 2001, serving primarily Mexico and USA destinations. Their plastic bag was bought at a price of €19.16.

An African bag from Air Malawi was finally at a price of €19.05, followed by rank#25 which is Air Caraibes at a price of €17.50.

White Eagle Aviation is a Polish airline which started operation in 1993. An older bag was sold at €16.35.

TAP from Portugal has a lot of varieties with their, mostly, plastic bags. A red printed bag was bought for €16.05.

Two Brazilian bags came in as #28 and #29 which are Jet Sul Taxi Aereos at €15.51 and Inter Brasil at €15.50.

On ranks #30 to 40 we can find:

• Japanese JTA at €15.50.
• 2 Nato military bags with 2 different stock numbers at €14.72 and Satena from Colombia again at €14.59.
• Air Polynesia at €14.35, and at the same price ERA European Regions Airlines and LAC from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Another design of Balkan Airlines came in with €14.10.
• The Lagos, Nigeria-based ADC Airline was sold at €13.75, followed by Formosa Airlines from Taiwan and the Peruvian airline TANS, based in Lima, which was suspended in 2006 by government, all at a price of €13.35.

The forties start with Australian TAA at €13.26 followed by a bag from Antigua LIAT which means Leeward Islands Air Transport at €13.19.

• China United Airlines CUA was at €12.99 and another bag from Air Malawi at €12.90.
• Macedonian carrier MAT was also of interest at €12.55, slightly in front of an old bag from BEA British European Airways with red printing at €12.54 again slightly above an oldie this time from Japanese ANA at €12.51.
• In 2 different auctions bags from an airline which serves Galapagos Islands namely Aero Gal came in at precisely same price of €12.50; and at the same price we find Aria Air from Iran and Oman Aviation at rank #50.
• Maldives Hummingbird came in as #51 at a price of €12.35.

And these are the ranks in the fifties:

• SCAL a Chinese airline at €12.12.
• Aerocancun, a Mexican joint venture between a hotel chain and the airline Oasis which was established in 1989. When Oasis went bankrupt in 1996 Aerocancun was forced to cease operation, nevertheless bag was bought at €11.75.
• ALM Antillean Airlines at €11.62.
• An old bag, but already with the blue and red logo, Royal Nepal Airlines at €11.61.
• Another Iranian Safiran Airlines at €11.11.
• Angel Air, wherever this airline is based at €11.00.
• At a price of €10.75 each we find IDG Technology Airlines from Czech Republic, French Blue Lines Airlines and LTU/ LTS from Spain.
• At rank #61 Lao Aviation Air from Laos at €10.61.
• 2 different bags of Avensa at €10.75 and €10.25 are on the ranks #62 and #65. Avensa is an airline in Venezuela which are in a process of financial restructuring, which is forcing them to operate just domestic routes. Avensa means Aerovias Venezolanas Sociedad Anonima.
• In between we find LanChile at €10.35 and Aero Asia, an airline in Pakistan, which was forced to stop operation in May 2006 due to financial problems. The airline was acquired by an English group on 12th of June 2006.

I hope that I did not miss too many auctions in order to have presented you a comprehensive summary of auctions at Ebay in May 2006.

Gerd Clemens