By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just got my car back from Alvaro, the world's best mechanic. I've been using him for years. Today he told me he now has 37 steady customers thanks to my plugging him on Panama-Guide. Well, here I go again - Alvaro is bilingual, honest to a fault, responsible, responsive, and best of all he can fix whatever is wrong with your car. He also does a pick-up and drop-off service - he comes to you. This is especially important if your car decides to just die somewhere and leave you stranded on the side of the road. Alvaro will show up and get you going again. He also takes care of getting my car inspected, registered, and keeping my license plates current. Sooner or later you're going to be needing a mechanic. When you do, call Alvaro at 6438-8000 and tell him "Mr. Don" sent you. You will be glad you did.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The transportation strike programmed for tomorrow has been suspended. In a decision late this afternoon union leaders decided to suspend the strike they had programmed and to continue negotiations with the government.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This morning the transportation sector (bus and taxi drivers) were threatening to start a nationwide strike tomorrow if the government did not do something to mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices. These guys threaten to strike all the time but rarely actually strike. In any case, there is a possibility of a strike tomorrow, so heads up...

Copyright 2007 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

Miami-operated Seafreight Line Ltd. announced commencement of weekly, fixed-day service to Manzanillo International Terminal, Panama, and Cap Haitien, Haiti. The new service began with first vessel calls on Tuesday, October 30 and Thursday, November 1, respectively, with continuing same fixed-day weekly calls thereafter. The company announced that it had appointed C.B. Fenton Panama and CAP Shipping S.A. Haiti as agents in those respective markets. Growing trading partner - "This is an exciting time for us as we continue to expand the services that we can offer to our clients. Panama is a traditional and growing trading partner within our area and our schedule will present great opportunities for cargo to and from Panama with very attractive transits," a carrier spokesperson reported. "Cap Haitien is a growing port serving the north coast of Haiti and has great potential opening up a new opportunity for that country." (more)

By MONA M. SUTHERLAND for Panama-Guide.com (P.S. It makes the DMV look like a piece of cake!) - I just had the pleasure of obtaining my Panamanian driver’s license. Actually, that is not entirely true. The little plastic card is not yet in my manos, but I have managed to jump through most of the bureaucratic hoops. While driving to the Azuero Peninsula, I got pulled over and did not have a Panamanian license, much to my lawyer’s dismay, since she has urged me again and again to get it. However, after having sat in migracion and the seguro social a time or two, I was not jumping at the opportunity to park myself for hours in a government office. Besides, I am from California! We are crazy drivers anyway and fit right in here! ;-) (more)

PANAMA CITY, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Copa Holdings, S.A. , and its Copa Airlines and Aero Republica operating subsidiaries, today released preliminary passenger traffic statistics for October 2007. For the month of October 2007, Copa Holdings' system-wide passenger traffic (RPM) increased 10.8%, while capacity (ASM) increased 17.9%. System load factor for October 2007 was 69.3%, a 4.4 percentage point decrease when compared to October 2006. Copa Airlines passenger traffic (RPM) for October 2007 increased 16.1% while capacity (ASM) increased 21.7%. This resulted in a load factor of 72.2%, a 3.5 percentage point decrease when compared to October 2006. (more)

By Luis Carlos Rodríguez for La Critica - Francisco Humberto Fernandez, 28 years old and a resident of Santa Marta in San Miguelito, was the man who drowned after the BMW he was driving went into the lake next to the road that leads to the Pedro Miguel locks. On Tuesday afternoon when the accident occurred, the man spent several minutes on the roof of his car asking for help which arrived late, after he had already gone under. His corpse remained in the water for 36 hours, but yesterday morning early it floated to the surface about 15 meters from shore and was pulled from the water by a fireman. Leidy Osorio Batiste, wife of Francisco, arrived at the scene and could not contain her grief.

La Critica - A dark skinned man who was approximately 30 years old was the driver of a BMW that left the road yesterday afternoon as he headed toward the Pedro Miguel locks of the Panama Canal and went into the water in an area known as Dos Lagos. The man was driving a BMW with license plate 278176 and told several witnesses who saw the accident that he had fallen asleep at the wheel. The subject awaited rescue for almost 20 minutes and said that he did not know how to swim. The vehicle was located yesterday by a boat from the Panama Canal Authority equipped with a sonar system, but the corpse has not been located.

La Prensa - A woman was reported missing in the waters of Miraflores Lake last night near the Panama Canal. She lost control of her vehicle and it left the road and went into the lake. According to witnesses, the driver managed to get out of her car and climb onto the roof, but from there she shouted that she didn't know now to swim. About 35 rescue personnel tried to locate the victim but the search was suspended because the area is infested with crocodiles, according to Dr. Roberto Velasquez Abood, Director of Panama's National Civil Defense System (SINAPROC.)

Sun Sentinel - Miramar-based Spirit Airlines said it will launch service three times weekly between Fort Lauderdale and Panama City, Panama, beginning Jan. 31, 2008. The nonstop flights will depart Fort Lauderdale at 11 p.m, arriving in Panama City at 2:50 a.m.. Return flights depart Panama City at 2:50 a.m. arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 5:45 a.m. Spirit said the schedule remains subject to foreign government approval.