No rain check from Hotwire
Jennifer Holland prepays for a hotel room on Hotwire.com. But a severe storm threatens to wash out her vacation. Holland wants the travel site to give her a rain check, but it won’t, insisting its rooms are nonrefundable. She checks in, but finds her room is unusable. What, if anything, does Hotwire owe her?
Navy saves teen whose appendix burst on cruise
A teenager whose appendix ruptured at sea, hundreds of miles from help, got safely to shore Tuesday after an unusual rescue in which the Navy airlifted her from a cruise ship for emergency surgery.
A politically incorrect Christmas in Montreal
I received an email from Tourism Montreal, our neighbors to the north. The enclosed publication covered the city’s Christmas celebrations for 2007. As I perused the listing of activities, attractions and festivals outlined by the tourism office, I realized that Montreal is committed to enjoying Christmas with all of its nuances and flavors … and dare I say religions.
Food, glorious food
Forget the basic room service hamburger with soggy fries. Amy Bradley-Hole tells us where to find the best hotel restaurants.
Changes for better on horizon for fliers
After more than a decade of expansive promises and hot sales, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner should actually fly. Airfield improvements at Chicago O’Hare should cut down the average time of delays. And better X-ray machines may help airport screeners move the lines a bit faster.
Hot tips for cold fliers
If you’re like James Wysong, the prospect of flying in winter is about as appealing as spending a couple of hours trapped in an igloo. James is coldblooded by nature — and a flight attendant by profession — so he knows just how cold it can get in the cabin. This week, he reprises eight hot tips to keep the cold at bay.
Summer travel season busier than holidays, analysis shows
Millions of holiday travelers heading to the nation’s airports over the next week can take some solace: Neither the Christmas nor Thanksgiving travel seasons are the busiest of the year, a USA TODAY analysis shows.
A new Queen of the World
Christened by a duchess and now sailing on a voyage around the world, Cunard’s new Queen Victoria is a ship leading a charmed life. But make no mistake. This is no cruise ship taking folks on cruises. No, this is an ocean liner taking pampered guests on cultured voyages.
Tripso Weekend/December 16, 2007
47.2 million fliers expected this holiday season
U.S. airlines expect essentially flat passenger traffic during the holidays, a rather meek forecast for an industry nearing the end of a year marred by record delays, rising fuel costs.