Airlines hike prices as summer season looms
Airlines increase prices as summer travel season looms — Airlines are once again jacking up fares as the summer travel season approaches, hoping to cash in on heavy demand and soften the impact of expensive fuel. American Airlines raised leisure fares by $5 each way over the weekend. That followed a move last week by Continental Airlines, which raised fares by $2 each way. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
United pilots get personal — That impersonal voice from the cockpit — “This is the captain speaking” — is getting friendlier at United Airlines. Pilots at the carrier are stepping up a campaign of friendliness in a bid to win customers’ hearts — and loyalty. (The Washington Post)
Hawaii spots top travel survey — The neighbor islands and Honolulu are two of the top picks for summer U.S. leisure travel by Americans, according to a travel study released yesterday by Orlando, Fla.-based Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, and Yankelovich Inc. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
The sick seatmate: what’s your risk? — Even though the C.D.C. insists that air travel is not a major risk for the transmission of infectious diseases, passengers are concerned. Medical experts say that while passengers should take common-sense precautions against becoming infected with mumps or other communicable diseases, that there is no need to worry — yet. (The New York Times)
Gas price falls for first time in six weeks — Motorists finally got some relief at the pump as the national retail gasoline price fell for the first time in six weeks, dipping a penny over the last week to $2.91 a gallon, the government said on Monday. (Reuters)
‘Da Vinci Code’ newest pop culture tours — The Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland that figures in “The Da Vinci Code” had just 6,000 visitors in 1997 — but is gearing up for well over 120,000 this year. (AP)
Myrtle Beach to host bikers — The South Carolina Grand Strand will host hundreds of thousands of bikers starting this weekend and running through the end of the month. (AP)
US Airways first quarter profit up — US Airways Group Inc. on Tuesday posted a first-quarter profit, reversing a year-ago loss, as revenue surged in the wake of the airline’s merger with America West. (AP)
Travelers to Asia get more options — a surge in travelers between the USA and the Far East is spurring airlines toward a new era of time-saving convenience and money-saving competition. (USA Today)
Jefferson’s mountain opens for tours — A mountain that rises more than 400 feet above the rooftops of Thomas Jefferson’s estate is now open for tours, offering visitors a new way to experience the legacy of the former president. (AP)
New control tower is USA’s tallest — After a decade of planning and construction, the nation’s tallest air traffic control tower is finally up and running at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. (WXIA-TV)
Gay travel guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia — The editor of a new gay and lesbian travel guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia says he hopes the book will foster more acceptance of homosexuality — which is outlawed in all three conservative Southeast Asian nations. (AP)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.