States weigh cutting gas taxes
States weigh cutting gas taxes — With a gallon of gas breaking $3 and voters unhappy, state leaders across the country are taking a sudden, sharp dislike to gasoline taxes, proposing to eliminate the levies that are a mainstay for road programs — or at least suspend them for the summer. (AP)
What do you think: Will gas prices affect how much you travel this summer?
Thunderstorms could delay air travel — The number of airline flight delays in April was 31% higher than the same month last year, thanks mostly to a thunderstorm pattern that could mean trouble ahead for summer travelers, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday. (AP)
Freedom: A ship of firsts — The 15-deck Freedom of the Seas launched today, the latest in a string of ever-larger ships, boasts the first surfable wave pool at sea — a high-tech wonder that is the centerpiece of Royal Caribbean’s latest campaign to lure younger, more active vacationers. (USA Today)
National parks cutting back on services, raising fees — Millions of visitors to national parks across the country this summer will find higher fees, closed facilities, reduced maintenance and fewer rangers to explain the natural wonders because of the squeeze of tight budgets. (USA Today)
Wine bar gets OK at Sacramento airport — Travelers through Sacramento International Airport could soon be sipping fine wines as they wait for departing flights. The county’s Board of Supervisors approved a wine bar in Terminal A where travelers can buy local and international wines by the glass, bottle or case. (AP)
Israeli airline gains control over screening — The Israeli airline El Al has been routinely scanning its own checked luggage for bombs and bypassing U.S. screeners at four major airports, a procedure it now wants to use at Newark Liberty International Airport, federal security officials acknowledged for the first time Wednesday. (Newark Star-Ledger)
CFO survey shows rising travel costs — A recent survey of financial executives conducted in February, 2006 indicates that nearly 92 percent of respondents plan to spend the same or more on travel, primarily because they are traveling more often, but also due to higher business travel costs this year. (HotelMarketing.com)
No guests complain over fat fee at hotel — A German hotel owner who charges guests according to their weight defended himself Thursday against accusations he was discriminating against fat people. (Reuters)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.