7 Days; 7 Travel Stories
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1. The Economics of Flying

A view from Britain: In the twisted economics of air travel, economy tickets are usually losing the airline money. All the profits come from the passengers in business and first class, who pay on average five times more than economy passengers for the same flight. For example, a one-way economy class fare on a British Airways from Heathrow to New York JFK costs £518 compared to £2,713 for business class.

It should come as no surprise that leisure travelers are being tempted more than ever with premium economy. Qantas just launched its version on flights to Sydney, while BMI has hit on the solution of recycling its old business-class seats into the premium economy cabin. Virgin Atlantic, which pioneered the idea among UK airlines, reports strong demand on routes both from business travelers flying frugally and holidaymakers wanting a more relaxing start, and end, to their vacation.

Meanwhile, charter airlines have made much of their improved long-haul service, often offering more legroom than the scheduled carriers. While they carry few business travelers, their premium cabins are accruing frills. When the Boeing 787 starts flying for First Choice, Monarch and Thomsonfly, the airlines are promising to transform expectations about long-haul charter flights – though the soaring cost of fuel makes talk of non-stop flights to Hawaii or Bali look questionable. Even in "true" business class, lower fares are on the horizon – at least in UK to US flights. From the end of next month, "open skies" will see airlines crowding in to Heathrow.

This will disrupt the cozy quartet of American Airlines, British Airways, United and Virgin Atlantic – currently the only American and British carriers allowed to serve the US from Heathrow. Continental, Delta and Northwest are starting flights – as is Air France. The airline launches daily services from Heathrow to LA on 1 April. Only a fool would bet against lower business-class fares to southern California. So, a question that has seemed irrelevant to most of us, could soon start to have meaning for a wider audience: just how flat is that flat bed? The Independent (UK)

Sidebar: The International Air Transport Association has warned that a global aviation slowdown might have begun. Traffic statistics for January showed a sharp fall in growth from December, down to 4.3 per cent from 6.7. In Asia Pacific the news was not all bad, with falls in demand only marginal, down just 0.5 per cent from December to 5.7 per cent. But for Europe, which was weakest of all, growth slowed to just 0.3 per cent in January, down from 5.5 per cent in December. Sky News (AU)

2. Online

For those short on time or memory but not lacking the funds to live like a jet-setter, there are two more websites to consider when planning travel: www.Fabsearch.com and www.TravelsInTaste.com. Both save time by just giving you the details of only the most fabulously glamorous vacation spots. LA Times

Disney Family.com announced the launch of www.family.com/travel, a new travel website specifically designed with families and kids in mind. The site provides a unique combination of expert reviews, parent recommendations, age-appropriate points of interest and interactive multi-media experiences for family friendly destinations across the United States.

A gang of internet travel fraudsters have been prosecuted in connection with five fake holiday companies which, between July 2003 and August 2006, advertised travel bargains that lead customers to pay for holidays that did not exist. The gang tricked thousands of people into parting with millions of pounds of cash between 2004 and 2006 – most of which was paid back to customers by credit card companies, travel associations or sites that were conned into advertising the fake companies on their deals pages. Travelconnect.com (UK)

A new travel site just for Boomers: http://www.boomeropia.com/. Features more than 30 travel categories, from cruises to tours.

3. The Real Thing

"Authentic" may be the travel buzzword of 2008. For some, it means actually sampling some of the world's strangest street food--even when the local delicacy is a fried water beetle or a reindeer hot dog. For others, it’s a trip that involves an authentic connection with the people you meet. But there's an extra connection somehow made when two people don't share a language in common. That's because we're listening with complete concentration to both words and body language--the way we probably should always listen to someone. MLive.com

4. At The Beach

Scientists in Italy believe that up to 10 per cent of coral reefs are threatened by bleaching caused by chemicals in widely-used creams that are sold to protect users from the sun’s damaging UV rays. Between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers annually in oceans. Scientists have found that many brands of sunscreen contain ingredients that can stimulate viruses in the algae, known as zooxanthellae, which live within corals. Zooxanthellae plays an essential role in providing the vibrant color associated with corals by supplying food energy through photosynthesis. ETN

5. Conundrums

Compared to airline travel, Amtrak's post 9/11 security has been paltry at best so the announcement last week that armed teams are now randomly checking passenger bags and patrolling station platforms is a welcome, if not overdue, development. But here's the catch: At the same time the Bush administration is beefing up security, it also wants to reduce Amtrak spending by $525 million next year, or about 40 percent from the current $1.325 billion. Experts say the cuts would literally derail passenger service to much of the country. However, all is not lost. The US Senate approved legislation last year calling for an expanded passenger train network and stable, long-term funding for it. The House may soon follow suit. The Baltimore Sun

The Michelin Guide has been expanding to new markets in recent years to compensate for its declining influence in Europe, where it has lost readership to the Internet and the shifting demands of consumers who no longer want their tastes dictated to them. Michelin took its first step abroad two years ago with a New York guide, followed by versions for Las Vegas, LA, and San Francisco. Now, Michelin is looking for success in Tokyo. But many Tokyoites grumble that the guide gave high ratings to unremarkable restaurants, prompting wide speculation that the large number of stars was just a marketing ploy. One expert summed it up best: “Japanese food was created here and only Japanese know it. How can a bunch of foreigners show up and tell us what is good or bad? NY Times

6. As The World Turns

In a bid to clean up the country for tourists, Nigeria introduced a new type of public toilet that will be stationed at markets, public transport hubs and festivals. The toilets will replace what is known as the "the flying toilet," where people defecate in a bag and then throw it out of the window. Sanitation in Nigeria is giant problem, according to government officials. Due to the lack of public toilets and sewers, people are often forced to relieve themselves by the roadside. The new loos will cost 60,000 naira ($500) each. At 20 naira ($0.16) per visit, the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation hopes to use the profits to create thousands of tourist-related jobs. bbc.co.uk/ETN

7. Destinations

Train Talk: Whether the idea ever gets off the drawing board depends on both Congress and the fate of a rival train project that appears to be picking up steam. The dueling plans are competing for a big piece of the tourism industry: Ten million Southern Californians make the 250-plus-mile drive to Las Vegas each year. The vast majority take an increasingly clogged Interstate 15 that can slow to a crawl and make the drive an ordeal of five hours or more.

The main plan in the works is a futuristic MagLev train that would zip riders between Vegas and Disneyland in under two hours across the wide-open desert at up to 300 mph. But a delay in federal funds needed for planning the public-private venture has suddenly given traction to a cheaper diesel-electric alternative dubbed DesertXpress. The privately funded DesertXpress would whisk riders to Las Vegas at 125 mph from the Mojave Desert town of Victorville, Calif., some 1 1/2 hours northeast of Los Angeles. Total travel time, including the drive to Victorville: three or four hours. USA Today

Florida: A report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says ecotourism in the state doubled from $1.57 billion in 2001 to $3 billion in 2006. According to the report: Nearly a quarter of a million tourists with wildlife-watching plans travel to Florida each year, making Florida the No. 1 destination in the country for wildlife viewing.3.3 million Floridians viewed wildlife at or near their homes.

1.6 million Floridians and tourists traveled around Florida just to see wildlife, generating more than $3 billion in economic impact throughout Florida. Retail sales account for about $1.8 billion of the total. 4.2 million people participated in some form of wildlife viewing in Florida in 2006. The combined annual economic impact of recreational hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing in Florida tops $11 billion, according to the commission. FloridaToday.com

Rich’s Weekend Reader is published by AndTyler222 Communications. Information from various sources and mostly rewritten. andtyler222@verizon.net http://www.itinarod.com/