How to avoid travel fees

NEW YORK—Here are some common travel fees and charges you can look to cut out, potentially saving hundreds of dollars a year.
Ask hotels and resorts if they charge fees for amenities like fitness centers or pools when you make a reservation, and again when you check in, advises David Lytle, editorial director of Frommers.com. If you're not going to use certain facilities, negotiate with the hotel before you sign anything that allows them to bill your credit card, he advised. More... Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco - Flight Tracker: Track Any flight - Priority Bags: No More Lost Luggage

United Airlines Settles Porn Suit

A lawsuit by a former flight attendant against United Airlines has been settled out of court.
UPI reports Captain Lisa Stout complained to her superiors when she kept finding pornographic materials in the cockpits of airplanes on domestic airline flights. She claimed between 2004 and 2005, it happened 20 times... and furthermore, her complaints resulted in retaliation rather than appropriate measures to identify the individuals responsible. More... Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco - Flight Tracker: Track Any flight - Priority Bags: No More Lost Luggage

Airline Deals Are Soaring

With the U.S. recession raging, air fares sit at bargain-basement levels on many routes. Business travelers are being lured with double-mile promotions. And airlines are only deepening the discounts as they near the end of a dreadful winter quarter. In the past week, for example, a bevy of bargains has been unleashed: Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) is offering one-way fares between Australia and California for $299, and New York for $399. United Airlines (UAUA) is selling a new Moscow route for as low as $119 one way, before taxes and fees. American (AMR) has fares from Chicago to Dublin for $147. More... Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco - Flight Tracker: Track Any flight - Priority Bags: No More Lost Luggage

Add-on software apps make iPhone a great travel partner

Tech-savvy road warriors are enjoying a new era of handheld computing as more sophisticated smartphone software floods the market.
The iPhone, in particular, has amassed more than 900 applications targeting business or leisure travelers. Many applications are free, and others range from 99 cents to $19.99. More... Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco - Flight Tracker: Track Any flight - Priority Bags: No More Lost Luggage

U.S. airlines losing less luggage

Airlines lost 1.3 million fewer bags in 2008, as more passengers wheeled, dragged and toted their luggage aboard planes to avoid paying new fees to check bags, federal data show.Passenger reports of lost or destroyed luggage on domestic flights operated by the 20 largest U.S. airlines plunged by one-third last year versus 2007, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, with improvements most noticeable during the fall, when fees for the first checked bag became commonplace. More... Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco - Flight Tracker: Track Any flight - Priority Bags: No More Lost Luggage