US Travel Alerts : travel

Highway Travel Increases in USA

Mike Leco — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:36:00 GMT

After nearly two years of decreased highway travel in the USA, the end of this travel depression may be near. During May of 2009, highway travel increased slightly for the first time in sixteen months. It may be premature to call this a trend, but it certainly looks promising.

Lower gasoline prices and an increasingly optimistic attitude toward future economic improvements have likely encouraged US travelers to go back on the road. This means you can expect slightly higher numbers of tourists on the roads and at the popular tourist destinations this summer.

Summer Airfare Bargains

Mike Leco — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:32:00 GMT

The current worldwide financial crisis has had a significant negative impact on all of the US air carriers. Declining numbers of vacation travelers and less business travel have left the airlines with a significant reduction in passengers and increasing revenue losses.

The coming summer travel season is normally the busy time for airlines. It is usually the time when they increase their fares. This summer will be different. Southwest Airlines, the largest discount air carrier in the USA, has published significant fare reductions through the summer travel season. Most other airlines have countered with matching fare reductions. It appears that we can expect an air-fare price war this summer.

This is great news for vacation travelers. It means that bargain air fares are currently available. You can now fly coast-to-coast from New York to Los Angeles for only $120. You can fly from New York to Orlando Florida for less than $100. Even the overseas prices have plummeted during this normally high-priced summer travel season. Air fares to Europe are nearer to $500 or $600 for a round trip instead of the normal $900 to $1000 during the summer.

USA Airline Problems

Mike Leco — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:46:00 GMT

These past few weeks have been a nightmare for many air-travel passengers in the USA. Those travel problems are likely to continue for weeks or months to come. They may remain a real travel nuisance during the entire summer travel season if some solution is not found.

It all started just a few weeks ago, when a Congressional Commitee on Air Travel Safety discovered that Southwest Airlines had been flying hundreds of potentially unsafe airlines for many months because of lapses in the safety checks conducted by the government safety inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The top bureaucrats from our Federal Aviation Administration were chastised for allowing this to happen. They in turn applied a $10 million dollar fine against Southwest Airlines for violation of those safety standards. Southwest Airlines immediately grounded hundreds of their aircraft and cancelled numerous flights.

Stung by the Congressional rebuke, the FAA immediately stepped up its safety inspection for all US Airlines. They found numerous safety violations. This week, American Airlines grounded hundreds of its aircraft and cancelled thousands of flights. Other airlines are likely to follow. These cancellations have resulted in numerous stranded passengers at airports all over the USA. They caused thousands of passengers to alter or cancel their travel plans.

This mess is really caused by typical bureaucratic bungling and political manuvering. Many of the newly discovered safety violations are miniscule technical violations of complex safety regulations. The actual danger caused by some of the violations are almost non existant. The aircraft could safely fly without comprimising safety while the airlines bring everything up to technical standards. Unfortunately, the FAA, having been stung by the congretional rebuke, is now applying every minute standard in the regulation books. The airlines are immediately grounding all aircraft until they bring them up to the exacting standards, because they do not want to risk hefty fines from the FAA.

We need a clear reasonable leader to achieve some workable compromise to this dilemna. Unfortunately, clear reasonable leaders are hard to find in our government. If they do not solve this problem soon, it may be a terrible summer for air passengers traveling in the USA.

Time changes on March 9

Mike Leco — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:57:00 GMT

In most of the USA, people will be moving their clocks one hour ahead on Sunday March 9. This is the beginning of the annual summer time reckoning known as "Daylight Savings Time". The custom has existed in most parts of the USA for many years, but the change normally occured on the last Sunday in April and continued until the last Sunday in October. Since 2007, the Daylight Savings Time period was expanded to always begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November.

Beginning this Sunday, most people in the USA will be arising, going to work, and ending their work day one hour earlier. They will have an extra hour of daylight for outdoor activities every evening, but will be going to bed an hour earlier.

All airport schedules, train schedules, bus schedules and business hours will be changed to reflect the new times. It will take effect in nearly every state. Only Hawaii and parts of Arizona do not adhere to Daylight Savings Time.

Travel Bargains in USA

Mike Leco — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:38:00 GMT

With the exchange rate of the US dollar near historic lows compared to the Euro and other world currencies, travel to the USA is a great bargain. The price of hotel rooms, airfares and entertainment is now much less expensive for foreign visitors. In addition, most US merchandise is bargain priced; thus making shopping in the USA very attractive. Remember, the USA does not utilize a value added tax system, so most goods are typically lower in price than their European equivalent. Now, the favorable currency exchange rates, make them even more attractive.

Why not plan a combination vacation/shopping trip to the USA this summer? You can easily fly to one of the major cities in the USA, partake of some of the entertainment options, travel to a few attractions, lie on a sun-drenched beach, then conclude your trip with a shopping binge at a major discount outlet before returning home.

Here are a few suggested itineraries to consider:

You can fly into New York City, see all of the sights in the Big Apple, catch a Broadway show and take a tour about town. For the last few days of your trip, rent a car and drive to the Woodbury Commons 90 minutes north of the city; and fill an empty suitcase with bargain merchandise before you catch your return flight.

Fly to Orlando Florida and spend a four or five days at Disney World and the surrounding attractions. Drive down to Fort Lauderdale and rent a hotel room on the beach for a few days. You can lie in the sun during the daytime and spend your evenings at the gigantic Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall with its 500 shops during the evenings. If you are not an amusement park fan, just go straight to Fort Lauderdale and spend all of your free time on the beach or at the nearby Miami entertainment scene while you get in your shopping during your spare time.

On the West Coast, you can fly to Las Vegas, catch the desert sun around the hotel pool, gamble in the casinos, have dinner in the great restaurants, see some of the great shows, and shop at the nearby outlet malls during your spare time.

Wherever you choose to go, your hotel and entertainment will cost you less because of the cheap dollar. The shopping bargains will be outstanding.