Seven Colorado Wonders

The New 7 Wonders of the World have recently made a big publicity splash, including a modest posting on this blog. These are man-made wonders, but the international organizer has announced plans for an upcoming poll to select the seven most compelling natural wonders on the planet. The Denver Post got a jump on that concept, but limited to Colorado.

According to an article that was presumably based on the ideas of Post brainstormers, "our own homegrown marvels" are:

• Lava Dikes of La Veta and Spanish Peaks
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Pawnee Buttes
• Paint Mines Interpretive Park
• Garden of the Gods (above right, shown in a Garden of the Gods Park photo)
• Great Sand Dunes National Park
• Dinosaur Footprints, Picketwire Canyonlands

The Sunday Section editor asked for suggestions on anything they might have missed. I suggested Glenwood Caverns (a commercial cave system but spectacular nonetheless), one of the state's hot springs (even if developed), Yankee Boy Basin (or one of the other splendid cirques of the Colorado Rockies) and the Diamond on the east side of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. If you have any ideas, send them to coloradosunday@denverpost.com and/or add them as a comment here.

La Belle France

My husband and I have finished our annual three-week visit to France -- a vicarious road trip watching the televised Tour de France. Notwithstanding drug and doping scandals (unfortunate at best, a death knell for the Tour at worst), this three-week spectacle that starts in various places (London this year) and follows various routes (including dodging into adjacent countries) always ends up on the Champs-Elysées in Paris (right). It is not just a tour; it's a grand tour.

We don't follow too many other televised sports, but we are religious about watching the Tour de France. We started watching the Outdoor Life Network when Lance Armstrong blazed to victory after victory on the US Postal Team. Lance retired after his seventh win, OLN is now Versus and US Postal became the Team Discovery -- and will probably be something else next year.

We have been around France many times with commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the former a veteran cycling commentator and the latter once a racer himself, plus Bob Roll, Al Trautwig, Robbie Ventura and others. With them and the competitors, we have traveled at bike-racing speed through wonderful cities, the achingly beautiful countryside, the raw Alpine peaks and the precipitous Pyreneean mountains -- passing chateaux, vineyards and castle ruins. Tainted Tour or not, fans not only crowded on the high passes during mountain stages, at the finish lines of every stage and naturally, along the Champs-Elysees, but they also lined much of the 2,000-mile routeas the riders raced through villages and past farm fields and pastures. Hopefully, we'll vicariously take a tour of France next year with the riders and TV crew of the Tour de France.

Seats on Double-Decker Aircraft Inaugural on eBay

There were no extra seats on the Wright Brothers' flying machine at Kitty Hawk (1903) or on Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic air crossing on the 'Spirit of St. Louis" (1927). Subsequent commerical aviation landmarks -- Pan Am's inaugural China Clipper (1935), BOAC's first commercial jet flight from London to Johannesberg (1952), United's introduction of the Boeing 747 into regular service (1969) and the first (1976) and last (2003) commerical flights of the Concorde -- were increasingly recognized a special occasions in commercial transport and treated as public events.

Now, highly honored Singapore Airlines, the world's first airline to put the new Airbus A380 double-decker super-jumbo into service, is auctioning seats on the first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney and return in October 2007. All proceeds from the sale of tickets on the first flight will be donated to charities. Considering eBay to be a global marketplace, the airline will auction the seats online. All passengers will receive a personalized ceremonial certificate confirming they were part of the first-ever commercial A380 flight. ExxonMobil Aviation announced that will donate the fuel for these flights. significantly increasing the amount going to charity, and PayPal will rebate a portion of its fees and charges to help support the charities.

Proceeds will go in equal thirds to Singapore’s Community Chest, one-third split between the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, both in Sydney, and one-third to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).

Singapore Airlines and eBay will conduct the auction a few weeks prior to the flight. It is possible to pre-register for notification on auction details, including the date of the flight, on http://www.singaporeair.com/a380. It's not anything I can afford, but I find the concept of linking a history-making inaugural and an on-line charity auction to be intriguing. Still another welcome to the 21st century.

Virgin America to Take Off

Virgin America is set to launch next month, becoming the country's newest discount airline. But at this company, low fares don't equate to minimal amenities or low service. The carrier, a sibling to successful Virgin Atlantic, will offer first and economy class and promises to be the first U.S. airline with mood lighting; MP3s onboard every flight; outlets for 110v power; and an inflight entertainment system with satellite TV, games and more than two dozen pay-per-view movies. Passengers can order fresh food whenever they want it, from the screen at your seat. Impressively, Virgin America is a cashless airline. Place your meal order, swipe your card, and that's it. No more, "We appreciate the correct amount" from flight attendants.

Initially, Virgin America will serve Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington/Dulles (IAD) -- presumably to connect easily with Virgin Atlantic flights. LAX-SFO and LAX-JFK are the first routes to launch on August 8, with others to follow.

TSA Reverses Itself on Lighters

"Federal aviation authorities have decided to stop enforcing a two-year-old rule against taking cigarette lighters on airplanes, concluding that it was a waste of time to search for them before passengers boarded. The ban was imposed at the insistence of Congress after a passenger, Richard Reed, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami." So begins a story titled "U.S. Will Allow Most Types of Lighters on Planes" in today's New York Times.

It is not necessarily a bad thing to reverse a rule that was passed in response to one specific incident, but as usual, the the Transportation Security Administration can't do anything in a simple and straightforward way, such as permitting all cigarette lighters. The new policy, according to reporter Eric Lipton, "applies to disposable butane lighters, like Bics, and refillable lighters, like Zippos. Torch lighters, which have thin, hotter flames, will continue to be banned." Matches, he adds, have never been banned. Lipton further reports that the TSA has been confiscating an average of 22,000 lighters per day, a move that TSA assistant director described as "security theater,” adding that confiscated lights “trivializes the security process.” Furthermore, disposing of these lighters costs taxpayers $4 million annually.

Future policies reversals are still to come, according to Lipton. "A ban on liquids in containers greater than three ounces, which was imposed last summer after the disruption of a plot based in London to blow up planes headed to the United States, will remain in effect, but the security agency will modify its rules related to breast milk. Passengers will be allowed to carry breast milk in quantities greater than three ounces as long as it is declared for inspection at the security checkpoint. Currently, breast milk is allowed only if a passenger is traveling with an infant."

I wonder how the TSA is planning to differentiate between breast milk, formula or regular milk in a baby bottle. A TSA taste test, perhaps?

The article also noted that "in late 2005, security officials lifted a ban on small scissors, screwdrivers and other small tools, making a similar argument that searching for them was a waste of time."

I never thought of screenings as "security theater," but that's a wonderful way of characterizing shifting policies and differences from one country to another. I have previously written about Britain's draconian requirements for only one carry-on for flights departing from any U.K. airport but not those arriving there.

In Canada, where I recently took a domestic Quebec City-Toronto flight, passengers do not need to remove their shoes to shuffle through the medal detector. When transferring to a US-bound flight (Toronto-Denver in my case), off come the shoes. In Quebec City, I checked my bag at the small domestic terminal for the short Jazz flight to Toronto. I received my boarding pass, which I immediately had to show the security attendant at the X-ray machine into which passengers feed their checked luggage. This machine is perhaps 20 feet from the Jazz counter. From there, I walked another 20 feet to show my boarding pass and photo ID before passing into the room where the passenger screening takes place.

Then I walked a few more feet through a doorway, where someone else looked at my boarding pass and photo ID. I was metal detected (shoes on) then proceeded a short way to the gate. When boarding the aircraft, not only the boarding pass but the photo ID is again required. I think it's also security theater to show one's boarding pass and photo ID to a series of people who are practically within spitting distance of each other.

But then, security theater is one of the predominant themes of the 21st century -- 21st century travel in particular. Does it all make me feel safer? Not particularly. It can be more hazardous to be walking down the wrong street at the wrong time in midtown Manhattan just when an old steam pipe explodes, or to be traveling through Brazil's busiest airport, Sao Paolo, where the runway is too short (pilots have long complained) and one aircraft doesn't make it,

French Canada...The New Europe?

The once-mighty greenback is mighty no more. At least not these days. I just spent nine days in Montreal, Quebec City and elsewhere the Province of Quebec, and although the exchange rate between the US and Canadian dollars is less favorable than it was in the '90s, the monetary hit isn't all that much a sock in gut. Even five years ago, one US dollar bought nearly CDN$1.60. Now it's a bit over $1.04. Goods and services no longer seem like bargains, but they don't seem impossibly expensive either. You just calculate every expenditure one-to-one, so if you just consider the two kinds of dollars to be equal, paying isn't really painful.

Travel to Europe, on the other hand, is another way of saying "travelers' sticker shock." In a piece called "As the Dollar Crumbles, Tourists Overseas Reel," Mark Lander wrote in today's New York Times: "By now, five summers after the dollar began its long swoon against the euro and the pound, American travelers are used to $5 cups of coffee and triple-digit dinner checks in Europe’s great capitals. But the dollar’s latest plunge — to $2.05 to the pound and to a record of $1.38 to the euro — has turned mere sticker shock into a form of suspended disbelief for many tourists."

The piece is accompanied by a chart indicating that in 2000-2001, one US dollar spiked several times at nearly 1.20 euros and 60 British pence (.60 pound). Now, that dollar is worth about .67 euros and roughly 45 pence. The article noted that "many currency experts say the dollar — pulled down by the combination of a persistent trade deficit with the rest of the world, a slower American economy and an unexpectedly vigorous Europe — has not reached bottom against the euro."

So for a taste of Europe without crossing an ocean, head northeast to Quebec (the quaint old quarter of Quebec City is on the left). You can practice your high school French. You can see buildings erected when what is now a Canadian province was known as New France and was ruled by le roi who lived in the palace at Versailles. You can eat fabulous food, some of it prepared by chefs, bakers and cheesemakers who either emigrated to Canada from France or Canadians who went to France to hone their skills.

If you live in the Northeast, Quebec is an easy road trip from New York or New England, or a fast flight from New York or Boston. If you live elsewhere, there is increasing air service nonstop to Montreal (like the Air Canada flight I took) and abundant flights to Toronto, with a change of planes to Montreal or Quebec City.

Seven New Wonders Backstory

The global vote for the New 7 Wonders of the World announced on July 7, 2007, was as heavily hyped as American Idol or the long-ago "Who Shot J.R." episode of Dallas: A former UNESCO director-general and a panel of six leading architects who created a short list of 21 nominees. Opportunities to submit photos of oneself at one of the finalist sites. Twenty-one finalists. First example of worldwide election. On-line voting. One hundred million people did so. On-line shopping where one could buy memorabilia to show support for one's favorite. I have no idea how many people did that.

The winners, announced in random order ("All are equal," the organizers affirmed) were the Great Wall of China, Petra (Jordan), Chichén Itzá (Mexico), the Statue of Christ Redeemer, (Brazil), the Colosseum (Italy), Machu Picchu (Peru) and the Taj Mahal (India). But you probably know that, because it was all over the place.

As the New Wonders were appearing on every television news show and in every newspaper, I kept wondering, and perhaps you did too, about who started it all -- and why. From the organization's press release:

"In 1999, Bernard Weber (shown above left at the Acropolis in Athens, which was one of the 21 nominees but not a winner) had the vision of reviving the concept of the 7 Wonders of the World. To do so, he founded the non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, which organized this ambitious global campaign to elect the New 7 Wonders of the World. This modern campaign is based on the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, the list compiled by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C.

"The ancient list, compiled by one man, was made up of man-made monuments. They were: the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Pyramids of Egypt. Today, only the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt remain. Philon’s selection of wonders was essentially a travel guide for fellow Athenians, and its stunning sites were all located around the Mediterranean basin, the then-known world.

"The New7Wonders campaign not only recognizes that our modern world is much larger and more diverse than that known to the Greeks 2,200 years ago. This time, the New 7 Wonders of the World will not have been chosen by one man, but rather by millions of people across the globe—from every single country in the world. The New 7 Wonders are the people’s choices, drawn from a list of finalists that includes
structures from the earliest time that humankind walked upon the earth through the 20th century.

"The New7Wonders campaign is not only the first-ever global vote, but also the only election in which children can take part—a unique exercise in worldwide democracy!

"Structure
"The New7Wonders Foundation, established in 2001, is committed to investing 50% of excess revenue in global good causes related to monument documentation and preservation (the remaining 50% goes to maintaining the Foundation and to future projects). The status as a Swiss-registered foundation guarantees independence and a stated philanthropic aim. New7Wonders has officially contributed to “Presence Switzerland” Swiss government image presentations, such as during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and as part of the Swiss Pavilion at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan.

"Two subordinate entities, the NewOpenWorld Foundation and the NewOpenWorld Corporation, support the New7Wonders Foundation in its work. The NewOpenWorld Foundation is responsible for running the New7Wonders campaigns, while the NewOpenWorld Corporation is the commercial licensing arm, enabling New7Wonders to financially support itself to continue its work bringing the people of the world together to celebrate our common heritage."

Much like during the time of the ancients, tourism promotion drums are beating hard to lure visitors to all these sites. Now, the drumbeats are television and print and on-line promotional efforts. It's a natural for travelers. We look at the seven sites and click off how many we have seen. For me, for example, it's three seen (Colisseum, Chichén Itzá, Great Wall) and four to go. What about you? The organization's next effort will be the 7 Natural Wonders. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the Egyptians seem alternatively miffed and puzzled. Of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza on the outskirts of Cairo remains. A few columns -- one standing, some fragments on the ground -- are still around from the Temple of Diana (Artemis) near Ephesus in present-day Turkey. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Iraq), the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greece), the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (near Bodrum in Turkey), the Colossus of Rhodes (a Mediterranean island off Greece) and the Lighthouse of Alexandria (Egypt) have disappeared. I wonder what will become of the New 7 Wonders in millennia to come.

Voyages au Quebec

I've been in Quebec for about a week, running from pillar to post to see a lot and do a lot in too little time. Here are a few highlights:

Flora and the International District, Montreal

This outdoor display of fabulous gardens set against abandoned grain elevators along Montreal's riverfront (left). Great for gardening and landscaping ideas, for getting away from the bustling city, great for celebrating the remarkable renaissance of this vibrant city's most historic regions -- and the seamless interviewing of exciting new design with the old.

Montreal Jazz Festival and Quebec City Summer Festival

Music, music and more music at venues all over both cities. Jazz, of course, plus pop, rock, folk, Quebecois and world music turn la belle province into la province musicale.

Zoo Sauvage, St.-Felicien

Sauvage is the French word for wild, not savage, and the Zoo Sauvage is a reserve, preserve, tourist attraction, educational organization and research facility on the boreal zone, particularly in North America. The boreal forest, the plains, mountain and tundra habitats are preserved or recreated there, and some 80 species live semi-wild -- free to roam but fed to keep conflicts to a minimum. Most visitors take a walk along some habitats and take a ride in a caged train along a 7-kilometer route through open range where seeing deer, bears, caribou and bison is virtually assured. French-speaking re-enactors add a bit of cultural history to the mix. An intimate camp of tent cabins provides a memorable overnight experience.

La Musee Amerindien de Mashteuiatsch, Mashteuiatsch

This small museum explains and celebrates the culture, history and tradition of First Nations communities in Quebec. Beautifully displayed artifacts and informative interpretation show what these communities have in common and where their differences lie. Right now, some knowledge of French is helpful-- but everyone can understand the language of culture and creativity.

Ecce Mundo, Chicoutimi

This lively cabaret featuring local dancers and singers is a six-week summer classic in the largest town in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region. The elaborate production takes place on the campus of the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi. Lively and energetic, 40 entertainers wearing a total of 700 costumes make for a very entertaining evening. Pick a dinner or brunch show -- or just the show.

Southwest Airlines Now Accepts PayPal

Travelers can now use PayPal, the eBay-owned electronic-payment system, to purchase Southwest tickets on the their PayPal accounts. Last month, Northwest Airlines made a similar announcement to accept PayPal, so I'm wondering whether this will soon become standard in the airline industry. PayPal, launched in 1998 to enable people to send and receive electronic payments without disclosing financial information the way a bank or other credit card provider might require, reportedly processed more than $38 billion in transactions last year. Google launched a payment system called Checkout in 2006. I can see it now: fare wars coupled with payment-processing battles.

Montreal and Quebec City, Redux

Wa-a-a-ay redux!

My first travel experience to another country was a trip to Montreal when I was 4. I remember donning a yellow slicker and riding on 'The Maid of the Mist' to Niagara Falls. I remember staying at a B&B , then called a "tourist home," next to an orchard. The family had a fruit stand and let me sit on the stand and "help" sell apples. And I remember the Montreal home of Madame Nicole, who had been a circus dwarf and lived in a rowhouse somewhere in Montreal. I was enchanted that the furniture and bathroom and kitchen fixtures were just my size. I remember being enchanted. Madame Nicole herself bade her visitors farewell at the exit to the house. There she was -- about my height but with a large, adult head. I remember starting to cry and my father carrying me out. This may have gotten twisted in my memory, because I can find no reference to Madame Nicole by Googling. But it is etched indelibly in my mind.

A decade later, we came to Quebec City. We wandered old cobblestoned streets. We stayed in a small inn along Grand Allée Est. We roamed the quiet and picturesque streets of the old city. French was spoken all around. We watched a Buckingham Palace-style changing of the guard. We drove out of the city to the rural Isle d'Orleans, the cascade of Montomorency Falls, and the forested highway to Chicoutimi. And we ate two or three times at Restaurant Le Vendome. It was the first time I had tasted real French onion soup, any boeuf bourginonne other than beef stew into which some well-meaning Connecticut cook had poured some lousy red wine and creme caramel that was way better than any custard pudding I had every eaten. I felt like a real sophisticate.

I have been in both cities on and off over the years, both summer and winter. I visited Montreal earlier this week. Since my childhood visit, the entire Province of Quebec has flirted with secession from Canada. Montreal has hosted a World's Fair (1967) and a Summer Olympics (1976), and has remade itself into a modern, international city with notable architecture and a distinctive flair. I am in Quebec City now. It is more beautiful than ever -- romantic in yesterday's drizzle and dazzling in today's brilliant sunshine. And Le Vendome is still here (36 Cote de la Montagne, Quebec City; 418-692-0557).

Those first two visits were largely responsible for my yen to travel (crying at Madame Nicole's notwithstanding) and eventually choosing to write about it. It's good to be back to my travel-writing roots.

Would-Be Jumper Delays Train

Last evening, we left Montreal by Via Rail, expecting to arrive in Quebec City in two hours and 59 minutes. We departed only a few minutes late, crossed the St. Lawrence River and passed farmlands and small towns without incident. Then, we stopped at the station in Charny and we didn't move. Eventually, the word came down that a man was on the bridge, threatening to jump. Eventually, we were told to get all our luggage off the train because buses would be sent.

It is not surprising that a jumper might choose the Quebec Railway Bridge. To railfans and those who are interested in major civil engineering projects, it is iconic. It rises some 46 meters (more than 150 feet) above the St. Lawrence River and is 987 meters (about 3,000 feet) long and boasts the world's longest cantilever span. On August 29, 1907, while it was under construction, a large section of the bridge collapsed, something engineers had begun to fear. A telegram with a stop-work order had not reached the worksite in time, and 84 workers were killed. In 1914, construction began for a second time. On September 11, 1916, while attempting to connect a steel center span to the newly completed north and south cantilever spans, a support on the lifting apparatus fractured, plunging the new section into the river. Thirteen more workers were killed. Finally, on September 17, 1917, another replacement span was put into place. The bridge finally opened on December 3, 1917.

Today the bridge carries both rail and vehicular traffic. Our bus rolled into Quebec City two hours or so late, but our inconvenience paled before the desperation someone felt that would cause him to want to become another casualty on this bridge. The news came this morning that negotiators were successful in talking him down.

Amenities on Air Canada -- in Coach

I flew from Denver to Montreal on an Air Canada non-stop, a flight that did not exist last time I came this way when a plane change was required in Toronto. The aircraft this time was an Airbus 319 with some of the best entertainment and electronics features I have ever seen in coach. Even in economy, each passenger has a personal touch-screen monitor with a choice of such entertainment as audio, television and on-demand movies (right). There's also an electrical outlet for plugging in a laptop!

Like many US domestic airlines, Air Canada has pared down its inflight service to he bare minimum. The complimentary non-alcoholic beverages are not even accompanied by pretzels or a couple of cookies. Air Canada sells blankets, but you can take them home with you, should you wish to. Meals are also for sale, but I didn't bother either.

The flight attendants were pleasant and frequently came up and down the aisle offering water. That, coupled with the customizable entertainment and a good book, made the time inflight pass fairly quickly.

ATM Advice

I couldn't travel without ATMs. If I am traveling domestically, it seems that I always am cash-poor when I arrive at the airport, and when I am traveling to another country, it's the easiest way to get foreign currency. I prefer using my American Express card because, unlike my Chase Visa, AmEx does not levy a usurious fee on top of the modest transaction fee charged by the bank that owns the ATM. In the past, when I've used an ATM that accepts Visa but not AmEx, I've swallowed hard and accepted the inevitable Chase charge. The Royal Bank of Canada ATM at Montreal's Dorval Airport didn't display the AmEx logo, but I tried it anyway. It worked. I concluded that it is worthwhile to try your favorite credit or debit card no matter what. It might work.

Sometimes nothing works. When my husband and I were on Easter Island last fall, we walked across town to the island's single ATM. There was, predictably, a long line. When it was finally our turn, the machine would only take my Visa card -- not take my husband's MasterCard and certain not my AmEx card. I then concluded that it is sometimes worthwhile to try any credit or debit card your have with you, no matter what. One of them might work.

Flight Delays Bad and Getting Worse

Today's New York Times business section features a piece called "Ugly Airline Math: Planes Late, Fliers Even Later." To read the whole piece, click soon, because free access to Times articles scrolls off after a week. Reporters Jeff Bailey and Nate Schweber wrote: "As anyone who has flown recently can probably tell you, delays are getting worse this year. The on-time performance of airlines has reached an all-time low, but even the official numbers do not begin to capture the severity of the problem.

"That is because these statistics track how late airplanes are, not how late passengers are. The longest delays — those resulting from missed connections and canceled flights — involve sitting around for hours or even days in airports and hotels and do not officially get counted."

I never really thought about that, but it's true that passenger lateness for connecting flights is really what counts when we are the passengers in question -- not whether one single flight is 15 or 20 minutes late. My longest delay ever (and I hope never to trump it, ever) was 11 years ago, when my husband, my son and a friend were returning from Tanzania. We were flying KLM from Arusha to Amsterdam with a stop in Dar es Salaam and then connecting to Detroit and Denver. Someone rammed into the cargo door of our aircraft with a forklift (a total accident, not a terr'ist incident). Bottom line is that we ended up flying two two airlines we hadn't planned to fly (an Air Tanzania charter, followed by a three-movie flight in the crying children's section of Air Madagascar) via three countries we hadn't planned to stop in (Kenya, Germany, France). We arrived home almost three days late.

Our misery was on international flights, but the reporters note that "In the first five months of 2007, more than a quarter of all flights within the United States arrived at least 15 minutes late. And more of those flights were delayed for long stretches, an average of 39 percent longer than a year earlier....

"Some other airline delay statistics, meanwhile, are getting a fresh look, as well. After thousands of passengers were stranded for hours on tarmacs in New York and Texas this past winter, consumer advocates began complaining that Transportation Department data does not accurately track such meltdowns.

"If a flight taxies out, sits for hours, and then taxies back in and is canceled, the delay is not recorded. Likewise, flights diverted to cities other than their destination are not figured into delay statistics."

Using Continental Airlines as an example, the reporters noted, "Continental operates big hubs in Houston and Newark and one day last week, 1,658 passengers missed connections, which was 4.29 percent of those connecting. That is a typical level of missed connections, but Continental’s flights that day were 89.6 percent full, so finding seats on later flights for some passengers was difficult.

"The airline alters its schedule when flights chronically lead to missed connections. For instance, it recently extended by 10 minutes minimum connection times in Houston for passengers traveling from Panama City, Panama, because some were not clearing customs in time.
Continental also has a new system that sends e-mail messages — and, beginning next month, text messages to cellphones — informing connecting passengers on late flights how they have been rebooked.

"It also is moving ticket kiosks inside the security area so passengers can print new boarding passes without going out to the main ticketing area or having to wait in line for a gate agent to help them."

I'm flying again tomorrow -- Air Canada, not Continental, and a nonstop rather than a connecting flight. Wish me luck anyway.

Does Anyone Read Those Comment Cards?

Restaurants, hotels and even airlines often have them, and I usually fill them out. I compliment people, policies, practices or physical facilities that deserve praise, and I'm quick to identify flaws. I've often thought, however, that it was a way to vent but have had no idea whether anyone reads them or whether it is a big waste if time. I've even pondered whether comments are treated differently if they are dropped into a box on-site or mailed to a corporate office. Determining whether a complaint was ever dealt with is impossible -- except for travelers who frequent the same hotel or restaurant. I just hope that the travel industry does pay attention what its customers have to say. But I don't know. And I have wondered.

I'm a big fan of Christopher Elliott's website and weekly newsletter. He evidently has also wondered whether anyone pays attention to comment cards. This week he wrote: "Burning question ... Do you feel as if your airline, hotel, car rental company or cruise line is listening to you? You've no doubt seen those guest-comment cards in your hotel room. Do you think anyone is reading them? How about when you phone your airline? Do you feel there's someone on the other end who cares? Here's your chance to sound off about the travel industry's listening skills. Are they getting better at it -- or worse? Send me a note to chris@elliott.org or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM)."

Since he is a persistent and respected consumer advocate in the travel industry, take him up on his invitation and contact him -- because our collective comments as travelers will definitely count. When he writes, the travel industry does listen.

Frontier Commuter Poised for Take-Off

Lnyx Aviation, Frontier Airlines' new regional commuter, is slated to begin service in early October between Denver and four smaller cities using 74-seat Q400 aircraft: Billings, MT (replacing Frontier's current 737 jet service) and new routes to Wichita, Sioux City and Rapid City. Evenutally, once Federal Aviation Administration approval has been granted, Lynx service is antiticipated for mountain-resort airports as close as Vail and as far as Jackson Hole. Lynx will be flying aircraft with noise-abatement technology.

Molokai Impressions

I've been trying to wrap my mind around Moloka'i for the past week, but in many ways, this simple island is the most complex. Simple: 7,000 to 8,000 people. Two towns. No stoplights. One fast-food chain eatery (Subway). No fancy highrise hotels. Only one golf course. Complex: The island is the guardian and resuscitator of Hawaiian language (history, music, dance, spirituality). The complexity remains in my mind. Consider these impressions to be merely a place-holder.

• Much of the land has a gentle prettiness rather than rugged beauty -- the most notable exception being the sheer cliffs of the north coast. At up to 3,900 feet, they are the world's highest.
• The main town, Kaunakakai, resembles a middle American farm town of the nostalgic past. The pace is leisurely. The friendly merchants, who know all their patrons, provide all the necessities but no frou-frou luxuries.
• The mule ride to Kaluapapa, the notorious former leper colony, takes visitors to a poignant past. Until the discovery of drugs to arrest the disease, relocation to the colony was considered a death sentence. Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope -- respectively a Belgian priest and a German-born nun -- worked with patients suffering from Hansen's Disease. He is the patron saint of Hawaii; she is on track for canonization as well.
• Papohaku Beach, also called Three Mile Beach, is the island's longest -- and among the emptiest, most pristine stretches of sand in all of Hawai'i.
• The broad category of kupuna music is thriving on Moloka'i. This seductive melange of instrumental and vocal sounds, preserved and often played by honored elders and those who learn from them, crystallizes the magic and mystique of the Hawaiian Islands. The blending of such sounds as the ukulele and slack string guitar with melodious voices is as warm and caressing as a tropical breeze. The accompanying traditional dance form of hula is gentle, sensuous and natural, far from the grass-skirted, hip-swiveling show-time performances.
• Hiking deep into the Halawa Valley on the far eastern end of the island was one of the most moving experiences of my travel life. There, a determined visionary named Lawrence Aki is restoring his family's traditional taro fields and introducing visitors to the history and spirituality of the Hawai'ian peoples via his cultural guided hikes on private land to a beautiful waterfall.
• Ancient fish ponds -- some right along coastal road on the island's south side -- demonstrate how inventive native Hawaiians were about assuring an abundant supply of food from the sea.
• The contrast between the luxurious and beautifully appointed Lodge at Molokai Ranch and the barebones, beachside comfort of the tentalows (tent + bungalow = tentalow) at Kaupoa Beach gives visitors a choice of place to stay. There are a few other low-key hotels, B&B's, a few condo complexes, one timeshare project and ample camping opportunities. A low-rise Sheraton is closed but might eventually reopen as a condo-hotel or something. There is only one golf course. So far, Moloka'i has no highrises, no megaresorts, no conference hotels -- and I for one hope that it will remain that low-key and tranquil for residents and visitors alike.