Happy New Year

Best wishes for happy, healthy, safe, enlightening and enjoyable travels in 2008.

Spare Lithium Batteries Banned from Checked Baggage

The Transportation Security Agency is at it again. Here's the latest rule that makes no sense: If you are flying today, you are allowed to have a spare lithium battery or two in your checked baggage. Starting tomorrow (January 1, 2008), you won't be. Cameras, DVD players or laptop computers containing lithium batteries will continue to be permitted in checked luggage, though I can't imagine who in their right mind would place such items in their checked bags, which not only official TSA meddlers but random baggage handlers can riffle through.

Additionally, you still will be permitted to have carry up to two spare extended-life rechargeable lithium batteries in your carry-on bag, but (and there's always a but) they must be either in their original packaging or in a plastic zipper bag. As far as I know, there is no requirement as to the size of the zipper bag, though most travelers probably have a supply of the one-quart version in which they display their small quantities of toothpaste, contact lens solution, lip balm, moisturizing lotion and other liquids or gels.

Why the new rule? The potential of fire in the cargo hold, claims the ever-on-the-ball STA. Here's the backstory: In February 2006, a fire of still-unknown origin (as far as I can tell) damaged a UPS DC-8 cargo plane that made an emergency landing. The crew evacuated. The National Transportation Safety Board investigating conducted hearings about the incident that focused on a container holding lithium batteries but reportedly did not find any proof that the fire was caused by lithium batteries in the cargo. However, perhaps to justify that there was some legitimate concern, concluded batteries, common in high-tech devices, leave cargo crews "at risk from in-flight fires."

So now, nearly two years after an inflight fire on a cargo plane that was not traced to lithium batteries, passengers may longer have spare batteries in their checked luggage. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it!

In Snow Country, Life Is Good

Skiers in Colorado and elsewhere have put up with long holiday liftlines, cold, wind and crowded on-mountain restaurants. But snow conditions are great, and that's all that matters. Each resort posts its own snow conditions, but here are links to some statewide and regional US snow reports. In each case, click on "snow consitions," "ski conditions" or "ski reports":

Colorado
Lake Tahoe (CA/NV)
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Utah
Vermont

Also, Better Ski Report, On the Snow, Ski Report and SnoCountry are among the services that issue click-to reports on all desintations in a state.

Plunging Dollar Makes US a Bargain Destination for Others

When any country's balance of payments is so out of balance that one end of the economic seesaw seems mired in the muck, imports are expensive and makes travel to other countries expensive. The plunging dollar has put all but the most well-off American travelers in the unaccustomed situation of having fewer affordable options. On the other hand, the US is now a very, very attractive travel destination for many foreigners -- except, of course, for the visa hassles they have to endure just to be allowed to come and spend their money here.

Yet visiting the US is such a fantastic bargain for Canadians, South Americans, Brits, Germans and other western Europeans and the growing class of wealthy Russians, Poles and assorted others from once-Communist eastern Europe that they are putting up with US red tape and coming here in record droves. People from some of the places have traditionally visited the US, but some are new.

My observation is not statistical but empirical. We are at Snowmass near Aspen now (which we can only afford at the highest of high seasons because we have friends who had the foresight to build a house here in the 1970s). On chairlifts and in liftlines, on the street and in stores, we hear a variety of languages. We stopped to chat with a veteran Aspen Realtor (a longtime friend of our host) who told us that real estate sales in the Roaring Fork Valley -- a high-rent district if ever there was one -- have finally tapered off, except for foreign buyers.

I love the internationalism. I like it when others can come here and see our beautiful land and get to know Americans other than through newspaper headlines and television news reports. But I regret the fact that many middle-class Americans, financially squeezed now in so many ways, will no longer find foreign travel affordable or even feasible.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime," wrote Mark Twain in Innocents Abroad. It is gratifying that thousands of others are able to experience our little corner of the earth but sad that due to the declining dollar, many Americans are stuck in it.

TSA Views Pie as Security Threat

What would be do without the Transportation Security Agency to kick around? Laugh at FEMA? No that would be cruel, because FEMA deals with real crises (or is supposed to), while the TSA seems to have been created only to annoy travelers. Consider the situation Jessica Bruder found herself in when flying out of Portland, OR. " She wrote in a piece called "At airport screening pie in the sky might be overly optimistic" in the San Francisco Chronicle. She wrote: "I already knew my baking was hazardous. I'm good at burning crusts, mangling fillings and setting off smoke detectors. But I never thought of it as a threat. At least not in the national security sense."

Her tale went on to describe her exchanges with the TSA screener, "If my pie made the no-fly list, my boyfriend and I would arrive in Illinois empty-handed. This was my first visit to his family. We had no other offerings for the Thanksgiving table. And what would we tell them, anyway? 'The TSA ate my pie?'"

As bone-headed as agents have veen since 9/11, they're getting worse, but this one takes the cake -- or should I say, pie.

Walking the Walk -- or Driving the Drive

My last pre-Christmas post was a review of winter driving tips. Today, we are taking off for the Snowmass-Aspen area. Right now, the sky is blue, the sun is out, there is no wind and the fresh-fallen snow is beautiful, even on Colorado's Front Range. We expect good road conditions and excellent visibility today, but who knows what will happen in the next few days. I'll report on our drive (if it's worth mentioning) and about our ski escape.

Merry, Happy and All That

Winter Driving Reminders

If you are heading for snow country this holiday season, be equipped, be carefuly, stay alert, hope that other drivers don't do anything stupid and have a great time. Bob and Tom Maliozzi (National Public Radio's Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers) have posted some sage advice on how to ready your car for winter, but if you have done so yet, it's a big late for this holiday week. AAA is also good source for winter driving tips -- both how to equip your vehicle and how to drive on snow and ice.

Vehicles with all-wheel or four-wheel drive and good tires are best suited to a lot of winter driving. In some locales, non-worn-down, all-weather tires will do, but elsewhere, special snow or ice tires, studded if your state permits, if you will be drive in harsh weather are best. Chains are an option. Blankets, flares and a shovel are the basic emergency equipment. Cell phones are useful but not always reliable in deep mountain valleys or remote areas, so don't consider a mobile phone to be your only emergency item.

"A Mountain Guide to Winter Driving" published recently in Colorado's Summit Daily News also discussed what to do when you have lost control on a slippery road. Kasmin Esmail, an instructor at the Audi Club of North America Ice Driving School in Georgetown told reporter Melanie Wong, "Smooth equals control." Slamming on the brakes causes the slip, slide or skid to get worse.

AAA gives the following advice:

>Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Appling the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for retraining traction and avoiding skids. Don't try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
>Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning - nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
>The normal dry pavement following distance of two to three seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety in front will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
>Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
>Don't stop if you can avoid it. There's a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until the light changes, do it.
>Don't power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.
>Don't stop going up a hill. There's nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
>Stay home. If you really don't have to go out, don't. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don't tempt fate: If you don't have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.

For skiers, that last piece of advice is not an option, especially in a winter like this where snow conditions are excellent in most parts of the snowbelt.

Don't Drink the Water? Don't Use the Hotel's Glasses!

Like big bars of designer soaps rather than wrapped mini-bars of Dial or Ivory, I have always thought that real glass drinking glasses rather than plastic-wrapped plastic glasses were a sign of hotel quality. I am now on the verge of changing my mind. A health site called mercola.com offers a post called "Beware About Drinking Out of Your Hotel Room Glasses." Take a look, and if you have a strong stomach, click to play the video too. Not to put too fine a spin on the situation, but the little white paper caps that housekeepers place on "clean" drinking glasses seem to add insult to injury.

Please know that I am not a clean freak, I don't squeeze hand sanitizer on my paws every few minutes, I believe in "eat a peck of dirt in a lifetime" and I'm generally not a squeamish traveler, which is probably a reason that I don't get sick very often -- and I've never gotten sick while traveling. However, and this is a big however, vulnerable people certainly can get sick -- and the rest of us might simply feel sick when we think of how some hotels don't adhere to the basic standards of cleanliness and hygiene that I'm sure are required in most jurisdictions. The hotels that were visited in this video were not fleabag, no-tell motels but name chains. Cobb County is the area around Marietta, GA. Health inspectors are all over restaurants, but I wonder how often they check on hotels.

Elliott Cites 'Travel Babel' as Inspiring Travel Blog

What a fabulous holiday gift I received yesterday from Christopher Elliott! In his super-influential, consumer-oriented, ombudsman-y blog of travel tips and news, he just named Travel Babel as one of "The 20 Most Inspiring Travel Blogs of 2007." He selected it, because, "Claire Walter’s travel blog delivers a compelling mix of consumer travel news and destination information." You'll have to click on the link above to read his reasons for selecting the others.

In his introduction, he wrote, "Which travel blogs inspire me to travel, and to write about it? I’ve already weighed in on the most influential blogs of the year and hotel blogs worth bookmarking. But a lot of you have asked me which sites I read just for the fun of it (in other words, because I think they’re really good)."

His list is as follows:

• Aviation Daily on Airports
• Barrier Free Travels
• Cheapest Destinations
• The Best Travel Photographers
• Flight Wisdom
• Gridskipper
• Intelligent Travel
• LL World Tour
• Lonely Planet
• Safe Cruise
• Ship Critic
• The Blog of Tim Ferriss
• TravelBlog
• TravelPod
• Travel Babel - You're here, so I'm not adding a link, and I certainly do hope you come back.
• Travel Maven
• Travel Rants
• Travels With Jane
• Vagabonding
• World Hum

As usual, when Chris Elliott cyber-talks, I cyber-listen, and I now have some additional blogs to visit regularly.

Thirty Ways to Get Cheap Air Fares

Not "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover" but way more useful suggestions if you are planning a trip. A blog topic that I've long planned to check into is websites and services for finding discount air fares, bargain air fares, low fares, air fare specials and all the other options for saving money on air transportation. I haven't gotten around to it, because it is a daunting chore, so I'm delighted to have been beaten to it.

Travel Hacker posted "30 Places to Find Cheap Airline Tickets." These are broken down into three broad categories: Tools and Resources, Consolidators and Discount Agencies, and Helpful Websites. I don't know whether these were checked out in any way or only researched, but the list is a really good start for any traveler looking for good deals. Be sure to read the comments, because they make further suggestions, bringing the resource list up past 30.

Plan to Relieve NY Airport Congestion

Chronic delays into and out of New York's three airports -- LaGuardia (LGA), Newark (EWR) and John F. Kennedy (JFK) -- tax airlines' operations and give travelers collective apoplexy. New York's coastal weather is one of the problems. It can be rainy, foggy, snowy, etc. Take-off and landing capacity is another. JFK has four runways, EWR has three and LGA only two. By contrast, Denver International Airport has six runways.

Another problem is that meaningful infrastructure expansion (terminals, parking, runways, etc.) is virtually impossible at any of these airports without demolishing homes, businesses and highways. Another problem specific to JFK is that airlines currently are permitted schedule as many flights as they want whenever they wish -- and they all seem to want to schedule them at the same peak times. Conga lines for departing aircraft are epic. and landing delays are not unusual. Beyond that, when aircraft are stacked up at New York's airports, they aren't flying the rest of their routes. In fact, it has been reported that two-thirds of the nation's air delays are caused by New York's chronic air traffic mess.

The government is now hoping to limit flights to New York airports in order to unclog the rest of the system. US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced that airlines have agreed to cap the number of hourly departures and arrivals, reducing them from up to 100 per hour to more than 83. The government also wants to to prevent airlines from moving flights from JFK to the other two airports, which would shift the overall problem but not solve it.

"Airlines will be able to shift their flights to times of the day when airlines have unused capacity," Peters said. "Stopping the overload in peak hours will make for a significant, significant reduction in delays in the New York region."


Currently, the forthcoming new limits are voluntary, but the FAA could impose limits if airlines
do not voluntarily cut back. They're slated to go into effect in March and last for two trial years.

Air News Exotica

Ever feel that news of United, American, Soutwest, et al. is just a tad mundane? If so, here's some airline news to tickle your wanderlust.

Emirates Airline is now flying nonstop between the Houston (IAH) and Dubai (DXB). The carrier currently flies three weekly flights (Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Houston) between these two places where oil is arguably the biggest businss. Daily service is to begin on February 1, 2008.

SilverJet is booking all-business-class flights between New York and London at the (relatively) inexpensive fare of $1,999 roundtrip between Newark (EWR) and London Luton (LTN). Tickets must be purhcased by December 20. The airline flies two daily roundtrips, with private terminals on both ends. Speaking of Dubai, the New York-Dubai roundtip fare is $3,690 in January and Feburary. SilverJet quotes fares to include all taxes and fees. SilverJetSet is the carrier's new loyality program.

Aeromexico now operates three weekly flights between Los Angeles and Puerto Peñasco (PPE) This destination, also known as Rocky Point, is yet another "former fishing village" (like Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco and others) in the State of Sonora that is now a burgeoning resort and real-estate development area. The major property, Las Palomas, is oriented to golfers, families and presumably, golfing families.

If US regulatory agencies agree, Lufthansa could own 19 percent of JetBlue. And if that happens, JetBlue could become part of the Star Alliance along with United, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, BMI, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Scandinavia, Shanghai, Singapore, South African, Spanair, Swiss, TAP, Thai and USAir. In theory, travelers will have greater opporunity to accumulate and redeem miles. In practice, the accumulating seems a lot easier than the redeeming.

Canadian-based, low-fare carrier Zoom Airlines, which currently has translantic service from Canada and Bermuda and also daily flights between New York and London/Gatwick (LGW), plans to twice-weekly San Diego (SAN)-London service on June 20 and London-Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and London-Denver (DEN) service later next year.

At New York's JFK International Airport, Swiss International Air Lines is about to move from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4. The move should be complete on December 20.

Scandinavian Airlines’ Winter Fare Sale is discounting fares booked online by December 21 for travel between January 7 and March 13 from New York (EWR), Chicago (ORD), Seattle (SEA) or Washington, D.C. (IAD) to any of more than 20 European cities. The prices can't be bear for travelers who nab such roundtrip fares as Chicago-Oslo for $450 and Seattle-Paris for $568, with taxes additional. Getting there is a deal. Being able to afford to be there with the miserably low dollar is another story.

Air Zealand is promoting roundtip fares between Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) and Auckland (AKL) for flights departing the US between March 1 and March 31 for $1,098. While it's still winter, it's summer down under, and the carrier says that tickets for this Summer Sale must be purchased by December 31. Stops in Christchurch (CHC), Wellington (WLG) and Queenstown (ZQN) are an additional $120.

Frontier Airlines is now flying between Albuquerque (ABQ) and Puerto Vallarta' (PVR).

BC Ferries Gets New Vessels; SuperFerry Now Running

From the historic Staten Island ferry to the fabulous Puget Sound ferries, and all others in North America and elsewhere, I like ferry transportation. Fast, fun and efficient, ferries move people with or without vehicles across rivers, harbors and larger bodies of water. Ferries, in short, are a sensible and pleasurable transportation option in watery places.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I spent a week in British Columbia, traveling to and from Vancouver Island via BC Ferries. Every boat loaded and unloaded punctually, and the crossings were really pleasant. There was even live entertainment on longer crossings.

B.C. Ferries has welcomed the "Coastal Renaissance" (above left, near Vancouver's Lions' Gate Bridge) after a 48-day, 9,990-nautical-mile journey from a German shipyard. Wrapped with a massive photographic "invitation" to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the "Coastal Renaissance" sailed into Victoria, Vancouver and finally Nanaimo, where she is now docked for her final inspections.

The 160-meter vessel accommodates 370 vehicles and 1,600 passengers. Beginning in March 2008, she will operate between British Columbia's Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, reportedly one of the most popular ferry routes in the world. Later in 2008, she will be joined by the "Coastal Inspiration" linking Tsawwassen on the Lower Mainland and Duke Point in Nanaimo, and "Coastal Celebration" betweenTsawwassen and Swartz Bay, the main terminal for Victoria.

All three Super C-class vessels, the world's largest double-ended ferries, will provide what are described as "enhanced food and retail services," work stations and play areas, and also greater accessibility for travelers with disabilities. The Super Cs are powered by a fuel-efficient diesel-electric propulsion system. First launched in 1960 with two vessels and two terminals, BC Ferries is now a large and sophisticated ferry transportation systems with 37 vessels that serve up to 47 diverse ports of call along the coast of British Columbia. You cam find schedules and rates online. Information and reservations are also available at 888-BCFERRY (888-223-3779) (or *BCF on a cell phone).

Hawaii SuperFerry Update

Meanwhile, partway across the Pacific, Hawaii SuperFerry finally began operating interisland service on December 13 after several delays, including environmental issues. Still pending are forthcoming results from an Environment Impact Statement. Because I love ferries, I was pretty excited about this one when it was announced, but issues involving whales and other marine wildlife have curbed my enthusiasm for this high-speed catamaran. I'll reserve ny personal, non-expert judgment for the EIS. The phone number is 1-877-HI-FERRY (877-443-3779).

Think Winter, Not Windjammers

I live in Colorado and had a fantastic few days at Beaver Creek last weekend and a great day of midweek skiing at Copper Mountain yesterday, with dry pavement on Interstate 70, no traffic, no liftlines and no crowds. My husband and I are looking forward to a few days between Christmas and New Years at Snowmass, where good friends have a home that we are fortunate to visit now and again. It's snowing in Boulder right now, and snow accumulations and ski conditions at Colorado resorts are fantastic as I write this.

Unlike a poorly run small cruise ship company, all ski resorts are regulated by various state and federal agencies, and no big resort is going to stop operating its lifts, even if it is in financial straits or legal hassles over ownership. Personally, I really do love snow season and rarely have a desire to leave it for the tropics.

Meanwhile, those who have wanted to sail through tropical islands on a tall ship have increasing been, to put it crudely, screwed. I have reported previously on the meltdown of Windjammer Barefoot Cruises (go to Labels on the left side of this page, click on "Cruise Ships" and scroll down to relevant posts).

A couple of days ago, the Miami Herald ran a story called "Windjammer Woes Worsen." Reporter Patrick Danner wrote:

"The financially ailing Miami Beach company had planned to resume sailing
one of the ships this past weekend, but canceled after it failed to ''overcome
the vast difficulties and roadblocks that have hampered [its] operation of
late,'' the company said on an online message board popular with Windjammer
aficionados.

"It's the fifth time a sailing on the Legacy has been canceled since a son of Windjammer's legendary founder Mike Burke announced the cruise line would restart on Nov. 3.

"The company has set a Jan. 5 target date to resume sailing the Legacy, but
it's not supposed to sell trips because its state license has expired. More than
100 customer complaints have been filed with Florida agencies. Meanwhile, Windjammer's vessels still are detained in various Caribbean ports, encumbered by liens....

"Joey Burke, who has been trying to revive the business started by his
father 60 years ago, said he had been advised by an attorney for the family
trust that now owns Windjammer not to say anything because there is a
reorganization in the works that involves outside investors. Previous attempts
to land investors, however, have not panned out. One purported investor has even
sued Windjammer, accusing it of 'double-dealing'' by negotiating with
other parties."

Here are excerpts from five posts to message boards and from the Herald's discussion board responding to the hardly unexpected news (names unnecessary):

"How Sad! I noticed it a while back but then the site came back and working
so I thought.... well maybe they pulled it off but I guess not."

"No Windjammers for me this year. [A co-worker] has not gotten her money back from booking with the Poly, but luckily she arranged her airfare separate and got
that transferred. has not gotten her money back from booking with the Poly, but
luckily she arranged her airfare separate and got that transferred."

"I certainly hope that Windjammer can get started again. I purchased a
'sail 5' package and used only one sail. They still owe me four more sails. I'm
not happy about the possibility of losing $4000."

"Well, they still have 9K of my money......... Sigh..... Well one of those
Burke kids has it..:( "

"Seperation by many states is good, if I lived in Florida, Id knock on the
owners doors every day until my money was returned, If the steal this amount
from me, what did they do to the crew? dump them in port and fly home? evry one
that is owed money from this company needs to be aggresive for the return of
paid monies. the great diservice to these ships and crew members passengers,
give these ships and pirates a bad name."

New Zealand Writing Blog Interviewed Me

Write to Travel, a New Zealand-based blog, recently interviewed me about travel writing. You can read the entire interview at http://writetotravel.blogspot.com/2007/12/interview-with-travel-writerclaire.html

At Icelandair, No More Baltimore

A lifetime ago, Icelandic Airlines (now Icelandair) flew just one transatlantic route from New York's JFK International Airport to Luxembourg with a mandatory stop at Reykjavik, Iceland's Keflavik Airport (RKV). It was then the only regularly scheduled, non-charter carrier that was not a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and therefore was free to set its own fares. I believe that it also offered only economy class seating, but the students packed those planes in summer would have flown nothing else anyway. In winter, Icelandic offered a $135 roundtrip youth fare to Luxembourg. Best of all, they considered you a youth if you were under 30. A mandatory middle-of-night stop in at RVK, where everybody had to get off the plane and bought duty-free postcards, stamps, Icelandic wool and canned seafood, was a small sacrifice for cheap fares.

Over the years, the airline modernized its name and its fleet and also expanded its route system. US gateways currently are Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP, seasonal service) and Orlando (MCO). It is also planning to inaugurate service from Canada next spring, adding year-round service from Halifax (YHZ) on April 21, 2008, and Toronto (YYZ) in on May 2. On the east side of the Atlantic, Icelandair serves flies from Iceland to Scandinavia, Great Britain and continental Europe, and Iceland itself is being promoted as a tourism destination is its own right.

I suppose that something had to give and that is BWI. Icelandair announced that will terminate services from BWI on January 13, 2008, "due to escalating costs and decreasing revenues." In contrast to the "old days" of cheap fuel when its small fleet comprised of aircraft from a previous generation, Icelandair now flies Boeing 757 aircraft and has ordered two Boeing 787 Dreamliners with options on five more. And now, it offers SAGA business class too. But it still comes in with low fares (a current sale, unfortunately expiring tomorrow -- December 13 -- comes in with roundtrip transatlantic fares at under $400 for winter and spring) -- and the opportunity to stop over in Iceland.

"Mileage Runs"

"My Mom is Doing a Mileage Run" is blogger Mark Ashley's latest post on Upgrade Travel Better, whose subtitle is Living the First Class Life...at Coach Prices. He explains, "For those who don’t know, a mileage run is the process of taking a trip just to get the miles. (Usually this means elite-qualifying miles, and not redeemable miles.) For the mileage-running purist, your destination is irrelevant. You might not even stay there — you just fly there, and fly back, to collect the miles."

I'm ambivalent about this. I think of the hassle of flying somewhere just to collect miles with the increasing likelihood of getting stuck at some airport you or I have no reason to be at in the first place. I am assuming that such mileage runners (or mileage accruers) seek out bargain fares to less popular places, and I'm not sure it's worth it to be one of them.

When Continental hubbed in Denver, I was a OnePass Silver Elite flyer. I hardly ever fly that airline anymore, because the only nonstop destinations from Denver are Houston, Cleveland and Newark. It was easy to stack miles on Continental, because Elite membership automatically doubled and tripled the points. When my son was in school in New Hampshire, or when he went to his dad and stepmom's in Maine, I bought tickets when there was a fare sale and used his and my mileage when fares were higher.

I now have premier status on United's Mileage Plus and also on American's AAdvantage. I do like being seated in the front of the plane. I like the express lane through security that a premier card accesses. I'm short, so legroom is not of prime importance to me, but I know it's an issue for tall passengers. How much extra flying would I do to maintain that status if I weren't flying enough as is? I don't know, but I do wonder...

Mark Ashley was evidently pondering the same thing. He mused, "is a mileage run really worth it? Elite status is still worthwhile, if you travel enough with one airline (or within one alliance) and if you’re going to take advantage of the perks. If the price is right, and it gets you the perks you want, that mileage run may be an investment worth making. "

Five-Star Skiing at Beaver Creek

This weekend goes down in my personal ski history as one of the best. I was invited to the Ritz Carlton, Bachelor Gulch at Beaver Creek for the grand opening of the first Rocky Mountain outpost of Wolfgang Puck's fabled restaurant, Spago. The original Spago is in Los Angeles, and two others have popped up in Las Vegas and on Maui. But I wouldn't trade this past weekend of powder skiing right outside the hotel's door for all the palm trees on the planet.

For a few blissful days, I lived Beaver Creek's slogan, "Not Exactly Roughing It." I stayed in a luxurious residential suite at the fabulous hotel, dined at its stellar new restaurant (you can read about that on my food blog) and skied great snow. I'm a typical Coloradan who often day-skis, changing into boots in the parking lot, then shouldering skis and trudging to the lifts. That makes a weekend like this an especially appreciated indulgence.

At the Ritz Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, they do everything but ski for you. When you sit down to put your boots on (or take them off at day's end), an attendant comes over and asks whether you'd like help with your boots. I declined, because I didn't want to allow myself to get too spoiled. When you walk out the door, another ski valet puts your skis down on the snow, with a pole on each side. When you get set to board the lift in the kind of heavy snow we enjoyed this weekend, the well-padded seat is swept clear before you sit down.

The luxury and service are lovely, but best of all were the snow and the skiers with whom I shared the day. The light fluffy snow fell and fell and fell and kept on falling. Friday was the first day this season of operations for the Bachelor Gulch Express right behind the hotel, but the connecting trails to Beaver Creek Village were not yet open. Therefore, when a group of us went skiing, it was like having our own small (three trails), private ski area.

One of the three had been groomed, one was split groomed and one was left untouched. We made run after run after run in powder that welled over our boot tops. By the time we called it quits for a late-ish lunch, we still hadn't tracked it all out. Not only were the conditions extraordinary and liftlines non-existent, but the company was exceptional. In our group with people joining in and dropping out, I found myself skiing most of the time with two famous Austrians, Wolfgang Puck and Franz Weber. Wolf is a household name, thanks to TV cooking shows, cookbooks, restaurants, including casual ones bearing his name at every airport around and food products from soup to pizza with his likeness. (Photo shows Wolf, Claire and Franz -- and a lot of falling snow)

In skiing circles, Franz Weber is as revered as Wolfgang Puck is to foodies. Franz is best known as six-time consecutive World Speed Skiing Champion, who dominated that thrilling sport from 1980 to 1985. He won more than 80 percent of the races he entered, is the former world record holder and still holds the US speed-skiing record set at Velocity Peak near Silverton, CO, in 1982. He retired as World Champion in 1985, but "unretired" seven years later for the 1992 Winter Olympics at Albertville, France. There, he clocked his fastest personal time of 138.112 mph (222.222 kph), average speed. After that, he hung up his speed boards for good.
Therefore, when Franz Weber -- the Franz Weber -- told me that I am a solid, smooth skier with good form, my head swelled. I wished I had a recorder with me. Never has anyone of that stature paid me such a compliment about my skiing -- ever. He said it a couple of times on the slopes and again during cocktails that evening. Skier's euphoria set in and hasn't lifted.

The other thing that made this perfect day even better was that these famous, accomplished men who hobnob with other famous, accomplished people were truly a pleasure to ski with. We shared liftline laughs, compared notes on mutual acquaintances and continued to marvel at the great snow. Austrians have a noun for locations or situations that are comfortable, casual and congenial: Gemütlichkeit. My extraordinary skiing experience combined Gemütlichkeit, the reflected glory of skiing in such company and the five-star luxury of Beaver Creek's Ritz Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. It'll will be tough to beat that -- ever.

Abundant Snow Heralds Real Start of the Ski Season

I'm at Beaver Creek, CO, right now. It was snowing when I drove up on Thursday, and it has been snowing steadily ever since. Beaver Creek reported 8 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours, 16 inches in the last 48. In Colorado, the least 24-hour snow accumulation was 5 inches at several mountains. The most was a mind-boggling 32 inches in 24 hours and 52 inches in 48 hours at Crested Butte. Twenty inches in 24 hours and 28 inches 48 hours fell on nearby Aspen (left), and the ski areas of the San Juans in southwestern Colorado have recorded phenomonal snowfall accumulations as well.

Colorado is not the only state where skiers and snowboarders are wallowing in snow. After a scarily slow start, ski areas in the Sierra Nevada and Utah have been welcoming 20 inches or more of new snow, and conditions are good in the Midwest, Northeast and across the pond in the Alps as well. Zermatt, Switzerland, reported 48 inches of new snow. If it keeps up like this, it will be one of those rare winters with good snow in all the world's prominent ski places.

I'm heading out to play in all that powder as soon as I post this and pull on my ski clothes.

Air Travelers' Complaints

When I have a gripe about air service, I tend to vent on this blog. Other people complain to higher authorities. Several hundred people a month are sufficiently incensed to complain to the US Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection Administration about lost luggage, flight delays and other incidents. Considering the tens of millions of passengers who fly every month, I view these numbers as trivial -- even considering that most people with gripes never officially complain to authorities. But for what it's worth, here are the most-complained-about airlines in October:

US Airways, 122 complaints
American Airlines, 115
United Airlines, 113
Delta Air Lines, 113
Northwest Airlines, 49
Continental Airlines, 46

Bargain Winter Package to Sicily

As it has for decades, alluring Italy draws Americans by the thousands -- but mosly to a handful of places. Rome, the Eternal City, is eternally popular. Art lovers, and those who think they should be art lovers, visit Florence to gaze at the unsurpassed Renaissance masterpieces. Venice's crumbling beauty continues to enchant. Foodies flock to Piemonte. Cinque Terrae on Liguria coast in the northwest and the Amalfi Coast in the Campania area in the southwest retain their scenic punch. They are beguiling, to be sure, but peak tourist season in these places are crowded, expensive (especially in light of the puny dollar) and hot.

But what of the less visited regions of Italy -- and what about off-season? Prices are lower to begin with, crowds are absent and temperatures are kindly. TourCrafters' Sicily Hot Deal caught my eye. In winter, this Mediterranean island off the toe of Italy's boot is comfortable (highs in the low 60s), so the "hot" part refers to the package price, not the temperature.

Seven days and six nights (three in Palermo, three in Catania) caught my eye. Accommodations in three-star hotels include breakfast, and the package includes a seven-day car rental and air from New York or Boston. It starts at $929 per person, double occupancy. Add $49 for Chicago departures. Upgrading to four-star hotels adds from $16-$44, but why bother? The weather is usually Mediterranean-mild, and there's so much to see that you probably won't be spending much time in your hotel anyway.

If the foods and wines of Sicily hold special appeal, TourCrafters' eight-day, seven-night Taste of Sicily package starts at $1,560 per person and includes four-star hotels, wine tastings and some additional meals. TourCrafters also packages winter bargains to other European destinations, but the Sicily offer seems especially seductive, because it includes significant air miles -- and because unlike much of Europe, this southern island is not blanketed in gray during the cold, short days of winter.

The operative word in these prices, as in all sales, is "from" when it appears before the dollar $ign. Airport taxes and fuel surcharges add more than $300 to these prices. You'd end up paying those no matter what, but they are a hefty percentage of these bargain deals. These offers are valid from January 8 (January 1 for the Taste package) through March 20. Departures on on Thursdays. Packages must be booked no later than December 31 and paid for within 72 hours. TourCrafters reservations, 800-482-5995.

Hotels and the Environment, II

A year ago, after a stay in a luxurious but stunningly wasteful hotel, I wrote about two-faced hotel energy-saving practices. I noted that many hotels offer guests the option of reusing towels and sheets, which I always opt for. However, I have never been confident that my request was honored. And the waste of electricity in the hotel industry is enormous. My dismay resulted from my stay at Utah's Hotel Park City astonishing waste of electricity. During evening housekeeping, turndown service was turn-on service, as housekeepers switched on most of the lights in my room -- and they weren't the new energy-efficient bulbs either. Since then, I've paid special attention to what hotels that claim environmental consciousness are doing.

I am currently at the hip Adara Hotel in Whistler, BC. The decor is mod, gorgeous but not as weird as some I've seen. The mattress, comforter, pillows and bed linens are first-rate (upper right). The folks who work here are attentive as can be. The Adara also has some fabulous amenities. A Sharper Image Sound Soother on a bedside table can produce 20 white-noise options from heartbeat to rainforest to dockside to help overcome sleep problems or cancel out a partner's snoring. There's a French press on the counter for making in-room coffee (right) -- along with directions on how to do it. On the shelf above it is a cool retro martini shaker. In the bathroom, in addition to the SugarBath line by Fresh, is a personal oxyen cannister by Oxia. Breaking the seal to take whiffs of O2 to help combat jet lag or altitude problems or help cure a hangover costs $14.95, a small price to save a vacation day.

However, once again, I strongly suspect that the towels that I hang on the rack to indicate that I am willing to reuse them are sent to the laundry anyway. And if my suspicion is wrong, I can't tell which towels had been used and which are clean, because the housekeeper meticulously refolds used and unused in exactly the same way and hangs them on the same bar.

Also, partially used SugarBath toiletries are replaced with unopened ones. Are the half or two-thirds full plastic bottles discarded? I hope not. On the plus side, the housekeepers only turn on a couple of lights in the evening. On the minus side, they also turn on a bedside audio thing that I can't figure out how to turn off (I unplug it) and they also turn on the faux fireplace, whose holographic flame is more energy-efficient than gas and certainly nonpolluting but neverthless uses some electricity. So while I have been out at dinner, several lights, music and an electricially dancing flame have entertained and illumininated the emptiness. The Adara is at 4122 Village Green, Whistler, BC; 604-905-4009.

I recently stayed at (and posted an item on this blog) that really gets it, environmentally, is the Óscar in Madrid, one of two design hotels I stayed at in Europe. The dark-walled hallways are equipped with sensors, so that the lights come on only when someone comes out of a guest room or steps off the elevator, and they turn themselves off after a reasonable interval. And Europeans are famously parsimonious with shampoos, soaps and lotions.

For Skiers, 12 Months, 2 Continents = A World of Difference

One year ago, I was in the snowless Alps. My report focused on the brown slopes and an unproductive sky. Resorts in Colorado and other Western states and provinces ultimately had successful ski seasons, while the Alps and the East Coast of North America limped along until late-season snow. This year, it has been just the opposite. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the Alps have been covered, the East and Midwest have had been cold enough for snowmaking ,but the West has unchracteristically been limping along with minimal snowfall and above-normal temperatures -- except at Whistler, BC, where I arrived yesterday evening. It's still early. I have yet to set skis on snow. But the mountains and the village is covered with white. On the patio beneath the sill of my window at the Adara Hotel has about five inches on snow. And the air smells as if another storm is coming in.

The CBC news just reported that due to the weather system called La Nina, Canada can expect coast-to-coast seasonlong cold. A winter storm system is supposed to hit Ontario later today and continue to Quebec and the Maritimes. Another system is due to dump snow on Vancouver Island this afternoon, and that means Whistler should be getting it a few hours later. White Christmas is anticipated across the country. Canadian skiers and snowboarders are loving it, and I am too but also hoping that some of these systems track south.