Topic: Passenger Transportation

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Top 5 ways to save on your summer vacation

If you're pining for a summer vacation but worried about costs, consider how Wayne and Pat Dunlap of Del Mar, Calif., managed to tour 51 countries over two years, marvel at the Egyptian pyramids, scale a New Zealand glacier, and visit Laotian Buddhist monks all for less than $100 a day. "We often stayed at guesthouses and hostels, ate at local family restaurants, took public transportation, and in some cases, traveled on cruise ships offering reduced rates," says Mr. Dunlap, author of the travel book "Plan Your Escape." This year amid price worries and higher summer airfares, especially to Europe such ingenuity could prove essential. Here are five cost-cutting strategies that can help:
Baseball spring training: The facts, from history to cheap seats

Spring training is when players shed the winter rust by limbering up on warm, sun-baked diamonds, sign autographs galore, and provide hope that this may be their team’s year. As preseason games between major-league teams begin on Saturday, here are a few facts to give you some background on spring ball.
After Costa Concordia disaster: 8 safety tips for cruise ship passengers

The recent cruise ship disaster in Italy has prompted travel industry experts to advise the public about safety steps they can take, not only aboard ships but also in hotels. When the Costa Concordia ran aground off the shore of Tuscany on Jan. 13, roughly 160 yards from the shore of Giglio Island, many of the more than 4,200 passengers and crew on board the ship were reportedly unprepared for the crisis and the evacuation that followed.
Nancy Dunnan, publisher of TravelSmart Newsletter, urges cruise ship passengers to take precautions to protect themselves and their belongings. She suggests the following:
Top 9 ways Internet access can save you money

Sure, access to the Internet costs you something every month. But did you ever stop to think how much money it saves? Online price comparison and access to wholesale markets and group deal sites, like livingsocial.com and Groupon, can save the average consumer $8,000 annually, according to new study from the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), a coalition that lobbies to make high-speed Internet access more affordable and widely available. “Generally Internet shopping can be a big money saver,” agrees Jody Rohlena. senior editor at Shopsmart magazine, but beware of online impulse buying: “It’s important to stick to your budget and try not to go crazy.”
Here are nine areas of consumer spending where the Internet can save big bucks, according to the IIA study. Can you guess which spending category is in the top spot?
Looking back: The Monitor's coverage of 9/11

A selected archive of The Monitor's coverage of 9/11 and beyond.

All Content

Family vacation: Airlines asked to cut fees for seating together

Family vacation might be cheaper if Senator Charles Schumer succeeds in getting airlines to allow families with young children to sit together without paying extra for window and aisle.
Passenger train collides with freight train in India

At least 25 people died in a collision between two trains in India. Seventy survived. India has one of the largest railway networks in the world.
In JetBlue no-fly list mistake, toddler removed

A toddler from a family of Middle Eastern descent was removed from a JetBlue flight because of what the airline called a glitch
Global News Blog
Russian plane goes missing in Indonesia, dealing blow to aviation industry (+video)

The late-model Russian Sukhoi SuperJet-100 was meant to revive Russia's aging and accident-prone airplane fleet. It disappeared on a demonstration flight.
Top 5 ways to save on your summer vacation

If you're pining for a summer vacation but worried about costs, consider how Wayne and Pat Dunlap of Del Mar, Calif., managed to tour 51 countries over two years, marvel at the Egyptian pyramids, scale a New Zealand glacier, and visit Laotian Buddhist monks all for less than $100 a day. "We often stayed at guesthouses and hostels, ate at local family restaurants, took public transportation, and in some cases, traveled on cruise ships offering reduced rates," says Mr. Dunlap, author of the travel book "Plan Your Escape." This year amid price worries and higher summer airfares, especially to Europe such ingenuity could prove essential. Here are five cost-cutting strategies that can help:
New York's next-gen taxis: moonroofs and phone chargers

New York City unveiled the ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ on Tuesday – the Nissan NV200 van, which will replace the city’s 13,000-plus fleet of yellow cabs. Will other cities follow suit?
Best service ever? Airline industry sets surprising record.

A new report on the US airline industry found that, by four major measures including lost baggage and overbookings, customer service has never been better.
The Circle Bastiat
Las Vegas taxi drivers face high tech challenge

Taxis have long been the main transportation method in Las Vegas. Now a San Francisco company called Uber Technologies Inc. wants to challenge their dominance through a transportation service based on smartphones. 
JetBlue pilot's outburst: Could side effects from medications be at fault?

Federal investigators and JetBlue officials poring over Clayton Osbon's medical records are expected to look for clues as to whether medications, or their side effects, might be an issue.
Charge brought against JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon after mid-flight outburst (+video)

Clayton Osbon, the JetBlue pilot whose erratic behavior mid-flight led the co-pilot to lock him out of the cockpit, was charged Wednesday with 'interfering' with crew instructions. What led a 'consummate professional' to come unglued remains a mystery to the public.
Plastic restraints failed to hold pilot, JetBlue CEO vows review

JetBlue CEO says he knew the pilot who become erratic on flight 191 to Las Vegas personally. But JetBlue promises a review of safety procedures.
JetBlue captain restrained on cross-country flight

Passengers had to tackle the captain after he began running down the aisles ranting; the co-pilot took over and the plane made an emergency landing in Texas.
To reboot Italy's economy, Monti takes on the cabbies

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has made liberalizing the service sector a key economic initiative, but the taxi industry is resisting.
Latin America Monitor
Ferry service to Cuba a 'bridge' too far for US government

Reestablishing ferry services to Cuba for the first time in 50 years would surely present challenges, but is in line with recent US-Cuba policy changes, writes guest blogger Anya Landau French.
Baseball spring training: The facts, from history to cheap seats

Spring training is when players shed the winter rust by limbering up on warm, sun-baked diamonds, sign autographs galore, and provide hope that this may be their team’s year. As preseason games between major-league teams begin on Saturday, here are a few facts to give you some background on spring ball.
Crippled Costa cruise ship to reach land Thursday (+video)

Those aboard the Costa Allegra, a sister ship of the cruise liner that capsized off Italy last month, faced more stifling days and nights before the vessel docks in the tropical paradise.
Green Economics
The upside to sprawl?

The undeniable upside to sprawl is comfort and space. But are those luxuries really worth it?
Latin America Monitor
Another casualty of Brazil's rise: cheap airfare

The founder of Gol, a Brazilian airline that once set out to topple high-cost air travel, is now facing questions on his company's exorbitantly high prices.
Solar storm forces Delta, United to divert flights

Solar storm: Delta Air Lines and United Airlines diverted flights over the poles to prevent loss of communications. This is the biggest solar storm in six years, says NASA.
Costa Concordia owners deny knowing about captain's near-shore salutes

A Costa Concordia executive distanced the company from the practice of near-shore salutes. Costa has suspended Capt. Schettino and declared itself an injured party in the tragic cruise ship sinking.
Obama at Disney World: foreign tourists could create 1 million jobs

President Obama paid a visit to Mickey Mouse at his Florida home Thursday to mark the signing of an executive order aimed at facilitating the processing of foreign tourist visas to lure travelers.
After Costa Concordia disaster: 8 safety tips for cruise ship passengers

The recent cruise ship disaster in Italy has prompted travel industry experts to advise the public about safety steps they can take, not only aboard ships but also in hotels. When the Costa Concordia ran aground off the shore of Tuscany on Jan. 13, roughly 160 yards from the shore of Giglio Island, many of the more than 4,200 passengers and crew on board the ship were reportedly unprepared for the crisis and the evacuation that followed.
Nancy Dunnan, publisher of TravelSmart Newsletter, urges cruise ship passengers to take precautions to protect themselves and their belongings. She suggests the following:
Costa Concordia owner offers refunds, but gets low marks for response

Costa Concordia survivors will get full refunds, plus travel and lodging costs covered. But Costa Concordia owner Carnival Corp. faces criticism for its handling of the tragedy.
Two rescued alive aboard cruise ship off coast of Italy

A couple was found alive Saturday aboard the cruise ship Costa Concordia that ran aground off the coast of Italy. The captain of the cruise ship was arrested Saturday in Italy.
Cruise ship aground: Search for missing off coast of Italy (+video)

Cruise ship aground: At least three died and some 50 people are missing after the Italian Costa Concordia cruise ship hit a sandbar Friday night off Tuscany, Italy.