Fun With Model Railroading At Grand Central

I took the train to New York with the family yesterday, and we found some fun even before we got out of Grand Central Station. The New York Transit Museum Store, right in the station, had a wonderful model railroad set up for the holidays:

United Back On Track

Looks like United Airlines is getting back on schedule after it canceled 10 percent of its flights over the past week. The airline blamed stormy weather at its hubs in Chicago and Denver. The pilots union says understaffing also contributed.

Visit Kripalu For Stress Relief In 2008

A few weeks ago I made my second visit to the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Mass. I slept in a spartan room, got up at the crack of dawn, ate organic whole foods and left feeling completely renewed.

I highly recommend it.

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New Restrictions On Lithium Batteries

Loose lithium batteries will be banned in checked luggage and restricted in carry-on luggage starting Jan. 1. The Associated Press has the story and the TSA has the details.

The issue is fire safety.

I still recommend using lithium batteries for electronic devices when you travel. Just be sure to carry them in the device itself, or in the original packaging in your hand luggage.

Arthur Frommer’s Travel Resolutions – And Mine

Arthur Frommer posted 10 travel resolutions on his blog, and they’re really good. He invited his readers to post their resolutions as well, so I did.

I also posted them  here, on my blog:

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Skybus Cancels Flights

Skybus has been having mechanical trouble with a couple of its planes over the past few days, and has canceled 18 flights so far.  It’s another manifestation of Skybus’ biggest weakness: no bench.

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Merry Christmas, Travelers

Merry Christmas to all the travelers I’ve met and the people I’ve met on my travels. And a special shout out to Maryanne, my sister and the most accomplished traveler I know, who is in Madagascar doing good work. We miss you.

US Airways Lets It All Hang Out

There’s a revealing piece in the New York Times about some blunt give-and-take between U.S. Airways management and employees. It’s an interesting look inside the nation’s most profitable – and most disliked – airline.

Now, if only U.S. Airways would talk that way to its customers … and respond to them.

MaxJet Files For Bankruptcy

MaxJet, an all business-class airline that started up in 2005,  suspended operations today and filed for bankruptcy.

It was one of three airlines flying jets with only premium-class seating across the Atlantic. Another U.S. airline – Eos – and a British one – Silverjet – are continuing that kind of service. (A kind reader points out that I should also mention L’Avion, which flies between the U.S. and Paris.) The seats on these airlines are generally less expensive than those in first-class cabins on the major airlines, but the number of flights and destinations is smaller.

It’s interesting to me that another young airline with a diametrically opposed business plan – the ultra-no-frills Skybus – has also had some less-than-stellar financial news.

It could be that it’s not a great time to start an airline, what with rising fuel costs and the increasingly shaky look of the world economy. And it could be that most of us continue to be middle-class fliers, unable to afford to pay thousands of dollars for an airline trip but reluctant to give up the most basic amenities that we now enjoy.

Mutiny On The Cruise Ship

Great piece in the New York Times, by Joe Sharkey once again, about cruise ship passengers rebelling when their ships miss ports of call.

I have to sympathize with the cruise lines on this one, at least a little.  I once sailed aboard the Grandeur of the Seas a few weeks after the crew tried to dock at Costa Maya in rough seas and the ship smacked into the pier, gouging a huge hole in the hull. At least nobody was hurt.

But I also sympathize with the passengers. I think they should let the captain decide where it’s safe to sail, but they have a right to expect the officers to keep them informed and for the cruise line to at least refund them the port fees.