The New York Times Practical Traveler says that recent research suggests the sweet spot is more like six weeks out. But the Times’ own research suggests that’s way wrong and the best fares are had about 24 weeks out.

Throw in volatile fuel prices and some economic uncertainties and it gets even more unpredictable. One thing is clear: if you can find an affordable fare right now for summer travel, buy it.

The emergency lights came on and the phones were working, so we called the front desk. No worries, the desk clerk said, it was a scheduled test of the emergency generator. We should have been told about it at check-in but somebody forgot.

Reassured? Not entirely.

I grabbed my pocketbook, car keys and flashlight (we always travel with a flashlight) and put the palm of my hand flat on the door to check for heat on the other side. Then we walked down 10 flights of stairs (even though the elevators were working) to the lobby and stayed there for nearly an hour, until the drill was over.

Overreaction? As it turned out, yes. But it’s not the overreactions that tend to kill you.

I have decided over the years not to rely completely on what I’m told in an emergency or anything that looks like one. Because when things are going wrong, the people in charge sometimes tell the people who aren’t in charge not to panic, to stay where they are.

It happened on the Titanic. It happened as the World Trade Center burned on 9/11. It happened as the Costa Concordia began to sink last month.

Disbelief and underreaction, it seems, are fairly common reactions to disaster. And even when there’s nobody in authority to minimize the danger, people will do it for themselves. The building is on fire but they don’t run. The tsunami approaches and they stay to watch.

So when I’m in a shopping mall and nobody is paying attention to the fire alarm, I calmly head for the door, anyway. And when the power goes out on the 10th floor of a hotel, well beyond the reach of any fire truck ladder, I take a stroll downstairs.

It always turns out that everything is fine. So far.

The Costa Concordia, on the other hand, is precisely like that. It is — or was — a modern mega-ship, launched in 2006, carrying 4,000 passengers and crew. It’s owned by Carnival Corp., the largest cruise line company in the world. There will be major and lasting repercussions to the fact that it has run aground and rolled onto its side off the coast of Italy, killing at least three people. (At this point, the BBC reports that dozens more are missing.)

One consequence will be a lasting and disturbing impression on the public which, despite occasional reports of fires and passengers going overboard, had grown accustomed to the idea that modern mega-ships do not sink. The other will be increased scrutiny in the United States and Europe of an industry that operates largely outside the regulatory bounds of both.

Carnival — which owns Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, P&O, Cunard, Costa, AIDA and Iberocruceros — will have a lot of explaining to do. But I suspect the other major cruise lines are worried, too.

Meanwhile, Connecticut Limousine, which has run airport buses and shuttles to New York airports for decades, seems to have settled a dispute with the Port Authority over unpaid fees, according to WTNH Channel 8. That’s good, I guess, but I  I stopped using Connecticut Limo five years ago after a particularly awful ride back from JFK.

If there is no safe and comfortable shuttle, we Connecticut residents must find another way to the New York airports for long-haul flights. The options are poor:  drive to New York, hire private transportation or hope Amtrak will get you to the Air Train on time.

Or take a connecting flight from Bradley. Or move to New York, I guess.

They had been called back to action and had worked nearly non-stop for a week to restore our power. As one last gift, they provided the entertainment on the flight to Baltimore, teasing each other, telling stories and cracking up everyone within earshot.

One guy said the driver of the repair truck he was assigned to had complained that he had no gym where he could work out in Connecticut.

“I told him, ‘Well, I guess we could wrassle for a while,’” the grizzled linesman drawled.

It was the best in-flight entertainment ever.

I guess could have posted this sooner, but somehow Thanksgiving seems appropriate.

Well, make way for the new, well-appointed Lexus. All Nippon Airways flew a bunch of reporters from Tokyo to Hong Kong yesterday on the first commercial flight of the much-delayed Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft is quieter than older jets, has bigger windows and maintains higher cabin pressure. It’s also more fuel-efficient.

Don’t hold your breath, though, for a chance to ride in one.  Deliveries to domestic airlines won’t begin until next year, at the earliest. There have been no new orders for the 787 this year, according to Boeing’s website and 26 cancellations. There’s also a rumor that Air India plans to cancel more than half  its order.

Still, Boeing has about 800 orders for the 787. If it is really the aircraft of the future, flying may eventually get a little bit better for all of us, even in coach.

I’m going have a T-shirt made that says: “I’m not a terrorist. I just drink too much coffee.”

There will be coffee.

I was struck, as I was preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. by how useful some of my travel gear (especially the camping gear) turns out to be in the face of a potential natural disaster at home.

Said gear includes:

- The battery-powered travel alarm clock, because I still need to get up and check the roof for leaks (don’t ask) if the power goes out.

- The rubber sink stopper from my travel laundry kit, which helps keep the tub full of water. (We’re on well water here. So if there’s no power, there’s no well pump and therefore no water.)

- The travel flashlight — best size for the bedside.

- The propane camp stove. Because I don’t get up if there’s no coffee. (But windows must be open for ventilation.)

- The candle lantern, for when the batteries run out.

- The suitcase. Packed for a quick departure, should that become necessary.

- The rechargeable DVD player, for a little entertainment if power failures drag on — as they tend to do around here.