The FAA must make changes to ensure that airlines correct safety violations like those that occurred at Southwest Airlines, according to a new government report.

The report says more inspectors should review safety cases before they are closed, and that inspectors should be barred from immediately going to work for airlines that they monitor.

The Federal Aviation Administration agrees with several of the suggestions but rejected an idea to rotate inspectors so they don't become too close to particular airlines. And the FAA only partly accepted another recommendation designed to protect whistle-blowers like those who publicized problems at Southwest.

The suggestions were contained in a report this week from the Transportation Department's inspector general.  Click Here for More...


Should the FAA rotate airline inspectors to make sure they don't become too familiar with the airline personnel whose work they're supposed to criticize?  Click here to talk about it on the KTRH message board.

In New Orleans, cocktails are serious business. What better town for a temple to the tasty history of the American libation?

Many outsiders may get their idea of the Big Easy's cocktail culture from the jumbo-sized plastic cups of punch slugged down by tourists on Bourbon Street. But the Museum of the American Cocktail opening in July will focus on the rich history of sophisticated drinks that have been served since Thomas Jefferson was president.

Cocktails — originally defined as any mixture of bitters, spirits and sugar — were an early fixture in this French port city. Besides easy access to sugar, a European sensibility allowed a drinking culture to flourish when it foundered elsewhere in the South's Bible Belt.



"I definitely think New Orleans has always been the home of civilized drinking," said Ann Tuennerman, founder of Tales of the Cocktail, an annual festival that attracts thousands.

"The image the tourists have is not how most locals think of drinking. We believe in better, not more."  Click Here For more



Is the Cocktail Museum a celebration of drinking, or a memorial to "better drinking?"
Go the KTRH Message Board to talk about it...

It was a time-honored tradition among experienced travelers: Never check luggage, even if you're over the carry-on bag limit.

After all, crossing your fingers and heading for the gate usually paid off. Nine times out of ten, you'd get away with a bag (or two) that exceeded the airline's carry-on regulations. If you didn't, the worst was that you'd be forced to gate-check your overage. That is, if it didn't fit in the overhead compartment.

Of course, if you're old enough, you remember when there were no overhead bins on planes - just shallow, narrow racks on which to place coats, and passengers brought onboard only a small airline-logo flight bag. But that's another story.

The benefits of gate-checking bags can be substantial: a decrease in the chance of loss or delay, delivery to the jet-way shortly after landing and no time-consuming waits in crowded claim areas. Now passengers on American Airlines have yet another incentive to bend the rules - the airline's new $15 one-way fee for the first checked bag.


Passengers will need to beware American's newest employees: The Luggage Police. Anticipating resistance to the surcharge, American has wisely laid on extra bodies. These employees are, essentially, enforcers.  More here


Will changes in airline luggage rules change the way you travel?  Click here to go to the KTRH Message Board

My worst fault as a traveler is over-packing.  My wife and I kid each other about packing everything but the kitchen sink, even when our destination is a simple motel room 200 miles away. 

Of course, the only real downside to packing everything under the sun for a road trip is that you have to carry all that stuff from your car to the room.  We try to avoid it, because we travel with our two dogs, but sometimes we find ourselves ensconced in a second floor room at an inn with no elevator.  Now that's a problem if you've brought everything but your furniture with you, especially in Texas' hot weather.





When it comes to air travel, that's another matter.  Schlepping a half dozen bags is really a pain in an airport, not to mention getting it from the parking lot to the check-in counter.  And now with baggage fees, it's become expensive.  So how do you cut back?  It's like an addiction, too much stuff.  But here's a website with lots of tips to help you along the way, and avoid the necessity of "too-much-stuff" rehab. 

American Airlines says customers will be able to test in-flight Internet access on two flights beginning Wednesday, June 25, with broader service expected to begin in the following couple weeks.

Facing record high fuel prices, airlines are looking at entertainment and information services as ways to make a few more bucks per passenger. American's technology partner, Aircell LLC, will charge $9.95 to $12.95 for Internet service, depending on flight length.

Aircell and American share the revenue, officials said. The test will begin on one flight from New York's Kennedy Airport to Los Angeles and one return flight, said Doug Backelin, American's manager of in-flight technology. The test service will be free, he said. Click here for more...