Getting you from here to there

May 14, 2006

Fuel for thought

Think filling up your SUV is costly? Fueling Northwest Airlines' Boeing 747-400s for their 11 daily trips between the U.S. and Asia is equal to fueling 22,000 SUVs (or 2,000 SUVs per trip). Two years ago, it cost Northwest $48,000 to fuel a Boeing 747-400 for that flight. Today, fueling the same plane for the same flight costs the airline more than $103,400. If you break down the numbers, each of the 408 seats on the aircraft has a fuel cost of about $255.

Free audio tours

PBS star Rick Steves has a tour guide for your ears. His free audio tours of Paris, including the Louvre and Orsay Museums, Versailles Palace and a walk through historic Paris, are online at www.ricksteves.com and on iTunes. They are available as a podcast and include printer-friendly tour maps. Color images are included to help you find the item being described.

World's largest passenger ship

A German shipyard has delivered the world's largest passenger ship, Freedom of the Seas, to Florida-based cruise operator Royal Caribbean Cruises. The 160,000-ton cruise liner can carry some 4,000 passengers and offers several pools, an ice skating rink and a climbing wall. It supplants the rival cruise line Cunard's Queen Mary 2, which weighs 151,400 tons, as the world's largest passenger ship. The Freedom is to sail mainly in the Caribbean from its home port in Miami.

Cozumel hotels offer day passes

Cruise-ship passengers and other travelers to Cozumel can now enjoy guest privileges at several of the island's hotels and resorts with the purchase of day passes. Starting at $45 per person, the passes give guests access to private beaches, fitness centers, tennis courts, pool areas, kid-club facilities and more. Many of the all-inclusive hotels offer free meals and beverages with their passes, which are available on site. Participating hotels include El Cid La Ceiba Beach, Hotel Cozumel & Resort, Melia Cozumel and Park Royal Cozumel. Island information: www.islacozumel.com.mxCompiled by Eduardo Cuán from news services and other sources.

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