A #@&*@ing New Airline Fee, Plus Tourists Frightened Away from NYC

I spent the weekend in the airport. Yes, I went to Dallas to give a speech, but because of thunderstorms in Texas; and traveling with my overzealous father (who wanted to leave for the airport 3 hours before our departing flight), it felt like I and Boingo had become one by the time I finally arrived home late on Saturday night.

I could have spent less time in terminals. There were empty seats on earlier flights heading to Dallas, and my father and I were willing to pay an extra fee to go stand-by. But on American Airlines now, apparently, one must pay an extra $20 fee at the time of purchase for the mere possibility of going stand-by. My father beat me to the punch and posted a witty blog on the absurdity of this new fee. Read it. It'll leave you scratching your head.

A possible drop off in high season travel to New York?

Speaking of "scratching": According to the Associated Press, a fear of bedbugs may be leading to a rash of cancellations for NYC vacations this fall. With reported outbreaks at a number of hotels, in Bloomingdales and at Broadway theaters a number of travelers are calling off long-planned trips to the Big Apple.

I'll be following this story to see if the cancellations are wide-spread enough to cause a dent in hotel pricing. Should be interesting.