Most airlines (except USAirways) have reversed their "use it or lose it" rules on nonrefundable airline tickets. Previously, if you did not fly on a ticket or exchange it for new reservations prior to original flight time, the entire ticket would be lost. Most carriers now allow exchange of an unused ticket up to one year from the original date of issue. Some airlines also require cancellation of the unused reservation in order to be able to exchange at a later date. Our advice to be safe, is always call your reservation agent at Williamsburg to cancel unused reservations prior to original flight time.

For international travel, many countries require passports to be valid 3-6 months beyond a passenger´s dates of travel. It is a good idea to renew your passport when you get down to one year of validity remaining. Don´t be denied boarding on your international trip!

A four-month tax holiday for the nation´s airlines ended October 1 when the $2.50 per flight segment security fee went back into effect.

The fee, capped at $10 per roundtrip and instituted in February 2002, was suspended by Congress to help the airlines recover from a sluggish economy and the ongoing impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Congress also reimbursed the airlines for $42.3 billion in security-related costs. Industry analysts expect the industry to raise fares by as much as $10 to compensate for the increase, but industry discounting is expected to eventually bring fares back down again.

The US government agreed to release $100 million to reimburse 58 domestic airlines for the cost of reinforcing cockpit doors as required under new security regulations. This is in addition to $97 million announced on April 9 for the same purpose. In related news, James Loy, head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), is urging the Air Transport Association (ATA) to create an industry wide approach for testing a system to gauge risks posed by airline passengers.

Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced plans to integrate operations in what is expected to become Europe´s largest airline group. If a share exchange is completed as designed, the new Air France-KLM Group would be owned by the French government (44 percent), Air France shareholders (37 percent) and KLM shareholders (19 percent). It would represent roughly $23 billion in total annual revenues, field 540 aircraft and serve 226 destinations worldwide.

United Airlines announced that Denver will be the launch hub for its new low-cost operation. The low cost operation will serve predominantly leisure markets and feature a simplified fare structure with low-cost business and leisure fare options. The operation will launch from Denver International Airport in February 2004. Tickets will go on sale in November. The operation will be a United-branded product and the name will be announced later this year.

Boston will become the newest destination for rapidly growing discount carrier Jet Blue Airways. Beginning January 7, the airline starts non-stop flights between Boston´s Logan Airport and Denver, Orlando and Tampa. On Jan 16, JetBlue will begin flying between Boston and Fort Lauderdale. Introductory fares start at $79 each way to the three Florida cities and $99 each way to Denver.

Delta and Avianca, a member of Alianza Summa, have entered phase two of their codesharing alliance, which lets Delta sell seats on Avianca between Bogota and Baranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Medellin and Pereira, Colombia; between Miami and Bogota, Baranquilla, Cali, Cartagena and Medellin. Delta´s customers can fly to Colombia on Delta from Atlanta, Miami and New York. From Colombia they can fly nonstop to the US from five cities. The first phase began June 16.

Delta now offers two daily non-stop flights from Atlanta to Freeport in the Bahamas. The route is served by ASA´s 50-seat CRJ jets.

Continental, which already flies daily to Glasgow, will launch nonstop Newark-Edinburgh service June 10 on 757 aircraft, subject to government approvals.

Edinburgh, Scotland, is getting its first US nonstop flight, thanks in part to a Scottish route-development fund that provides a three-year discount on landing fees.

This is the first time the $10.8 million fund has invested in an intercontinental route, having previously been used for 12 new European services.