Apparently some pilots don’t think the airlines are carrying enough extra jet fuel, and according to a report in USA Today, that’s raising concern among pilots.

We know why airlines have been reducing the amount of spare fuel they carry; the less “weight” planes carry, the less jet fuel they’ll burn, and in these days of crazy fuel prices, that’s a necessity. The question is, are they going too far?

On Friday, I spoke with James J. Ballough, Director, Flight Standards Service with the FAA, about this story.

Now, you should know that, according to USA Today, some pilots (who complained anonymously) said the reductions have meant delays and diversions. But Ballough has a different take. Keep reading.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters held a news conference today (and I’ve got all the highlights here), but this one was a little different.

It was just for bloggers. No other media was present. Just nine air travel bloggers — including yours truly.

As Peters herself said, “if I am going to call for twenty-first century solutions for our transportation system, I better communicate them in a twenty-first century way.”

I think that’s just terrific, and I was honored to be a part of the grand experiment. Look for more posts on my interviews with other leading transportation officials — coming soon.

I just finished chatting with Dept. of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, and of course one of the topics we touched on was the zooming price of oil; “I’m no expert on that,” she said, but “I have a feeling that oil prices will stabilize this summer.” We can only hope so.

She did announce some news to the handful of air travel bloggers who were invited to meet with her (yours truly included); here are some of the highlights (and you can see them all, here):

• BAGGAGE FEES - Peters doesn’t want passengers to be surprised at the airport with hefty baggage fees, so, the DOT is calling for carriers and travel agents “to disclose baggage fees in their internet and print ads before anyone purchases a ticket.” Also, the DOT says “airlines may not impose increased fees or new restrictions for baggage after a passenger has [already] bought a ticket.”

Coming up — the FAA/American mess, and delays — so keep reading!

Yesterday, a little after 12:30pm EDT our system received its normal distribution of airfares (we are one of the handful of companies in th world that receive the raw airfare and rule information from ATPCO) and our email alert system processed the information and we noticed it sending out tens of thousands of price drop email alerts for a decrease in price.

Lately all we have seen is increases so this was certainly a welcome but odd occurrence. With further investigation we noted the amount of drop was quite large ($130rt for the most part — more on this shortly).

A FARECOMPARE EXCLUSIVE:

A short time ago, United REMOVED its fuel surcharges in approximately 18,000 of its markets. Most of those fuel surcharges added $130 to the price of their airline tickets. The fuel surcharge is now ZERO.

According to United Spokesperson Robin Urbanski, the surcharge removal was the result of “clerical error”.

UPDATE 6PM EASTERN: United Spokesperson Robin Urbanski now says they are working with their distribution systems for United.com (which includes Travelport and ITA) to reinstate the fuel surcharges “as quickly as possible” which could be within the next hour or two.

Earlier, United said the “fixes” would not be made and filed until 8pm Eastern, and I noted that such changes normally aren’t loaded until Midnight Eastern time. I also understand now that United expects the “fixes” will be made sooner than that on United.com.

And I also understand the airline is reaching out to online sites such as Travelocity. However, let me add that, in my experience, it is unlikely that sites like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. would be able to make the changes until the standard time after Midnight EDT.

Bottom line: you should be comparing prices on United.com with those of online travel agencies, and if you see the much cheaper fare, grab it. It won’t be there for long.

Attention U.S. citizens (or permanent residents) traveling abroad this year: now you can skip the federal agents and zip through customs.

That is, if you’ll be flying out of JFK, Dulles, or Houston. And, if you don’t mind paying for this service. And, if you don’t mind letting the government get a little personal.

Keep reading for the details.

We’ve just received the latest figures from the Dept. of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS); the figures, for January and February show that the number of domestic and international passengers GREW by 1.8% for a total of 113.2 million travelers.

But, these figures, I suspect, are a little misleading — we really should wait a couple of months, until the next round of figures comes out.

That’s because we’re already seeing signs of “softening” travel demand — and, we’re seeing NO signs of oil prices coming down.

Interesting news from Travelport this week — the company that owns international global distribution systems (GDS) which drive corporate travel bookings — and part owner of Orbitz.

According to Travelport executives, they are seeing “softness” in both consumer and corporate travel – this according to first-quarter earnings reports.

Segments booked through the company’s Galileo GDS were down 3 percent globally, “with the Americas region creating the greatest drag in the business, registering a 7 percent slip from the same period in 2007.”

Another sign, it seems, that we’re getting closer and closer to “push back” — the fabled tipping point where increasing fuel surcharges lead American travelers to say, “Enough! Let’s stay home.”

I urge you to check out my latest ABCNews.com column. I talk about what air travel could be like when oil hits $200 a barrel (and yes, apparently, that could well happen in the next year or so).

The $200 oil scenario has got some people thinking: was flying really so bad before airline deregulation?

And, is it time for some heroes to step forward? Check out the column, here.

This is the first in a series of reports on the soaring cost of oil; check back here each week for more “Fuel Watch 08″ specials and exclusives

This week, Congress voted overwhelmingly to order the White House to stop depositing oil in a national reserve. The reserve has been getting 70,000 barrels a day.

That’s the proverbial drop in the bucket since Americans have been going through about 20-million barrels a day. But to many in Congress (the measure passed 97 to 1) it’s a gesture to constituents who are getting burned at the pump.

It’s a gesture alright, according to Rep. Joe Barton — a meaningless gesture.

“If all the members of the House would go out onto the steps and clap our hands three times and say, Down prices, down prices,’ that would have as much impact as passing this bill.” — Rep. Joe L. Barton

JetBlue had planned to start flights in and out of Los Angeles International (LAX) later this month, but not anymore. Starting up new service at an airport is never cheap, but the airline indicated the recent out-of-control fuel costs have now made service to LAX virtually impossible.

JetBlue will however, continue flying to and from these Los Angeles area airports: Burbank, Long Beach and Ontario.

In fact, if you already have JetBlue tickets for flights in or out of LAX, you will be re-booked on flights to Long Beach. I would contact the airline immediately to get the process going.

According to investment bank Goldman Sachs, we could see oil at $200 a barrel within a year or two.

Wow. A year ago, who could have imagined such a thing?

But it looks like it’s heading that way, so we better be prepared.

And that’s where my list comes in, Five Things to Look For (and what it means and what can you do about it).

Keep reading…

Going on vacation this summer? Going to fly? You’re going to need this:

1. Make a Plan

Sounds obvious, right? But a lot of us DON’T plan, and this year, more than ever, it’ll pay off to plan and plan early. Fuel surcharges are only going up; the sooner you make a plan, the sooner you will “lock in” the price — and save.

2. Be Flexible on Destinations

Want to go “Destination A” but it’s just too expensive? Then don’t go to “Destination A”! Seriously, summer travel pricing is going to be very sensitive to where you live; some cities will get clobbered (smaller towns without low-cost airline service) and some cities will see higher-than-usual prices (bigger cities without low-cost airline coverage). Look for a cheaper alternative — or, be prepared to pay more than you want. The choice, after all, is yours.

3. Try Florida

Keep reading and I’ll tell you why — and give you the rest of my tips.

This morning, the Air Transport Association and the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) released their forecast for summer travel this year. Not surprisingly, numbers are expected to be a bit down from last year:

“‘For a variety of reasons, slightly fewer people will fly this summer and planes will be approaching 85 percent full,’ said ATA President and CEO James C. May.”

Rising fuel prices have led to rising ticket costs, and we’ve already begun to see the first signs of softening demand for air travel. That being said, summer is still going to be a busy time for airlines, so don’t procrastinate on buying those airline tickets. Good deals will disappear quickly.

Virgin America hopes to add Chicago to its growing list of destinations; airline officials plan to work with the FAA this week, seeking authorization to add O’Hare International as their 8^th city. The goal is to begin flights from Chicago to San Francisco and Los Angeles in November.

So far, you can fly Virgin America to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

So what’s next on the list? The Boston Globe speculates it will be…Boston.

I’ve said it before, but let me say this again:

If you are going to be flying to a vacation spot this summer, get your tickets now!

Anyone who’s looked at this blog lately, knows that fuel prices are rising almost on a weekly basis.

Be smart, and “hedge” the fuel surcharge on your airline ticket price; buy now.

What’s the fastest operating commercial jet in the skies today?

The Boeing 747. It can fly at 605 miles per hour.

The fastest business jet? The Citation X. At the ever so slightly faster 607 mph.

Okay, so what USED to be the fastest passenger jet in the air? Hint: it wasn’t the Concorde. Keep reading!

I was perusing some of the “travel forums” on the Los Angeles Times, when I came across this video submitted earlier this year by someone named “unhappy traveler”.

Funny and sad: it notes how, years ago, the creator’s mother wrote a letter of complaint to Continental and was promptly invited to dinner at the CEO’s home!

The video points out that, times have changed. Indeed. Check it out here.

As of this morning, all the legacy carriers were onboard with the $20 roundtrip increase initiated by Delta earlier this week.

This increase was across the bulk of the airlines’ respective route systems.

What this means for you and me?

Well, it means the fuel surcharge now stands at $130 roundtrip for many of the city pairs across the country (especially those city pairs that do not overlap with a low cost airline’s route).

When it comes to fees, European airlines are way ahead of us here in the States.

Take baggage fees.

Our “pay-a-fee-to-check-a-second-bag” charge is nothing compared to Ryanair’s longtime policy of “pay-a-fee-to-check-ANY-bag”.

Anyway, an airline analyst says, European carriers typically enact new policies between 8 and 18 months ahead of their American counterparts.

So what’s ahead? Cell phone and internet use fees. Maybe.

Keep reading.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA — its members represent 94% of international air traffic) said this week that about half of all airline accidents last year took place during landings.

There were 100 accidents last year, with 692 fatalities (that’s down from 2006, when there were 855). According to the IATA, “many of those accidents could have been avoided if pilots made a second attempt at the runway, or if obstacles on the ground were properly cleared.” The worst crashes were in Brazil, Indonesia, and Africa.

There were NO commercial airliner fatalities in the U.S. last year.

Rising fuel surcharges and escalating airfare aren’t just a domestic thing.

European carriers are feeling the crunch, as well, and now international travelers are feeling the burn on both sides of the Pond. Whether you’re heading overseas on a carrier based in the US or the EU, be prepared for higher fuel surcharges.

Keep reading to see which airlines currently have the highest European Fuel Surcharges…

The Wright Amendment Compromise that took effect in October of 2006 was supposed to make air travel cheaper for all of us in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Unfortunately, rising fuel prices and continuing trends of increased airfares have significantly reduced (or eliminated) those savings on a range of major routes out of DFW and Love Field.

Scott Friedman of NBC 5 Dallas/Ft. Worth spent some time with me as we dove into the numbers related to the rising costs for air travel in the DFW area and the disappearance of the savings we all hoped would stem from the Wright Compromise.

You can get Scott’s insight (and my graphs) on the subject at The Friedman Files. Also, checkout the TV news spot (3+ minutes) that ran at 10pm last night which includes an interview with me (on the NBC5i.com website). They also have comments from American Airlines’ and Southwest Airlines’ representatives on how their competition and the Wright Compromise affect air travelers flying to/from DFW.

Yesterday, in my weekly column for ABCNews.com, I wrote about the top five things that are good about mergers. It was pretty straightforward, but in some cases, my tongue was firmly lodged in cheek.

But it got me to thinking. And thinking.

So I came up with a brand NEW list that, shall we say, covers the same ground in a “slightly” more cynical manner.

Take a look; I think it will help you start your day with a smile (and I urge you: add your own items to “the list”).