According to the folks at TripAdvisor.com, an increasing number of travelers are interested in 1.) saving money and 2.) being more environmentally-correct.

But, as anyone who’s ever bought organic fruit at the grocery store knows, these two ideals do not always go hand-in-hand.

But go for it, if you can.

According to this survey of 3,000 U.S. travelers, one of the ways travelers will save money is to visit National Parks, and I think that’s a fine idea. And a growing number will go environmental by seeking lodgings with “green practices.”

Perhaps you could combine these impulses — by simply pitching a tent in a park.

After a bit of a delay, Virgin America rolled out its version of what I suppose you’d call business class, and the airline calls “Main Cabin Select”.

It does indeed have some nice amenities - free food and cocktails and lots of entertainment options - but it is not for the “super savers” among us. I compared Main Cabin Select to a regular cabin fare - on a flight from LA to NY early next month, and Select was about 60% higher than the regular fare.

But you know what really tempts me about Select? The “dedicated overhead bin” for one’s luggage. Nice touch.

I guess American Airlines started it all, when they decided to charge for that first checked-bag, and many others soon followed.

Now, according to an AP article, American will go to a mostly a la carte pricing structure next year - with basic service that you can “beef up” - for a price.

AA’s Tim Wagner tells us that this is a trend that’s been going “full-steam ahead” for awhile now. And we know other airlines are doing this…

In the meantime, during this election year, there are some passengers who say, I’ll vote to elect my amenities - if I want a blanket or a beverage, it’s my choice. But what about simple, first-come, first-served seat selection? Is this just another way the “Executive Branch”, i.e., the airlines, are broadening the scope of their powers - in yet another attempt to nickel and dime you.

We know you vote with your pocketbook - so tell, what’s your stand on this? How will you vote?

Encouraging news: Scott McCartney of the “Middle Seat Terminal” writes that TSA Chief Kip Hawley thinks those restrictions on the amount of liquid you can carry through security will be relaxed — maybe by this time next year.

“We are within a year of having the ability to differentiate threat liquids through the screening process.” - Kip Hawley, TSA

Our Man in the Middle adds that the TSA “has been testing X-ray machines that can detect liquid materials used in bomb-making and the technology is close to being ready for widespread use.” The software necessary for this “detective” work, however is still being tested.

Used to be, you didn’t have to sell Hawaii - people would simply come.

But that was before airfares started creeping upwards - and Jeff over at the Beat of Hawaii website tells us that “seats, and travelers are down over 20%.” In response, tourism officials are launching a $4.5 million marketing campaign, to lure visitors back.

A lot of the focus will be on “vacation packages” at what are said to be deeply discounted prices.

We have already been hearing about some nice hotel deals there - and the same goes for hotel deals in Las Vegas, another popular destination that’s facing some painful airline capacity cuts.

Been perusing the latest statistics from the Dept. of Transportation - for August - and overall airline on-time rates are up:

• Aug. 08 - 78.4 %
• Jul. 08 — 75.7%
• Aug. 07 — 71.7 %

For you scorekeepers out their, Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time arrival rate, and JetBlue had the worst. Remember, that’s just for the month of August.

Bad news: The rate of mishandled baggage even with all the flight cutbacks is also up compared to the month earlier - okay, it’s up slightly (down year over year)

But since many of us now pay bag fees, I think that any additional “mishandling” is just not right.

A lively and somewhat heated discussion occurred while I sat on a panel of distinguished colleagues at Southwest Airlines’ “Media Day”. In my semi-prepared remarks on 2010 travel trends I noted that the chances of lawmakers enacting a “Passenger Bill of Rights” were good and was in favor of something in this area.

This seemed to cause quite a stir as both panelists and bystanders began sounding off about the pros and cons of “more government regulation”required by the currently proposed passenger bill of rights — which did not make the final cut on the recent FAA re-authorization legislation.

I have to be honest — this is not one of my daily discussion topics — but I have a pretty simple take on the situation and a quick thought on simplifying the current PBOR legislation.

Given we are are about to cough up $1,000,000,000,000 on a 3-page financial bailout bill likely to pass today (yes I know the pork has made it more pages) — I suggest a 1 line passenger bill of rights:

Stuck on Tarmac for over 3 hours — Someone has to go to Jail — Passengers get to pick.

I don’t care if the passengers choose the head of the FAA, airport Chairman, airline CEO or pilot — even if it is just the county lockup for the night — somehow I think we might have one occurrence of the situation and thereafter, magically someone would figure out how to slide up some stairs and get stranded people off a stuck aircraft …

Austrialia’s Virgin Blue was supposed to launch its new international long haul airline, V Australia, with flights between Sydney and Los Angeles - starting Dec. 15.

The launch has now been pushed back until February - because the airline is waiting on three Boeing 777’s in advanced production at Boeing’s Seattle plant. However, production has been halted by a strike.

27,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have been on strike for nearly a month now, and according to the Dow Jones Newswires, there are signs that the work stoppage is turning into “a protracted standoff”.

If you have a ticket for a now non-existent flight, contact the airline - they have some options for you.

Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett disappeared over the wildly rugged Sierra Nevadas of California a little more than a year ago - and it was though he’d vanished into thin air.

A search for accomplished pilot went on for weeks - over 20,000 square miles. But searchers found - nothing.

Until now. Earlier this week, a hiker went to authorities with items he found on a trail near the town of Mammoth Lakes - items that included ID that has since been identified as Fossett’s.

Now, searchers say they’ve found the wreckage of his plane as well as some human remains.

Fossett was declared legally dead last February; his widow once again conveyed her gratitude to all who searched for her missing pilot.

Fun and informative experience today - yours truly was one of a panel of “travel gurus” — along with Peter Greenberg of the Today Show; Randy Peterson of FlyerTalk, and travel expert Terry Trippler - assembled to talk about the future of air travel.

I wrote a separate post all about it - and take a look because it’s chock-full of timeless tips.

In other Southwest news, the carrier’s CFO said Southwest had “very limited financing needs” and was weathering the recent economic storms well with “little immediate exposure to the turmoil” but there is some concern that the financial problems overall will keep leisure flyers home.

And, although Southwest remains committed to its “no bag fees” promise, it is looking for new revenue streams, and will soon be testing internet access in flight.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly has announced plans to add its 65^th city to its route system (and I was present at Southwest’s “Media Day” to hear all about it).

Actually, I suppose we should make that, 65^th and 66^th - since we are talking the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul.

I think what’s noteworthy about this is, so many airlines are cutting back on the cities they serve - while Southwest is still doing some “tinkering”.

With 37 daily non-stops between the Chicago metro area and Minneapolis and the lowest leisure prices just under $400rt and business tickets slightly under $800rt this should spark some fireworks in the near future on prices. This short haul route is only 100 miles longer in distance than Dallas/Houston with 49 daily nonstops and a leisure price point of $150rt and business at $250rt.

The airline’s press release also points out that the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is booming - and, Southwest customers have been requesting this service.

So how does Northwest Airlines - which has its headquarters in Minneapolis - feel about this? I asked them — and here is their response:

“We have always supported a competitive marketplace. We will compete with Southwest on price and service just as we do with all carriers.” — Tammy Lee Stanoch, Northwest Airlines

Meanwhile, don’t head to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport just yet - Southwest’s service is not expected to get underway until March.

The year 2010 sounds so far away, but - face it - it’s really just around the corner.

I was thinking about this, after being asked to participate in a panel discussion on the future of air travel - a discussion hosted by Southwest Airlines.

So will the future be all that different? To an extent. What I’ve done is isolate some of the trends I expect will continue - so take a look - and add to the list if you like, in the comments section.

14 AIR TRAVEL TRENDS: 2010

1. Decline of Human Interaction: it started with Alaska Airline’s “virtual customer service agent Jenn” and kiosks galore

• Ticket and luggage barcodes sent directly to phones, handheld devices
• Retinal scans at TSA checkpoints
• Noise-canceling headphones — for relief from the cell phones on planes

I’ve got more - lots more - so please keep reading.

In what appears to be an effort to be more “business travel-friendly”, Southwest Airlines announced today that it will begin offering priority security lanes to its best customers later this month.

Denver International will be the first airport with the “Fly By” lanes (as Southwest calls them). Other airports offering these new Southwest lanes this month include Baltimore, Dallas Love Field, Phoenix, Orange County (John Wayne), San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Who can use these lanes? You can, if you have a:

• Business Select boarding pass
• A-List identification card

You can qualify for A-List status by completing 16 “qualifying” roundtrips in a 12 month period. Click here to see about those qualifications.

“I am steamed. Smoke is coming out of my ears. And once again, it’s because of the cost of air travel.”

That’s how my latest column for ABCNews.com begins - and I’m not steamed about the cost of a ticket or shelling out extra for checked bags.

I’m steamed about having to pay $349 for “noise-cancelling” Bose headphones - to kill all the cell phone chatter. Here’s why:

• Ryanair: testing cell phones on planes
• Emirates Airlines: allows cell phones on its Dubai to London flights
• U.S. airlines: cell phones are banned - but for how long?

I also talk about how the internet is coming to U.S. airlines - which seems to have everyone panicking about porn.

So I have a couple of suggestions:

• Porn-perusing seating sections
• Cell phone seating sections

Well? See the entire column here. And let me know what you think.

Sun Country Airline execs told their workers their pay will be cut in half starting next week.

It also told them they’d be reimbursed for those cuts - in 2009.

Meanwhile, the Chairman and CEO of the airline’s parent company, Petters Group Worldwide, resigned yesterday - he is the target of a federal fraud investigation.

No surprise here: Sun Country employees’ unions have not endorsed the pay cut plan.

Finding out the total cost of your airline ticket can be a bit difficult - often, you don’t learn until the very last minute that your $300 “bargain” actually costs a whole lot more.

This is especially true if you’re looking at overseas flights, where fuel surcharges can be truly frightening.

You want the total cost up-front - and I can help. Just follow this simple tip:

Check out my U.S. Airline Fuel Surcharge Report and the International Airline Fuel Surcharge Report: you can tell at a glance the average fuel surcharge for each airline, and even what the average fuel surcharge is fro a transatlantic flight compared to a trans-Pacific flight. This is information you need before you shell out your hard earned money.

Over at British Airways, they’ve been discussing how to best incorporate fuel surcharges into published fares; and Chris Elliott says the European Parliament approved a new rule mandating that “airfares have to include all taxes, fees and charges added to the basic ticket price” which could go into effect as early as the end of this year.

But by using my domestic or international fuel surcharge reports, you’ll be way ahead of the game.

The Road Warriors have spoken - and according to Traveler magazine, these are their favorites (and tell me if you agree or not):

Best U.S. Airports:

• 1. Portland, Oregon
• 2. Tampa
• 3. Washington - Reagan

Best International Airports:

• 1. Singapore
• 2. Hong Kong
• 3. Amsterdam

Best U.S. Routes - Airlines with Business/First Class Service:

• 1. Virgin America
• 2. Alaska
• 3. Continental

Best U.S. Routes - Airlines with Single Class Service:

• 1. Midwest
• 2. JetBlue
• 3. Frontier

See the entire list right here.

Not good news for Las Vegas.

According to Merrill Lynch analysts, “abundant, cheap seat capacity to Las Vegas — a thing of the past”.

Airlines will continue their capacity cuts into next year and watch capacity (seats) drop another 6+ percent this quarter and another 16 percent by the end of December.

Las Vegas cuts are more severe than in other markets because Vegas visitors tend to be “price sensitive leisure travelers and conventioneers/business travelers”.

Bad news, not just for the passengers, but for the people who run the casinos and the hotels and restaurants: as capacity cuts continue, airfare is expected to rise, and Vegas visitors will have less to spend on all the “fun stuff”.

Let me just add, there will always be some bargains - and you can always rely on us to help you find the cheapest airfare.

Just noticed that the “naming rights” for the terrific new terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport are still up for grabs.

Right now it goes by the less than euphonious “North Terminal” - but for an estimated $40 million, you can name it what you like.

Our sister blog has already suggested slapping sponsorship-type decals on planes, but I’m not sure the airport is ready for that; other, more sober-minded types suggested last Spring that likely names would include “banks and financial institutions” - but since the meltdown on Wall St., I don’t think so - I’m sure we all remember Enron Field…

What would you call it? I’m up for the serious and the silly.

Recently I did a study on the effect of legacy airlines removing the 500-mile frequent flier mile minimum after Continental announced that it was only going to give credit for exact mileage flown (following similar moves by United and US Airways).

Continental is now reversing this recent decision to its frequent flier program - for some of its passengers.

But here’s the catch: this reversal only affects Continental’s “elite passengers” (those who fly at least 25,000 miles in a year).

FYI: I perused the websites of US Airways and United this morning, since they too had rescinded the 500-mile minimum - was curious to see if they were going to follow Continental’s lead - but so far, I can’t find any evidence that they have.

Saw this article in BusinessWeek, and wondered if you had the same take as I did.

An analyst from Stifel Nicolaus & Co. (who just announced this week they would be covering airlines) said airlines will likely be profitable over the next couple of years, because of all the things they’re doing, including capacity cuts.

But he also says, the high fuel prices will help make airline travel a “mid-priced luxury good”.

Joe Sharkey also seems to agree about this prediction of travel only for the “rich”.

If this premise is actually accurate then their could be a big problem as it was noted recently that “premium airline traffic” is down with the suit and tie crowd as the financial meltdown continues.

I agreeairfares are getting higher, i see tens of thousands roll buy a day,but I believe air travel will continue to be part of the fabric of our lives - for business and leisure. I am not buying into this concept quite yet. The trick for road warriors and vacationers will be to find the bargains - but then, that’s why there’s FareCompare.com - try us and see.

German police commandos raided a KLM plane about to depart from Cologne and arrested two suspected terrorists.

The men, both in their early 20’s, had been under observation for months.

According to the AP’s account, a suicide note was found in the apartment they shared, saying they wanted to die together in a “holy war”.

This word from Boeing’s marketing man, Randy Tinseth (and see his always interesting blog here):

Yes, Boeing is predicting a further “contraction in the world economy next year” and the airlines will continue to face challenges. It’s a situation that remains fluid, but…

But Tinseth said his company also believes the industry will continue to show “robust growth” over the next several years - and indicated the airlines are doing things right by cutting capacity and taking older planes out of service.

Plus, he expects that fuel will “eventually” drop back to levels of about $70 to $80 a barrel.

Hope he’s right.