Amazing the time some people have on their hands - by that I mean, time for posting alleged photographs of terrified Air France passengers in their “final moments”. But don’t be fooled.

These photos - which are scary as hell - ought to be, since they were the work of well-paid professionals from Hollywood. Look closely, and you’ll recognize scenes from the TV show, “Lost”.

Why do people do this? Hey, they’ve done it before - remember the famous 9/11 photo of the guy on top of one of the World Trade towers, with the onrushing plane in the background? That was debunked over at Snopes.com - which also debunked this latest Air France hoax.

Anytime you see anything that looks even the least bit “off” - check with the folks at Snopes: that’s their mission, debunking (or confirming) urban legends - or the latest internet crap.

I think Christopher Elliott is on to something — as usual.

His latest blog post is about the coming phone/video revolution, courtesy of the iPhone - which allows you to publish edited videos to site like YouTube “at the touch of a button” - and, YouTube now allows you to directly share your video with Facebook and Twitter.

For travelers who want to share reviews on say, hotels, restaurants, airlines and more - this is a move, as Elliott puts it, “from ‘tell me’ to ’show me’.”

As many of you know, I like the new “social media” - I enjoy sharing news about great deals on Twitter and receiving tweets in return. I’ve certainly shared some of my photos that way, too - and I like the idea of sharing video.

I’ll just add a gentle reminder to know your video sources. In other words, we all know that there are fake or exaggerated text reviews online - and anyone can Photoshop a picture. Video can be manipulated, too. I guess all I’m saying is, rely on sources you trust. As always.

Whenever the economy goes sour, we start hearing at least anecdotal evidence about an increase in crime - especially, theft and burglary.

According to USA Today, some experts say the hotel industry is being hit - or maybe it’s just that hotels can be easy targets-of-opportunity — anytime. Now, I generally feel perfectly safe in the hotels I stay at, but there are precautions we should all take — it’s a matter of common sense.

Here are some of my favorite tips - safety “do’s” and “don’ts” that will help travelers enjoy a safer stay in their accommodations. Take a look:

• DO - shut and lock your room door anytime you’re inside, no matter how briefly — and always use the bolt and chain.
• DON’T - bring expensive jewelry with you when you travel. If you absolutely must, keep it in the hotel safe - but you might want to ask about the extent of the hotel’s liability, just in case the safe is robbed.
• DON’T - leave anything valuable in your room, ever. I know you don’t want to haul your laptop with you everywhere you go, but sorry - you really must, unless it will fit in the hotel safe - or unless you can afford to lose it.
• DON’T - open the door to strangers. And I suggest, don’t order-in food - unless you’re prepared to pick it up at the front desk. If you’re too tired to go out to eat, pick up something on your way back to the hotel.
• DON’T - meet that online “match” in your hotel room. You know that boring advice about getting together with your internet date for a cup of coffee in a public place during the daytime? Follow it.
• DO - discard that little cardboard folder that your room card-key came in, the one that has the name of your hotel and room number on it. No point in letting strangers know where to find you, and yes - the front desk will be happy to remind you what your room number is.
• DO - have fun. But not too much fun. Drunken tourists are easy marks.
• DON’T - hesitate to contact the front desk if you notice anything odd about your room or see people hanging about in the hallway that shouldn’t be there. Insist the desk send someone to investigate.

Readers, what have I forgotten?

As usual, Scott McCartney’s latest “Middle Seat” column in the Wall St. Journal is well worth reading - and not just because FareCompare is mentioned (but it doesn’t hurt!).

The thrust of the column is the same as the longtime scouting motto - “Be Prepared” - because as McCartney says, “Understand that bad things can — and do — happen to very good travelers.”

He cites Farecompare’s historical pricing tool as a good way to be sure you’re getting the best airfare: “You’ll know whether you’re getting a good price, or whether you could do better.”

As I’ve always said, you have to know what a “good price” is, before you can get a great one.

An excellent article from Dr. Mark Gendreau, who writes for the New York Times (in addition to his medical practice and teaching).

Lots of good stuff - and you can see it all here.

A reassuring thought: Getting infected isn’t all that easy on a plane. Those at greatest risk are those with “close personal contact” with a contagious person - in other words, if the sick toddler next to you has a sneezing fit. You’re also at risk if you are “seated within two rows of a contagious passenger”.

Health strategy: Wash your hands. A lot. Dr. Gendreau adds that studies indicate some hand sanitizers situated in public places can really help - but be sure any sanitizer you use is at least 50% alcohol, so it’ll be effective against viruses.

I always enjoy Wendy Perrin’s insights on Concierge.com - and her latest musings have to do with what you’re missing if you’re not on Twitter.

Some of you will recall that I put up a post last week about all the deals I cite on Twitter - including last night’s Tweet directing my Twitter followers to incredibly cheap airfare from Los Angeles to London — just $438 roundtrip.

So I was delighted that Wendy mentioned me as “tweets to follow”:

“[Seaney's] Twitter tips notify you of airfare sales a few hours before they hit Orbitz, Expedia, and the like, enabling you to nab a deal before seats run out.” -Wendy Perrin, The Perrin Post

Another reason she cites for following Twitter: getting information - immediately!

Case in point: “Some travelers say they get faster answers from JetBlue via Twitter than from JetBlue agents at the airport.”

I believe it. Anyway - join me on Twitter - think of it as just one more way to save.

A new study from an international transport group says 42 million bags were mishandled in 2007 - I wish the figures were more recent - and that the no-frills airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet are slowest to pay up with “mishandled” bags that are ultimately lost or damaged.

Things are improving in the U.S. I know - mainly because with more people going the carryon route, there are fewer bags to lose!

Remember: if you can’t afford to lose it, don’t check it. Place valuables in a carryon, on your person, or leave them at home.

Yen Lee, the co-founder and guru of UpTake, has written a really insightful post for industry insiders or anyone else that wants to dig into the back story of where we are in the air travel shopping industry - and where things are heading.

Lee’s long history in the world of travel makes him eminently qualified to provide recent and historical background on travel issues - plus - you always want to check out his crystal ball for predictions and analysis.

And did I mention UpTake has blogs on vacation destinations, special attractions, beaches, restaurants and lodging?

In fact, UpTake has a witty take on NY’s Best Irish Bars for St Patrick’s Day.

Take a look at UpTake, with its unique way of querying and presenting aggregated destination and attraction review content. This is definitely a site to watch in the coming months and years.

This is important passport info - even if you’re traveling by CAR.

Starting June 1, 2009, you will need a passport - or another new document - to return to the U.S. by land or sea — from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda.

You will need one of the following (and complete details are here):

• Passport
• Passport Card (NEW)
• Enhanced Driver’s License (currently only available from Washington and New York states, but coming soon to Arizona, Vermont and Michigan)
• Trusted Traveler Card (used by frequent border crossers)

Note: Children under age 16 will need proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate).

ADVICE: Don’t delay. If you know you’ll be traveling to these countries this summer, get to work on getting the documents you need now. The last time we had changes in passport rules, there were all kinds of delays - and those who waited ’til the last minute were out of luck.

Two quick notes:

Nice to be needed again: AirTran is calling back its remaining “furloughed” pilots - nearly 50 of them - to return to work. Good news for these folks, as the airline gears up for the usually busy summer season.

And what if passengers lose their jobs? Dave MacAnally of Indianapolis’ WTHR reports that more insurance plans - including insuremytrip.com and American Express - may give you some financial protection if you get laid off, and want to cancel that expensive trip. But there can be restrictions (such as the length of time on a job) so read any and every policy carefully.

By all accounts of last week’s “gentle” crash landing of US Airways flight 1549, there was precious little time between the engines conking out - and the plane going down.

But passengers say, there was enough time for flight attendants to demonstrate how to do the “brace position” - and to make sure everyone was in that position. But what if there hadn’t been enough time to demonstrate the brace position? Could you do it, quickly and correctly?

Gadling has a quick-and-easy tutorial that will take you all of 30 seconds to read, and you can find the basics of the “brace” position on several other sites.

Take a few seconds now to learn the brace position, and then just tuck this information away in a corner of your mind. Odds are, you will never have to retrieve it - after all, you do have a better chance of being struck by lightning - but I’m sure the folks on flight 1549 never thought they’d wind up in the Hudson last Thursday, either.

A couple of days ago, I got a comment from a woman who wondered if FareCompare was “lying” in its “advertising”. I assure you, we weren’t — and never will.

Here’s the situation: the woman said she received an email alert for a low fare from Des Moines to Houston - a fare she couldn’t take advantage of, because she couldn’t find it (the fares she did find were much higher).

As I noted in my response to her, it appeared as if she’d waited awhile before looking for the low “alert” price. Bad move. This bargain shopper apparently did not realize that email alerts are extremely “time sensitive” (and by the way, you can quickly and easily sign up for our email alerts on the FareCompare homepage).

Here’s what to do when you get an email alert: pounce on it! Do not let it sit in your in-box for days — or even hours or minutes. If you like the fare, try to book it immediately! You see, the airlines set aside only a very few seats at their lowest prices - and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

And remember, you are not alone: many others are in competition with you to get the lowest prices, so if you’re going to “win” you have to be among the first in line. As they say in the advertising game, these fares won’t last - and they don’t.

Another point: while airfare sales can occur at any time, lately we’ve been seeing more and more sales and reduced fares being filed on Mondays and Tuesdays, typically around the noontime hour — so that would be a good time to check your email to see if any alerts have come in. But if you have instant access to your email at all times, so much the better.

Let me welcome you to the new & improved FareCompare.com - what we think is far and away the best airfare shopping site on the internet. And let me tell you why:

FareCompare.com is now easier to use than ever - we have all kinds of new tools to help you find the best available airfares - faster than ever.

Our new video tips and top five lists will teach you some new airfare finding tricks - and, entertain you, as well.

And have we got options - options that show you everything from where to fly, when to fly and when to buy.

And now, we have a Southwest Airlines airfare feed - adding to the more than 500 other airlines we track around the globe - as well as fares to more than 270,000 domestic and international destinations.

One thing hasn’t changed - thanks to our sophisticated, proprietary software, FareCompare.com still gets the airfares first - up to 6 hours before any other airfare shopping site - and we even get them before the airlines post them on their own sites! We get the fares first, so you can be first - first in line for the very best deals.

I’m so proud of the New FareCompare.com - and I invite you to give it a try, because I want you (and everyone else) to get the best fares available, every time you fly.

Dear Friends,

First, I want to thank everyone for your support of FareCompare — our little technology company has been going through some growing pains and I want to make sure that everyone knows that our entire team comes to work each day with one simple goal:

“Helping Air Travelers Find a Cheap Deal and Make the Best Purchasing Decisions”

Two years ago when we launched our small website, my vision was to change the status quo that all of us endure in air travel shopping today. As technology geeks, it has been a roller coaster these past two years as we have learned, first, how to stay alive and second, how to offer completely free services and create a profitable company in the advertising model.

In the next few months, our “dream site” will be coming to fruition as we use our successes and failures of the past two years to create the air travel website I always wanted to provide to consumers - a perfect mixture of technology, expert advice and tasteful advertising.

Air travel has become more painful, both in price and convenience - but I wouldn’t trade my family trip to London coming up in a few months — or that quick trip to visit a colleague — for anything in the world. And that’s because air travel gives life spice. And for those that take a small bit of their time to learn how to navigate these shark infested waters - I say, shopping for travel can actually be fun.

I hope we can prove this to you, as we begin to rollout our completely new site in early November. Give it a whirl — and as always, tell us what you think.

Kind Regards,

Rick Seaney, CEO
FareCompare.com

It’s happening soon! Please join me for a live chat today, with the fine folks at the Rocky Mountain News newspaper. It’s at Noon EDT, 9am PDT.

Just click here to get to their website; follow their directions, then fire away! Ask me anything about travel.

Or just follow along with the chat. Should be fun — and informative.

With aircraft maintenance issues and weather problems, we’re used to hearing about mass flight delays at this point. But there are some flights out there that just seem to be chronically late even when conditions are normal.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at which flights are almost guaranteed to be late. Is there a particular airline that comes up short time and time again, or is it a specific airport that feels the brunt of delays?

Keep reading to see the five most consistently delayed flights from the 4th quarter of last year…

The question everyone wants to know the answer to, is the subject of my latest, weekly column for ABCNews.com.

This is a column that’s loaded with tips and tricks, and some good old-fashioned advice.

Plus, I bust some common (and erroneous) myths along the way. Check it all out, simply by clicking here.

Are You a Day Trader and Don’t Know It?

Does the promise of a few precious days of R&R have you waking up and checking airline ticket websites morning, noon, and night? And then checking them some more? Market research shows this is exactly what you do, and that most of us shop four to six websites at a time, over several days. All in the search for that increasingly elusive “super cheap” airfare deal.

The reason? Trust. Wait, maybe I should say, lack of trust.

You see, shoppers have noticed that price quotes don’t always match what is actually available, even on the same airline site, on the same day; so it’s hard to trust that the price you’ve been quoted is the best deal. Your instincts say, buy now but…you might be sorry later. Who’s looking out for you? Keep reading, and find out!

Oil prices continue to rise through the stratosphere, so we should all be prepared to see the legacy airlines initiate a new round of flight cutbacks (capacity cutbacks) and, see slower growth in the lower cost carriers.

The airlines don’t have much choice.

This past week, several airlines came out with February numbers, and revenue was “up”. Of course, you might expect that after 4 “sticky” increases this year and 17 “sticky” increases last year (price increases that have lasted, or “stuck”). Somewhat surprisingly, air travel demand was still firm.

However, there’s a lot of “gloom and doom” out there. I just don’t happen to buy into all of it (yes, you can still find deals — keep reading).

Did you know that, according to government statistics, there were more than 17-million people enrolled in college in 2006?

And, a lot of them will soon be graduating!

Now sitting through graduation speeches is not a lot of peoples’ idea of fun, but if you’re invited to the ceremony, we can at least ease the pain of expensive airfare…if you use My Trips.

Let me explain.

Let me put on my myth-busting hat: I just saw this AP article in The San Jose Mercury News, called “When is the best time to book airfare?”

Good question; bad answer. According to the article, late Thursday is the best time to check. WRONG.

The article goes on to quotea source as saying “Our experience with airlines has shown us that they update available seats around 12 a.m. Eastern time every day.” WRONG AGAIN.

So when IS the best time to book? Click “more” to find out…

Liked this? Then check out “How to Buy Intelligently”