Weekly Travel Roundup

Here are some articles and links from around the travel world that came across our desk this week. If you’ve got any suggestions, leave them in the comments, post them on our Facebook wall, or send them my way on Twitter.

Loews Hotels to offer free Wi-Fi

Loews will start offering free Wi-Fi connectivity at all of it hotels. Standard speeds are free, but you can upgrade for faster speeds at a cost. Maybe they read my recent post about how all hotels should be doing this.

How to Hire a Private Jet to Beat Winter Weather Delays

If you have the extra cash and really hate to wait in lines, why not? The Wall Street Journal gives you a quick rundown on the costs ($3,000/hr and up!) and benefits of renting your own plane for your next trip.

FAA to increase Take Off and Landing Separation at U.S. Busiest Airports

Recommended last summer by the NTSB, the FAA will begin increasing the time between take offs and landings at some of the nations busiest airports. It’s all in the name of safety, but could lead to increased delays during peak travel.

Delta’s 80’s In-Flight Safety Video

I always like when carriers try to have fun with in-flight safety videos, and it’s nice to see a domestic airline come up with this. When I started traveling for business in the 80’s, it sort-of looked something like this.

Airline mergers benefit carriers and help keep fares low, study says

Even when 80% of domestic flights are run by only 4 carriers, a new study by PwC says that airline mergers are a good thing.

U.S. Customs opens at Abu Dhabi airport

Passengers traveling to the United States from Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways can now clear customs before taking off. It’s a specific situation, but I’ll always welcome another way to avoid long lines at airports.