Additional flights from Pa. to Sunshine State

Additional flights fromPa. to Sunshine State
Southeast Airlines will add five-day-a-week nonstop service between Allentown, Pa.'s Lehigh Valley International Airport and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., starting Dec. 19. Some one-way fares of $59 (plus taxes and fees) were being offered.
The new service is scheduled to depart Lehigh Valley at 6:45 p.m., arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 9:10 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Northbound, the flights leave Fort Lauderdale at 3:15 p.m., arriving at 5:40 p.m.
Since August, the small public charter airline has been flying between Lehigh Valley and St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Orlando/Sanford.
Some of the Orlando/Sanford flights connect through St. Petersburg/Clearwater, and some of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater flights connect through Orlando/Sanford. Others are nonstop from Lehigh Valley.
For those booking their own flights, the airport codes are ABE for Lehigh Valley, FLL for Fort Lauderdale, PIE for St. Petersburg/Clearwater, and SFB for Orlando/Sanford. SFB is not the main Orlando airport, but is at Sanford, about 25 miles from Orlando.
Southeast, which says it has eight jets -- DC-9s and MD80s -- also flies to Florida from Newark International Airport.
For information, call Southeast Airlines at (800) 359-7325 or visit www.flyseal.com on the Web. The Lehigh Valley Airport phone number is (800) 359-5842; or visit www.lvia.org on the Web.
Hotwire finedfor unspecific ads
The online booking service Hotwire was fined $50,000 recently for not being specific enough in radio ads. The Department of Transportation found that the ads, aired around the country, quoted low fares to various destinations without noting what the point of origin was for those fares. "By omitting a full description of the markets in which its advertised fares were available ... Hotwire created the false impression that the fares it advertised were available in the cities in which its advertisements were broadcast when that, in fact, was not the case," the government ruling said.
Hotwire contended it was providing only an illustration of savings and did not admit to wrongdoing, but agreed to comply with regulations. If it fully complies for a year, half the fine will be forgiven.
Hotwire also got a wrist-slap recently from the Better Business Bureau, whose national advertising division encouraged it to refine its banner ads after a complaint from Priceline.com.
The BBB, of which Hotwire is a member, recommended Hotwire clarify its claim that it offers "better deals" than its competition, because its airfares are not always lower. The BBB also recommended it "discontinue use of an illustration that inaccurately depicts Priceline's bidding model and refrain from using unsupported, disparaging language when referring to Priceline's business practices."
Services shiptravelers' luggage
Air travelers who have oversize luggage or simply are fed up with airport baggage hassles can consider using one of several services that, for a price, will allow you to sidestep the process of hauling, clearing, checking and retrieving. The companies pick up your bag at home and ship it to your destination, making sure it arrives when you do at a hotel or other stopping point. Though the companies have been in business for years, airline cutbacks and long security lines have given their business a big boost. They typically use a company such as DHL or Federal Express to do the actual shipping.
Among them are Luggage Express (1-866-744-7224, www.usxpluggageexpress.com) and Virtual Bellhop (1-877-235-5467, www.virtualbellhop.com), both owned by Universal Express of Boca Raton, Fla.; Sports Express of Durango, Colo. (1-800-357-4174, www.sportsexpress.com); and Skycap International of Anchorage (1-877-775-9227, www.skycapinternational.com).
A few airlines, hotels and cruise lines have become partners with them, offering small discounts. Pricing depends on size, weight and how quickly a bag must be shipped. Sports Express quoted the rate for a golf bag shipped from Philadelphia to Miami at $45 one-way for three-day service, $48.55 for two-day service. Rates for a 40-pound suitcase were $45 for three-day, $57.46 for two-day service.
Other one-bag rates can be $75 to $125, depending on company and shipping details. Though that seems costly for a service that traditionally was often seen as free, it compares favorably with excess- and oversize baggage charges that some airlines now assess. Another option for those who want to ship luggage is to contact parcel shipping services directly.
Hunt is under way for endangered sites
Seen any imperiled historic buildings, castles, churches, mosques, libraries, industrial or archaeological sites in need of rescue anywhere in the world?
You have until Dec. 1 to nominate a candidate for the 2004 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. The World Monuments Fund, a private, nonprofit organization, seeks to preserve the world's cultural treasures by bringing them to international attention and raising funds for their rescue.
The 2002 watch list ranged from the Great Wall of China, which is threatened by increasing hordes of tourists, and Russia's Rostov Veliky Historic Center to the A. Conger Goodyear house in Old Westbury, an example of the modernist movement in America, which was slated for demolition.
By helping to rescue endangered icons, the Watch List "helps stem the tide of loss caused by both manmade and natural causes," said Bonnie Burnham, president of the Manhattan-based fund, which has affiliates in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
American Express is a sponsoring founder.
Other Watch listings include the Yaxchilan Archaeological Zone in Mexico and the historic center of Cuzco, Peru.
To suggest an imperiled site, log on to www.wmf.org and click the Nominate an Endangered Site link.
Woodall's guidesoutlast camping season
For more than 65 years, Woodall's North American Campground Directory has helped campers and RV-ers find their way to their preferred destination -- a listing that's grown to more than 15,000 campgrounds in the United States and Canada.
Though the tents may be folded and the RV parked in the garage, Woodall's guides are still moving off the shelf. Woodall's Publication Corp. distributes 15 practical publications, including "RV Buyer's Guide," "Go & amp; Rent ... Rent & amp; Go," "Guide to Seasonal Sites," "Campsite Cookbook" and "Favorite Recipes From America's Campgrounds."
No need to waste cashon wedding gowns
Brides who are concerned about the high cost of wedding finery can find an answer on Runaway Bay in Jamaica.
The answer? Wear nothing. SuperClubs is proposing its third annual nude wedding event at the island's Hedonism III resort on Valentine's Day 2003. Last year's event "made people so happy" that the resort has decided to continue the nontraditional tradition, according to Zein Nakash, SuperClubs' vice president of marketing.
Eleven couples exchanged or renewed vows in the buff last year, said spokeswoman Jennifer Sparrow. The on-site wedding coordinator sees to all arrangements, including marriage license, flowers, music and minister, she said.
"Couples only need to show up," she added.
SuperClubs, which bills itself as "Cupid of the Caribbean," offers weddings at no additional costs at its eight resorts in Jamaica and the Bahamas, she said.
Hedonism guests have their choice of "a nude beach or a prude beach," she said. A three-night minimum nude wedding package starts at $1,476, land only. Call 800-GO-SUPER, Ext. NUDE.
Combined dispatches