Weekend Traveler

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- ON-TARMAC COLLISION STALLS PLANE

An incident happened at the Indianapolis International Airport this week that could have been a disaster, but had a happy ending. It's a classic example of passengers being held on a plane for what may have seemed an eternity ... in the name of safety. It seems that a plane collided with a de-icing truck, while the plane was returning to the gate to off-load a sick passenger.

There were no injuries aboard the American Trans-Air 737-800, but the Indianapolis Star says that it took 10 minutes for the airport's emergency crews to get to the plane and begin their work.

Through all of this the passengers were kept in the plane for two hours.

The reason was that there was a concern that the plane -- just gassed up for a flight to Chicago Midway Airport, then on to Seattle -- was full of fuel.

To make matters worse, the de-icing truck had become lodged under one of the plane's wings. It is in the wings that much of a plane's fuel is carried. Fork-lift devices were used to carefully lift the plane off the truck so the vehicle could be slowly pulled away.

During the time there was no report of spill. But to have let the passengers leave, especially down the traditional escape chutes, could have created a rocking motion in the plane and then sparks that could have ignited a disaster.

By the way, something really interesting happened during the two hours that the plane was "on hold" and the passengers were stuck inside. Some people on board got out their digital cameras and took shots of the crews involved in the "rescue" operations. A few were able to link the photos into their cell phones. By doing this they relayed nearly instant video coverage of the event to friends in other cities.

The bottom line: When you are told that you have to wait until things are sorted out, even though the delay may seem long and uncomfortable, it's being done for your own safety. But you do have the right to ask for an explanation if the wait seems intolerable.

LUXURY GROUP ADDS MORE RESORTS

A posh resort broker called Private Retreats says it has acquired new properties in two prime American vacation destinations. The new properties are in Jackson Hole, in Wyoming, and one in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale.

As mentioned in this report before, the Jackson Hole area is not only a great place (if only for the scenery), but it has great skiing and is the southern gateway to Yellowstone National Park. The Scottsdale area is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination, particularly for golfers.

The Wyoming facility is in an extremely pristine area. It's the Snake River Lodge and Spa and Teton Mountain Lodge in Jackson Hole.

Private Resorts, which bills itself as the world's leading private members club, is a good example of the growing number of upscale organizations of its kind that offer out-of-the-way resorts in locations that might be too pricey without the club membership.

In addition to providing spa lodging, the company also rents private homes and even yachts.

The broker is reachable at 800-925-7577 or at private-retreats.com on the Internet.

JETBLUE OFFERING DEEP DISCOUNTS

One of the country's fastest-growing, innovative discount carriers is at it again. JetBlue says that it's offering fares as low as $19. Using the under-utilized Long Beach Airport (in the southern part of the Los Angeles area) the carrier is hyping a $19 one-way fare between that facility and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. A 14-day advance purchase is required and all tickets must be purchased at the carrier's Internet site -- jetblue.com -- by the 24th of this month.

At a slightly higher rate, with the same restrictions, JetBlue is advertising $29 fares between Long Beach and Oakland International Airport (San Francisco's "back door" jetport). There's a $49 fare in the Long Beach-Salt Lake City International Airport nexus and also between Oakland and Las Vegas.

In publishing the fares JetBlue is going head-to-head with Southwest for the discount market in those cities.

FLORIDA PROMOTER HYPES 'NAKED AIRLINE'

First Canada got the Naked News Network ... now a Florida travel agent is proposing an all-nude flight from Miami to Cancun. The Miami Herald is reporting that the agent, who is already booking more than 50 excursions for nudists a year, thinks that the no-clothes community is ready for an "occasional airline" that will allow passengers to take off their duds during the middle part of the flight.

The entrepreneur plans on taking a full-size 727 from south Florida to the Mexican resort for a roundtrip price of just under $500.

James Bailey is the co-owner (with his wife) of Castaway Travel. What he is planning is a trip to Cancun where passengers can literally castaway their clothes after the initial take-off procedures.

Passengers will then be given beach towels. For sanitary reasons the tourists will have to place the towels between the plane's seats and their own.

Nudist trips, staged by Bailey and many other companies, are nothing new. The idea of a nude-while-on-board airline is.

Bailey tells the publication that the flight will not be filled with hanky-panky. But, considering during what part of the flight the passengers will only be wearing a seat belt, he's put a whole new meaning to the term "cruising altitude."

A FINAL THOUGHT ...

Travelers who have never carried a briefcase before might want to go to their nearest thrift store and find one for a couple of bucks. The airlines are allowing one "additional" piece of carry-on, as long as it's a briefcase or purse. Additionally, don't assume that all the "carry-on" roller-board luggage you see in stores is actually small enough to be carried on board. Before buying any new luggage that you expect to be allowed to be taken onto the plane, call your favorite carrier and ask about the limitations.