Gadling

It happens all the time. The one hour flight from one city to another is turned into a five hour adventure with security checkpoints, baggage claim traffic jams and surly airport staff. It would often be easier, cheaper and faster to drive (literally). If only there was an easier way to fly.

A new airline in the Pacific Northwest is seeking to take the hassle out of commuter flights. The small Portland-based company SeaPort only has 3 turbo-prop commuter planes. That's all it needs, because its only route is between Portland and Seattle. But what's special about SeaPort is, like corporate airplanes usually reserved for the rich and/or famous, they fly under the FAA's general aviation rules. That means that they can fly out of smaller airports where security screening and other hassles aren't required. In Portland, for example, SeaPort uses the business aviation area, not the main terminal, of the Portland International. In Seattle, they land at Boeing Field, a crowd-less airport six miles from downtown Seattle. The result, no waiting in lines. The airline's goal is to get passengers from downtown Portland to downtown Seattle in 90 minutes.

The price of a flight: $149 one-way. That is marginally more expensive than flying the same route on a traditional budget carrier. But, the time saved just might be worth it to many.

Some people are passionate about disliking Singapore. "It's boring!!!" Sure, parts of the city-state resemble a particularly sterile shopping mall, but there is a lot going on there these days. One of the biggest to-dos has to do with the world's greatest open-wheel racing series, Formula One. On September 28th, Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes, and the rest will race in the first ever F1 night race.

That's right, not only is Singapore the only place where you can get a ticket for spitting out your gum on the sidewalk, it is the only place to host a Formula One race under the lights.

Are there any motor sports fans in Singapore? Judging from the fact that only 5% of the tickets remain unsold, I'd have to say yes. F1 is a status symbol. Hosting a race puts you alongside the likes of Monaco. The street course in Singapore is no less spectacular, heading past Marina Square, St. Andrews Cathedral and City Hall. Some people will be lucky enough to be able to watch the race from their hotel window.

Singapore might be boring, depending on who you ask. But no one would argue that going 200 miles-per-hour at night on its streets isn't exciting.

Hooters is all about saving fabric. The minimalistic uniforms and the comely staff members who fill them are aimed at drawing mostly male customers. As the Georgia-based restaurant chain goes global, one would probably expect more of the same. But, the Hooters in Beijing is not all about buxom waitresses hawking chicken wings and fries.

How can that be? The very name "Hooters" suggests nothing other than said buxom staff members, right?

The typical tank top and short shorts are still worn by the female staff, but the goal is not to fill them out in the same manner as at stateside Hooters. A server at Beijing's Hooters told a journalist from McClatchy (who was there ONLY for the chicken wings): "It's more sexy in the U. S. Here, it's more about being healthy, friendly, cute and having moral righteousness."

Hey, who says moral righteousness can't go with short shorts and chicken wings. By the way, Beijing's Hooters also features the occasional dance number, preformed by the staff to appropriately kitschy music. Perhaps the brand has lost something in translation.

In the past, most people flying from Orlando to Brazil, or most other country in South America for that matter, had to first catch a connecting flight to Miami.

Therefore, the recent announcement by Brazil's top airline, TAM, was a welcome one. The airline will provide a direct flight from Orlando to Sao Paulo. Given major airlines' current aversion to adding new flights, this is big news, especially for Orlando.

As I wrote above, many area residents have to go to Miami, a hub for American Airlines, before continuing to their international destination. Though the TAM Orlando-Sao Paulo route seems trivial when compared to the numerous flights heading abroad from Miami, it's always nice to see a mid-sized city sticking it to a big city hub that is controlled by a major airline. Perhaps more foreign airlines will begin looking to mid-sized cities to boost their business.

TAM was drawn to Orlando after it found the city to have ample demand, a willing airport and a complete lack of competition.

So next time you are in Orlando, sweating away your holiday in a theme park, just remember, Sao Paulo is only a flight away.

As those opposed to Thailand's leading political party clashed with its supporters, the country's travel industry sat in the background and cringed. Thailand is already one of the most popular countries, if not THE most popular, amongst tourists heading to Southeast Asia. The Tourism Authority of Thailand had plans to draw even more would-be visitors than ever this year.

Are all those ambitious tourist quotas out the window because of the recent violence?

It looks like it, unless the situation changes. Thai Airways, which is already in the red because of high fuel prices, claims that the number of passengers from the Asia Pacific has fallen nearly 10% in the last few days. The drop is mostly due to cancellations, many following a travel warning issued by the governments of South Korea, China and Japan.

In Phuket, the protesting directly affected flights. The airport at the popular beach destination was closed as a security measure after anti-government protests broke out nearby.

The previous military coup was not violent. Tourists were actually out posing for pictures with soldiers. This time, though, chaotic riots make for a much more dangerous situation. Those who are planning a trip to the Land of Smiles won't find many smiling faces if they get caught up in a confrontation between pro and anti-government demonstrators or between one of the sides and the military.

The US State Department has yet to issue any travel warnings concerning Thailand.

Though the rapid rate of development has not hit Hanoi as hard as it has Ho Chi Minh City, the capital city of Vietnam still seems overwhelmed with new constructions. How this affects tourism numbers in the long term remains to be seen, but, for now, the number of visitors is rising (2 million international visitors projected by 2010).

Hanoi is known for its lakes and for being a city built by many different influences. Tourists are drawn by the unique blend of French, Chinese and Vietnamese architecture, art and cuisine. Hanoi is rushing to compound its tourism success. New roads, shopping centers and hotels are a big part of the effort. One wonders if the charm and urban quaintness that has attracted people in the past will be lost amidst the blitz of all things new.

An example of this modernization: a Holiday Inn, Hanoi's first, will be completed in 2010. The glitzy 300 room hotel will sit at the middle of a large upscale shopping, commercial and entertainment complex in the central Dong Da District. InterContinental Hotels Group, which is responsible for bringing the well known hotel brand to Vietnam, is banking on its name to help it succeed. Holiday Inn is a familiar hotel and, in an up-and-coming destination like Hanoi, that might lead to many people choosing it as a default when it comes to accommodation.

The coming of Holiday Inn and its ilk might be a bad signal for all the family-run guest houses and locally owned inns that dot the city.

I'm not going to say that all this development is ruining the Hanoi experience. I'm going to think it, but I won't say it. You can't really criticize a city for trying to modernize and bring more dollars into its economy. At the same time, those of you who want to experience the deep sense of history and the diverse cultural influences might want to start booking your flight soon, lest you find nothing but Holiday Inns and KFCs.

Has the eating of strange foods gone too far?

Sure, Andrew Zimmern might be brave, but does he really know what he's putting in his mouth?

While the Bizarre Foods guru (or his producer) usually provides a bit of background on what he's eating, you have to wonder, is it considered a normal food in whatever "exotic locale" the show is currently being filmed in?

Phil Lees of The Last Appetite points out that you can't always believe what people tell you.

A journalist named Sean Thomas found himself in Cambodia. He penned an "eating weird food" article for a U.K. newspaper. Aside from the fact that his article is rife with the gross over-generalizations typical of a parachute journalist, Lees, an old hand in Cambodia, points out that Thomas ate some things that were not meant to be eaten. The poor guy chowed down on a dried frog and compared it to a eating a dead mermaid. The problem: in Cambodia dried frogs are not meant to be eaten as a snack. According to Lees, "Dried frog is for medicinal purposes and occasionally, a rice wine additive. Complaining about the way it tastes is a little like eating a few spoonfuls of straight cloves, then writing them off as useless as a foodstuff."

One has to wonder if this is just an isolated incident or if more of the "I'm eating strange food" shticks are also ill-informed.

Despite the rise of regional airlines aimed at budget-minded travelers, SilkAir, one of Southeast Asia's original low-cost carriers, remains at the top of the game. Even with competition coming from the likes of Bangkok Airways and AirAsia and with high fuel prices, SilkAir managed to post a profit for the last quarter.

Perhaps SilkAir's lineage has something to do with its success. It is wholly owned by Singapore Airlines, which is consistently rated as one of the world's best carriers. Aside from the in-flight services and amenities that come from being associated with a high quality brand, SilkAir often carriers Singapore Airlines customers on shorter, regional flights.

The main competition comes from AirAsia. It flies many of the same routes (Singapore to Phuket, for example). However, unlike SilkAir, it has no sugar daddy to feed it passengers and give it a reputation for quality.

SilkAir also code-shares with Malaysia Airlines and Garuda and flies to cities in insular Southeast Asia as well as vacation hot-spots.

But, the best reason to fly SilkAir: the in-flight meal of Hainanese chicken rice is nearly as good as you'd get in a Singapore hawker center.

Even though they seemed to be bucking the trend by adding flights earlier this summer, Southwest is finally joining other domestic airlines in the flight cutting club. This winter, the nation's biggest budget carrier will cut nearly 200 flights in order to combat the effect that high fuel prices have on its bottom line.

According to a Southwest spokesperson, the cuts are not permanent. Routes like Nashville to Oakland and Tampa to Philly will be halted during the slower winter months (beginning in January), but will return later in the year.

Southwest is not as severely affected as its competition by high fuel prices because it purchased option which allow it to buy fuel at cheaper prices. As a result, their cuts are a lot less severe than those of other major carriers. While 200 flights seems substantial, it is only a 6% drop in the overall number of flights. In comparison, American Airlines and United Airlines are promising cuts of 12% and 16% respectively. So, even as they trim their service, Southwest can still say that they are performing better than others in the industry.

Elvis is buried in Memphis, right? So what's he doing in the German town of Bad Nauheim?

No, he was not sighted by some bleary-eyed office worker on the way home after too many beers. Bad Nauheim is the place where Elvis did his military duty in the late '50s. The people of this otherwise nondescript town (well, at least the Elvis fans among them) are not so quick to forget their most famous boarder.

A tour around town passes an arch where the photo for one of The King's album covers was taken. There is also the house where he lived, and, for die-hards, the room that he sometimes rented at a local hotel. There is even a story about a beer hall where Elvis allegedly started a brawl.

The people of Bad Nauheim have made Elvis a kind of folk hero, and they are painfully aware that his army days in Germany are viewed as insignificant by fans from other parts of the world. According to local Elvis lore, the Bad Nauheim years were among the happiest in Presley's life.

Bad Nauheim will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Presley's arrival in their town later this year.