Senior Discounts, Travel Clubs, and Hotels

Hyatt Hotels: Ages 62 and older save up to 50 percent on regular rates (Average discount: 25 percent) at participating hotels in the US and Canada. Web site: hyatt.com/.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts: AARP members save between 35- 40 percent off regular room rates (the average discount is 15 to 20 percent off). Just call 877/999-3223 and request the AARP rate. Or you can book online at: wyndham.com/.

Travelodge: Members of AARP or CARP receive a discount of 15 percent off the regular room rate with advance reservations. Travelodge also offers the standard 10 percent off for those 50 and older. Call 800/578-7878 for reservations or book online at travelodge.com/.

Airline offerings

As for the airlines, many of the major airlines no longer give any type of discounts to seniors. Those that do (and a good number of the discount carriers do) confine their senior-citizen airfare discounts to 10 percent. In fairness, they also make the 10 percent discount available to the senior's flight companion, even a younger one; and some of them also sell senior travel booklets for an average of $625 that contain four flight coupons, each good for a one-way trip on that airline's route structure within the United States. Using the coupons enables a senior to reduce the price of a one-way ticket to $137 ($548 divided by four) or at most, $156 ($625 divided by four). Seniors 62 years of age and older are entitled to buy them, and any airline reservationist will supply the details of how to do so.

But such programs are often overtaken by eventsespecially, the "airfare sales" that airlines are now conducting on a frequency of at least once-and sometimes more often than thata month. When these sales are announced, fares are frequently available for less than the sum that seniors have paid for their coupon booklets.

Clearly, unless the airlines now devise new programs keyed to the levels of, and kept below, their own "sales" fares, they must--in my view--brace for outcries of protest from the seniors who purchased their fixed-price coupon booklets or year-long passes.

Here are three airlines with more enticing deals for seniors:

Virgin Atlantic: AARP members receive 10 percent off advance purchase fares, economy class only, to certain destinations in the UK.   Be sure to ask about current sale fares: Virgin will offer 5 percent off already discounted flights, which may be cheaper than the AARP fare alone. (phone: 800/862-8621). Web site: virgin-atlantic.com/.

United Airlines: United's "Silver Wings Plus" program, for ages 55 and up, offers discounted fares, bonus miles, and discounts on hotels and cruises. A two year membership costs $75, and a lifetime membership costs $225. United also offers club members savings on cruise lines and car rentals, along with a 50 percent room rate discount at Westin, Sheraton and the Luxury Collection hotels. For Silver Wings Plus, call 800/720-1765. Visit silverwingsplus.com/ for more information and to sign up for the program.

US Airways: An AARP discount is available for domestic flights (within the continental US), flights to Canada, and selected routes to the Caribbean. The discount averages 10-30 percent off published fares. Phone 866/886-2277 or visit usairways.com/

Ground transportation