A professional travel writer gets scammed

You know the moment...the plane is prepared for take-off, the seatbelt lights come on, the flight attendants announce that it's time to turn off all electronic devices...and you...keep texting... Or do you? If you're Arianna Huffington you do. Or Josh Duhamel. As you may recall, earlier this month Arianna created quite a scene on a flight from D.C. to New York when she refused to turn off her Blackberry as the plane took off. She's not the only person in the news for flouting flight regulations, either. Josh Duhamel of Transformers fame was escorted right off of a flight in December when he ignored flight attendants' requests to stop texting and turn off his phone as the plane taxied down the runway. As a result, the pilot turned the craft around and Josh found himself back in the airport. Whether or not cell phone use during flights is actually dangerous is still up for debate, but it's an airline rule regardless. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('0bd03474-1476-4f4b-807e-f6746d7f4d6e');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)So the question on my mind is: how many people actually turn off their cell phones during take-off and landing? The subject came up in our office recently and sparked quite a debate. I power down, but that has more to do with the fact that I'm a hypochondriac than anything else (if there's even a fraction of a chance that I can contribute to a safer flight by foregoing technology for a few hours I'm happy to oblige!). Other members of the BT staff brazenly admit that they leave their devices on. "Is it really such a big deal?" is a phrase that was bandied about in response to this question. So what about you? Do you shut off your cell phones (and other electronic devices) when asked? See more popular stories: 27 Outrageous Travel Signs Top 10 Hottest New Travel Gadgets Top 10 Beaches from the Movies

These days, designer collaborations are about as common as airline fees and security-line controversies—and even hotels have started getting into the game. The Standard Hotel group was an early proponent of the synergistic approach—launching a line of Quiksilver swim trunks and bikinis in 2009, which were dispensed from vending machines at the hotel chain's four properties. The Standard's next addition: white leather headphones, created with fashion and lifestyle brand WeSC, coming soon. Another product hot off the workshop floor is the limited-edition Converse All-Star designed exclusively for the Ace Hotel. The military-inspired olive-and-brown high-tops launched early this month, and sell for $100 on the hotel's website. (NB: They appear to have already sold out of all but the smallest sizes, so those with petite feet should hop to it if they're interested and may already be out of luck.) Of course, no hotel so far has outdone Brussels' new Pantone Hotel (featured in our November 2010 "Best New Boutique Hotels Under $150" story), a seven-story monument to the namesake company's color-matching system. Its gift shop sells one of the largest ranges of Pantone product out there, from cufflinks to coffee mugs and even cruiser bikes, all themed around the company's ubiquitous color-standardization services. Personally, I'd be psyched to see something smaller and more collectible come onto the scene—a well-designed toothbrush, perhaps, or some really great earplugs. What about you? Would you ever spring for a souvenir from a high-profile (or simply high-style) hotel? [via Refinery29 and Luxist]

Over the last couple of decades, the number of passengers boarding short-haul flights has been on a steep, steady decline in the U.S. Now why might that be? The Dallas Morning-News reported that the number of passengers flying Southwest between Dallas and Houston has dropped by one-third in the last two decades. Nationwide, short-haul flights account for a much smaller percentage of passengers than they used to: In 1990, people flying on short-haul routes, 400 miles or less, made up nearly 34 percent of domestic passengers on U.S. airlines. In 2009, the last year for which full numbers are available, the percentage had dropped to 26.6 percent. The reasons for the decline seem pretty obvious: The costs of these shorter flights have increased, as have the hassles of flying pretty much anywhere. This will come as no surprise to the many readers who said they were absolutely less likely to fly in 2011. The kind of flight travelers are most likely to skip nowadays is the short-haul variety. Why is that? Because there are readily available alternatives with fewer headaches -- namely driving, or hopping a train or bus (especially a nice one like BoltBus). What with two-hour advance check-in requirements and long checkpoint waits (not to mention security procedures many travelers deem demeaning), flying no longer has the time-saving advantage it once boasted unless the traveler needs to go a long distance. This is why almost no one today is bothering to fly on once-popular short-haul routes such as Albany-LaGuardia or Boston-Bangor. Increasingly, when travelers feel like there's an alternative to flying, they're taking it. This goes even for short-haul flights between some of the country's biggest cities. Using government data, the Morning-News story shows that the number of passengers flying routes such as LAX-Phoenix, Boston-LaGuardia, and St. Louis-Kansas City have dropped by more than 40 percent since 1990. There's no reason to think that passenger numbers on such routes will increase anytime soon. It's getting to the point that we may have to redefine a "short-haul" flight as anything under 750 miles each way. And a flight that's under 250 miles? Well, that's almost unthinkable. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Are you less likely to fly in 2011? More airports consider ditching TSA It's a new day for flier's rights: We're human beings, not just cargo!

As winter weather snarls more and more travel plans, passengers separate into a few camps: Those who proactively rebook before a flight is officially cancelled, those who rebook as soon as a flight is called off, and those who roll the dice, waiting for other cancellations to open up a short-notice seat. When my mom was stranded in New York during last month's blizzard, she opted for the latter strategy, which worked for her in that particular instance. Her original flight was for Tuesday morning, and when it was cancelled, the airline rep quoted a Thursday-night departure as her earliest rebooking option. With a strong college-football-playoff-related reason to hustle home, she rode the phones, hoping to get lucky, and scored a seat on a Wednesday afternoon flight. But things could have easily gone another way—and not everyone wants to spend hours on hold waiting for customer service to pick up. We want to know your tried-and-true snowy-travel strategies (or lessons learned the hard way)—post them in the comments below, and check out our guide to your rights to cancellation compensation.