Deals: Book a bike tour and get €200

We're always being told how much cheaper it is to fly today than in the past. But do official statistics exaggerate the savings? I asked that question in a recent post on airfare price hikes that go unreported. In response, Evan Sparks posted a few great points on his Aviation Policy Blog. I had griped about how the famous Consumer Price Index (CPI) only tracks changes in base fares. Problem one: The CPI doesn't track the base fares that passengers actually pay. It tracks the prices listed by the airlines in Sabre, which the government explains is "a reservation system used by many travel agencies. Thus, the CPI fails to reflect price changes that may be effected through special discounted prices and frequent-flyer awards." In other words, the official statistics on how much people are paying for air travel aren't actually reflecting what people are paying for air travel. Problem two: The official statistics don't compare fares in an apples-to-apples way. Today's base fare doesn't buy you as much as a base fare did in, say, 1995. Services that used to be free (such as carrying a third bag of luggage, in-flight meals, and so forth) now require additional fees. So it's not fair for the Feds to say that ticket prices have dropped by X percentage when you're not getting as much for your dollar today as you did back then. Evan Sparks views things differently. The fact that you only have to pay for the services you want is a good thing for consumers who didn't value those additional services. In other words, if you're willing to be nickel-and-dimed for meals and additional legroom in exchange for a lower base price, so be it. He mentions the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’s Air Travel Price Index, and it's worth noting. Unlike the CPI, this index is based on a 10 percent sample of domestic airline tickets, including taxes and fees, measured every three months. It should be more accurate than the CPI. It's not perfect, though: the Air Travel Price Index (ATPI) still doesn't adjust for either today's nickel-and-diming by airlines or the "stealth inflation" of deteriorating service. But, putting that aside, the statistics are enlightening... Since 1995, the average fares for the top 85 markets have gone up substantially, according to the ATPI, which tracks actual fares people pay. The average is an 18 percent increase, but in some markets, such as Long Beach, Calif., (a base for discount carrier JetBlue Airways), fares have roughly doubled. See the chart here. Now don't get me wrong. Obviously, the spread of discount carriers, such as Southwest and JetBlue, has helped lower fares, especially in particular markets. And I'm grateful for it! But I just think that the official statistics should be more accurate than they are. Feel free to chime in, if you have an opinion.

BoltBus, a new discount express service operated by Greyhound, launched yesterday, and I took one of the first trips on the NYC to DC route. (Routes to Boston and Philly are in the offing.) Starting prices are $3 round trip, after fees and taxes. (The first bunch of seats sell at this low rate. Last-minute bookings cost more. See prices at boltbus.com.) I liked the trip and would definitely recommend the service. Because BoltBus is run by Greyhound, I felt that my bus was being operated safely. And the pick-up and drop off locations were ideal for someone planning to use subways in each city. (The buses start and stop at the doors of major subway stations.) There are still some kinks to be worked out, though... In NYC, I had trouble finding the bus stop. There was no street marker or sign, and the reservation receipt that I had printed out only said "33rd St. and 7th Ave." A couple that was similarly lost and I wandered around looking for the bus. Eventually we saw a tourist-coach-style bus with an electronic sign saying BoltBus in front of 421 33rd St. Supposedly, passengers board each BoltBus in three groups, similar to a Southwest plane. My reservation printout said I was in group B, to which I was assigned because I hadn't booked my ticket either early or at the last-minute. But the driver let us board in any order. Conclusion: Arrive at least 15 minutes early to be sure you'll have a choice of seat, and even earlier if you are traveling at a peak time or on a popular day. For my 5:30 Thursday evening departure, the bus was nearly full--mostly with middle-class-looking families with young children. The interiors of the spanking new coach were shades of grey. There were no live chickens or other, developing-world distractions. The free movie that was promised by BoltBus.com to be shown on the drop down screens never appeared. The free WiFi network was operating, but I couldn't get the 26-character password (which the driver gave me) to let me log in. The bus departed on time but arrived about 20 minutes past its ETA of 9:30 (for a four-hour trip), partly because the bus had a stopover at a weight station in Maryland. The bathroom was clean but had no sink or dry paper towels, only a bottle of anti-bacterial soap. Did I mention that my round-trip ticket only cost $3? At that price, or even somewhat higher, BoltBus offers a more comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective service than Greyhound's standard service and the "Chinatown buses," such as Eastern Transport. It is about as good, and often cheaper than, other express shuttles, such as DC2NY.

The Delta Air Lines safety video featuring "Deltalina," the flight attendant who looks like Angelina Jolie, plus a cast of other fun characters. The video will start playing in airplanes later this spring. (This Just In) You'll find resources on giving your children "the travel bug" by reading this post at Vagablogging.net. Discover Italy through a cook's eyes. The star of a cooking show on public television and the author of multiple cookbooks offers her tips on Italian travel and cuisine on the IgoUgo blog. April fun in Nashville. This weekend is the start of a month-long festival of music- and food-events in Nashville. Get the details at Blissful Travel. Travel with kids to Amsterdam. First-person advice, from the Family Travel blog. And Future Gringo is traveling with a 15-month old in Amsterdam, so expect some advice from him shortly. TripIt.com is a trip-planning organization website that we've blogged about before. The site's blog has recently offered some tips for newbies. Sportscar spacecraft: A two-seater spaceship smaller than a private jet that will fly one-passenger at a time for a 25-minute space flight sometime after 2010 for $100,000 a trip, says the New Scientist. The company, XCOR, is charging a fee that is relatively much cheaper than the fees for other commercial space travel options currently under development.

This winter, the author of Moon Handbooks: Guatemala, Al Argueta, answered questions about traveling around that country in an online trip coach chat. Al is also a photographer, and he shows of his recent shots of Guatemala—plus some more travel tips, in this YouTube video: (via Write to Travel)