Is It Time to Start Using a Travel Agent Again?

Big news this week for Southwest and AirTran mileage programs: Now members may convert points earned in one program for use in the other, and vice versa (with one exception). Main advantage: Southwest members can now book free flights on AirTran's international routes to Bermuda, the Caribbean and Mexico, such as Cancun, Montego Bay, and Punta Cana. Simply trade in points earned in Southwest's Rapid Rewards program for credits in AirTran's A+ Rewards program. Insider tip: Even if you don't plan to convert miles, this news is important. Budget Travel expects that a huge wave of Southwest fans are going to trade in their Rapid Rewards points for a chance to fly on free trips to international destinations via AirTran. So if you have AirTran miles and want to do the same thing, you should book your travel as soon as possible before options disappear. Main drawbacks: You can't cash in A+ credits for Rapid Rewards points, which is surprising. Yet you can transfer AirTran points into Southwest credits, with one A+ Rewards credit equaling one Southwest Rewards credit, and 16 AirTran A+ Reward credits redeemable for one standard roundtrip award on Southwest. (But you can't use only eight to get a one-way ticket.) How to do it: Go to a special webpage for Instructions on converting points. The companies, which merged in 2011, say that AirTran will remain a separate brand from Southwest this year—and possibly through 2015. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Southwest Waters Down Its Rapid Rewards Program (25 comments) Are You Okay With Allegiant’s New Carry-On Fees? (40 comments) United Passengers: How Long Have You Been On Hold? (30+ comments)

When hotels use daily deal sites like Groupon, they're not necessarily trying to make profits. If the purpose isn't to make money, why do hotels offer flash sales? In a Cornell Center of Hospitality study, 42 percent of the hotel operators surveyed said that at least once they had tried a daily deal, which typically knocks about 50 percent off of a property's room or package rates for the consumer. According to a Travel Weekly story about the research, hotels have been using daily deals "as much for marketing purposes as for directly generating revenue." The idea, by and large, is that hotels accept that they're likely to lose money or just break even with the offering of a daily deal or flash sale. But these deals give the properties a way to connect with new customers, who someday will, the hotels hope, become regular, full-paying customers. Based on Cornell's findings, for the most part this isn't happening, at least not yet. The repeat-customer rate, according to the study, is just 11 percent. In other words, nearly 9 out of every 10 hotel guests that arrive via daily deal don't come back if they have to pay the regular rate. Another recent survey, conducted by TravelClick, sheds some further light on why hotels may be reluctant to work with Groupon, LivingSocial, and other daily deal sites: Of the 40 percent who have tried these sites, 38 percent have found it less successful than they had hoped and do not plan to use a flash sale site again. Hoteliers believed that the sales gave up too much revenue to the site operator (25 percent), did not attract the right caliber of customer reflective of the brand (21.7 percent) and did not see enough return business from the promotion (21.7 percent). What does this all mean for travelers? While we're still very much in the early experimental phase of daily deal sites working with travel operators and hotels, thus far the pairing doesn't look especially promising. That could mean fewer daily deals for getaways and hotel packages down the line. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Hotel Bonuses: 3 Deals That'll Each Earn You $50 8 New Hotel Booking Websites for Finding the Perfect Hotel Coming Soon: Groupon for Travel

Great news for book lovers: The Read and Return program at most U.S. airports lets you buy a book, return it at another store location, and get half your money back. The service has been around since 2003, and is offered in any one of the 500–plus Paradies Shops, located in over 70 airports around the U.S. and in Canada. According to their website, books that are brought back in good condition will be resold at half–price, and if for some reason the returned book is not able to be resold, it will be donated to a local charity instead. Just imagine the possibilities. You could buy a book in New York's JFK airport and return it for a half–price refund in Los Angeles. You could then pick up another for the return flight and do the same in your home airport or any other place you fly within six months. Sounds like a sweet deal to me, especially considering the price of a brand new book nowadays. (Sticker shock, anyone?) What do you think about this program? Does it sound like a good idea to you? Have you used it before? Share your thoughts below.

It's just like a cruise, except that you're flying from one destination to the next on a turbo-prop plane that seats between 30 and 70 passengers. Orlando, Fl.-based Mauiva introduced this "AirCruise" concept as the company calls it a year ago when it launched with two North America itineraries: a seven-day Western Wonders Experience AirCruise around Northern California, and onto Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas; and a six-day All American East Experience AirCruise that starts in Toronto, continues onto Washington, D.C., and ends in Arlington. Starting this September, Mauiva is adding a new, seven-day Sun and Fun Experience, which departs from Orlando and heads to the Grand Bahama Island, Grand Cayman and then Cancun for $1,999 per person, based on double occupancy. The itinerary includes at least two days in each destination, motorcoach transfers, 4-star resort stays, breakfast, lunch and dinner, several included activities such as a Chichen Itza tour and entrance to the Xplor Ecological Park & Zip Lines, as well as additional optional tours and activities. The resort on Grand Bahama will be the Grand Lucayan Bahamas, and the other resort contracts are still in the works, but will be of a similar caliber, the company said. Customers can also book a $1,449 option, per person at the double-occupancy rate, for just the flights and accommodations. (Note: the rates do not include the customs fees, which are estimated at $162 per person.) The company charters its planes through Cleveland, Ohio-based Charter Air Transport, a FAA-certified carrier registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The pilots and flight attendants that Mauiva uses are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, a company spokesperson told Budget Travel. The company started in 2009 as Mauiva Air Tours, offering flights over Central Florida. More from Budget Travel: Are You Okay With Allegiant’s New Carry-On Fees? Free Admission to National Parks Starting April 21 READERS' CHOICE: What's Your Favorite Tour Company?