JetBlue's recession-related deals

United will stop accepting cash for passenger purchases of cocktails or other items on flights, relying on credit and debit cards instead It joins other plastic-only airlines, such as Frontier Airlines, US Airways, and Southwest Airlines. [Chicago Tribune] US Airways says soda, juice and coffee will be free again for domestic coach passengers Thanks to protests by travelers like you. [Chicago Tribune] New fees might mark the end of free airport shuttle service by hotels Officials in Washington, D.C. are proposing that "area hotels pay a $2.50 fee every time a hotel shuttle picks up passengers at Ronald Reagan National or Washington Dulles International airports." If successful, other airports around the country might force hotels to charge for shuttle service. [The Fairfax Times via Upgrade: Travel Better, republished at 4:24 p.m. with a clarified attribution] First train to Laos A new bridge across the Mekong means that you'll be able to take a train to Laos from Thailand—a 2-mile trip. [Guardian] Machu Picchu: See it before it's gone [The Expeditioner] TripAdvisor's Dirtiest Hotels "Motels of horror" and others. Mapping L.A. It takes a village to figure out the city's neighborhoods. [L.A. Times]

The honor of European Capital of Culture 2009 goes to Linz, which has obliged with a slew of cultural projects, including the Pixelhotel, whose rooms are scattered in six locations. (Linz is Austria's third largest city, right on the Danube and not far from the Czech border.) These Pixels make use of unconventional spaces while still providing conventional amenities like a minibar, a TV, daily cleaning service, and Internet access. A one-time cabinetmaker's workshop, Pixel im Hof transformed a freight elevator into a walk-in closet and installed a '60s vintage camping trailer—with the suggestion guests think of it as an adjunct living room. There's more of a true living room vibe at Pixel in der Textilpassage, which has throw pillows and multiple plush levels for lounging. Its elevated island connects with Nimmerland or "Neverland," a literally kid-size play room. (Adults, bow your heads!) Pixel in der Textilpassage shares a building with an art gallery, but it's one-upped by Pixel in der Galerie, an actual gallery whose owner, Simone Feichter, has outfitted it with specially designed angular furniture. Rates from €87 ($110) for all Pixels except Pixel am Wasser—a moored houseboat with three renovated cabins that go for €107 ($136) or more. Book by calling 011-43/0-650-743-79-53 or emailing office@pixelhotel.at. RELATED Photos: Awesome Art Hotels The New Boutique Hostel Italy: The Town That Became a Hotel

We've all become more or less resigned to paying airlines for services that until recently were free. Coughing up $15 or so to check a bag—any bag? Fine. Paying for in-flight food or a mighty power-nap sack? Fine again, maybe. But what about having to pay to use the bathroom? Everyone's favorite publicity-mad cheapskate carrier, Ryanair, has managed to do what it does best: Get people riled up. This time it's a proposal to start charging people £1 to get into the airplane bathroom—the plan would be to put coin slots on the doors. The chief executive, Michael O'Leary, billed this idea as a net gain for the world, saying that Ryanair's always looking for ways to "lower the cost of air travel to make it affordable and easier for all passengers to fly with us." Ryanair's marketing team did make the necessary backtrack, admitting that "Michael makes a lot of this stuff up as he goes along." Another employee, however, also made it clear that there's "no legal requirement for an aircraft to have a toilet on board." In other words, Ryanair could start charging for potty access if they really wanted to. And so that got us thinking. If airlines did start charging for bathroom access, what do you think a reasonable fee would be?