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There will be fewer flights this fall than in any season since late 2001, reports the AP. The airlines have been trimming flights, and they haven't finished. American, United, and Delta plan to cancel even more service. What does this mean for you? It means that, despite the recession, planes will usually be full. And if the economy does strengthen a bit, it means that airfares aren't going to get any cheaper by the holidays. As the WSJ's travel editor Scott McCartney puts it, "Buying early means you typically pay a high price (higher than you would during non-holiday periods) and buying closer to the holidays usually means you pay even higher prices." You can book in confidence if you rely on money-back, price tracking websites to "watch your back." As I recently reported in this month's Budget Travel: Most fliers don't know that major U.S. airlines have policies that qualify you for a refund if the fare goes down after you book. Of course, they don't tell you when your fare changes—and who actually keeps track of these things?—so travelers rarely see the money. Enter Yapta. Two years ago, the site introduced its free airfare-tracking service, which e-mails you the moment your fare dips. For $15, Yapta will file the pesky money-back paperwork with your airline. Last summer, Orbitz got in on the business, with its Price Assurance program. If another Orbitz customer books the exact same flight in the same fare class for less than what you paid, you automatically get a check for the difference (up to $250 per ticket). No paperwork required. So don't hesitate to book your tickets now. If the price drops later, you can get some money back in most cases. Another tip: Do your shopping for tickets during the middle of the week, when travel websites often charge lower prices for the same flights than they do on weekends, when they know more people are visiting their websites.

Last Friday we posted an item, "A reader proposes smart new routes for river cruises." Clarence Moore suggested several great new routes for European river cruises, "plugging gaps" in the existing coverage by the top companies. Other readers chimed in with their own comments. Carol, for instance, asked for help finding a cruise covering Ukraine, the Black Sea, and Istanbul. Well, we have good news. A representative from Viking River Cruises has written in with a helpful response. Thank you, Joost Ouendag, VP Product Marketing at Viking River Cruises. As the person in charge of developing new product for Viking River Cruises, I would very much like to second your request for more, more, more! Having said that, here is what we have found, as far as European rivers are concerned: one of our competitors a few years ago tried sailing the Wisla in Poland. there is a lot of historical interest along that river, so it seemed appropriate. However, the river turned out to be barely navigable during the best of times—if my memory serves me well, only two or three cruises could take place as planned. The venture was abandoned after that one season. The Oder north of Berlin does get some river cruise traffic, but the ships have to be relatively small, and the demand is limited, just as it is on the lower Elbe and the waterways of Northern Holland. To my knowledge, only one European company services these regions. A few years ago a number of companies sailed on the Po river, but the water levels in that river proved a major challenge in operating an entire season. Subsequently, all of these operators were forced to pull out. On the Iberian peninsula, only the Douro river is large and deep enough for river cruise vessels. There are a few operators that offer cruises on this river that drains northern Portugal. To Carol: Viking River Cruises does offer a cruise in the Ukraine, from Kiev to Odessa or vice versa. Check out our website. Finally, to Clarence Moore: some parts of Europe are only now finding the economic benefits river cruising can bring. Infrastructure is constantly being improved and new opportunities present themselves. Rest assured that wherever we find a river that can sustain an exciting, dependable and rewarding cruise experience, you will find us there! EARLIER Viking and other river cruise companies introduce new ships

Known for his nearly $300-per-person prix fixe dinners, chef Paul Bocuse has staked his Michelin-starred reputation on Ouest Express, a fast-food joint in Lyon's Vaise neighborhood. Instead of the master's truffle soup, you'll find sandwiches—like the one pictured to the right, made with dry-cured ham—pastas, fruit tarts, and a daily entrée special. There's not a single menu item above $13.50, and most dishes are made with locally sourced ingredients such as chèvre from a farm in the nearby town of Hurigny. A second location will open in town next month. 41 rue des Docks, 011-33/4-72-17-95-95, ouestexpress.fr, sandwiches from $5.50. —David Paul Appell, from the September 2009 issue of Budget Travel

One of my favorite things about being based in Paris is that train travel, both within France and across borders, is relatively cheap…at least if you can speak (or fake) a little French. I was recently surprised to learn that searching for tickets in English will yield prices that are significanlty more expensive. The SNCF travel website is where all the best train deals can be found. If you scroll down to the bottom of the homepage, you'll see a sign for English that will transfer you to the website for "TGV Europe/Rail Europe." This anglophone portal is handy, but you'll pay more for tickets here. Searching this site today for an October fare from Paris to Marseilles, the cheapest round-trip ticket was $158. With an obligatory $13 charge for an e-ticket (which was cheaper than the $18 or $36 shipping options), the total price of the round-trip ticket was $171. Back at the SNCF website, written in French, the cheapest fare was €75 with no additional fees or charges. Converted to dollars, that round-trip ticket was $107—a savings of almost 40 percent! If you don't speak French and can't find a francophone friend to help you, consider muddling through the SNCF site with the help of Google Translate or Yahoo's Babel Fish. Just paste the address of whatever SNCF page you're looking at into the translation box, and the program will translate every word from French to English. This will require a bit more time and patience than using the English portal, sure, but the savings will be significant. For timetables and prices for intercity train travel in other European countries, check out our earlier blog post "Affordable Europe: Save on trains" MORE 7 tips for booking train tickets in Europe Europe's most scenic train routes 4 ways to save on trains from London