London summer trip for $780 after taxes

I'm a little late on this one, so forgive me, but last week The Travel Insider had a link to an Associated Press story that ran on Yahoo (how's that for sourcing?) that made my jaw drop. I was flying to Raleigh-Durham when I read it, which is sort of appropriate... Basically, the story (by Bob Porterfield) was about how airline passengers pay an extraordinary amount in taxes, much of which goes to small airports that serve only corporate and other private jets. Get this: "The main source of federal funding for small airports and airstrips is the Airline Improvement Program, which has distributed $7.1 billion to airports of all sizes since 2005. About $2.2 billion of that went to small airports with little or no passenger service.... [And] most of that money was collected from commercial airline passengers." The FAA, to its credit, is trying to replace these outrageous taxes we pay with taxes based on fuel and airport usage, which would spread the burden around a bit. Naturally, the corporate-jet industry is fighting it. Kudos to Bob Porterfield.

We all know that flying isn't good for the environment. On June 1, Delta Air Lines will become the first U.S. carrier to give passengers the option of doing something to counterbalance the global-warming effects of flying. Every time someone buys a flight at delta.com, he or she will be given the option of donating an additional $5.50 per domestic round-trip as a "carbon offset." The money goes directly to The Conservation Fund, which plants trees to offset carbon emissions from flights. We applaud the initiative but wonder if it's enough. We're curious what you think. Should airlines add a $5.50 fee to the price of every domestic round-trip flight and then hand that money over to organizations that plant trees? Vote in our poll by clicking here.

--If the passenger next to you is sick... will you get sick, too, after your flight is over? No, say medical researchers, who were interviewed for this Wall Street Journal article (subscription required). Here's the money quote: "The air on planes is better than in most home and office environments since it changes much more frequently. On most commercial planes, at least half of the air comes from outside the aircraft and passes through a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter which removes contaminants." You're also unlikely to fall sick if the previous occupant of your airplane seat was sick. Cruises, though, are another story entirely. Learn how to stay healthy on cruises, by clicking here. --European railways to challenge discount airlines. That's the surprising news from German business daily Handelsblatt. In December, a new "Railteam" program will aim to make it easier for travelers to book discounted travel across Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. When the railway companies reveal more details, we'll pass them on to you. (Courtesy of the fine bloggers at EuroCheapo.) --Has it been 400 years already? In 1607, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, fled Ireland. This event provided an opening for the British to expand their rule over the island. History buffs can learn more about talks, festivals, and marches commemorating the event by visiting a new website, Flightoftheearls.ie. (Thanks to reader John McNeal for the tip.) --Our website has a new baby sister. And she's "green"! Sprig.com was launched earlier this week to cater to the interests of people who want to do a little bit more to care for the environment -- without obsessing over it. And, yes, there's a travel-related angle here. Sprig offers travel tips as part of its lifestyle section. For example, Sprig recommends you consider flying Virgin Atlantic because, among other things, the airline plans to start flying planes on plant-based fuels next year.

This Just In recently offered readers some tips on carrying their money overseas. Nine readers responded with their own stories. Here are some highlights... Just got back from 9 weeks in Brazil. I contacted my credit union (credit card and atm card) and Capital One. Neither charged surcharges for use in a foreign country. Capital One also listed the exchange rate for each transaction. the only bank that I paid a surcharge for withdrawing cash was CitiBank. By the way, in case it hasn't occurred to someone, take your ATM card, withdraw a little cash as you need it, IN THE FOREIGN CURRENCY, and there are no exchange fees! I love it!--Diana Brueckner I had forgotten to call Mastercard before a trip to Los Cabos, Mexico. On Friday evening, I wanted to get pesos from an ATM, but the machine kept my card and gave me a message to call my bank. When I called Mastercard, they told me they thought the card might be stolen. I had to wait until Monday to go to the Mexican bank in person to retrieve my card, and they were reluctant to return it to me. What would I have done if I was not staying in Los Cabos until Monday?--Phyllis Learn I let my credit union (ATM) and credit card company (MC) know I would be traveling in Japan, where almost no non-Japanese ATM cards are accepted. They both thanked me, and I had no trouble using or getting a cash advance on the credit card. The ATM card worked only at the Japan branches of Citibank, but without glitches. In spite of the problems others describe, I'd say letting the companies know is worth a try.--Linda Bowman I've been calling my credit card company for many years to flag my account when I'm traveling, which I do a lot. As a result, I've never had a problem when using my credit card and the people at the credit card company, when I've called to tell them to flag my account, have always been terrific. I've also passed this information to many of my friends who travel and I always get the comment, "I never thought of that" and when they return thank me as people they've traveled with who haven't done so, have had problems using their credit cards. It takes only a few moments to call and is worth taking the time to do.--Marion Cunic And a dissenting view: I contacted City Bank before we left on a cruise to Italy, Greece and Turkey. When I used it in Turkey twice, the second time it got red flagged. I had to give all my personal information including social security number and mother's maiden name over the phone!! The shop assistants were listening in and could easily memorize what I had just said. Naturally, I was very upset that that happened and then in Greece my card got refused. SO much for calling ahead and letting them know. Don't think I will do that again. It made the situation worse not better!--Ann It's not too late to share your own thoughts. Post a comment below, if you like.