READERS' CHOICE: Which Airport Features The Best Food?

The Costa Concordia disaster has promoted the global cruise industry to change its safety drill policy so that passenger musters now take place before the ship sets sail. While many lines already had such a policy, it was not universal. Rules established by the International Maritime Organization only required a safety drill on cruise ships within 24 hours of embarkation. But the earlier rules came under intense scrutiny when it was revealed some 700 passengers on the Concordia, when the ship hit rocks and sank off Italy on Jan. 13, had not attended any safety briefing. They had embarked on the ship hours before the accident in Civitavecchia (the port for Rome). Seventeen people died in the disaster, with 15 people still missing. The safety drill rules change is the first result of an industry-wide Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review, put together by the cruise line marketing organizations in the wake of the Concordia sinking. The Cruise Lines International Association, Europe Cruise Council and Passenger Shipping Association all adopted the new safety drill policy across the board — which means it's now in effect on every major cruise line in the world. The cruise lines noted their new policy "exceeds existing legal requirements." Chuck Flagg, owner of The Flagg Agency, a Cruise Holidays franchise in Georgia, said the industry joining together to show a proactive focus on safety is a smart move. "I think it's a good thing that they are being proactive and not waiting for a government entity to come and mandate. The consumer is seeing them as being proactive and not waiting," Flagg told Budget Travel. He said he hopes the public has learned a lesson too, to pay attention during the drills. "The public has the attention of a flea. Today it's Whitney Houston, tomorrow it's something else. But I hope cruisers take safety seriously as they see cruise lines take safety seriously," Flagg said. During a typical muster drill, passengers gather in a spot close to their assigned lifeboat and are shown how to use lifejackets—in some cases you actually put them on as part of the demonstration—and briefed on how to evacuate the ship in case of an emergency. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Cruise Lines Address Safety Are You Less Likely to Cruise in Wake of Costa Concordia Disaster? Budget Travel's 3rd Annual Readers' Choice Contest

We get to share our travel picks with you all year long. Now it’s your turn. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be asking for a few of your favorite things, both large (airline, cruise port, national park) and small (which hotel has the best toiletries?). Then we’ll compile your suggestions and let you vote for your top pick in May. Come back often—we’ll be posting a new question almost every day. Let’s start with an easy one: What’s the top destination on your bucket list? (Feel free to dream big!) —Marc Peyser MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL World's 16 Most Picturesque Villages Secrets to the 10 Most Popular Cruise Ports 21 Girl Trips You Absolutely Love—and Deals to Match

Here's some good news if you've been worried about airline mergers cutting service to smaller cities. Late yesterday, a Virginia-based company announced plans to bring back the low-cost PeoplExpress airline that, 25 years ago, famously delivered low-fares with great customer service, as USA Today reported in a scoop. The new airline may soon fly nonstop between a dozen medium-sized cities, connecting its hub in Newport News, VA., with Pittsburgh, Providence, West Palm Beach, Fla., and other cities currently underserved by major carriers, reports the Associated Press. The company has yet to post its route map online at its website, flypex.com. As a start-up, PeoplExpress needs approval from regulators first. If the idea flies, tickets will go on sale, perhaps as soon as this summer. Airline mergers, such as AirTran being swallowed up by Southwest, have led airlines to drop routes to smaller cities. For instance, Newport News is losing AirTran service next month, and AirTran accounted for nearly half of the service at the airport. With luck, PeoplExpress and other airlines will jump into the breach, and smaller, alternative airports—such as Providence instead of Boston—could provide deals, bringing a fresh set of airports to keep on your radar. Fares could be as low as $69 each way and will include a baggage allowance and seat assignments. The airline expects to fly 158-seat used Boeing 737-400 jets. While we're rooting for the new airline, we are skeptical about its success. New airlines have a terrible time getting traction. Last May, we reported on Vision Airlines launching cheap fares between underserved cities, with Florida as a hub, but that airline is suspending operations this month. We hope PeoplExpress turns out to have more success, like DirectAir, which continues to expand. SEE MORE ON BUDGET TRAVEL RIGHT NOW Flying Under the Radar: Four Small Airlines Worth Booking Directly To Go or Not to Go: 11 Places With a Bad Rap (50 comments) 6 Graceful Strategies for Dealing With an Annoying Seatmate (25 comments)

Airport security. (Courtesy eyeliam/flickr) President Barack Obama's spending proposal for fiscal year 2013 calls for the federal government to collect about $32 billion in fees from airline passengers over the next decade, reports Reuters. That's a hike of about $25 billion in fees. Most of the money would be set aside to reduce the national debt, instead of being spent on airport safety or construction. About $18 billion of the fresh $25.5 billion in proposed fees would go to US debt reduction, according to the Wall Street Journal. The plan, announced today would require the okay of the House of Representatives, and the instant analysis from political bloggers was that the proposed fees are dead-on-arrival in the Republican-controlled House. But budget negotiations have a way of taking surprising turns. The proposed fees would double the "passenger security fee" to a minimum of $5 per one-way trip, from as low as $2.50 that's typical today for nonstop flights. The fee would rise over time to about $15 round-trip, according to Dow Jones Newswires. "It makes absolutely no sense [to] discourage flying by trying to balance the budget on the backs of airline customers with yet another tax," Nicholas E. Calio, president of Airlines for America, lobbyists for big US airlines. The Administration defends its proposed hike in the terrorism-security fee by saying that the current system doesn't cover the costs of funding the TSA. Today, the passenger fee ($5 max each way), covers less than half of the Transportation Security Administration's aviation security costs. In other words, the TSA is funded out of other non-transportation related sources, so air travelers are footing less than half the bill for security services they take the most advantage of, according to the president's budget, as quoted by Dow Jones Newswires. Airlines would also be hit with fees of about $100 per flight, which would be incrementally passed on to passengers in the form of higher ticket prices. Administration officials are insisting on this as "non-negotiable." President Obama’s budget also calls for nearly $30 billion more than the amount proposed by the House and Senate’s rival plans, notes the Journal of Commerce. The bigger-spending Obama plan would include a major investment in high-speed rail. This money would come out of other tax revenue, not the fees discussed above. This White House plan is also unlikely to pass through Congress, say political analysts. SEE MORE BUDGET TRAVEL RIGHT NOW Coming Soon To an Airport Near You: Skipping the Passport Line Airlines Add "Carbon Fee" for Passengers Between U.S. and Europe Tests Show FAA Should Relax Rules About Electronics on Planes Are Airlines Cracking Down on "Airplane Mode"?