Let the onslaught begin. The media almost universally refers to Memorial Day weekend the ‘unofficial’ start of summer, and if that’s the case, summer starts Friday.

Gas prices have gone up in the past few weeks, but they’re still a lot lower than a year ago. The lower prices don’t seem to be translating into more people planning to hit the road, though.  Unemployment is the highest it’s been in decades, but the last few reports indicate job losses are slowing. Still, I’m not hearing about people quitting their jobs to find something better.

My family won’t be hitting the road this weekend; there’s a high school…

It took a recession to do it, but US Airways is announcing today that it’s reversing its stance — you’ll be able to get a cup of coffee, a glass of juice or some soda on their flights for free.

The airline couches the announcement by saying the soda surcharge is just distracting from their improved on-time performance and such.  And the airline acknowledges that being the ONLY carrier charging folks for a non-alcoholic drink could cause some issues.

This traveler gulps his water before going through security.

The face of flying has changed dramatically since 9/11. We can’t pack liquids…

American Airlines announced this morning that beginning June 15, they will charge a $15 fee for EVERY checked bag from their passengers. They cite the increasing fuel costs for transporting passenger’s luggage for the new charge.

Will airplane cabins become even more overloaded as more passengers bring their luggage as carry-ons instead? I can see more passengers bringing their allotment of carry-on baggage making TSA security checkpoint lines even longer as more packages and wheeled suitcases need to be screened.

On top of all this, American’s parent corporation, AMR, this morning also announced “significant reductions” to its 2008 domestic flight schedule.  The say that…

Clashes between Tibetan protesters and Chinese police on Sunday have threatened the Dalai Lama’s efforts to keep his campaign for Tibetan freedom a pacifist movement, even as they focus the world on his cause.

Stories in Sunday’s and Monday’s Post-Dispatch say that the protests spread from Tibet into three neighboring provinces Sunday as Tibetans defied the Chinese government crackdown. Demonstrations widened to Tibetan communities in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces, forcing authorities to mobilize security forces across a broad expanse of western China.

In a sign that authorities were preparing for trouble, foreign journalists were ordered out of the Tibetan parts of Gansu and…