Blackout Dates

Travelocity offers 40% off hotels to mark 40th Earth Day What's the deal? This week marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on Thursday. To mark the milestone, Travelocity if offering up to 40 percent off eco-friendly hotels across the globe. The sale highlights the top 40 green hotel deals, but also offers discounts off more than 75 participating hotels in the online travel agency's Green Hotel Directory. What are the savings? Varies depending on which hotel is selected, but guests can save about 20 percent to 40 percent off the average room rate, as calculated by Travelocity.

AirTran will begin offering nonstop flights from BWI-Marshall Airport to Aruba at the end of the year. The airline, now a subsidiary of Southwest, begins the service on Dec. 17. It will be the sixth international destination or Caribbean route from Baltimore offered by AirTran. In April, the airline began nonstop service to Bermuda. It also offers flights to Cancun, Montego Bay, Nassau and San Juan. "Travelers from throughout this region will enjoy nonstop access to Aruba, with its world-renowned beaches, outstanding weather, and island hospitality," said Paul J. Wiedefeld, executive director of BWI Marshall Airport.

Cyber Monday travel deals What's the deal: If you missed Black Friday, there's still time to catch a travel deal on Cyber Monday — online retailers' answer to the brick-and-mortar post-Thanksgiving extravaganza. Many Americans are making at least part of their travel arrangements online, so you might as well click your way to some savings. Here are a few examples I've seen so far: •Hotels.com is offering up to 50 percent off room rates when you book online and use code 4DAY.

DALLAS - Members of Southwest Airlines Co.'s frequent flier program will have twice as long to earn and redeem free tickets and will no longer have to worry about blackout dates, under changes announced yesterday. But those free tickets may be harder to book. Starting Feb. 10, Southwest, the dominant carrier at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, plans to limit the number of seats available for award travel on a given flight. "We want to keep the program lucrative for members, but at the same time, keep Southwest profitable," said Debra Benton, the airline's director of loyalty marketing.

As a proud employee of Southwest Airlines, I read your article ("Is Southwest Airlines losing the luv?" Feb. 9) with dismay. Within the article you acknowledge the fact that Southwest is still the only airline allowing two bags to fly free while simultaneously berating the company for "swelling its bottom line. " While most of the reporting in this piece is technically accurate, the omission of information is unfortunate at best and could easily lead readers to believe that the opinions reflected by the few customers quoted here represent a majority.

This is a travel deal that you can put stock in. Literally. Elite Island Resorts, a chain of Caribbean beachfront hotels in Antigua, Barbados, Grand Cayman, St. Lucia, British Virgin Islands and Nevis, will let you trade in your devalued U.S. stock for an island vacation. I've been meaning to write about this for a while and, luckily, the offer has been extended through March 31. So there's time and here's how it works: You own stock in company XYZ. Today the stock is valued at $5. But last summer on July 1 - the date Elite has set for the offer - your stock was trading at $50. Elite will give you credit for the higher stock value and accept the transfer of stock as payment for your vacation.

If you're a student, or you are footing the bill for one, there are ways to save when it comes to travel. Southwest Airlines' College Rapid Rewards Program allows students to earn a free ticket after three round trips. Normally, you would have to fly eight round trips to earn 16 credits, which is enough for an award ticket. Students ages 18 to 23 will earn four bonus credits for enrolling, and they will earn one bonus credit for each one-way flight they make while they are enrolled in the program.

With summer travel in full swing and many airplanes once again crowded, passengers waiting at their gates to board may be more likely to hear an agent announce: "This flight is overbooked. If anyone is willing to take a later flight in exchange for a travel voucher, please come to the ticket counter." But before you leap out of your seat and volunteer to be "bumped" -- the industry term for shifting passengers from an oversold flight -- make sure you know what you're getting in exchange for agreeing to take a later flight.

Amtrak increases rates on Auto-TrainsAmtrak's Auto-Train rates will increase Tuesday for the peak period of travel to Florida. The Auto-Train takes cars and their owners between Lorton, Va., just south of Washington, to Sanford, Fla., just north of Orlando.The one-way fare for adults and children over 16 goes to $155, up from $140. The fare for children goes to $78 from $70.The new one-way fares for vehicles are $175 southbound, $115 northbound. The lower northbound rate reflects the fact that more autos head south during that period; the auto rates reverse from Feb. 18 to June 15 with the tide of travelers heading north.