In fact, there were only 373 fatalities on 18 scheduled passenger flights worldwide. Considering that there are roughly 10 million flights per year in the U.S. alone, this is a remarkable feat.

Looking at the Aviation Safety Network’s database, we see that there were 106 “occurrences” of all kinds during the year worldwide. This number includes military, cargo and private aircraft accidents as well as airplanes on test flights. One of the accidents last year was actually with an illegal crop-dusting operation in Russia. So this is pretty detailed.

Including all those various occurrences, 50 in total had fatalities; many of the rest were things like edging over the end of the runway. But once we narrow that number down again to just scheduled passenger flights, we get 18.

Now, 18 fatal accidents still sounds like a lot. After all, could you imagine hearing about one or two major accidents every month? Most of these, however, probably never made the news here in America.

In the U.S., not a single passenger was killed in an accident on a scheduled passenger flight the entire year. There was one tiny scheduled flight that crashed in Alaska, killing the pilot, but both passengers survived. A couple of bush flying accidents in Northern Canada claimed three lives as well, but that was it for this immediate part of the world.

But wait, weren’t there some newsmakers in the U.S. this year? Sure, you heard about the Southwest 737 that had the fuselage tear open at cruising altitude, but everyone walked away in good shape. (OK, maybe nerves were rattled.)

The rest of the accidents happened in primarily developing areas.

The worst offender over the past year has been Russia, where three accidents killed 56 people. This was in addition to several landing accidents that were not fatal and one major crash of a charter flight that killed an entire professional hockey team. Though this does not make flying in Russia unsafe, it certainly was one of the hotspots that should cause alarm for Russian aviation officials.

There were two accidents in Indonesia as well as one in Congo. These were on airlines that have been put on the banned list by the European Union for being unsafe, so many people wouldn’t even consider flying them in the first place.

There was an accident on a domestic flight in Iran, one on a tourist flight in Nepal, one on a prop in Papua New Guinea and five on turboprops in Latin America. In Europe, there was only one, a turboprop that crashed in Ireland in bad weather.

You’re probably wondering what caused these accidents. As usual, none of these was caused by a single issue, but most of them were operating in challenging weather conditions at the time.

In some of the more remote places in the world, they don’t have the same kind of weather detection systems or the conservative procedures that we have here in the U.S., and that can make a difference in the accident rate.

Looking through all this data, one thing is clear. Flying remains an incredibly safe mode of transport. Although there will always be an effort to get to zero accidents, that simply won’t happen with something as complex as aircraft operations. But each year, more aircraft take to the skies, and the chances of something going wrong continue to drop.

New York’s first-ever Hotel Week will feature discounts for eight city hotels between January 6 and January 15. More basic hotel rooms, or those slightly off the beaten path, can be found for as little as $100 per night plus taxes, while fancier rooms can go for $200 or $250 per night — still a deal by city standards.

“Hotel occupancy dips considerably during the first week in January,” said hotel publicist Nancy J. Friedman, who launched the Hotel Week concept with six of her hotel clients and two nonclients. “It’s a similar model to Restaurant Week, which is so successful at filling up restaurants during quiet times.”

Speaking of Restaurant Week, the city’s 20th anniversary promotion starts January 16 and runs through February 10 (Mondays through Fridays). For more information, click here.

There isn’t a central website or phone number to book Hotel Week rooms. Several hotels have created special websites for the promotions, while others require calling the reservations number. Links are at the end of this article. Always mention Hotel Week when booking and know that these specific discounts are limited.

For visitors who won’t be able to take advantage of limited Hotel Week discounts, more than 120 participating New York City hotels are offering discounts between January 2 and February 29, sponsored by NYC & Co., the city’s tourism office. Discounts include a free night for stays of three or more nights, complimentary upgrades or complimentary breakfast. To book a room, click here. During the same period, a group of 20 luxury hotels is offering a free third night to visitors who book two consecutive nights at one of 20 participating “Signature Collection” hotels.

Winter weather watches, warnings and advisories were in effect Wednesday for much of the West, according to the National Weather Service.

The higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains were expected to get hit the hardest, with some likely to be coated with up to 15 inches of snow in the coming days. Other areas could get eight inches, the weather service said.

The storm could make travel on some roads “very hazardous or impossible,” the weather service warned.

Are you there? Tell us about it
Cars slip, slide on New Hampshire highway

This was the case on some roads Tuesday as blizzard warnings stretched from southeast Colorado through western Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle and far northern Texas.

Interstates and highways were shut down Monday night as at least five states contended with heavy snow, fierce winds and ice.

New Mexico State Police shut down Interstate 40, a major east-west artery from Albuquerque to the Texas state line, saying there was zero visibility because of blowing snow. Interstate 25 was shut down from just north of Albuquerque to the Colorado state line because of the blizzard conditions, which included snow-packed and icy roads.

One of the many stalled by the storm Tuesday was Linda Martinez, who had planned to take the interstate into New Mexico with her husband and daughter, according to CNN affiliate KXRM.

Instead, she was stuck in her car at a gas station in Colorado City staring at the heavy snow gusts.

“We’ve traveled in storms like this before, but looking at it now, I don’t want to chance it,” Martinez said.
Safe travels and happy holidays to Sharla, Brooklyn, Terry Kim, and Danae.

The average price of regular gasoline is $3.24 a gallon, the Lundberg Survey found.

That’s down 5.25 cents from two weeks earlier, and down a total of 24 cents in the past six weeks, said publisher Trilby Lundberg.

“In these two weeks, the decline comes from a serious drop in the crude oil price of more than $7 per barrel,” Lundberg said.

The “continued demand destruction from our under-employment level” is also pushing gasoline prices downward, she said. “That underlies whatever else is going on.”

The end of gas price drops in the United States could be near, but the key in the coming months lies in Europe, she said.

“The retail gas price direction will depend mostly on what crude oil prices do and they are up in the air due to Europe’s debt crisis, and what Europe may do to address that,” she said.

The oil futures market does not currently see much change in the coming months for crude, she said.

The price decline in November came because refiners and retailers “were unable to pass through the higher oil prices because American motorists’ demand for gasoline continues to shrink due to hard economic conditions.”

The latest average gas price is 33 cents higher than it was a year ago.

The Lundberg Survey tallies prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide.

The city with the lowest average price in the latest survey was Albuquerque, New Mexico, at $2.83. The highest average was in San Francisco, at $3.57.

Here are average prices in some other cities:

- Tulsa, Oklahoma – $3.01

-Denver, Colorado – $3.08

-St. Louis, Missouri – $3.14

-Atlanta, Georgia – $3.22

-Miami, Florida – $3.28

-Boston, Massachusetts – $3.34

-Seattle, Washington – $3.46

This political reality stands out: Since states began legislating distracted driving or cell phone use in 2000, none has gone so far as to impose a complete ban on mobile devices behind the wheel, and only one state — Alaska — has considered such a blanket prohibition, just this year, said Anne Teigen, senior policy specialist with National Conference of State Legislatures.

Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said opponents don’t like big government intrusions and savor their personal freedoms.

“This is a controversial issue so you can assume it’s not going to pass right away,” Harsha said. “It’s going to take a long time for legislatures to pass laws, and a long time for states to begin to enforce the laws, and then a long time for behavior to start to change.

“The first seat-belt law was passed in the mid-’80s, and we’re now at 84 percent of drivers who are buckled up nationwide,” even though all states now have laws requiring drivers and passengers to wear seat belts, Harsha said.

“People like to be connected. They like to respond to e-mails and voice mail,” Harsha said.

States won’t embrace such a blanket ban recommended by the NTSB, said David Adkins, executive director and CEO of The Council of State Governments. Lawmakers believe that constituents and trade groups alike view such a total ban as excessive, he said.

“It’s just one of those things that would be the equivalent of the 18th Amendment today. It’s a Prohibition that would not work,” Adkins said.

“I don’t believe most state lawmakers would say (the NTSB recommendation) is viable,” Adkins said. “To check to see what’s for dinner and who’s going to pick up the kids, those are so ingrained as conveniences in our daily lives, to say that we’re not going to allow you to connect, that seems so unrealistic.”

Still, Adkins praised the NTSB initiative as “boldly aspirational.”

“If it gets people’s attention, it will do good,” he said. “I just hope they pursue their campaign through cooperation and collaboration rather than preemption or mandates on the states, in other words forcing it down the states’ throats.”

NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman acknowledged that the recommended ban is “a challenge” that “will take some time.” Another NTSB board member said the proposal’s target — distracted driving — is “the new DUI.”

“I know how difficult this is because I used to talk on my phone, as well, until I understood the dangers of it,” Hersman told CNN on Wednesday. “And I’ll tell you, when I hung up my phone and stopped talking on the phone while I was driving, it was like becoming sober and seeing that everyone around you was drinking. You notice the people who are distracted.”

In the past 10 years the NTSB has increasingly sought to limit the use of portable electronic devices — recommending bans for novice drivers, school bus drivers and commercial truckers. Tuesday’s recommendation, if adopted by states, would outlaw nonemergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road.

The initiative would apply to hands-free as well as hand-held devices, but devices installed in the vehicle by the manufacturer would be allowed, the NTSB said.

The recommendation would not affect passengers’ rights to use such devices

The Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, hasn’t taken a position on the NTSB recommendation because the association would like to see more research.

“There’s conflicting evidence” on whether hands-free cell phone conversations would be as unsafe as those by hand-helds, Harsha said, adding that more “definitive research” is needed. “If it shows both are unsafe, then a total ban may make the most sense,” she said.

So far, nine states and the District of Columbia prohibit hand-held cell phones while driving, Teigen said. A 10th state, Utah, has deemed speaking on a hand-held phone as a careless driving offense if it is accompanied by another moving violation, Harsha said.

Thirty states and the District of Columbia prohibit novice drivers and teenagers from using cell phones while driving, but no state has imposed such a ban on all drivers, Teigen said.

One cell phone industry group supports states’ ban on texting while driving — a law enacted in 35 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

But the CTIA-The Wireless Association didn’t take a position on the NTSB’s recommended ban on cell phone conversations behind the wheel.

“Manual texting while driving is clearly incompatible with safety, which is why we have historically supported a ban on texting while driving. As far as talking on wireless devices while driving, we defer to state and local lawmakers and their constituents as to what they believe are the most appropriate laws where they live,” Steve Largent, president and CEO of the industry group, said in a statement.

In Alaska, state Rep. Mike Doogan, a Democrat, this year proposed legislation that would ban using a cell phone when driving, but the measure died, he said.

“I’m very happy to see that the NTSB has taken notice of what is clearly a problem that basically anyone who is on the road can recognize themselves. It’s important that a national organization is getting involved. Otherwise, it’s a state-by-state slog, and that slog hasn’t been going so well, including in Alaska,” Doogan said.

The federal government last month banned interstate truck and bus drivers from using cell phones while driving. A violation carries a federal fine of $2,750.

Tens of millions of Americans are on the move for the annual November trek to see family and friends, feast on turkey and pumpkin pie, and rediscover the joys of their hometown on Thanksgiving.

You probably know the drill: packed airports, crowded flights and lots of out-of-state license plates on the road.

All eyes are on the weather, which can turn a simple trip into a nightmare — cue visions of Steve Martin and John Candy struggling to get to snowy Chicago in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

Should you recline your seat? The etiquette of crowded flying

Travelers faced stormy conditions in the Pacific Northwest, the threat of floods and severe storms in the South, lots of rain in the Northeast and the possibility of snow in parts of New England.

On Tuesday afternoon, weather-related flight delays were reported at airports including Philadelphia International, O’Hare, Newark International, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International.

But the threat of bad weather is not keeping people home.

AAA projects that 42.5 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles during the Thanksgiving weekend, an increase of 4% from last year.

Slightly fewer people are choosing to get to their destinations by plane.

About 23.2 million travelers will fly over a 12-day period surrounding Turkey Day, a 2% drop from last year, according to a forecast by the Air Transport Association of America.

Unlike last year, when the “National Opt-Out Day” movement against airport body scanners threatened to snarl security lines across the country, air travelers are not facing the prospect of protest-induced delays. (The Opt-Out Day turned out to be a non-event.)

The TSA says it’s preparing its work force for a “smooth holiday travel experience for travelers.”

Tell us how your trip is going

The busiest air travel days for the Thanksgiving holiday period are expected to be Sunday, November 27, and Monday, November 28, the Air Transport Association of America said.

If you’re flying into or out of Los Angeles International, Chicago’s O’Hare International or Orlando International, brace yourself for lots of company. Those will be the nation’s busiest airports this Thanksgiving, based on flight bookings, according to Orbitz.com.

(And in case you’re wondering, Mineta San Jose International in California and Kahului Airport in Maui, Hawaii, will be the least busy.)

No matter where you start your journey, flight attendants say, it’s a week when they see lots of extra-grumpy passengers worried about flight delays and cancellations.

“There’s a little bit more at stake. Oftentimes, people are trying to get someplace to be with their family, so naturally they would be upset if they’re not going to make it,” said Rene Foss, a veteran flight attendant for a major U.S. airline.

“However, in general, it’s also kind of a festive time. Sometimes, contrary to what you might think, people are in a good mood because they are going for something kind of fun as opposed to just a business meeting or something related to work.”

Flying with food or gifts? Check out the TSA’s guide to what you can and cannot bring through an airport security checkpoint. The agency reminds you not to wrap gifts you are taking on the plane because security officers may have to unwrap them if they need to take a closer look.

The TSA also offers tips on how to get through the security line faster, including packing coats and jackets in checked bags whenever possible and putting your shoes directly on the conveyor belt instead of a bin when they go through the X-ray machine.

Then, there are things you can’t control: Snow, fog or rain may mean you won’t fly on time or at all.

To avoid being stuck at the airport, sign up for airline alerts and check your flights frequently online before you leave home. If your flight is canceled, get in line for assistance and try your airline by phone or online at the same time to get an edge over other fliers who are trying to rebook.

Winter weather travel tips

If you’re driving through an area that’s expecting wintry weather, AAA recommends that you keep at least half a tank of gas in your car at all times and pack a cell phone, plus blankets, gloves, hats, food, water and any needed medication in case you’re stranded.

Stay safe out there, and happy travels.

The charter company, Austria-based Comtel Air, and the Spanish company that owns the planes pointed fingers at each other over the situation Thursday. But Lal Dadrah, a passenger on one of the flights who recorded the crew passing the hat, called the situation “a complete, utter sham.”

Comtel Air passengers on a Tuesday flight to Birmingham, England, from the Indian city of Amritsar were hit up for 130 pounds — about $200 each — during a layover in Vienna. They were allowed off the aircraft to take the money from teller machines, a process that took about seven hours. There were varying accounts of what the money was to pay for, ranging from fuel to fees.

Lal Dadrah, a freelance photographer who captured the scene, called it “a complete, utter sham.”

Delayed passengers stage plane sit-in for refund

“I could not believe what I was witnessing,” Dadrah told British network ITN. “It was as if we’d been held hostage against our wills, with the 24,000 pounds we all eventually had to pay being the ransom.”

Passengers aboard a second flight Thursday were also asked for money before takeoff from Amritsar, according to Madrid-based Mint Aviation, which owns the aircraft and provides the crew.

Richard Fluck, Comtel’s CEO, told CNN that the dispute involves Comtel, Mint and a third firm, Astonbury Ltd., which sold the tickets under the name Skyjet. The company abruptly failed this week, with the British government urging about 200 passengers who booked Skyjet flights to make new arrangements to return home.

In Birmingham, airport officials said all Comtel flights to and from Amritsar have been canceled for the coming weekend, and the Civil Aviation Authority said it would help get stranded fliers back home.

Fluck said Astonbury had not paid either of the other two firms for the last two flights, so Mint told its crew to collect the money it was owed from passengers or refuse to continue.

But Mint CEO Alfonso Martinez said it was Comtel that refused to pay and owed money to Amritsar’s airport authority as well. Martinez said Comtel ordered the flight crew to take up a collection in Vienna.

“We’ve been seeing strong interest in remote, off-the-beaten-path destinations,” says Scott Wiseman, president of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent USA.

Enter a new set of islands in the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Caribbean and beyond.

“Private and reassuringly hard-to-get, these islands entice diehard fans to get off the grid,” says James Lohan, CEO and co-founder of the boutique hotel website Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

They let vacationers “be the ruler of their own domain and feel like they have discovered someplace unique.”

So transition into being a trendsetter by picking a destination that bears some similarities to a familiar favorite. Then prepare to tack on extra travel time, since being an early adopter usually means adding an extra leg of travel. It’s the moderate difficulty in getting there that keeps these places exclusive. Are you ready for an island less ordinary?

Departures.com: Eating and Drinking in Madrid

ISCHIA, Italy

If you love: Capri, for its natural beauty.

Instead try: Ischia, which has the added bonus of a spa scene.

Getting there: Hop a hydrofoil from Naples, Sorrento or Capri.

You should know: Capri’s neighbor also boasts thermal waters thought to have healing powers. Take advantage of the island’s spas and volcanic mud, said to be a holistic treatment for a variety of skin and joint ailments.

What to do: The most popular spot is Negombo thermal park, with 12 thermal pools in Lacco Ameno.

MAFIA ISLAND, Tanzania

If you love: Zanzibar, Tanzania, for its history and gorgeous beaches and resorts.

Instead try: Mafia Island, which has miles of white, deserted beaches visited by less than a thousand tourists a year. You can also experience Swahili culture while steering clear of backpackers.

Getting there: It’s accessible by plane from Zanzibar or Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

You should know: The real beauty of Mafia lies in the village’s past and present. Explore ruins dating back to the 11th century to get a feel for the region’s history. Mingle with the friendly locals and shop for handmade goods in small villages such as Kirongwe (known for its clay pots) and Jimbo (famed for its plaited ukili leaf mats).

Where to stay: To experience Mafia Island and nature at its fullest, stay in one of the seven open-air Treehouses at Chole Mjini (rooms from $180). Though it’s therapeutically cut-off from cellular reception, it’s not for the faint of heart. Alternatively, one can also stay at the Kinasi Lodge (rooms from $300), a cozy resort designed to feel just like home, with the added excitement of its own dive and snorkel center and Thai therapists at the ISIS Spa.

RÉUNION ISLAND, France

If you love: St. Barths, for its chic French vibe.

Instead try: Réunion, a French region in the Indian Ocean, about 500 miles east of Madagascar. Réunion is about as French as you can get outside France itself.

Getting there: Take a direct flight from Paris.

You should know: What sets the island apart from its motherland — apart from the inactive volcano near its center — is the African, Indian and Asian influences on its French cuisine. Try the French-Asian fusion at L’Atelier de Ben (12 Rue de la Compagnie) in Saint-Denis, or the Creole food at Flagrant Délice (115 Rue François de Mahy) in energetic St. Pierre.

Departures.com: Best Luxury Adventure Tours

KOH SURIN NUA, Thailand

If you love: Koh Phi Phi Le, Thailand, for its once quiet stretches of white sand.

Instead try: Koh Surin Nua, one of five islands that make up Thailand’s Mu Koh Surin National Park.

Getting there: It’s reachable only by a boat from Phuket, virtually guaranteeing you’ll be one of the only visitors. (There’s also no commercial activity to draw visitors.)

You should know: Phi Phi Le might not sound familiar, but the Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Beach” changed the island from an untouched getaway into one of Thailand’s more popular tourist destinations. But Thailand’s Koh Surin Nua island is still genuinely pristine.

Where to Stay: Head to Mu Koh Surin National Park. Stay in a rustic bungalow or camp out under the stars.

PÁTMOS, Greece

If you love: Skiathos, for the quaint Greek island life.

Instead try: Pátmos, the northernmost island of Greece’s Dodecanese chain.

Getting there: Fly into Sámos, Kos or Léros Island and take a hydrofoil to reach Pátmos.

You should know: Ever since “Mamma Mia!” was filmed on Skiathos and neighboring Skopelos, tourism has exploded, so it’s well worth moving on to a Greek island that isn’t overrun. Like Skiathos, Pátmos has beautiful beaches (sand beaches are only on several of the Greek islands) and a healthy does of charm. It also has a history of spirituality (it was once the pilgrimage location of choice for Christians for its association with St. John the Divine) and it’s easy to see why: The island’s mostly untouched terrain makes it a serene retreat.

Where to stay: Venture to the picturesque town of Chorá, which offers a mix of classic Greek whitewashed buildings and medieval mansions like the charming and bright four-bedroom Petra Villa (rental from $1,330). It’s close to the cave of the apocalypse, where St. John is believed to have written the “Book of Revelations.”

Departures.com: 10 Stunning Hotel Penthouses

ISLA ROBINSON CRUSOE, Chile

If you love: The Galapagos, for the famed wildlife.

Instead try: Isla Robinson Crusoe, a pirate enclave turned national park and world biosphere reserve.

Getting there: During the high season (October through April), take a two-and-a-half hour commercial or charter flight from Santiago, Chile. The planes that fly in are the very small ones, and there are not a lot of flights (nor are the schedules that reliable).

You should know: It’s so off the beaten path that only about 700 international tourists visit per year. (However, the island does receive visits from the big cruise lines such as Holland America, which could bring in many more people on any given day.)

Wildlife-spotting excursions are popular since the island is rich with native plant and animal species, including the Juan Fernández fur seal (nearly extinct a century ago) and the rare Juan Fernández hummingbird. It’s also worth taking a dive to see the SMS Dresden, a German cruiser that sank off Isla Robinson Crusoe’s shores during World War I.

Where to Stay: Since the island is such a hidden gem, truly-luxe accomodations haven’t made landfall yet. Robinson Crusoe’s best rustic offering is Hotel Aldea Daniel Defoe (rooms from $100), which boasts a full activity list including deep sea fishing, scuba diving and photo safaris.

CYPRUS

If you love: Ibiza, for its beaches and never-ending nightlife.

Instead try: Cyprus. Ayia Napa, Cyprus’s chief clubbing town, has given the island a reputation as an up-and-coming party destination.

Getting there: Take an hour and 40 minute flight from Greece.

You should know: Cyprus emerged as a music destination about a decade ago. Initially focused on garage music, a subgenre of electronic dance music originating in the UK, the island is now exploding with headliner DJs who spin the full-spectrum of electronic mixes.

What to do: The Sunday afternoon party at Guaba Beach Bar is legendary, with headlining DJs such as Gareth Emery and Dash Berlin passing through every summer. And don’t miss a night at Castle Club.

MAKEPEACE ISLAND, Australia

If you love: Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private paradise.

Instead try: Makepeace Island. Branson just started renting out the heart-shaped piece of land off Australia’s Suhshine Coast this summer.

Getting there: Take a boat or helicopter from nearby Noosa, just north of Brisbane, Australia.

You should know: Be sure to bring an entourage—up to 22 people—as the only way to stay on Makepeace is to reserve the island in its entirety. Its facilities include three rich-hued wood bures along with the main Bali guest house, with private decks attached to each of its four bedrooms. (Island rental from $7,900)

What to do: Although the Balinese-style accommodations are beautiful, you’re bound to spend most of your time in the massive lagoon pool, with areas for swimming laps and diving, as well as a spa that’s big enough for 15 people.

Departures.com: Cabo’s Capella Pedregal Resort

SUMBA, Indonesia

If you love: Bali and its romantic resorts.

Instead try: Sumba, to avoid the surf-and-party crowd.

Getting there: Charter a flight from Bali to Sumba, in eastern Indonesia.

You should know: The island is home to a single luxury resort, Nihiwatu (rooms from $495). The getaway only hosts about 20 people at any given time in its seven one-bedroom bungalows, two two-bedroom villas, and one three-bedroom estate.

What to do: Nihiwatu limits the number of surfers to 10. Have the staff plan a day for you at a remote bay one hour or so south of the hotel, where you can swim, fish, snorkel, hike and hang out on the white sand beach. A personal chef will prepare your lunch. It’s not fancy, but it’s perfect for the setting.

MONTSERRAT, West Indies

If you love: Volcanic Caribbean islands such as Nevis.

Instead try: Montserrat, which is resort-free and just one island over from Nevis.

Getting there: Take a 15 minute flight from neighboring Antigua or a one hour boat ride from Antigua.

You should know: The lack of development in Montserrat gives that way off the beaten path feeling, despite being relatively accessible. While Nevis’s volcano is extinct, Montserrat lets visitors get near its active volcano (last showing activity in 1995).

Where to Stay: There’s only one hotel on the island, but plenty of guesthouses and villas. Stay at the charming six-bedroom Olveston House (rooms from $110), which, though modest, has an idyllic wraparound porch and sweeping views of the volcano. The guesthouse, once home to Beatles producer George Martin, boasted a recording studio where Martin hosted the likes of Sting, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. Martin still owns the property and pops in from time to time.

In addition to having checked in well ahead of flight time, Baig had a confirmed seat assignment and was actually sitting in his seat when an American Airlines employee appeared and chose three passengers to boot off the plane.

“When I inquired why I was picked out of the 100-plus passenger list, I was told I was one of the last to check in,” the Seattle-based software engineer recalls. “Really? Ninety minutes ahead?”

Worse still, American gave him a $250 travel voucher, when he was entitled to a cash payment.

Oh, airlines.
What to do when bumped from your flight

But there’s some good news about the airlines’ policies concerning involuntary denied boarding (IDB to airline geeks, getting bumped to you and me).

First, the compensation for being bumped has gone up.

Passengers can now collect up to $1,300 for being bumped from a domestic flight if they arrive at their destination more than two hours later than scheduled, under Department of Transportation rules revised earlier this year. (The previous maximum was $800.)

Passengers can also get as much as $650 (up from $400) if they get to their destination within one to two hours of the scheduled time, according to the new rule.

Second, it rarely happens. The rate of involuntary bumping was 1.09 per 10,000 passengers in 2010, down from 1.23 in the same period of 2009, according to DOT statistics.

But there’s bad news, too: It does happen. And when it does, with flights jam-packed thanks to capacity cuts and industry consolidation, there’s often not much the airline can do to get you to your meeting or your uncle’s funeral on time, or to the cruise ship that’s going to sail off to the Amazon without you.

Before you resign yourself to a spot on the airport floor, Airfarewatchdog offers this advice:

Who gets bumped

The process for deciding this is usually based on the last person to check in and/or board, among other factors.

Elite tier members of an airline’s frequent flier program are typically less likely to be bumped. You should also know that the folks in the cheap seats have lower priority on some airlines than the ones who paid full fare.

So if you’re a very frequent flier at the highest tier of your airline’s program and/or paid a full fare (or are a business or first class passenger) you’re more likely to get on board than the poor chap who paid next to nothing for his coach ticket. (Interestingly, Baig had no status in American’s AAdvantage program when he was unceremoniously ejected from his seat.)

If the airline won’t issue you a seat assignment when you buy your ticket, that’s a red flag and you might want to choose another flight or carrier.

What you’re owed

Passengers should insist on a check instead of a travel voucher (a free round-trip flight, for example), which many airlines typically offer, because vouchers come with restrictions and can be difficult to redeem (you sometimes can only cash them in at the airport).

If your ticket does not show a fare (for example, a frequent-flier award ticket or a ticket issued by a consolidator), your denied boarding compensation is based on the lowest cash, check or credit card payment charged for a ticket in the same class of service (e.g., coach, first class) on that flight.

If you’re bumped but arrive at your destination within an hour of the original time, there’s no compensation owed.

What to do if you’re bumped

Most bumpees (whether voluntary or involuntary) have to wait until the original flight is closed out before the agent can assist you.

Often, a seat may open up at the last minute if someone does not board. Also, it’s usually only the gate agent at the airport who can handle the booking for the next flight and issue compensation. Calling the airline’s toll-free number will not get you anywhere.

If the gate agent instructs you to go to a customer service counter to be rebooked and/or receive compensation, then you can try calling the 1-800 number for assistance, but compensation is almost always issued at the airport by the agent who handled the flight.

If you absolutely, positively have to get there, you could try this: Make your own announcement in the boarding area offering to pay a fellow passenger to give up a seat. Obviously, you need to have a lot of cash in your pocket to make this work, but it’s worth a try if you’re desperate. You should also ask to be put on another airline’s flight, if there is one, to where you were headed.

How not to get bumped

One way to avoid getting bumped altogether is to fly JetBlue Airways, because the New York-based carrier refuses to overbook and consequently has the best bumping track record among all major U.S. carriers.

The IDB rankings change quite often, but you can find these and other information on the DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement website.

Also, avoid peak travel days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are best) and seasons (the day before Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday periods are notorious for being bump-prone) when planes tend to be jammed full.

Of course, the easiest thing you can do is book way ahead and arrive early. Way early. Don’t buy a ticket if there are no assigned seats available. And be loyal: attain some status in your airline’s frequent flier program and you’re less likely to be ill-treated.

The year was 1930. About a week earlier, the 10 year-old girl from what is now called Saint Petersburg, Russia, had embarked on a transatlantic journey with her Ukrainian parents from the French port city of Cherbourg, escaping what she described as Jewish persecution at the start of Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union.

On an island near Manhattan stood the copper colossus that would etch her first memories of the new world.

“It was a wonderful sight,” she said of the Statue of Liberty, which marks its 125th anniversary Friday.

Isabel Belarsky arrived on Ellis Island in 1930.

The idea for the monument is thought to have been first conceived at a 19th century dinner party among French aristocrats, historians say, who sought to pay tribute to American liberty.

And while the French gift is also widely believed to have at least in part catered to domestic politics, for many it quickly became a symbol of hope and promise in America’s post- Civil War period.

“The arrival on Ellis Island is the fulfillment that you know something good is going to happen to you,” said Belarksy, now a 91-year-old widow living in a Russian enclave of Brooklyn, New York.

Her family became part of the more than 12 million immigrants processed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

Adjacent to Ellis towers Lady Liberty, measuring more than 305 feet from base to torch.

Originally, the statue was supposed to be an Egyptian peasant girl that would have stood at the entrance of Egypt’s then-new Suez Canal, historians say, but plans would later evolve into the Roman goddess that would instead adorn New York harbor.

“The sculptor, (Frederic) Bartholdi, was very clever,” said Edward Berenson, professor of history and director of the Institute of French Studies at New York University.

“He put (the statue) where he did because its right at the narrows of New York harbor, so he knew that every boat that came into New York would have to come really close to it.

People felt like they could reach out and touch it,” he said.

Inspired perhaps by Egypt’s colossal statues during his own travels to Cairo, Berenson added, Bartholdi sought to build a monument of his own in a tribute to American liberty and its new found emancipation of slaves.

The statue rests atop a sculpted wrangling of broken chains on New York’s Liberty Island.

Only years later, Berenson argues, did the monument come to symbolize immigration to the broader public, despite the structure’s engraved plaque bearing the now famous poem by Emma Lazarus, who asks for the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Like many who made the perilous journey, Belarsky said she had often wondered what kind of life was waiting for her on the shores behind the copper monument.

“It was quite frightening,” she recalled. “The three of us, my father, my mother and I, wanted for someone to come with money or to tell us whats next.”

And though a U.S. law passed six years earlier had largely restricted immigration, her father, Sidor, had managed to secure three tickets to America by way of a talent scout who visited the Leningrad conservatory where he had performed as an opera singer.

“He had such a beautiful voice,” she said.

Their travel permit, however, was only temporary.

Sidor had acquired a six-month visa to teach at Brigham Young University, said Belarsky.

Still, the young family would nonetheless settle more permanently in a west Manhattan apartment. And unlike many who eventually returned to their homelands in Europe, the Belarskys decided to leave Saint Petersburg — then known as Leningrad — behind.

“Authorities were starting to clamp down and consolidate the social state and Soviet power around Stalin,” said Fiona Hill, a Russia expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. “As an opera singer, you might not have wanted to start singing Soviet anthems.”

So the young family left Russia without plans to return, Belarsky added.

And though many immigrants entered the United States through Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Orleans and Miami; historians say steamship companies most often cruised into New York harbor, commonly making the Statue of Liberty the first land sighting for new arrivals.

“Everybody spoke of the golden land,” said Belarksy. “Come to America where there’s gold on the streets, until they came here and they had to live in walk-up tenement houses,” she said, referencing hardships often endured in overcrowded city buildings.

Immigrants also commonly faced unsanitary and unsafe work conditions on docks and in factories as America’s need for industrial labor grew.

“If you think immigration is unpopular now,” said Berenson. “If anything it was even more unpopular in the 1890s and the first part of the 20th century.”

Successive immigrant waves, however, still rushed to America’s shores through Ellis Island and past the Statue of Liberty, often buoyed by the prospect of economic opportunity, he added.

“I think it took a while for people to think of themselves as Americans,” said Berenson. “For an awful lot of people, what they wanted was to think of themselves as whatever they were originally, and as Americans too.”

Anniversary celebrations of the Statue of Liberty will be marked Friday by a series of official speeches and web cams, provided by Earthcam, that are expected stream video footage from the torch.

The following day the statue will close for renovations, though Liberty Island will remain open, according to the National Park Service.