Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.travel From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: travel Tue, Mar 10 1992 Date: Tue, 10 Mar 92 05:44:45 EST Message-ID: 03-10 0000 DECISIONLINE: Travel USA TODAY Update March 10, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network NORTHWEST CUTS 10% OFF FARES: Northwest Airlines Monday cut 10% from its lowest domestic fares for tickets purchased at least 30 days before flying. There's no expiration date. Northwest wants to raise its other discount fares 2% Thursday and eliminate seven-day advance purchase fares March 20. The latter moves depend on other airlines doing the same. HOLIDAY IMPROVES BOOKING SYSTEM: Holiday Inn Worldwide Tuesday will join the increasing number of hotel chains trying to make renting a hotel room similar to buying a plane ticket. The company will unveil an improved computer system that will let Holiday offer a wider selection of rates at its more than 1,600 hotels. It also will be able to keep a more accurate count of how many rooms are available each night. (For more, see special Holiday package below.) BUY TICKET, THEN WATCH FARES: Fliers looking for the best fare should go ahead and buy the cheapest available ticket for an advance flight - then watch for lower rates, say travel experts. If prices drop, the flier can turn in a non-refundable ticket for a cheaper fare on the same airline. But it's up to the customer to make the change. Large agencies now have software that searches for price changes around the clock. UNIVERSAL ADDS FOUR ATTRACTIONS: Four new attractions will open this season at Universal Studios Florida, the theme park said Monday. "Rocky and Bullwinkle" will be a live action stage show. "Lucy: A Tribute" will include memorabilia and home movies from Lucille Ball's family. "The Beetlejuice Graveyard Show" will be a special effects-filled rock dance show. "American Tail: Fievel's Playground" has giant sets. PARK ENTRANCE CLOSES EARLY: Yellowstone National Park in Montana has closed its west entrance a week early because of warm weather and a lack of snow. The Expo '92 of snowmobiles, with 4,000 spectators expected, still will be held. SOME DETROIT SPOTS OPEN SUNDAY: Detroit is packed with good restaurants, but many are closed Sundays. USA TODAY set out to find some open dining spots. Try The Soup Kitchen, corner of Franklin and Orleans. Known for the best soup in town. Sinbad's, 100 St. Clair, specializes in serving big plates of food to big tables of people. Open till 11. Greektown spots often are open till 2 a.m. in the 500 block of Monroe Street. AGENTS HAVE LEVERAGE: Many frequent fliers go through large travel agencies for booking flights because they have leverage with airlines should a problem come up. Travel agencies are responsible for a sizeable chunk of airline business. When a dispute between an airline and a customer arises, good travel agents know someone they can call at the airline in a decision-making position. MAG. LISTS SOUTHERN GETAWAYS: The spring issue of Travel South magazine spotlights the South's top spring getaways, each one providing a "get-away-from-it-all" experience. Among the spots highlighted is the Delta Queen Cruises on the Mississippi. They have breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and a midnight buffet; on-board entertainment; and a chance to visit historic cities en route. Call 800-543-1949. PARK MAKES `TEXANS FOR LIFE': Big Bend National Park is one of the top spring getaways in the South spotlighted in Travel South Magazine's spring issue. One trip to Big Bend and the traveler will be a Texan for life, according to the magazine. It covers 800,000 acres spanning the Chihuahuan Desert, the Chisos Mountains and deep-cut river canyons. Rafting through the Santa Elena Canyon is offered. Call 915-477-2251. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON HOLIDAY: LATE BOOKERS PAY MORE: Holiday Inn Worldwide Monday would not comment on its improved computer system that will mean a wider selection of rates. But hotel experts say it will mean higher rates for those booking late, just as airlines charge late-booking fliers more. Holiday can balance rates by raising them when demand is traditionally high, cutting them when demand is low. THEY REALLY ARE SOLD OUT: Travelers can trust Holiday staff when they say they're sold out. Some hotels now withhold some rooms from their chain's central reservations systems. The new system will be able to check availability at all hotels. Service could improve. Holiday could use its system to assemble a frequent-guest data base for all its hotels. Even first-time visitors might be able to register faster. AIRLINE SYSTEMS HAVE POWER: Holiday is part of a trend that reflects the power of the airline-owned computer reservation systems used by travel agents. Though hotel chains' systems are linked to them, agents had trouble booking rooms because they didn't have up-to-date information. The industry is "10 years behind the airline industry" on automation, says Joe Marko of hotel software supplier Fidelio. (End of package.) 24-HOUR TELEPHONE INFORMATION: USA TODAY Weather Hot Line. 95 cents a minute. 1-900-555-5555. Travel Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM