The Dining Dish: Where to Eat and Drink in Philadelphia

© Moshulu

Philadelphia’s eateries represent the ethnic diversity of the city. In addition to the Italian delights (hoagies and cheese steaks) it’s known for, there are French, Mexican, Vietnamese and many other cuisines to choose from. It’s also got its share of culinary stars (including The Iron Chef Morimoto) and Center City is a haven for fine dining, with 13 restaurants from prolific restaurateur Steven Starr. (You can also taste Oprah’s favorite macaroni and cheese at Delilah’s Southern Café in Reading Terminal.)

Familiarize yourself with local eateries by perusing the Philadelphia Inquirer Restaurant section; Philadelphia magazine’s Dining/Food/Wine section (which includes news, reviews and a restaurant finder) and Philadelphia Weekly’s Menu Guide, which includes quick links to restaurant menus. … Local dining blog Foobooz profiles Philadelphia eateries and bars. But it’s also a great source of current information on cheap eats and special dining deals as well as previews of new dining spots. If you want a look into what’s really happening locally, check it out.

What’s fast-track security worth to you?

Starting with the premise that time is money (and, on occasion, sanity) a Business Travel Coalition (BTC) survey concludes that 82 percent of those responding want the airlines to embrace Registered Traveler initiatives: fast-track security clearance that gets them through an airport’s prime bottleneck, the security checkpoint, with less hassle.

BTC ran the survey for FLO, a firm specializing in biometric credentialing processes and identification technologies for use in airports.

Eighty percent of survey respondents say they’re willing to spend some money to get through security faster - $99 for membership in a Registered Traveler program, a program that does not provide benefits such as not having to take off your coat, your shoes, or unpack your laptop.

St. Louis to Sarasota, and no change of planes

This is what airline types call “point-to-point” service, a flight that bypasses busy hubs and gets you where you want to go fast. The route is St. Louis (STL) to Sarasota/Bradenton (SRQ), and discount airline AirTran Airways plans to start flying it nonstop on November 15. There will be no stop in Atlanta enroute. To get you to pay attention to the seasonal sojourn, the carrier is offering an introductory one-way discount airfare of $89.

You’ll have to purchase this discount airfare no later than August 31. Do that and you have quite a while to fly – all the way to the eve of the Christmas travel season, December 19. This is a one-way rate, but you don’t have to make a round-trip purchase to get it. Neither taxes nor fees are covered in the quote.

The discount airline will fly a Boeing 717-200 twinjet between STL and SRQ.

Aruba ascendant – Spirit latest to launch service

Add discount airline Spirit to the roster of carriers serving Aruba (AUA). The discount airline plans to launch nonstop flights from its Fort Lauderdale (FLL) hub to the island’s Queen Beatrix International Airport on November 10. For a shimmering short while, the discount airline is selling seats for $9 on the Caribbean route. This is not a misprint.

A caveat: this is Saturday-only service.

To land this $9 introductory discount airfare, log on to www.spiritair.com. The deal expires at 11:59pm tonight (Tuesday, July 31).

New taxi rank for Cleveland Airport

Passengers at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport now have access to a new stand, at the south end of the airport terminal.

The new stand, near the Continental Airlines baggage claim area, is designed to enhance taxi service at the hub. Sixty-five percent of customers at the airport currently fly with Continental.

According to The Plain Dealer newspaper, the additional taxi stand has caused some controversy. The chairman of the City Council's Aviation and Transportation Committee alleges that Airport Director Ricky Smith did not receive the necessary Council approval for the stand's construction.

AirTran announces Vegas wedding winners

AirTran Airways, in conjunction with Akron-Canton Airport, has announced the winners of its Vegas Wedding competition.

Christopher Hendershot and Melanie Bays received far more online votes than the six other wedding finalists, to win a three-night stay in the Venetian Hotel, as well as a wedding ceremony at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel.

Hendershot revealed the secret of their success: "The key is to call grandma." He added: "We told everyone we knew. But we had the most fun with fliers. We passed them out everywhere we went, even at the fast food drive-thru.

Summer’s flying by – catch a cheap flight this weekend

It’s time to stop anticipating what you’re going to do this summer and grab it, before the season flies by. The first weekend of August is upon is, and school starts soon. Continental Airlines is offering some great long-weekend getaways just now, with round-trip discount airfares starting at $99.

Book and buy by 11:59pm on Friday (August 3). Then, fly out on Saturday (August 4). Return home on Monday (August 6) or Tuesday (August 7).

These are continental.com specials, available through the carrier’s proprietary Web site. Seats are limited, and are neither refundable nor changeable. Taxes and fees aren’t included in the discount airfares quoted below.

Denver Airport to receive $1.2bn makeover

Denver International Airport is to receive a $1.2 billion overhaul in the next seven years, reports The Denver Post.

Part of the makeover project for the sixth-busiest airport in the US will be a new Concourse C terminal, with room for up to 23 commuter planes.

The plans also include a new automated baggage delivery system, with around $98.5 million spent on updating equipment from the airport's erstwhile baggage system.

Cancellations continue to beset Northwest

If you're flying to, through, or from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), Detroit (DTW), or Memphis (MEM), this may come as no news to you: Northwest Airlines' scheduling problems have soared this summer. An airline spokesman says that between Friday (July 27) and Monday (July 30), NW “completed 92 percent” of its flights. The industry norm is in the upper 90s.

Northwest blames pilot absenteeism, specifically narrowbody pilots, those who fly A319s, DC-9s, and 757s. Pilots blame management, contending that the carrier (which recently emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy) has short-staffed the airline, and that pilots are tired.

In a resolution at the start of the busy summer travel season, NW's Air Line Pilot Association Master Executive Council maintained that “All indications are that [pilot] staffing is below what is required to properly fly the summer schedule”.

Delta, Air France plan joint venture

Delta Air Lines and Air France are involved in talks regarding a joint venture, according to Air France officials.

A report in the French financial daily newspaper Les Echos has alluded to the joint venture, saying that "the agreement being negotiated should be signed in the autumn".

It stated that the deal would "allow both carriers to go well beyond their current partnership and include a 50-50 split of profits on their main trans-Atlantic routes".