Yes, getting rid of the regulation that for-profit companies need to maximize profits would be a great idea. That is the only regulation that drives bag fees. Or maybe you mean the one that makes it illegal for companies to collude and price fix. But I don't see why anyone would want that to go away....

No. The total price was likely $70 all in. A quick search finds that as a standard fare.

The BA card is only good if you plan on flying BA (or AA I suppose). If Continental or Delta is your usual airline you may be better off with their credit card and its first checked bag free benefit.

The various hotel credit cards can also be good values. I am especially fond of Starwood's program which lets you transfer points at 1 to 1.25 to many airline programs.

There is no "best" credit card rewards program. Everyone has different needs and expectations.

For me...I have:

- Delta Amex: Yes a hefty $95 fee but check a bag on two round trips a year and you are ahead.

- Starwood Amex : Daily card. The annual fee is starting to get a little high for the return but the program is very flexible.

- Capital One Venture One: My non-Amex card. Can't say much about the rewards program but no-forex fee is like getting an instant 2-3% cash back on all foreign purchases.

I have the no annual fee version of that card (1.25 points per dollar instead of 2, no signup bonus). The big benefit for me is no foreign transaction fees (forex) when buying things in other currencies. I only use it when I am abroad and it works out great for that.

I still love my Starwood Amex for every day purchasing.

I don't know. If you fly Continental once and check a bag you have made up their yearly fee on their CO debit card. Check the bag both ways and you are up $25.

What I don't understand is that if these machines are so vital to our security does that mean that we have not been secure before now? And if that is true then what about the majority of US airports that still don't have them? Are all of the flights from them not secure?

If the answer to those questions is "no" then these things serve no real purpose.

This. Back in October I was flying out of ATL and saw one of the death boxes in the security line I was in. I tried to turn around and use a different security line and was denied by the TSA. I also opted out and referred to them loudly as death boxes. The next guy they picked also called them death boxes and the TSA guy was not amused.

I really don't see this as a net-positive for Atlanta based travelers. AirTran already acts as an effective check on legacy prices. I primarily fly to NYC and LA - when AirTran has a sale the price is instantly matched by Delta, Continental and American (to NYC) and Delta (to LA). Having Southwest around won't change that.

It will be interesting to see if they intend to keep Atlanta as a real hub or if they scale it back. This will be especially tricky with AirTran's Boeing 717s leases expiring. If Southwest is committed to Atlanta has a major hub it will be a push - trading one LCC for another. If not it is a negative.

I think Delta is pretty happy today since there is one less LCC they have to worry about coming to Atlanta.

So does this mean that all of the airports without full body scanners (aka the majority) are somehow "less safe"?

This is a vast conspiracy between the TSA and the full body scanner manufacturers. Yeah you may hate the full body scanners but we will have an alternative you will hate more....

I don't know where you live but I had FiOS in NJ for a while and the network HD channels were available in the clear.

Not only that but they were in reasonable places....CBS was 2.1, NBC 4.1 etc.