Navigating the High Costs and Crowds of Summer Travel

The summer travel season has begun, with airlines hoping to avoid the chaos of last year and travelers scrounging for ways to save a few bucks on pricey airfares and hotel rooms. With more travel comes more expense, as the average rate for a U.S. hotel room last week was $157 a night, up from $150 in the same week last year. The national average for a gallon of regular was $3.56 at midweek, down from $4.60 at this time last year. The airline industry officials say carriers have fixed problems that contributed to a surge in flight cancellations and delays last summer, when 52,000 flights were nixed from June through August.