US Airways can’t have New Mexico liquor license

by Tom Johansmeyer on

US Airways sued New Mexico in 2007 because the state’s Regulation and License Department denied its liquor license application. This came after a passenger killed five people in a crash while driving drunk after getting intoxicated on the flight.

In the suit, US Airways contended that New Mexico can’t control its on-board liquor service, require training for cabin crew about alcohol or enforce any sanctions against the carrier. The airline cited the fact that federal law preempts state law. U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo, though, did not agree, ruling in favor of the state. Under this ruling, US Airways will not be permitted to serve alcohol while flying over New Mexico or while on the ground there.

New Mexico Regulation and License Department Superintendent Kelly O’Donnell calls the decision “a victory, a huge victory, for public safety,” according to the Associated Press. The airline is reviewing the decision.

Drinking in Utah no longer for members only

by Tom Johansmeyer on
Four decades after making it difficult to get a drink, Utah realizes that buying liquor involves spending, too. Last week, the state decided to allow liquor to be sold to anyone with a valid form of ID. For the past 40 years, getting a drink has involved becoming a member of a private club – which required an application and a fee.

The cost of tradition, it seems, is $7 billion – the amount Utah pulls in from tourism every year. Officials figure they can add to that number by selling wine with dinner, among other liquors and situations.

You know what … it just might work.

I know a lot of people by liquor in New York, and I vaguely remember seeing people in Boston, Washington and Chicago spending cash on booze, too. It happens from coast to coast, as of July 1, 2009 without exception.

The private club rules that are now assigned to history were not particularly severe, but it’s not hard to see how they could become a pain in the ass. Annual membership fees started at $12, and you needed a separate membership for each bar. Tourists could buy temporary memberships, starting at $4 for three weeks, but they could only bring up to seven guests into a bar with them.

Hotels built the membership fees into their room rates, so they could drink at the hotel bars without fear of misstep. Bars that served only beer didn’t require memberships.

Yeah, you need needed a chart to keep the various rules straight. Now, it’s pretty easy. Belly up to the bar and order yourself a shot!

Travel, alcohol consumption up, according to TripAdvisor

by Tom Johansmeyer on

We’ve seen travel predictions all over, such as Memorial Day travel will be up with the summer down. Everyone’s weighing in. The latest from TripAdvisor is that little has changed in a year. Actually, this isn’t TripAdvisor‘s opinion so much as that of more than 1,800 of its readers in the United States. More than a quarter of those taking vacations plan to make them last from a week to 10 days, with 21 percent upping the ante to 11 days to two weeks. Nearly 20 percent are going for up to three weeks.

Just over half of TripAdvisor’s respondents (56 percent) are taking the same amount of vacation they did last year, while 7 percent will spend more time on recreation than they did last summer.

At least these 1,800 respondents are still interested in having a good time. Thirty-six percent of them are more likely to down a bit more booze on the road … and 28 percent exercise less, with 25 percent eating more junk food. Ice cream is the favorite food (44 percent), and margaritas are the favorite drink (44 percent).

This is only one way that we change our behavior while traveling. Respondents also connect to the internet less (63 percent), watch less television (56 percent) and return fewer calls and e-mails (52 percent).

The top destination this summer is the beach, with 58 percent of respondents ready to get some sand in their toes. Hogging beach chairs will piss them off, though. Thirty-two percent see this behavior while they travel often – nine percent always.

Still have doubts? Not Michele Perry, senior vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor: “Recession be damned, Americans are preparing to pack up the beach bags and boogie boards en masse this summer.”

Fill your bottles before going to UK … because you can

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The British government is planning to ease its ban on the amount of liquid you can take into and out of the country. Currently, passengers are only allowed to carry 100 ml bottles. Improved airport X-ray machines are expected to render that limit unnecessary. If all goes well – based on secret technology being tested by German scientists – the ban could be lifted by the end of the year.

Originally, the prohibition on fluids was enacted as a response to summer 2006 terror attacks. This new technology would improve the ability of security personnel to identify nefarious liquids. So, if all goes well, it will have taken us 3 ½ years to get back to the 2006 norm. Finally, a return to the days of easy duty free liquor!

What’s the deal with duty-free?

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Take an international flight, and the signs are seductive. “Duty-free” beckons you into endless rows of stores with some sense of tax savings and bargain shopping. In the United States, this trims the cost of local import taxes, but in Europe, you also bypass the value added tax (VAT), which can cut the cost by up to 25 percent.

But, it’s not that easy … it’s never that easy.

On your next jaunt to Europe, dropping more than $800 on these discounted goods can result in your having to pay import taxes when you hit your home turf. Generally, you’ll be charged 3 percent on the first $1,000 you spend over the $800 threshold. As the amount purchased increases, so does the tax.

According to an article on CNN, the best deals are on cigarettes and liquor. When it comes to luxury goods, it pays to comparison shop and keep an eye on currency swings.

[Via CNN]