DETROIT - Detroit is hosting Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5, and the city is throwing a party to celebrate.

The Motown Winter Blast will be held in downtown Detroit Feb. 2-5. The event is being billed as a winter festival with a snowshoeing course, ice skating and skating shows in Campus Martius park, a snow slide, ice sculptures and dog sledding demonstrations. Dog-lovers will be able to visit and pet the pooches when they aren't racing.

There will also be live music, vendors, rides in restored Model Ts, entertainment for children and a "Taste of Detroit," in which local restaurants serve up some of their best fare.

Some 200,000 people attended the festival when it was first staged a year ago to kick off the countdown to this year's Super Bowl. For details, go to http://www.motownwinterblast.com or call (313) 963-8418.

Eurail

NEWTON, Mass. (AP) - Travelers who purchase a Eurail Selectpass before March 31 will get an extra day to ride the trains for free.

The extra day is valid on six, eight and 10-day adult, youth and "Saver" Eurail Selectpasses, and can be used for unlimited train travel on non-consecutive days within a two-month period. The first day of travel must start within six months of purchase.

The Eurail Selectpass allows travelers to select three, four or five adjoining European countries. The selected countries must be connected by rail or ferry. Passes are available for adults age 26 and over, with discounts for those 25 and under. "Saver" passes are for two or more people traveling together.

Call (877) 724-5727 or go to http://www.railpass.com for details.

And if you're looking for a guidebook to go with that rail ticket, check out "Europe by Eurail," by LaVerne Ferguson-Kosinski (Globe Pequot Press, $18.95). The 30th edition of the book is out for 2006.

Each of the 24 chapters covers must-see attractions in 24 base cities - Vienna, Brussels, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Lyon, Nice, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Athens, Budapest, Dublin, Milan, Rome, Luxembourg City, Amsterdam, Oslo, Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid, Stockholm, Bern and Zurich. Each chapter also outlines day trips by train from those cities. The book includes three sample 15-day itineraries to help you explore the continent by train.

Katrina tour

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Bus tours of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina have begun taking tourists to some of New Orleans' most misery-stricken spots.

The Gray Line New Orleans tour was sold out for its inaugural run on Jan. 4.

For $35 per adult, $28 for children, passengers were taken past the Superdome, the Convention Center and neighborhoods damaged by Katrina and the subsequent flooding.

Residents have been at odds over whether the tours are crass and morbid exploitation, or a good way to help people grasp the enormity of the disaster.

The three-hour tours, called "Hurricane Katrina - America's Worst Catastrophe," start at the edge of the French Quarter, then drive past the Superdome and Convention Center, where thousands suffered in the heat for days without food or water.

The company has pledged to give $3 per ticket to Katrina-related charities.

For details, visit http://www.graylineneworleans.com or call (800) 535-7786.

Florida adventures

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - If your idea of a vacation in Florida has more to do with mangroves than Mickey Mouse or Miami, check out the "Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State."

The new $29.95 book, by Sandra Friend, is one of a series of guides about outdoor adventures published by the University of Florida.

Each of the 12 chapters covers a different part of Florida, with listings for more than 500 trails from the Panhandle to the Gulf to the Atlantic, Everglades, Keys and central parts of the state. Best of all, you don't have to be in tiptop shape or an expert on the outdoors. Many of the hikes are loops of a mile or two, easily managed by families and travelers in average physical condition.

Listings include driving directions to the nearest parking area or trailhead, trail conditions, highlights to watch for such as wildlife and interesting varieties of flowers and trees, and activities like kayaking or fishing.

For example, in the "North Central" section, Black Creek Ravines Conservation Area in Middleburg is noted as a place where you may find gopher tortoises in the sandhills, pitcher plants and terrestrial orchids in the bogs, and other wildflowers on the trails, especially in the spring.

In the "Central Atlantic" section, the Centennial Trail in the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge on Orchid Island near Vero Beach is recommended for pelican-watching. On the Eco Pond Loop, part of Everglades National Park in Flamingo, a mere half-mile round-trip walk at dawn or dusk will yield "the stunning sight of thousands of wading birds." Just be sure to use insect repellant.

Other guides from the University of Florida include "Florida on Horseback: A Trail Rider's Guide to the South and Central Regions," "Florida's Paved Bike Trails: An Eco-Tour Guide," "Kayaking the Keys," and "30 Eco-Trips in Florida."

Spoleto Festival USA

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - New productions, encores and the return of some festival favorites highlight the 30th season of the Spoleto Festival USA, which will light up stages across Charleston this spring.

This year's festival, running from May 26 through June 11, features a new production of composer Charles Gounod's opera "Romeo and Juliet."

Spoleto also offers encore performances of last year's popular opera "Don Giovanni." For that production, seats were repositioned and a sloping wooden floor built from atop the stage to the back of the auditorium. The audience sat along two walls while the opera was performed and the orchestra played in the center of the space amid small ponds, a stream and cherry trees.

Back for the sixth time at Spoleto in the last 20 years will be Circus Flora, a one-ring European-style circus.

Theater offerings include performances of "Tristan & Yseult" staged by Kneehigh Theatre based in Cornwall, England, as well as the premiere of "Geisha," by director Ong Keng Sen of Singapore.

Dance includes the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company as well as the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from India.

Vocalist Kurt Elling as well as the Hank Jones Trio perform as part of the festival's jazz program.

The traditional finale, which includes a fireworks display at Middleton Place Plantation on the Ashley River, will feature the Spoleto Festival Orchestra playing a program of Tchaikovsky works, including the 1812 Overture.

Details at http://www.spoletousa.org or call (843) 722-2764.

Central America

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) - If it's Tuesday, it must be … Costa Rica?

Americans who travel to Europe for the first time often sample several countries in the same region over the course of a week or two, and now countries like Costa Rica and Panama are encouraging travelers to visit more than one destination on the same trip to Central America.

To that end, Air Costa Rica and Air Panama have united efforts to open two new routes between the Costa Rican capital of San Jose and two popular destinations in Panama.

The flights, which began Jan. 6, will head to the tourist island of Bocas del Toro and the border city of David, a popular starting point for those exploring or simply traveling to northern Panama, both airlines announced.

The flights will run Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

"This agreement marks the beginning of a new tourism strategy between our neighboring countries," the statement said.

The new flights are part of a larger effort within Central America to encourage package tourism deals that include destinations in several countries.

In 2004, the latest figures available, 5.7 million people visited Central America, a 15 percent increase over 2003.

The 1969 movie "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" starring Suzanne Pleshette was a comedy about a group of Americans on an 18-day tour of seven countries.

Grand Canyon photography

WASHINGTON (AP) - If you've ever tried taking photographs of the Grand Canyon, you know it's not as easy as you might have thought. Depending on your vantage point and the lighting at the time of day you're shooting, you can end up with what looks like a picture of a dark stone wall that doesn't begin to convey the grandeur and subtleties of the landscape.

The January issue of National Geographic magazine features dramatic pictures of the canyon taken by photographer Michael Nichols, along with some recommendations for where in the park you can get the best shots.

"It doesn't take technical expertise to shoot the Grand Canyon," Nichols said. "It takes patience to get the right atmospherics and light."

Nichols says Bright Angel Trailhead, a popular spot for visitors to the South Rim, is a good place to get images of the canyon after a fresh snow. There was snow when Nichols visited last May; roads are plowed to keep the South Rim accessible during winter.

Desert View - on the East Rim drive, about 25 miles east of the South Rim's Grand Canyon Village - is a good spot to shoot sunsets and classic canyon rock formations, while Cape Royal - on the North Rim, about 23 miles southeast of Grand Canyon Lodge - is "the place to be at sunset."

Nichols recommends Toroweap Overlook - located on the northwest rim of the Grand Canyon in the Arizona Strip - for sunrises, for a view straight into the canyon and for pictures of the Colorado River's Lava Falls.

Granite Rapids - located along the Tonto Trail between the Hermit and Bright Angel trails - is recommended for a shot of the canyon floor. Point Sublime - at the end of a 17-mile dirt road that starts near the North Rim, best reached on a four-wheel drive vehicle - is a good place to shoot incoming storms.

Yoga retreats

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (AP) - For the traveler seeking tranquility and decompression along with scenic beaches, an island yoga retreat might be the perfect vacation.

Spa magazine's January-February issue recommends five islands where you can practice your poses in beautiful settings. They are:

-Caneel Bay's Self Centre in St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, from $350 a night, (888) 767-3966, http://www.rosewoodhotels.com.

-Ibiza Yoga's six-day programs on Benirras Beach, with accommodations ranging from tepees to villas, from $355 a week, (011) 44-20-7419-0999, http://www.ibizayoga.com.

-Como Shambhala's weeklong yoga retreat at Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos islands, from $3,120 for six nights, all inclusive, (877) 754-0726, http://www.como.bz.

-Yoga Adventures' "Rejuvenation Retreat" at the Aethrio Hotel in Santorini, Greece, $1,200 for seven nights, (888) 254-9642, http://www.yogaadventures.com.

-On Hawaii's Big Island, the Kalani Oceanside Retreat, from $720 for six days, http://www.kalani.com, (800) 800-6886.

Battleship Memorial Park

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Battleship Memorial Park, which includes the USS Alabama and the submarine USS Drum, is reopening after being closed more than four months due to damage from Hurricane Katrina.

The storm left the battleship listing in port, destroyed the concrete gangway to the ship, and damaged the aircraft pavilion and gift shop.

The USS Alabama served in the North Atlantic and in the Pacific Fleet during World War II. The USS Drum arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1942, and sank 15 ships, ranking eighth among U.S. submarines, during World War II. After the war, the Drum served as a training ship.

The park will be open daily 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $9 ($4.50 for ages 6-11).

For details, visit http://www.ussalabama.com and click on "USS Alabama News," or call (251) 433-2703.

More than 12 million people have visited the park since it first opened in 1965.

Alabama snowbirds

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (AP) - The season of the snowbirds - retirees from northern states who flock to warmer climes in winter months - has begun on the Alabama coast.

Officials are optimistic that many snowbirds who couldn't find condominiums or houses last year after Hurricane Ivan will be back this winter.

"It should be better than January past," said Bebe Gauntt, spokeswoman for the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A normal winter season attracts more than 16,000 snowbirds to the Alabama coast, tourism figures show, but less than half that number visited in 2005, costing the local economy 40 percent of its seasonal revenue, because many vacation rentals had been heavily damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ivan.

Damage from Ivan is still visible in some places, but the beach has been restored and many new and repaired rental properties are back on the market.

Local officials are hoping to match pre-Ivan figures this year, including an estimated $29 million economic impact, Gauntt told the Mobile Register.

Sarah Kuzma, a spokeswoman for Meyer Real Estate, said their monthly rentals might even top February 2004. The snowbird population usually peaks around February, and Meyer's has new units available this year, she said.

Kuzma said some people panicked and canceled their reservations after Hurricane Katrina hit Aug. 29, but when news spread that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach were spared serious damage, everything booked up quickly.

Connie Carlisle, a spokeswoman with Kaiser Realty, said they've booked more units this season than last, but not as quickly as 2004. Carlisle said Kaiser usually books 100 percent of its available rentals for February, but only 70 percent are booked up for this February.

Carlisle said some snowbirds still haven't returned because of rising gas prices and casinos being closed in Biloxi, Miss.

Hugh Branyon, superintendent of Gulf State Park, said about 200 campsites are still closed, but the remaining 300 campsites should be full from January through March. The park's camp store and nature center remain closed, but the golf course is operating, he said.

Hotel survey

NEW YORK (AP) - Four Seasons hotels in Chicago and Hawaii, and inns in Vermont, Mississippi and on the California coast, were the top-scoring places to stay in the United States in the annual "Gold List" survey published by Conde Nast Traveler.

The magazine's January issue lists hundreds of properties around the world, using a survey of 28,000 readers who rated hotels and resorts for design, location, rooms, activities, service and food.

In the United States, only five places had an overall score above 95 (out of 100). The Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, Calif., was recommended for its clifftop views of the Pacific, California cuisine, spa and "close-to-perfection" rooms. The Monmouth Plantation in Natchez, Miss., which offers 30 rooms in an 1818 Greek Revival home, features period antiques, Southern food, a "charming" staff and activities like hot-air balloon rides. Twin Farms in Barnard, Vt., has suites and cottages on 300 acres of hills that burst with wildflowers in the warmer months. The Four Seasons in Chicago, in a great location for shopping the city's Miracle Mile, was also lauded for its decor, service and views of Lake Michigan, while the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Hawaii's Big Island won points for decor, staff, its location on the Kona-Kohala Coast, and a golf course in a black lava field.

For the best hotels by location, the Inn at Thorn Hill in Jackson Village, N.H., the Lodge on Little St. Simons Island and the Watermark Hotel & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, were the top three.

For activities, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, the Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah, and the Lodge at Pebble Beach, Calif., headed the list. The Four Seasons on the Big Island also won the No. 2 spot for best service, with The Peninsula in Beverly Hills, Calif., taking top honors in that category and the Four Seasons in Chicago at No. 3.

Honors for best food were awarded to the Jackson House Inn & Restaurant 100 in Woodstock, Vt., and The Point in Saranac Lake, N.Y. Tied for third were Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn., and The Wauwinet in Nantucket, Mass.

On-the-Road guides

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) - If you're thinking ahead to traveling next spring or summer, a road trip may be in your future.

A new series from Northampton, Mass.-based Interlink Books called "On-the-Road Histories" can add depth and context to your wanderings. Each book includes extensive local histories, along with descriptions of must-see sites and trivia about local claims to fame.

"On-the-Road Histories: Minnesota" is due out this month, with Hawaii scheduled for February, Michigan for March and Kentucky for June. The first three editions, published last summer and fall, covered Alaska, New Hampshire and Texas. Eventually the series will include guides for every state.

The Minnesota book, by John Radzilowski, explores the history and culture of the Indians and immigrants who settled there, as well as Minneapolis-St. Paul and the rural areas beyond the Twin Cities.

The New Hampshire guide, by Russell Lawson, will help you find spots like the monument to Capt. John Smith on Star Island in the Isle of Shoals; Prescott Park's Point of Graves, a cemetery near Portsmouth Harbour that dates to the 17th century, and the old covered bridge that connects Cornish, N.H., with Windsor, Vt.

"On-the-Road Histories: Alaska," by Ryan Madden, chronicles the history of the state, from its indigenous people, unique landscapes, and journey to statehood, to the impact of natural resources like gold and oil. The book includes profiles of communities and famous Alaskans.

The Texas guide, by Mary Jo Powell, explains that driving the local "FM" - farm-to-market - and "RM" - ranch-to-market - roads are an excellent way to get to know the state. The roads were started in the 1930s to help farmers and ranchers bring their produce to market. While some now run through urban areas, others, like RM 170 from Big Bend to Presidio and RM 337 from Vanderpool to Leakey, remain largely rural and offer beautiful scenery.

The books are priced between $16 and $20.

GoSki.com

NEW YORK (AP) - Looking for inspiration in planning a ski trip this winter? Maybe you want to go local, by driving to some place small, where you won't spend a fortune. Or perhaps you're contemplating a big trip with a plane ticket to a world-famous resort.

The Web site http://www.GoSki.com offers a clickable map to help you find ski resorts in whatever region you're headed for, from states not normally associated with skiing, like Alabama (Cloudmont Ski Resort) or Missouri (Hidden Valley), to top-ranked slopes in Colorado and Utah.

Each listing includes a link to the Web site for the individual resort. For those who prefer to ski abroad, the site's 2,000 listings include resorts in 37 countries around the world.

There are also reviews from readers for many of the resorts; a "Forums" section where you can post questions and find deals for rentals; a weather section with forecasts and snow conditions; and downloadable how-to videos from the Resort Sports Network with tips for improving your skiing techniques.

College tour videos

TENAFLY, N.J. (AP) - If you have a high school student in your family, chances are good that some of your travel plans this year will involve visiting college campuses.

But most families don't have the time or money to visit every college their child is interested in. Here's an alternative: A Tenafly, N.J.-based company, Collegiate Choice Walking Tours, offers videotapes of standard campus tours from more than 350 colleges.

Production values for the series are low. The camera focuses on building exteriors, sidewalk scenes and empty classrooms for long minutes while the tour guide is heard off-camera reciting the school's standard hourlong or 90-minute presentation.

But the narration alone can be informative. Tour guides typically pack their talks with statistics, school history, and descriptions of the student body, campus life and course offerings. Depending on what the individual guide chooses to talk about, his or her tour may provide a more qualitative portrait of the school than what you can glean from a brochure or Web site. The videotapes also include whatever questions are asked by the families and prospective students taking the tour.

Collegiate Choice Walking Tours was created by a group of independent college advisers whose material warns in advance that the tapes offer "no background music, no mood shots, no carefully worded script read by a professional, and no great camerawork." But they add, "Here's the good part: There are no plane flights, no rent-a-car, no hotels, no meals, no parking, no tolls, no inclement weather, no travel time, and no missed school or work days."

The videos are $15 apiece, plus $8 shipping charges for up to four tapes. Visit http://www.collegiatechoice.com/ for a list of what's available and to order, or call (201) 871-0098.

Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - After being closed for 25 years, Kansas City's historic Hilton President Hotel is reopening.

Following a $45 million renovation, the 213-room hotel is scheduled to host its first guests Jan. 11. The hotel's famed Drum Room nightclub, which once hosted performers like Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman and Harry Houdini, will offer live Kansas City-style jazz and blues and other musical entertainment.

The President opened in 1926 and was the site of the 1928 Republican National Convention. It closed in 1980, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and remained vacant for years amid proposals to tear it down and protests to preserve it. Terrazzo floors and marble from the original building were restored as part of the renovation.

Other news for visitors planning trips to Kansas City this year include the opening of the Patriot roller coaster at the Worlds of Fun amusement park, which bills the ride as "the longest, tallest and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the Midwest." The Patriot will have 3,081 feet of track, with a lift height of 149 feet and a 123-foot drop. The park opens weekends starting April 8 and daily starting May 13.

In April, a shopping and dining complex called The Legends at Village West is scheduled to open near the Kansas Speedway. Eateries will include Cheeseburger in Paradise, part of the chain named for the Jimmy Buffett song, and T-Rex, the first location for a planned chain of themed family restaurants that will feature animatronic dinosaurs and other special effects.

For more information, go to http://www.visitkc.com or call (877) 523-5286. For information about the Hilton President, call (816) 221-9490 or go to http://www.hilton.com.

Getting bumped

NEW YORK (AP) - It's not unusual for flights to be overbooked. TravelSmart newsletter's Jan. 15 issue offers the following advice to help you avoid being involuntarily bumped from a full flight:

-Get a seat assignment when you book the flight. Arrive early and confirm your seat.

-Get priority treatment by joining the airline's elite member club or frequent flyer program.

-Avoid the last flight of the day, when fewer people will volunteer to get bumped. Also, the earlier you fly in the day, the more options you'll have for completing your trip if you do get bumped.

-If you are being involuntarily bumped, make sure the airline has first asked for volunteers who might be happy to skip the flight in exchange for compensation.

Those who volunteer to be bumped are typically compensated with a free flight or travel voucher in addition to being rebooked. For travelers with flexible schedules, this may be a good deal. If you want to volunteer, TravelSmart recommends calling the airline the evening before to ask if the flight is overbooked. If it is, arrive 75 minutes before departure and volunteer to be bumped. But ask questions before you accept any deals.

If your rebooked flight for the original route is hours away or the next day, will the airline pay for your meals while you wait or a hotel? If you've already checked your luggage, what will happen to it? As for your compensation, are you getting a free ticket or a money-off voucher? Does the ticket or voucher expire? Does it have blackout dates?

TravelSmart notes that involuntarily bumped passengers are not entitled to compensation if the airline can arrange alternative transportation that is scheduled to get them to their destination within an hour of the original arrival time. And if your flight was canceled due to weather or mechanical difficulties, or because the airline had to use a smaller plane than originally planned, TravelSmart says the airline is not required to compensate you.

But you are entitled to compensation under certain circumstances if you're involuntarily bumped due to overbooking, TravelSmart says.

TravelSmart says if your substitute transportation gets to your destination between one and two hours after the original arrival time (or between one and four hours on international flights), the airline is required to pay you an amount equal to your one-way fare, up to $200. If the substitute flight gets you there two hours after your original arrival time (four hours international), compensation is equal to twice your paid fare, up to $400.

These rules only apply to flights departing from U.S. airports for either domestic or international destinations. They do not cover inbound international flights to the U.S. or other international routes.

A free sample to TravelSmart is $39 at http://www.travelsmartnewsletter.com. A free sample is available by calling (800) 327-3633.

Jackson Hole tram

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - A Wyoming official says he would back state funding of a new $25 million tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort if the resort can prove that it would economically benefit both Teton County and Wyoming.

"I'm willing to do anything I can that I think is in the best interest of the people of the county and state," State Senate President Grant Larson said in a report in the Star-Tribune of Casper.

This is the tram's final winter. Last June, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort announced that the tram would be shut down at the end of the summer of 2006 because it was too difficult and costly to keep it safe. The aging tram has ferried skiers and tourists to the top of Rendezvous Mountain for nearly 40 years.

"I think it is an image issue and a tourist issue, and I think it will have an economic loss to the state of Wyoming," Larson said. But he added that persuading lawmakers to provide state funding for a new tram will be difficult.

Anna Olson, resort spokeswoman, said resort officials also are discussing private funding sources.

Olson said the resort has hired an economic consultant to analyze the economic impact of the tram on the area. Preliminary estimates say the tram's loss would result in a $19 million loss to the state each year, taking into account lost skier days and lodging and restaurant sales, among other factors.

Larson noted that Teton County has no lodging tax. Money from such a tax could help boost marketing to offset a drop in tourism if the tram is lost.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal has said replacing the tram should not be high on the state's priority list.

Firehouse hostel

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A firehouse in Little Rock that closed down in 1960 is being turned into a hostel geared to international travelers.

The city approved leasing the old fire station near MacArthur Park and the city's downtown area to Arkansas Hostelling Inc., a nonprofit group formed by John and Linda Fordyce.

"Our idea was that another thing that makes Little Rock attractive is if we attract international travelers who may not be on a large budget," John Fordyce told the Little Rock Board of Directors, which approved the change earlier this month. "Little Rock is ideally located for a hostel because there's nothing nearby to compete with it."

According to Hostelling International, the closest large hostels to Little Rock are in Dallas and Memphis.

The firehouse opened in 1917 and closed more than four decades later. The new lodge will be called Firehouse Hostel. Eventually, it will feature artifacts and memorials dedicated to the city's firefighters.

City Manager Bruce Moore says that, if all goes as planned, renovation work will begin soon and the building could be usable by the end of 2006.

The old fire station closed when a newer station opened nearby. Since then, the building has been used by the city's Parks and Recreation Department for various programs and storage space.

Caribbean flights

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - Jamaica's struggling national carrier Air Jamaica will increase weekly flights to the Caribbean island of Grenada from New York in a bid to boost regional tourism, an official said.

The decision came a week after Air Jamaica announced it would resume flights to St. Lucia, after a nearly yearlong suspension.

The New York-Grenada route "has been doing well for us, and we believe it is a good thing for tourism in Grenada and the Caribbean" to increase the number of weekly flights from six to eight, airline spokeswoman Sandrea Falconer said Wednesday.

The additional flights will begin by Feb. 23.

Air Jamaica reduced service in March to Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia, in an attempt to recover from losses due to higher fuel costs and a drop in passengers after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The airline, which has restarted flights to the other two islands, will resume service to St. Lucia with three times a week nonstop flights from New York in February.

Cabin rentals

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - People wishing to make a reservation for a U.S. Forest Service cabin in Montana or northern Idaho will have to go through a national reservation system beginning Feb. 1.

The reservations will be handled by a Forest Service contractor, the National Recreation Reservation Service, which also books reservations for the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers.

The NRRS lists 45,000 sites at 1,700 locations nationally. People wishing to make reservations can go online at http://www.reserveusa.com or call (877) 444-6777.

Users can reserve a recreation cabin, lookout or group site up to six months in advance. Rental cabins can cost $25 to $30 a night, with some larger facilities costing $50 to $100, depending on the size and popularity of the area, Knupp said. It cost $9 to make a reservation through NRRS.

Knupp said the money for the cabin rental still goes to the Forest Service to maintain the cabins, while the reservation fee goes to the NRRS.