Internet on U.S. flights and more

American Airlines has launched Internet access on some of its cross-country flights, one of many U.S. airlines beginning to offer online service to passengers. Aircell service is now available for $12.95 per flight on American's 15 Boeing 767-200 planes connecting New York with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.

Delta Air Lines, Virgin America and US Airways are among the other airlines planning to test in-flight services. JetBlue Airways already offers free Wi-Fi service on one aircraft through its LiveTV subsidiary, limited to e-mail without attachments, instant messaging and some services from Amazon. Continental Airlines also plans to use LiveTV with similar restrictions.

Aircell's Gogo service is still formally a test, meaning American could drop it entirely after three to six months or expand it to other planes, depending on customer adoption and feedback. It can work with most laptops, Apple Inc.'s iPhone, some models of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerrys and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The system will block Internet-based phone calls, giving passengers relief from chatty seatmates.

Americans not going to Canada

Canada had the fewest U.S. visitors in more than three decades in June as gasoline prices and a strong Canadian currency dissuaded trips north of the border.

Trips to Canada by U.S. residents fell 16 percent from June 2007 to 2.56 million, Statistics Canada said, pushing the total number of foreign visitors down 13 percent to 3.13 million. (Trips by people from other countries rose 2.6 percent to 575,000.) The biggest decline in June came from U.S. tourists taking day trips by car, down 22 percent from last year.

Spokane-Chicago flight dropped

United Airlines will end direct service between Spokane and Chicago on Nov. 1. Ending the daily nonstop Chicago service is one of many cuts the airline has made in response to high fuel prices and a softening economy, United spokesman Jeff Kovich said. Spokane passengers will be able to connect to Chicago through Minneapolis, Denver and Salt Lake City. .

Hawaii Superferry

The Hawaii Superferry, which shuttles between Oahu (Honolulu) and Maui (Kahului), is hitting its stride after returning to service in April. In July, it ran about half full, averaging 390 passengers and 99 vehicles per trip. The ferry had a rocky start over the past year, with environmental protests and lawsuits and mechanical problems.

How does the ferry compare with flying? Time: No contest. The Oahu-Maui flight takes 35 minutes, and the ferry takes three hours. Cost: Pretty close. For a Sept. 18-23 round trip, including taxes and fees, the Superferry costs $128.99 per person. The lowest airfares (also including taxes and fees) started at $146.50 on Mesa Air Group's go! airline and $140 on Hawaiian Airlines.

A caveat: Airline prices can change rapidly and Superferry fares go up and down, depending on fuel surcharges and whether you go midweek or during the weekend. Info: 877-443-3779 or www.hawaiisuperferry.com

When an arch falls in Utah ...

"I figured that it must have been a slow news week, which is hard to believe considering the Russians invaded Georgia and the Olympics were getting started."

That's a weary Paul Henderson talking about all the media attention heaped on Arches National Park in southern Utah earlier this month. "We had one arch out of more than 2,000 collapse," said park staffer Henderson, "and while it was the 12th-largest arch in the park, there's many more that are better known than Wall Arch." Those include the park's Delicate Arch, a much-photographed icon for the state of Utah. Part of the Devils Garden Trail, which ran past the now-gone Wall Arch, remains closed. But, said Henderson, "there are still lots of arches to see, both in this section of the park and others." Info: 435-719-2299 or www.nps.gov/arch

Refunds for transatlantic flights

If you flew across the Atlantic between Aug. 11, 2004, and March 23, 2006 on certain airlines, a few dollars might be coming your way. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic passengers ticketed on an overseas flight during that period are eligible to receive the refund payments, which will range between $7 and $34 per person for each round-trip flight.

The refunds are part of a nearly $200 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit that accused the airlines of conspiring to fix fuel surcharge prices on long-haul flights. A decision on approving the settlement is scheduled to be heard in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Sept. 26. For details and a claim form: 877-625-9432 or www.airpassengerrefund.com.

— Seattle Times staff and news services