(Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — For many passengers, air travel is only about finding the cheapest fare. But as airlines offer a proliferating list of add-on services, from early boarding to premium seating and baggage fees, the ability to comparison-shop for the lowest total fare is eroding. (READ: Six Rights Airlines Hope You Don't Know) Global distribution systems that supply flight and fare data to travel agents and online ticketing services like Orbitz and Expedia, accounting for half of all...

In this photo taken Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, travelers enjoy drinks and dishes at ICE Bar in Terminal 3. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) CHICAGO -- Getting stranded at an airport once meant enduring hours of boredom in a kind of travel purgatory with nothing to eat but fast food. These days, it can seem more like passing through the gates of Shangri-la to find spas, yoga studios, luxury shopping and restaurant menus crafted by...

Snow filled roads lead to the Arkansas Capitol building on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 in Little Rock, Ark., after a winter storm brought 10 inches of snow to much of the state. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel) Winter Storm Euclid is moving into the Ohio Valley and northeastern states, snarling airports and roadways ahead of its path. (MORE: ) The storm is dumping six to twelve inches of snow throughout the region, and winter storm warnings stretch from Indiana to Maine....

In this photo taken Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, travelers enjoy drinks and dishes at ICE Bar in Terminal 3. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) CHICAGO -- Getting stranded at an airport once meant enduring hours of boredom in a kind of travel purgatory with nothing to eat but fast food. These days, it can seem more like passing through the gates of Shangri-la to find spas, yoga studios, luxury shopping and restaurant menus crafted by...

(Getty Images) One of America's most stunning tropical gems is slowing eroding from within. Researchers at Brigham Young University in Utah took a closer look at the building blocks of Hawaii's Oahu Island. They concluded that, in time, Oahu will actually flatten from an island to a "low-lying seamount," according to an article in Live Science. Parts of Oahu can get anywhere from 2 to 23 feet of precipitation a year, depending on the landscape. But scientists say it's not...

Fireworks explode over Elizabeth Tower housing the Big Ben clock to celebrate the New Year in London, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Fiscal cliff? Recession? Not in Asia, where the first countries to see 2013 are enthusiastically welcoming the new year. The buoyant economies of the Asia-Pacific are prepared to party with renewed optimism despite the so-called fiscal cliff threatening to reverberate globally from the United States and the tattered economies of Europe. Increasingly democratic Myanmar is having...

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- It's happened a lot of times on this barrier island. A new owner picks up a piece of land and an old path or set of woods is suddenly fenced off or has some no trespassing signs. A St. Simons Island couple want to do the opposite: They want to keep their recent acquisition open for those who have worn a footpath across it and to preserve that access into the future. "The public has...

TRAVELING IN 2013 (Getty Images) There are few certainties when it comes to travel. But in this new year, travelers can count on one thing: They'll have to spend more money if they want to fly. Airlines had a profitable 2012. And industry analysts say they'll probably have an even better 2013 if they keep raising fares, charging more fees and cutting back on the number of flights. That may push some travelers to their cars. If it does, they...

(Getty Images) A sobering new study shows America's tired population is creating a major hazard on the road. According to a report just released by the CDC, more than 4% of Americans say they have recently fallen asleep while driving. Experts admit that number could be even higher because many people don't realize they've drifted off for a moment. Government awareness campaigns are quick to promote the dangers of drunk driving, but most people don't realize sleep depravation can be...

Ellwood says passengers used duct tape to calm the drunk man. (Andy Ellwood via Tumblr) A photo of an allegedly obnoxious, drunk passenger who wound up duct taped to his seat during a flight from Iceland to New York's JFK is exploding on social media. Blogger and businessman Andy Ellwood first posted the photo on Tumblr. He got it from a friend who was on the flight. "Passengers hog-tied fellow passenger who drank all of his duty free liquor in...

A pilot poses inside an Airbus A380 at Guarulhos international airport, in the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 22, 2012. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/GettyImages) Some U.S. airlines may see a pilot crunch as soon as this year, as thousands of pilots start to retire and new rules requiring extra training and more rest start to kick in, some aviation analysts say. As the economy slowly improves, potentially increasing the desire by Americans to travel, a wave of pilots is reaching...

A Cessna 560 XL Citation Excel business jet airplane prepares its approach to Vienna Schwechat international airport as it flies in front of the moon on Sept. 23, 2012. (ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images) NEW YORK -- Fewer business travelers are likely to hit the road this year as the travel industry is challenged by corporate America's persistent economic fears. Business travelers are expected to take 431.8 million trips in 2013, the Global Business Travel Association said Tuesday. The industry trade group...