September 1, 2012 – Hour 1

Leslie Carlin, Travelocity editor, reports travel is up for Labor Day weekend in spite of rising gas prices. Rudy asks if this is a leading economic indicator that should cheer us all up. Historian and author Stephen Ujifusa joins Rudy to discuss his new book that profiles the genius who built the world’s fastest, safest, and most beautiful passenger ship, the SS United States. While the Titanic got all the publicity the past year, the SS United States was a project built in secret that resulted in a cruise line that was a standard bearer for the US. During wartime, the ship served as a troop transport ship. Designed by William Francis Gibbs, the SS United States lost its luster for travelers when jet planes began whisking passengers across the Atlantic Ocean in hours instead of days. How many countries are there in the world? That depends on whom you ask and how you count says travel video journalist Bruce Northam. The United Nations recognizes 193 official countries while Federal Express delivers to more than 220 countries and territories, including North Korea. And other organizations come up with a different count, as Northam explains to listeners. And how does all that jet fuel get to airports? What’s the difference between the gas we put in our car and the fuel that powers an airplane? And do pilots shop airports for the cheapest fill-up? John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist with the airline trade organization called Airlines For America, answers those questions and more. Plus, Rudy lists his best travel deals of the week at the end of the hour and delivers the week’s travel news at the open of the hour.