JetBlue will add more legroomJetBlue passengers will...

JetBlue will add more legroom

JetBlue passengers will have more legroom starting in September.

That’s when the single-class discount airline will begin taking out a row of seats in each of its Airbus A320s. The result will be a seat pitch (the distance from the back of one seat to the back of the next) of 34 inches instead of 32 inches on all except the nine front rows.

The first reconfigured jet is expected to begin service Sept. 6 and the rest by Nov. 19.

The move takes JetBlue in the opposite direction from American Airlines, which in the fall will begin reducing legroom in coach to 32 inches on about a quarter of its fleet after having expanded it in 2000. American announced the change in May as part of what it called a “turnaround plan” to improve profitability.

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Taiwan removed

from SARS

outbreak list

Taiwan on July 5 was removed from the World Health Organization’s list of areas with recent local transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

It was the last area to be removed from the list, which once included parts of mainland China, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Singapore and Toronto (which was removed July 2).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday, was still recommending that visitors take precautions, such as frequent hand washing, in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Toronto, but it did not advise against traveling to those places.

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Booking some

vroom at

luxury inns

Several luxury California hotels are letting guests drive 2003 Lexus cars free.

At the three Pebble Beach Resorts -- the Inn at Spanish Bay, the Lodge at Pebble Beach and Casa Palmero -- guests can reserve two free hours of driving time in a Lexus convertible, sedan or SUV. Insurance is included. The resorts have eight cars and a total of 455 rooms, so reser- vations are recommended. Room rates start at $460 per night at the resorts, which are rated four diamonds by AAA. (800) 654-9300, www.pebblebeach.com.

At the Peninsula Beverly Hills, guests who book suites, which start at $775 per night (versus $375 for other rooms), can receive a free fueled-up Lexus sedan or coupe for their stay. Drivers must carry insurance that covers rentals, according to Ellis O’Connor, executive assistant manager. The five-diamond AAA-rated hotel has seven Lexus cars and 34 suites (plus 162 other rooms). Reserve cars in advance. (310) 551-2888, www.peninsula.com.

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Trafalgar Square

reopens after

renovation

London

Trafalgar Square, the London landmark known for its pigeons, fountains and towering Lord Nelson column, has reopened after a $42-million face-lift that took 18 months.

Cars, trucks and buses have been banished from the north side, opening up a grand vista from the front of the National Gallery. Public toilets and an outdoor cafe have been added to the 19th century square, built to commemorate Adm. Horatio Nelson’s victory over the French in 1805.

The improvements are part of London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s renovation program for public spaces.

Feeding the pigeons that flocked to the square was a must-do on most tourists’ lists until Livingstone ended the practice to rid the area of what he called “rats with wings.”

Associated Press

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Traveler’s note

Atlantic City got a touch of Vegas with the opening this month of the 2,002-room Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. The $1.1-billion joint venture of MGM Mirage and Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corp. includes 11 restaurants, 11 retail shops, a pool and a 50,000-square-foot spa. Summer-fall rates begin at $179 per night. (866) 692-6742, www.theborgata.com.

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DEAL OF THE WEEK

Five nights in

Tokyo for $1,099

You can spend five nights in Tokyo, starting at $1,099 per person, double occupancy, including airfare, under the “Tokyo in a Week” package from Los Angeles-based Ritz Tours. The price includes nonstop round-trip airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco on American Airlines, airport-hotel transfers, a room at the Akasaka Prince Hotel, daily breakfast and a half-day sightseeing tour. Airport taxes, about $90 per person, are extra. The deal is subject to availability through December; prices vary by date. (800) 900-2446, www.ritztours.com.

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FREE FOR THE ASKING

Having a gay old

time in London

The 98-page “Gay & Lesbian London” guide zeros in on gay-oriented pubs, clubs and lodging, with commentary and gay angles on tourist haunts. Call (877) 628-6932 or visit www.visitlondon.com/gay, maintained by the London Tourist Board, for similar information.

-- Compiled by

Jane Engle