TRAVEL LOG

A Vegas welcome to 2004

It’s not too late to make reservations for New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. But you may find higher prices than in 2002.

“Rates are generally a little bit up from last year,” said Alan Feldman, spokesman for MGM Mirage.

The MGM Grand was recently quoting $220 for New Year’s Eve, compared with $206 last year. Treasure Island, which has retooled itself as an adult destination, last week was quoting $429 for New Year’s Eve, compared with $296 last year. The Bellagio, with rates about $550, was full.

To find the best prices, “you’ve got to go away from the hottest, hippest thing,” and off the Strip, said Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter. Sample Dec. 31 rates offered last week: $179.99 at Texas Station Gambling Hall &Hotel; and $109.99 at Arizona Charlie’s Boulder.

Rates and availability may have changed since the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday.

Light rail

links JFK to

city transit

The long-awaited AirTrain, designed to whisk passengers to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for a fraction of taxi fares, was scheduled to begin operating last week.

The eight-mile light-rail link doesn’t go directly downtown. Instead, after looping the airport’s terminals, parking lots and car-rental sites, it splits in two branches.

One ends at Jamaica Station, where you can board the Long Island Rail Road or the E, J or Z subway lines.

The other ends at Howard Beach, where you can link to the A train.

The AirTrain fare, payable at the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations, is $5 each way. From there, you pay applicable subway or rail fares.

One-way trips to Manhattan by subway and AirTrain total $7 and take about an hour. New York’s Penn Station can be reached by subway ($7 total, about an hour) or Long Island Rail Road ($11.75, 35 minutes).

One-way taxi fare from JFK to Manhattan is set at $35, plus tolls, and the trip takes up to an hour in off-peak times.

For more information and schedules, call (877) 535-2478 or visit www.airtrainjfk.com.

Special deals on new flight

to Singapore

Singapore Airlines, which announced plans in October to begin the world’s longest nonstop commercial flight, between Los Angeles and Singapore, on Feb. 3, is offering new mileage deals and vacation packages with it.

The once-daily service will take 18 1/2 hours from Los Angeles and 16 hours from Singapore. For travel through May 31 on the new service, passengers can earn double mileage.

Among the package deals are the Singapore Plus Luxury Vacation (from $1,380 per person, double occupancy, for airfare and three nights in Singapore) and the Bali Value Package (from $1,399 per person, double occupancy, for airfare and five nights in Bali). The deals are subject to availability.

Introductory round-trip fares start at $1,155 for what the airline calls “executive economy class,” which has extra legroom and 20-inch-wide seats. (800) 742-3333, www.singaporeair.com.

-- Compiled by

Jane Engle