Airline Is First to Offer Free Child Safety Seats

When Virgin Atlantic Airways, which flies between Los Angeles and London, begins offering infant safety seats in April, it will be the first airline in the world to do so. The safety seats, designed specifically for use in airplanes by children 6 months to 3 years old, will be strapped inside the normal adult airline seat. The seats will be reserved at the time reservations are made, and will require parents to buy a separate seat for an infant or toddler, instead of holding the child on an adult lap. Although the Federal Aviation Administration does not require children to use infant seats, studies have indicated that their use results in reduced injuries and deaths during accidents.

Travel Quiz: How many provinces does Canada have?

On Track in Paris: A new train service linking Orly Airport with downtown Paris can save the traveler money as well as time. The Orlyval train is now making trips from Orly, one of the city’s two international airports, and linking with the RER train, which connects with the Metro. The trip takes less than 30 minutes, compared with as much as an hour by taxi in traffic, and leaves from both of the airport’s terminals--Orly Ouest (west) and Orly Sud (south) stations, connecting with Line B of the RER at the Antony station. The trains depart about every 7 1/2 minutes from 5:50 a.m. to 11:48 p.m. daily; between 7 and 9 a.m. and 5 and 7:30 p.m., departures are every four or five minutes. Tickets for the entire trip cost about $11, compared with $22-$25 for a taxi to downtown Paris, and can be purchased at Orlyval stations, including the one at Orly, as well as at Metro-RER stations.

Venezuela Caution: In a travel caution issued Tuesday, the U.S. State Department advises U.S. citizens traveling to and in Venezuela that the situation in some areas is unsettled as a result of last week’s military coup attempt. The Venezuelan government has temporarily suspended certain constitutional guarantees and has frozen financial transactions. The U.S. Embassy is advising Americans in Venezuela to remain indoors until the situation clarifies. And Americans who travel to Venezuela should immediately contact and register with the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section at Avenida Principal La Floresta in Caracas.

Quick Fact: Airline passenger traffic in the United States was down 2.3% for 1991, the first annual decline in paid passenger miles since 1981, when a recession and high fuel prices resulted in a similar downturn, according to the Air Transport Assn.

Buying Miles: Earning miles to be placed in a frequent flier club account by flying or staying in a hotel is nothing new. But miles for buying a detergent or, perhaps, a bag of chips? Boston-based Loyalty Management Group is lining up sponsors for a program called Air Miles that is scheduled to debut in the United States March 16 and in Canada at a similar date. The U.S. program (an offshoot of one that has been successful in England) would allow members to accrue miles, good for free airline trips, by purchasing a broad range of goods and services that are not necessarily travel-related. Along with detergent and chips, such things as long-distance telephone service could be among the purchases for which consumers are awarded Air Miles. In return, sponsor companies will get another way to build product loyalty, and have access to customers that will allow them to introduce products and make special offers.

Airlines that have signed up thus far to participate in the program, according to an Air Miles spokesman, are USAir, American, United and Air Canada.

Celebrating Black History: As part of Black History Month in February, San Francisco’s Exploratorium, the city’s internationally acclaimed museum of science, art and human perception, is highlighting the discoveries of black scientists and inventors. The exhibit “Henry Ossawa Tanner” is also on view in the city at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum through March 1. Tanner, who died in 1937 and is recognized as the foremost African-American artist of the turn of the century, is represented by some 90 paintings and 20 drawings spanning a 50-year career.

Meeting Ground: In 1990, the top 10 cities for international meetings in order of popularity, were: Paris, which hosted the most international meetings, followed by London, Brussels, Vienna, Geneva, Berlin, Madrid, Singapore, Amsterdam and Washington, D.C., according to Hotels magazine.

Comparatively Speaking: Cruise ship sanitation scores for ships inspected in December (a score of 87 or higher indicates acceptable sanitation): Crown Princess, 68; Dawn Princess, 86; Fair Princess, 80; Monarch of the Seas, 87; Scandinavian Dawn, 87; Sky Princess, 80; Star Flyer, 66; Starship Atlantic, 94; Westward, 93; Crown Odyssey, 91; Renaissance I, 80; Triton, 86; Vistafjord, 98; Berlin, 86. (Source: Department of Health and Human Services.)

Fair Warning: Camel and ostrich races, Arabian Nights’ pageants and foods made with dates will be part of the 46th annual Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival in Indio, about 20 miles east of Palm Springs, Feb. 14-23. Entertainment will include a parade and musical performers, as well as carnival rides and attractions. For more information, call (619) 274-4000.

Quiz Answer: Ten: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan.