Moving Forward With People Mover at LAX

The Los Angeles Department of Airports is soliciting bids for a small automated train, or people mover, that would connect Los Angeles International Airport with perimeter Parking Lot C and, eventually, link to Parking Lot B and a new passenger terminal at the west end of the airport. The first part of the people mover project, which has been approved by the City of Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, will be funded by city money and, if the FAA approves it, funds from an airport-use charge of up to $3 per passenger. The project, the first part of which is expected to cost $200 million and take six years to complete, is being undertaken to cut traffic and air pollution at LAX. It is envisioned as a three-phase undertaking. Phase 1 would involve construction of the passenger train to run from a new transit center in Parking Lot C and circle the central airport terminal area, stopping at each airline terminal. Phase 2 would extend the system to run between the central terminal and the proposed new passenger terminal and parking lot at the west end of the airport. Phase 3 would connect the transit center to Parking Lot B. Construction on Phase 1 could begin as early as October, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of Airports.

Travel Quiz: Which of the following are not part of England? Australia, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

A War Between the Guides: In Alaska, look out for the bears and if you must shoot, shoot straight. In Las Vegas, beware of strangers carrying rubber chickens. This off-beat advice comes from a new batch of budget travel guides, created by UC Berkeley students and Fodor’s, to compete with Harvard’s venerable “Let’s Go” series. The rivalry has been billed as West Coast vs. East Coast with a dash of political correctness. For instance, “The Berkeley Guides” will be printed with soybean ink on recycled paper, with two trees planted for every tree used in production. (For the record, “Let’s Go,” published by St. Martin’s Press in cooperation with Harvard Student Agencies, is printed on recycled paper, according to a spokesman.) “The Berkeley Guides” follow six years of negotiation between Fodor’s and the student association at the University of California, Berkeley. The first four books--due out in November--will cover Eastern Europe, Mexico, California and the Pacific Northwest. Next year will bring Central America, Great Britain, Ireland, France and Germany. And they, like the “Let’s Go” series, will retail for about $15 each.

Big Macs Attack Swiss Rails: In Switzerland, bright red dining cars with the crossed knife-and-fork logo have always meant starched linen, china and great cuisine. But two brightly painted red cars that mean throwaway dishes and unadorned tables have just opened their doors on Swiss Federal Railways, and they are decked out in a familiar motif: golden arches emblazoned the length of the cars and huge white letters announcing “McDonald’s.” “Family Dining Cars” owned by the hamburger chain are making their world rails debut on the Basel-Biel-Geneva and Geneva-Brig routes, reports Eleanor Flagler, associate editor of The International Railway Traveler newsletter. McDonald’s ordered, owns, operates and collects profits from the dining cars and pays no rent or royalty to Swiss Railways, which regards the cars as free, expanded facilities.

While the initial reception from train passengers has been good, some worry about the impact of the throwaway utensils on the environment, despite commitments from McDonald’s that all its scraps and garbage, from throughout the train, will be picked up and eventually recycled. Still, the meal prices make the cars alluring. The prices of McDonald’s meals on board the train are the same as in McDonald’s restaurants in Switzerland, and substantially cheaper than food in the standard rail diners. Cheeseburgers are about $2; a Big Mac, fries and Coke cost about $6.40. And a Happy Meal costs $4.60, complete with a plastic Fish Mac toy.

Budget Bus Fares: Not to be outdone by the airlines, Greyhound Lines has instituted new fares, effective through summer, which provide discounts of up to 50% off full fares. Under the new structure, Greyhound bus passengers will receive 50% discounts on 14-day advance purchases, 35% on seven-day advance purchases and 20% on three-day advance purchases, a system that reduces the amount of advance time needed to buy lower-priced tickets. Unlike the airlines, Greyhound’s discounted fares are not limited to a certain number of seats per bus. Anyone who meets the advance-purchase requirements can buy a ticket at the new discounted fares, although they are blacked out over the July 4 weekend, June 30 through July 6.

Quick Fact: Estimated number of RVs on the road this summer: 8 1/2 million. (Source: Recreation Vehicle Industry Assn.)

Comparatively Speaking: Cruise ship sanitation scores for ships inspected in May (a score of 87 or higher indicates acceptable sanitation): Festivale, 98; Horizon, 98; Monarch of the Seas, 92; Nordic Empress, 80; Norway, 96; Royal Viking Sun, 98; Seabreeze I, 78; Sovereign of the Seas, 91; Sunward, 91; Zenith, 99; Club Med I, 83. (Source: Department of Health and Human Services.)

Fair Warning: Baseball greats such as Hall of Fame relief pitcher Rollie Fingers, former Oakland A’s pitcher Vida Blue and former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood will be on hand to give out free autographs at the Upper Deck All-Star FanFest in San Diego, July 10-14 at the San Diego Convention Center. An extension of the 1992 All-Star Game, to be held at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium July 14, FanFest will be an exposition of more than 25 attractions, including the largest Hall of Fame exhibit outside Cooperstown, N.Y., a baseball collectibles show, a simulated major league clubhouse and dugout, and radar pitching booths and video batting cages where fans try to hit balls thrown by images of current-day pitching stars. Tickets purchased before July 10 are $6 for children (12 and under), seniors (62 and older) and military, and $8 for adults. Tickets at the door will be $8 for children, seniors and military, and $10 for adults. For more information, call Ticketmaster: (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000.

Quiz Answer: None are part of England, which is the largest division of the country called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and also includes Scotland and Wales. The Republic of Ireland is a separate country, as is Australia.