Top 7 US short city break destinations

Las Vegas, Nevada
The fun never ends in Las Vegas. The city is today the largest playground for grown-ups and one of the top tourist destinations in the U.S. To start with, take a stroll along the Strip and see some of the world's most famous hotels & casinos. Visit The Venetian and take a gondola ride through the streets of Venice. Enjoy lunch in a 50-storey replica of the Eiffel Tower. Make sure to see the fountains at Bellagio, where water dances and shoots high into the sky. Enjoy the art at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum or take in a show at Cirque du Soleil. If shopping is your thing, head to the Fashion Show Mall with its 7 anchor stores and 250 retail stores and restaurants.

Orlando, Florida
Orlando has developed a cool reputation over the years as the ultimate family destination. Famous for its amusement parks, Orlando welcomes millions of visitors each year. Just south of the city lies Disney World, the world's largest theme park; plus Universal Resort, themed to the Hollywood super-productions; and SeaWorld Orlando with its aquarium and dolphin shows alongside a water park. There's modern art at the Orlando Museum of Art and interactive exhibits at the Orlando Science Center. For shopping, try the immense Florida Mall.

New York City
Each year the "Big Apple" welcomes over 35 million visitors, drawn by its legendary skyscrapers, renowned museums, and incredible shopping. Must-sees in this 12-million metropolis include Times Square, Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, and the famous Statue of Liberty. Get some fresh air at Central Park. See art and waxwork at the Metropolitan & Madame Tussauds or catch a show on Broadway. Then immerse yourself in the city's vibrant nightlife with its first class restaurants, nightclubs and entertainment of all kinds, plus thousands of stores and boutiques that make New York a shopping wonderland.

Los Angeles, California
LA and its immediate vicinity are internationally recognized as the "entertainment capital of the world." Important landmarks include the Los Angeles City Hall, El Pueblo State Historic Park, Farmers Market, Chinatown and Little Tokyo. Stroll along Hollywood Boulevard to see the famous sidewalks decorated with stars of celebrities. Take a glimpse at active backlots and enjoy stunt demonstrations and high-tech rides at the Universal Studios theme park. Disney Land, the original family-oriented fantasy park is located in nearby Anaheim. The most beautiful beaches of Los Angeles can be found in Malibu.

San Francisco, California
The city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US, renowned for its steep rolling hills and eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture. Famous landmarks include the legendary Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, and Chinatown. Stroll across the Golden Gate Park, including the California Academy of Sciences, the Asian Art Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. With top-brand retailers, restaurants, and personal services, Embarcadero Center offers the very best in San Francisco shopping, dining and entertainment.

Washington D.C.
The capital of the USA has the architectural beauty of a well-planned city filled with magnificent monuments, governmental buildings and parks. Its main points of interest are situated in the National Mall - between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol. The city has some of the finest museums in the country, including the vast complex of Smithsonian Institution museums - most of them absolutely free to the visitor. There's a collection of masterpieces at the National Gallery of Art, Auguste Rodin's sculptures at the Hirshhorn Museum, and exotic animals at the National Zoo.

Seattle, Washington
Famous as the home of the grunge music, today the city is one of the most visited tourist destinations on the West Coast. A good place to start with is the Space Needle - Seattle's most recognizable landmark. Buy some sea food at the Pike Place Market and have some coffee at the world's first Starbucks store. Enjoy concert at the Benaroya Hall, or watch a performance at the Seattle Opera. For shopping, try the four-storey Westlake Center. Fishing, rafting and mountain climbing are all within a short drive from downtown.

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Virgin America expands to San Diego

Virgin America commenced service to San Diego, CA from its base of San Francisco International Airport on February 12. It is the sixth destination for the low-fare carrier, which aims to serve as many as ten major U.S. cities within its first year of operation.

Virgin America will initially operate three flights a day on the San Diego route, expanding to five daily flights on March 9. Introductory fares start at $39 one way in the Main Cabin and $149 one way in First Class.

Started in August 2007, Richard Branson’s U.S. airline flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and New York City. Virgin America said it will launch service to Seattle March 18.

AirTran adds 5 new routes from Milwaukee

AirTran Airways is to launch seasonal flights from Milwaukee to five West Coast and East Coast destinations.

AirTran’s new routes from Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport (MKE) include:
-- Los Angeles International Airport,
-- Seattle/Tacoma International Airport,
-- San Francisco International Airport,
-- San Diego's Lindbergh Field Airport and
-- Boston’s Logan International Airport.

The flights to Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco will begin May 6, while services to San Diego and Boston will commence May 21.

With the new flights, the Orlando-based airline will offer up to 20 daily departures to 13 non-stop destinations from Milwaukee.

Skybus to begin service from new base at Piedmont Triad

Skybus will launch its newly-announced base at Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) in January and February with nonstop flights to seven new destinations and additional service to Columbus. The ultra low-cost airline will connect the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point area in North Carolina with Florida, Gulf Coast, East Coast and West Coast markets. PTI will become Skybus’ second hub after its headquarters city – Columbus, Ohio.

Currently, the low-fare carrier provides service to 12 destinations throughout the United States with five full-size Airbus A319 jets. Prices start at $10 one way on every flight, excluding taxes and fees.

Frontier Airlines began service to Sioux City

Frontier Airlines launched non-stop service between its main hub at Denver International Airport and Sioux City, Iowa on Friday. The twice daily flights will initially be served by a 76-seat Embraer E-170 which will ultimately be replaced by a 74-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft.

The morning flight from Denver will depart at 10:35 am and arrive at Sioux Gateway Airport at 1:07 pm. The second flight will leave at 8:30 pm and arrive at its destination at 11:02 pm. The first return flight from Sioux City will leave at 6:55 am and arrive in Denver at 7:33 am, and the second will depart at 1:37 pm and arrive at Denver International at 2.15 pm. All times given are in local time.

Alaska Airlines to offer in-flight wireless internet

Alaska Airlines plans to launch in-flight wireless internet service next year. The airline announced at a conference in Toronto that it will test a Row 44’s broadband service on a Boeing 737 in the spring, and if it goes well, it will be installed on its entire fleet. The Row 44’s technology is designed to work over water and across international borders. That would allow the Seattle-based airline to offer the service throughout its entire network, which includes Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Passengers with wireless-enabled devices such as laptop computers and smart-phones will connect to the system through Wi-Fi hot spots in the aircraft cabin.

JetBlue to launch Charlotte-Ft Lauderdale flights

JetBlue Airways announced starting of seasonal nonstop flights between Charlotte Douglas International and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The once-a-day return service will begin January 10 and end April 30, 2008. Raleigh and Richmond, VA, also will get seasonal nonstop flights to Fort Lauderdale. The low-cost airline will offer promotional rates starting at $69 one way, for tickets purchased by the end of August.

New York-based JetBlue Airways currently operates more than 700 daily services, including mainly internal low cost flights in the United States, as well as flights to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Mexico.

Virgin America reinvents US air travel

After federal regulators approved the company's revised plan to operate US-based commercial flights, finally Virgin America started operations on August 8. Richard Branson's new airline took to the skies for the first time with inaugural flights from New York's John F. Kennedy and Los Angeles International Airport to its US main base in San Francisco.

Virgin, which has a long reputation for reinventing stagnant market niches, is looking to do the same for its new domestic service in the US. Where others see disaster, Richard Branson sees opportunity. The founder of Virgin Group says their “secret” is quite simple: they look at an industry that is doing everything the same way, identify the weak points for customers, and focus their business on doing those services differently. For Virgin America, this means: brand new airplanes, TV screens in each seat, mood lighting in the cabin, online ordering system, built-in ”seat to seat" chat system, power plugs for laptops, iPhone and iPods, chargers for MP3 players, and many other unique conveniences unknown for a commercial plane.

But most importantly, Virgin America offers really low fares! Flights from San Francisco to Los Angeles start at $44 (coach) and $149 (first class). Airline tickets from New York to LA would cost $129 (coach) and $389 (first class). Operations between New York and Los Angeles will start on August 29, followed by Las Vegas, San Diego and Washington DC.

So, see you soon onboard Virgin America flights! And don't forget to take all your gadgets with you!