Continental installing live satellite TV on planes

Venturing where only low-cost carriers have gone before, Continental (CAL) has become the first big legacy airline to offer satellite TV, a move that could push its peers to follow suit at a time when competition is the fiercest it's been in years.

Since April, Continental has installed DirecTV (DTV) on 18 planes. By early 2011, the airline plans to have 77 channels of live TV available to passengers flying domestically on about 220 of its jetliners.

It joins JetBlue (JBLU), Virgin America and Frontier in offering passengers the chance to watch live sports, news and other programming on TV screens at their seats instead of programs taped earlier.

JetBlue and Virgin America offer the TV service for free. Frontier charges $6 to all but premium-fare ticket holders and some members of its frequent-flier club. Continental is charging $6 in coach and letting first-class passengers get the service free.

Continental executives hope the offering will set it apart and attract more passengers.

"I think it does distinguish us," says Jim Compton, Continental's executive vice president of marketing, who says the carrier is offering more satellite channels than its counterparts are. "Having an industry-leading product ... will draw a better customer share to us."

Airlines are scrambling to get passengers in the midst of the economic downturn, and several carriers including United, Delta and American have begun installing Wi-Fi Internet service on their planes with the hope that the high-tech perk will lure customers back into the air.

Satellite TV has been slower to catch on, mostly because of the high cost that comes with retrofitting older planes or installing the technology on new aircraft, say satellite and airline experts.

"It's an expensive proposition," says Nate Quigley, CEO of LiveTV, the JetBlue-owned subsidiary that provides the satellite-receiving system for Continental, JetBlue and Frontier. For airlines, "The big question comes down to will it pay for itself ... with customer loyalty, in load factors?"

Installation can cost $1 million to $1.5 million a plane, Quigley says. That's in comparison with $100,000 to $250,000 for Wi-Fi capability.

And LiveTV's satellite system weighs about 1,000 pounds, driving up fuel costs at a time when oil prices are volatile. AirTran Airways opted to offer Wi-Fi rather than satellite TV in part because an entire system to provide wireless Internet capability weighs about 150 pounds.

"That's significantly less than satellite TV and all the associated equipment," AirTran spokesman Christopher White said in an e-mail. "Less weight means lower fuel costs."

Will other airlines follow?

Although many airlines may be reluctant to make a big new investment during a travel downturn, LiveTV's Quigley is hopeful they'll follow Continental's lead when the economic picture improves.

"Some CFOs may want to keep that money in the bank, on the balance sheet, in the event there's another spike in oil or an extension of the recession," he says. "I'm confident once we get through some of the volatility the industry is dealing with, and as Continental's program gets off the ground ... CFOs will be willing to get their checkbooks out again."

Airline industry observers generally agree that in a business in which players regularly match each other on fares and fees, more carriers are likely to eventually add live TV. "Let's face it, the airlines do tend to copy each other," says Bob Harrell of airline and travel consulting firm Harrell Associates. Carriers may decide it's worth the expense if they can launch a service that brings in extra money, he says.

"The airlines are collecting about $5 billion a year in ancillary fees," he says. "They're looking for any possible way to boost their revenue stream."

Whether the content is taped or live, personal TV screens will have to become more common on flights if airlines want to stay competitive, says Matthew Daimler, founder of website SeatGuru, which offers information on airlines to travelers.

In a SeatGuru survey of fliers taken March 17 to April 18, a TV screen at the passenger's seat was the in-flight entertainment offering valued most, garnering 32.4% of the vote. Only 4.4% said satellite TV was their most desired item.

"I do think that the other major airlines will need to follow Continental's lead to stay competitive and offer those types of services," Daimler says. "I don't know that it has to be a satellite TV at the end of the day, but it does have to be personal television entertainment."

Passengers who have satellite TV tend to enjoy it, Daimler says. He thinks it's a perk worth having, even if you have to pay a few dollars.

"I enjoy those screens," he says. "My coast-to-coast flights go by faster when I'm watching them."

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Lynchburg, Va., to offer year-round skiing

August wouldn't come to mind as the right time of year for skiing, unless you were headed to South America.

But a year-round ski facility called the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre is scheduled to open in Lynchburg, Va., at Liberty University on Aug. 29.

Its slopes will be layered with a synthetic material that simulates snow for skiing, boarders and tubing.

Snowflex will be open to the public as well as to students.

The facility will include a main slope, two grind rails, an 11-foot-high quarter pipe, and a beginner slope. Equipment rentals will be available.

Lift tickets at the center will be $8 to $10.

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Delta frequent-flier enhancements include rollover miles

Delta Air Lines Inc. is taking a page from the cellphone industry and will be allowing elite frequent fliers to roll over miles earned above their qualification status in a given year so they have an easier time maintaining that status or improving to a higher one the next year.

The world's biggest airline operator planned to announce Tuesday enhancements to its SkyMiles Medallion program that will go into effect over the next nine months.

The changes come at a time of weak demand in the airline industry amid the recession. Business travel, in particular, has been in a slump, and giving extra advantages to elite frequent fliers could be one way to lure in more business travelers.

Atlanta-based Delta has three elite frequent flier statuses — silver, gold and platinum — and will be adding a fourth, diamond. Customers reach those levels by flying a lot — you reach the lowest level after flying 30 segments in a year — and in return they get extra benefits like priority boarding, waived checked bag fees and free upgrades.

Now, Delta says it will allow customers to retain any Medallion qualification miles earned above a Medallion threshold at the end of the year, supplementing the ability to earn status the following year. For example, should a member accrue 40,000 Medallion qualification miles in one calendar year, the 15,000 Medallion qualification miles that exceed the 25,000 threshold for silver status will be rolled over to the following year.

Delta said there is no limit to the number of miles rolled over, and the benefit takes effect immediately.

The rollover idea is similar to one offered for several years to some AT&T cellphone customers, who can roll over unused minutes in certain plans to the following month.

Among other changes coming from Delta:

_The new diamond level for flyers who earn 125,000 MQMs or fly 140 segments per calendar year will include a complimentary Delta Sky Club membership, among other benefits.

_Diamond, platinum and gold Medallion members will have ticketing fees waived for all bookings, whether completed by phone, online or in person.

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American Airlines hikes checked-bag fee by $5

It's going to cost you more to check bags on an American Airlines flight.

American said Friday that checking the first bag will cost $20, up from $15, and a second bag will cost $30, up from $25.

The change takes effect on tickets bought after Aug. 13 for travel within the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on American and its regional affiliate, American Eagle.

Elite members of American's frequent-flier program continue to be exempt from the bag fees, as are passengers in business- and first-class and those who paid full fare for coach seats. There are no bag fees for international itineraries except Canada.

United, Delta, Continental and US Airways recently announced $5 increases in checked-bag fees paid at the airport, to $20 for the first and $30 for the second.

Those other carriers left the fees at $15 and $25 for people who pay the charges online, but American doesn't offer the online option.

Fees on checking baggage and other services can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars a year at major airlines, which are struggling with falling revenue due to a slump in traffic. Last week, American parent AMR Corp. reported a $390 million loss for the second quarter.

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10 great places to eat regionally, eat well

This country's most unique foods are best experienced in native settings. Jane & Michael Stern's new book, 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late, (roadfood.com) is a state-by-state guide to must-eats across America

Hell's Kitchen
Minneapolis
"Chef Mitch Omer got the idea for mahnomin porridge while reading the Lewis and Clark diaries," Stern says. "Explorers described a Cree Indian dish based on the region's hand-parched wild rice. To the native Minnesota grain he adds enough cream to give it an oatmeal-like consistency, then he flavors it with roasted hazelnuts, dried berries and maple syrup. It is deeply satisfying, fascinating, and just plain delicious." There's also an outpost in Duluth, just over 155 miles north of the Twin Cities. 612-332-4700, hellskitcheninc.com

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
New Haven, Conn.
"This is the daddy of all pizza," Stern says. "Pepe's signature is white clam pizza, invented half a century ago when a clam vendor in an alley near the pizza parlor convinced Frank Pepe that the two of them could make sweet music together." They have succeeded. The combination of fresh clams and garlic is worth the wait in this inviting Italian neighborhood on Wooster Street. 203-865-5762; pepespizzeria.com

Keaton's
Cleveland, N.C.
"There is fried chicken, which is crunchy-chewy-juicy bliss, and there is hot fried chicken, which just might make you swoon, not only because it is dizzying delicious but because it is thermonuclear," Stern says. "Here, after being fried to a golden crisp, the parts are dipped in simmering barbecue sauce for a hot-pepper zest. It belongs in a food group of its own." 704-278-1619; keatonsoriginalbbq.com

Frontier Restaurant
Albuquerque
"Carne adovado, pork marinated in liquefied chiles until it absorbs the flavor and heat, is a dish that celebrates pepper power," Stern says. "The great bargain carne adovado, no less delicious for its $1.99 price, is a burrito at the Frontier. It doesn't contain any extras, just chile-infused meat intense enough to turn the tortilla that wraps it the color of a sunset." 505-266-0550; frontierrestaurant.com

Hansen's Sno-Bliz
New Orleans
"New Orleans is known for food that is hot and spicy. Hansen's Sno-Bliz is cool and soothing," Stern says. "The shaved-ice machine was invented here. Theirs makes ice that is neither crushed nor crystals but more like newly fallen snow. Flavored syrups are added in layers, so you taste them all the way to the bottom of the cup." Live large and top it off with a rich layer of condensed milk. 504-891-9788; snobliz.com

Cherry Hut
Beulah, Mich.
"Northern Michigan is cherry country, and starting in June, roadside stands sell bags of washed cherries ready to enjoy while you drive," Stern says. "A first-rate cherry pie is more than happy and delicious. It has mystique. It is fresh, bright and innocent. It is the purest of pies. The Cherry Hut uses only just-picked local cherries in its first-rate pies." The flaky crust is made the old-fashioned way, with pure lard. 231-882-4431; cherryhutproducts.com

Louie Mueller Barbecue
Taylor, Texas
"Mueller's brisket is celestial," Stern says. "As the inherently fatty cut of cow basks in wood smoke, its marbling melts and turns the once-tough cut recklessly tender, more like warm butter than beefsteak. Its exterior, blackened by time in the pit, has some crunch and an even more concentrated flavor." The smoke-tinged walls in this former school gym provide a peeled-paint backdrop for the gold standard of Texas barbecue. 512-352-6206; louiemuellerbarbecue.com

Sahagun
Portland, Ore.
"The primary purpose here is to tell you that Elizabeth Montes' hot chocolate is a rapturous as love itself. But please note a few other heartthrob specialties in this earnest little sweet shop," Stern says. "You will also find lavender truffles, candied Meyer lemon peels, chile lemon soda, roasted cocoa beans, and hazelnut sour cherry bark here. As for the hot chocolate, made by melting the very best chocolate mixed with half-and-half and milk, it almost feels illicit." 503-274-7065; sahagunchocolates.com

McClard's Bar-B-Q
Hot Springs, Ark.
"Like humans, french fries come in all shapes and sizes," Stern says. "Attractive french fries are dressed in so many different ways, from slender, honey-brown twigs to thick spud logs. Southern barbecues use potatoes as dressing for a pork plate. At McClard's, they top slabs of hickory-cooked ribs. As you dig into these platters with fork or fingers, the meat sauce and potatoes mingle in wanton rapture." 866-622-5273; mcclards.com

Red's Eats
Wiscasset, Maine
"A whole lobster requires concentrated effort to eat, but a lobster roll is trouble-free," Stern says. "It is the simplest sandwich, basically lobster meat surrounded by bread. The best lobster roll on Earth is served at an extremely humble shack known as Red's Eats. Red's primacy is a legend among lobster lovers, who flock to it in such numbers (summer only), the wait in line can be up to an hour." 207-882-6128

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NYC shifts sands to build three beaches

Start spreading the news: New York City is the newest U.S. beach spot.

Hundreds of tons of sand have been shoveled into three areas: South Street Seaport, Governors Island and Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City in Queens (which boasts a view of the Manhattan skyline). You can't swim, but there's beach volleyball, eats and DJs on weekend nights.

South Street Seaport's strand has a miniature golf course and view of the Brooklyn Bridge; Water Taxi Beach can be reached via a free river shuttle from East 35th Street Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Though the outer boroughs have about 14 miles of real beaches, the newer ones are "closer for a lot of visitors who spend their time in Manhattan," says Chris Heywood, spokesman for NYC & Company, the city's tourism arm.

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America’s Best and Worst Airports 2009

We all know the drill: you show up at the airport with plenty of time to spare, only to discover that your flight’s been delayed and now you have hours to kill. Or worse yet, you’ve already boarded your flight and now you’re stuck on the tarmac.

Where is this most likely to happen? You can’t eliminate delays, of course, but you can play the odds—some airports have better track records than others (as do some airlines, which is why we rank the best and worst airlines for on-time performance). So, as we do every year, Travel + Leisure gathered statistics from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics on flights that departed more than 15 minutes behind schedule (in this instance from April 1, 2008, to March 31, 2009) and found out the best—and worst—airports for on-time performance.

There is some good news overall: the worst airport (there’s a new winner this year) improved on its delays by 3 percentage points. It was also the only airport to have 30 percent or more of its flights delayed; last year, four airports broke the 30 percent barrier.

• See our slideshow of America’s Best and Worst Airports 2009.

This upward trend meant that even though some airports improved their on-time performance, their ranking may not have changed much. Dallas decreased its flight delays by a lot—6 percentage points—but it remained at the No. 4 spot in the top 10 worst airports. And JFK—despite decreasing its delays 11 percentage points over the past 2 years—tied with Dallas for that No. 4 spot.

Some of these airports will come as no surprise: the skies around New York City continue to be congested, backing up traffic at all three area airports. And other hubs like Atlanta and Chicago remain on the list of offenders.

But both the best and worst lists have some newcomers this year. Philadelphia—on neither list in 2007 or 2008—showed up in the top 10 worst airports (22 percent of flights were delayed). Orlando had sunnier news, breaking into the 10 best list with just 18 percent of its flights delayed (good news, of course, for visitors to Disney World). Detroit, too, joins the ranks of the elite, with 17 percent of its flights delayed.

And of course some airports have disappeared from the lists. That’s unfortunate for Seattle, which was one of the 10 best in 2008. It’s better news for Chicago Midway (MDW), which at 25 percent was one of the 10 worst in 2008.

So consult this list before you book your next ticket: if you can fly out of an alternate airport like Midway, the odds are better that you’ll arrive at your destination on time. And these days, on-time arrivals are just about the only thing airlines aren’t charging extra for.

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Airport security bares all, or does it?

Privacy advocates plan to call on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to suspend use of "whole-body imaging," the airport security technology that critics say performs "a virtual strip search" and produces "naked" pictures of passengers, CNN has learned.

A TSA employee, shown from the back, as he stands in an airport whole-body imaging machine.

The national campaign, which will gather signatures from organizations and relevant professionals, is set to launch this week with the hope that it will go "viral," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which plans to lead the charge.

"People need to know what's happening, with no sugar-coating and no spinning," said Coney, who is also coordinator of the Privacy Coalition, a conglomerate of 42 member organizations. She expects other groups to sign on in the push for the technology's suspension until privacy safeguards are in place.

Right now, without regulations on what the Transportation Security Administration does with this technology, she said, "We don't have the policy to hold them to what they say. They're writing their own rule book at this point."

The machines "detect both metallic and nonmetallic threat items to keep passengers safe," said Kristin Lee, spokeswoman for TSA, in a written statement. "It is proven technology, and we are highly confident in its detection capability." Watch a video of the body-imaging scans »

Late last month, freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, introduced legislation to ban these machines. Of concern to him, Coney and others is not just what TSA officials say, it's also what they see. iReport: Tell us what you think about these scanners

The sci-fi-looking whole-body imaging machine -- think "Beam me up, Scotty" -- was first introduced at an airport in Phoenix, Arizona, in November 2007. There are now 40 machines, which cost $170,000 each, being tested and used in 19 airports, said TSA's Lee.

Whole-Body Imaging

These six airports are using whole-body imaging as a primary security measure, according to TSA:

San Francisco, California

Miami, Florida

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Salt Lake City, Utah

Las Vegas, Nevada

Six of these airports are testing the machines as a primary security check option, instead of metal detectors followed by a pat-down, she said. The rest present them as a voluntary secondary security option in lieu of a pat-down, which is protocol for those who've repeatedly set off the metal detector or have been randomly selected for additional screening.

So far, the testing phase has been promising, said Lee. When given the choice, "over 99 percent of passengers choose this technology over other screening options," she said.

A big advantage of the technology is the speed, said Jon Allen, another TSA spokesperson, who's based in Atlanta, Georgia. A body scan takes between 15 and 30 seconds, while a full pat-down can take from two to four minutes. And for those who cringe at the idea of being touched by a security official, or are forever assigned to a pat-down because they had hip replacements, for example, the machine is a quick and easy way to avoid that contact and hassle, he said.

Using millimeter wave technology, which the TSA says emits 10,000 times less radio frequency than a cell phone, the machine scans a traveler and a robotic image is generated that allows security personnel to detect potential threats -- and, some fear, more -- beneath a person's clothes.

TSA officials say privacy concerns are addressed in a number of ways.

The system uses a pair of security officers. The one working the machine never sees the image, which appears on a computer screen behind closed doors elsewhere; and the remotely located officer who sees the image never sees the passenger.

As further protection, a passenger's face is blurred and the image as a whole "resembles a fuzzy negative," said TSA's Lee. The officers monitoring images aren't allowed to bring cameras, cell phones or any recording device into the room, and the computers have been programmed so they have "zero storage capability" and images are "automatically deleted," she added.

But this is of little comfort to Coney, the privacy advocate with EPIC, a public interest research group in Washington. She said she's seen whole-body images captured by similar technology dating back to 2004 that were much clearer than what's represented by the airport machines.

"What they're showing you now is a dumbed-down version of what this technology is capable of doing," she said. "Having blurry images shouldn't blur the issue."

Lee of TSA emphasized that the images Coney refers to do not represent millimeter wave technology but rather "backscatter" technology, which she said TSA is not using at this time.

Coney said she and other privacy advocates want more oversight, full disclosure for air travelers, and legal language to protect passengers and keep TSA from changing policy down the road.

For example, she wants to know what's to stop TSA from using clearer images or different technology later. The computers can't store images now, but what if that changes?

"TSA will always be committed to respecting passenger privacy, regardless of whether a regulation is in place or not," Lee said.

She added that the long-term goal is not to see more of people, but rather to advance the technology so that the human image is like a stick-figure and any anomalies are auto-detected and highlighted.

But Coney knows only about what's out there now, and she worries that as the equipment gets cheaper, it will become more pervasive and harder to regulate. Already it is used in a handful of U.S. courthouses and in airports in the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Thailand and the Netherlands. She wonders whether the machines will someday show up in malls.

The option of walking through a whole-body scanner or taking a pat-down shouldn't be the final answer, said Chris Calabrese, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union.

"A choice between being groped and being stripped, I don't think we should pretend those are the only choices," he said. "People shouldn't be humiliated by their government" in the name of security, nor should they trust that the images will always be kept private.

"Screeners at LAX [Los Angeles International Airport]," he speculated, "could make a fortune off naked virtual images of celebrities."

Bruce Schneier, an internationally recognized security technologist, said whole-body imaging technology "works pretty well," privacy rights aside. But he thinks the financial investment was a mistake. In a post-9/11 world, he said, he knows his position isn't "politically tenable," but he believes money would be better spent on intelligence-gathering and investigations.

"It's stupid to spend money so terrorists can change plans," he said by phone from Poland, where he was speaking at a conference. If terrorists are swayed from going through airports, they'll just target other locations, such as a hotel in Mumbai, India, he said.

"We'd be much better off going after bad guys ... and back to pre-9/11 levels of airport security," he said. "There's a huge 'cover your ass' factor in politics, but unfortunately, it doesn't make us safer."

Meantime, TSA's Lee says the whole-body imaging machines remain in the pilot phase. Given what the organization has gleaned so far, she said additional deployments are anticipated.

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Bomb testing lab strengthens aviation security

In Atlantic City, New Jersey, a bomb maker pieces together an improvised explosive device that looks like an innocuous stack of DVDs. But this bomb maker isn't a terrorist. He is a U.S. government employee trying to beat terrorists at their own game.

Unclaimed bags are used in testing at the Transportation Security Laboratory in Atlantic City.

Patrick O'Connor is part of a team of researchers trying to improve current bomb detection technologies and develop new ones at the Transportation Security Laboratory in Atlantic City. Their goal is to secure aviation from terrorists.

"It is a game of cat and mouse," says Susan Hallowell, the director of the lab. "We understand what they are doing, and they understand in some measure what we are doing, and we try to counteract that with better, improved technology."

One of the lab's tried-and-true techniques is to use the latest intelligence from the military, CIA, FBI and friendly foreign governments to manufacture improvised explosive devices like those being built by terrorists. O'Connor and other bomb makers pack some of the bombs in electronic devices like radios. Others are concealed in shoes and slippers, or even toys.

Some of the IEDs are then taken to the Abeerdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where the Department of Defense does its bomb testing, and detonated inside old airplane fuselages. These tests tell researchers whether a particular type of IED has the capacity to bring down an aircraft in flight.

Back in Atlantic City, the bombs are also put in luggage and run through screening machines like those deployed at the nation's airports. Sometimes the machines detect bombs. When they do not, researchers try to figure out why, and modify the machines to do a better job.

The luggage used in the testing is the real thing: lost bags, which airlines were unable to reunite with their owners. The lab has more than 10,000 of them piled in a warehouse and it knows exactly what is packed in each and every one, from shampoo and dirty laundry, to shoes and electronics.

Don't Miss

• Airport security bares all, or does it?

Sometimes they find the unexpected, like an artificial limb. In one instance, lab personnel discovered a recently severed ram's head in a suitcase. "That kind of found us because of the odor that was coming off the bag, but it was probably the strangest thing we have found over the years," says Bill Petracci, test director at the lab.

Petracci has coined the term "bag-ology" to refer to the study of the suitcases. Even when a bomb has not been hidden inside, Petracci and his team run fully packed bags through screening machines to learn what items cause false alarms. Scientists then work to eliminate them.

The laboratory is operated by the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security, but the Transportation Security Administration is its principal customer. All of the screening machines used by the TSA have been certified by the lab. The TSA coordinates closely with the lab on research which will hopefully improve the capacity to find bombs.

"We can become more effective in our detection and more efficient," says Robin Kane, a TSA assistant administrator.

The work done at the lab has already helped improve the machines currently deployed at the nation's airports, but much of the focus here is on developing new technologies to defeat terrorists.

In one area of the lab, scientists use modified medical technology to do high resolution scans of explosive material. They are trying to determine if they might someday be able to ferret out explosive material by examining its density and granularity.

In another area, scientists are trying to crack the problem of detecting liquid explosives, by capturing and measuring the gases emitted by a homemade explosive concoction that has been concealed in a cold medicine bottle.

Hallowell concedes that, as promising as the research seems, some of the technology is still too expensive or time-consuming to work in a real-world environment full of people, noise, vibrations, dirt and electromagnetic signals.

"Labs are clean, airports are dirty," says Hallowell.

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How to keep your e-mail safe while traveling

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By Fritz Faerber, Associated Press Writer

When Daniel Carter logged on to a shared computer at a hostel in Rome to check e-mail, he had no idea he was in a hacker's sights. After his trip was over, he discovered someone had hijacked his e-mail account and sent a message to hundreds of his contacts asking for money.

"Sorry i did not get you informed about my short trip to london ... i was attacked on my way to the hotel by some hoodlums and they took away all my belongings," the e-mail said, ending with a plea for money "so i can sort out my hotel bills and fly back home" and a promise of repayment.

Most of Carter's contacts recognized the scam from the poor grammar and lack of upper-case letters. Unfortunately, one older friend fell for it, sending some $2,000 to the scammers. Carter eventually regained control of his e-mail account and cleaned up the mess. But the money his friend sent was lost.

"This was a big wake-up call. I thought, 'Who's going to hack me, I'm not important or of large means,'" said Carter, a songwriter and composer who lives in Salt Lake City. But, as he found out, a hacker can make a quick profit off an ordinary traveler.

What happened to Carter is a relatively rare phenomenon. But travelers are especially vulnerable to hackers because they often use computers and Wi-Fi networks in hotel lobbies, cafes and airports.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Microsoft | Federal Bureau of Investigation | Apple Inc. | Kevin Mitnick

"If you are using an open Wi-Fi network, you are extremely vulnerable," says computer security consultant Kevin Mitnick. He should know: Mitnick served five years in prison for computer capers that gained him notoriety and prompted an FBI manhunt.

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself.

Create a strong password. Carter says his e-mail was easier to hack because he had a weak password. Password advice can be found at: microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx

You might also create a dedicated e-mail account for use on the road, with a password that is different from passwords you use for bank and credit card information. Let your contacts know you'll be using that account while on vacation. You can stay in touch, but if someone does hack into your account, they only get your vacation pictures.

If using a shared computer, try to cover your tracks. On Apple's Safari browser, under the Safari menu, toggle "Private Browsing." On Microsoft's Explorer, when you log off, go to "Tools" and "Delete Browsing History" to remove traces of your passwords and the websites you've visited.

But experts say clearing the history offers weak protection at best. A shared computer, even one that's hard-wired as opposed to one with a wireless network, can harbor keyloggers or other malware that grab passwords and other information. That's why Mitnick says he'd only use a shared computer to check e-mail as a last resort — and then he'd immediately change all his passwords when he gets to a secure computer.

Wireless hotspots can also be dangerous — with the hackers monitoring communication from your laptop or other electronic device. And a wired hotel network can also be dangerous, since a hacker could be in the room next door and access your computer through the network.

"Sniffing a wireless network is really easy to do — any teen in junior high can do it." Mitnick says of a strategy that amounts to eavesdropping on computer communications in an open network in, say, a cafe or airport. Such vulnerabilities can yield mayhem with attacks known as "Packet Sniffing," "Man in the Middle" attacks and "MAC Spoofing."

That's not to say every hotspot is dangerous. But when using your laptop in a public place, you obviously want up-to-date security programs, says Dave Marcus, McAfee's Director of Security Research and Communication.

You should also disable file-sharing on your laptop, Marcus says. It's also a good idea to turn off Bluetooth, printer-sharing and disable ad hoc network connections. Each Windows and Mac operating system has a slightly different procedure to do this. Information for your computer can be found at: support.microsoft.com or apple.com/support.

Many experts say you should not send any sensitive data while in a hotspot. That's because many e-mail services and browser connections essentially broadcast in the clear, meaning someone can eavesdrop on information sent to and from your computer. If you want to be careful, that means avoiding banking, shopping and checking credit card accounts. Even though these sites usually encrypt your data, there are some workarounds a determined hacker could use. Even passwords for seemingly innocuous services could potentially lead to more sensitive personal data.

If you want to take your computer security a step up, consider a VPN, or Virtual Private Network.

"The best way to protect yourself is a VPN," says Mitnick. "It's a tunnel, where all your communication is encrypted. A passive attacker can't intercept."

Bill Bullock, co-founder of the VPN service WiTopia, calls such networks "the next weapon in the arsenal" after firewalls and antivirus software. His company offers plans starting at $39.99 a year, but there are plenty of competitors. And, if you are computer-savvy, you can even create your own VPN, connecting from the road to your secure computer at home and accessing the Internet through it. They can also work with iPhones and other personal data devices.

But Kelly Davis-Felner of the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group that promotes growth of Wi-Fi networks, says a VPN is probably overkill for travelers who are just checking the latest sports scores or e-mailing Mom from a cafe on the Champs-Elysees.

"It's a statistical possibility that you'll get hacked in a hotspot," she acknowledged, advising against banking, trading stocks or doing business-related work at an open network without VPN.

But she added: "You are taking a much greater risk handing your credit card to a waiter than sitting in an airport sending e-mail."

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