Travel briefs: NYC airports are tops for delays

If your summer plans include flights in or out of New York or New Jersey, chances are good that your flight will be delayed. A study of on-time arrival rates by MileCards.com found that the top three airports for summer delays are Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and JFK.

Los Angeles Times

The swanky Hilton Chicago/Oakbrook Hills Resort has donated about 100 of its used 250-thread-count sheets to the Lincoln Park Zoo for use as nesting material for western lowland gorillas. Housekeeping director Ed Bell said he offered the linen to homeless shelters as well as the zoo when the hotel converted from a Marriott to a Hilton last year. Los Angeles Times

Delta Air Lines has banned several travel websites from posting its airfares and routes as part of a bigger trend in the airline industry that has made it harder for travelers to comparison-shop. That is the conclusion of a study by a Yale economics professor who estimates that travelers are losing out on more than $6 billion in savings a year because of the limits. The study also says the restrictions have prompted up to 41 million passengers a year to forgo air travel. "At a time when independent, transparent comparison shopping is most needed, some airlines are attempting to restrict access to their fare and schedule information," said the report by Fiona Scott Morton of the Yale School of Management. The study said Delta removed its fares from about two dozen travel and meta­search sites since late 2010, including TripAdvisor.com, CheapAir.com, Vegas.com, AirGorilla.com and Fly.com. It said American Airlines and United Airlines have also reduced distribution of their fares on travel websites in recent years. Delta and several other airlines say travelers can still find many websites that let them comparison-shop. "Delta reserves the right to determine who it does business with and where and how its content is displayed," the airline said in a statement.

Los Angeles Times

Kimpton Hotels of Florida is offering discounts on stays through Oct. 31. Stay for a minimum of seven nights to receive a 30 percent discount, five nights for 25 percent off and three nights for 20 percent at Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Vero Beach Hotel & Spa, Surfcomber in Miami's South Beach and the EPIC Hotel in Miami. For example, seven nights at the Tideline now start at $1,167, including $125 in taxes, a savings of $628. The deal also includes 20 percent discounts on most spa services. Request rate code of SP3. No deadline to book, but deal is based on availability. Info: 1-800-546-7866 or www.kimptonhotels.com/special-offers.

Washington Post

Who has time to read an entire guidebook? Lonely Planet's Make My Day app lets you create your own itineraries for Barcelona, London, New York City, Paris, San Francisco and Tokyo. The app provides a powerful quick hit or "best of" what to do, with 13 choices per section of the day with the full version. Each attraction, such as Les Catacombs or the Eiffel Tower, has a description, website info, hours, admission fee, a map and a recommended place to eat nearby. The relatively short list of choices is key for someone who's seeing a city for the first time and has only a couple of days to visit. The app is free, with limited content for six cities; additional content is $2.99 per city or $4.99 for all cities. Los Angeles Times