Fuel surcharges climb

Airlines are increasing fuel surcharges, and some carriers are charging as much as $400 per round-trip ticket between the U.S. and Europe.

"The costs of travel to Europe and other international destinations are heading sky high," said Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com. Delta, Air France and KLM fuel surcharges were increased to about $400 per ticket as of midweek, up more than $40 in one day, said Parsons, and "double what it was in 2009." Parsons added: "Ireland has taken the biggest jump in the past two years. In 2009, the fuel surcharge was only $14 and today it is $292."

Flying with bedbugs

A disgruntled passenger who said she was bitten by bedbugs on two British Airways flights has created a website, complete with close-up photos, of her bites.

Los Angeles-based computer executive Zane Selkirk says she was bitten on a BA flight from Los Angeles to London in January, and discovered bedbugs crawling on her airplane blanket and shirt during the flight. Selkirk's website says she was bitten again on an India-to-London flight in February. Angered by the airline's lack of response, the Yahoo employee created www.ba-bites.comBritish Airways grounded both planes and fumigated one of the 747s after finding bedbugs, according to London's Daily Mail newspaper, but did not find bedbugs on the other plane. Bedbugs have infested homes, hotels and public places in North America and Europe in recent years.

Free admission to some museums

On the first full weekend of every month, Bank of America customers can get into many museums free by showing their credit or debit cards. More than 150 cultural institutions in 87 U.S. cities — including Seattle — are participating in the bank's "Museums on Us" program.

Venues include Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (typically $20). The free-admission program (March 6 and 7 this month) is offered at the Seattle Art Museum and Northwest African American Museum, and at the Tacoma Art Museum. Info: http://museums.bankofamerica.com.

Liquid carry-on conflicts?

A European Union plan to partially lift a ban on passengers carrying liquids onto planes has U.S. airport officials concerned it will create a security gap and may conflict with regulations for passengers traveling on to the U.S.

Beginning April 29, the EU plans to allow passengers carrying wine, perfume and other liquids purchased at duty-free shops in airports outside Europe to take those items into airline cabins with them when they catch connecting flights at about two dozen European airports.That means, for example, that travelers flying from Africa to Europe to connect to flights to the U.S. can keep liquids and gels purchased in airport duty-free shops in their carry-on. The items will be screened at European airports before passengers board connecting flights.

The Transportation Security Administration hasn't said whether passengers arriving in the U.S. from Europe with liquids purchased outside the EU will be allowed to board domestic flights with those items, but that appears unlikely, said Christopher Bidwell, a vice president of Airports Council International-North America.