Get to Logan on less gas

A Cambridge company that operates an all-hybrid-vehicle fleet of fuel-efficient taxis is expanding its fleet from 10 to 14 cars. PlanetTran's Toyota Prius and Lexus hybrid cars charge roughly the same as regular taxis, but have a growing following among road warriors who like burning less gas en route to Logan International Airport.

To be safe, plan ahead

Traveling to to politically and meteorologically volatile countries? Check out AllSafeTravels.com, which compiles daily traveler advisories. The site will e-mail you emergency weather and civil-strife updates.

As fares climb, frequent-flier miles are getting more valuable, Wisconsin consulting firm IdeaWorks Co. reports. The average frequent-flier mileage point bought 2.2 cents worth of travel in 1994, but that fell to 1.4 cents by 2004. Last year, though, it climbed back to 1.6 cents, reflecting the 12.7 percent US jump in average cash ticket prices.

A whale of a plane is set to take off

Doing its bit for saving the whales, Cape Air let the International Fund for Animal Welfare commission artist Jurek Zamoyski (at work on the plane in Hyannis, left) to repaint one of its 49 Cessna 402 nine-seaters with a whale scene. It takes off next weekend. Meanwhile, over at Nantucket Airport, a top Cape Air destination, travelers will find a new walk-up luggage-forwarding operation called -- you guessed it -- Luggage Forward. If your baggage is too heavy for a small or overloaded plane, for a sliding fee Luggage Forward will ship it to your destination, with online tracking.

PETER J. HOWE