Vermont Travel Notes

AirTran has the newest fleet of Boeing 717's in the US

On May 21, AirTran will begin nonstop flight service three times a day between Burlington, VT (BTV) and the Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore/Washington (BWI). The airline will be using Boeing 717-200 planes which seat 117 passengers, 12 in business class and 105 in coach.

There are 14 AirTran destinations available from BWI, plus service to about another 50 cities you can view on the AirTran website Destinations and Route Map pages. Boston is one of those cities and is a popular airport for visitors to Vermont and other parts of New England.

AirTran is kicking off its Burlington service with a low introductory fare of $59. It must be booked by March 17, 2008, for travel through June 11, 2008. Fares listed are one way, available daily and are valid in either direction. There are some other charges such as $3.50 segment fee, $10 Sept 11 fee, and $18 airport passenger facility fee so be sure to read the fine print. You can book online or call 1-800-AIR-TRAN (1-800-247-8726) (extra $7.50 fee for phone calls too).

Currently, the Burlington airport has service to and from Atlanta, Cleveland (CLE), Cincinnati (CVG), Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), New York (LGA), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington DC (DCA), Washington DC (IAD). To see details on these flights, go to the Burlington airport website

Winter tip: if you are flying here, we recommend renting a four wheel drive car. One of our recent guests requested one but it was not available when he arrived so he got a front wheel drive substitute . . . which he greatly regretted when we got a lot of snow during his visit. Be sure to insist on no substitutions for your four wheel drive car. None of the rental car companies have winter tires for some unfathomable reason but four wheel drive will help you get around much more safely. Remember, you are coming to the mountains of northern New England: we get a LOT of snow.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn