In addition to its regularly scheduled daily service from Fresno to Guadalajara, Volaris has added a second flight to its Saturday operation and Aeromexico has increased its regular four day a week schedule to daily service through January 20, 2016. The additional flight frequencies offered by both airlines provide a combined seat capacity accommodating over 360 passengers from Fresno to Guadalajara on a daily basis expect for Saturday when capacity reaches over 540 passengers.

“We applaud Aeromexico and Volaris for being consistently responsive to the Central Valley’s demand for air access to Mexico during peak travel periods,” said Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle. “Adjustments to an existing operating network require significant advance planning from coordinating extra flight crew and Customs and Border Protection support to bringing in an aircraft from another market to Fresno.”

The seasonal flight adjustments in December are expected to contribute to record performance for international passenger traffic in 2015. International carriers Aeromexico and Volaris have experienced strong passenger growth this year contributing to a 14 percent increase in passenger traffic from January through November compared to the same period in 2014. Since January 2015, over 150,000 passengers have traveled between Fresno and Guadalajara, Mexico and beyond.

Flight information and reservations for Aeromexico can be accessed at www.aeromexico.com or by calling 800-237-6639. Volaris flight information and reservations can be accessed at www.volaris.com or by calling 866-988-3527.

Fresno Yosemite International Airport currently offers Valley passengers daily nonstop flights to Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Guadalajara, Mexico on domestic and international carriers. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a municipally owned entity operating as a self-supporting enterprise. No City of Fresno general funds are used to operate Fresno Yosemite International Airport or Fresno Chandler Executive Airport.

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“Now is the perfect time to plan a weekend road trip as AAA recently announced that gas prices are dropping,” said Gabe Saglie, senior editor for Travelzoo. “In addition to saving on gas, we’ve found road trip deals that will save travelers up to 60% on regular rates for hotels, restaurants and attractions nationwide.”

Travelzoo Deal Experts researched and published outstanding deals for popular road trip destinations including Southern California, Chicago, New England and Florida. Travelers can easily find and book deals through the Travelzoo website or the free Travelzoo app for iPhone or Android.

Sample road trip deals include:

Spa Weekend – California

Chic City Escape – Chicago

Nature Retreat – Maine

Stylish Beach Getaway – Florida

Additional survey statistics include:
Flying versus Driving

• 75% of Americans are willing to drive 4 or more hours for their summer vacations
• 44% of Americans are willing to fly 4 or more hours for their summer vacations
• 97% of Americans are planning a driving vacation compared with only 63% of Americans who are planning a flying vacation
• 55% of Americans will up to spend up to $300 on roundtrip airfare (per person)

Traveling With Kids versus Traveling Without Kids

• 56% of Americans with kids will not delay their summer vacation until fall to save money
• 78% of respondents without kids are more willing to travel in fall versus summer if they could save money
• 55% of Americans without kids will take a flying vacation compared with 31% of Americans with kids
• 76% of Americans with kids are willing to drive more than 4 hours for vacation
• 74% of Americans without kids are willing to drive more than 4 hours for vacation

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“Brian Marshall brings a broad range of experience in managing public transportation systems,” Rudd said. “I feel confident in his ability to enhance current passenger services and lead the City’s efforts to improve the quality and convenience of the public transportation services through investments such as Bus Rapid Transit.”

Marshall recently held the position of CEO of the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) in Baton Rouge, LA.  His solid financial background and extensive experience in transit operations contributed to establishing the CATS as a nationally recognized organization.  During his tenure, the organization was successful in increasing operating revenues by 150 percent, redesigning of route structures to align with growth plans of the city, and improving on time performance.

He previously spent 20 years with the Chicago Transit Authority where he served in various management capacities including bus service manager of the North District, manager of bus operations, and acting manager of management and development training. He also served as a board member with the Southwest Transit Authority supporting eight states in the southwest region.

As the City of Fresno’s director of transportation, Marshall will be responsible for the operation, maintenance, and development of Fresno Area Express, Fleet Management and Bus Rapid Transit.

Marshall has a bachelor of science in Business Administration from Chicago State University.

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“These findings dispel the myth that car shoppers will do whatever it takes to pay a rock-bottom price,” says Edmunds.com President Seth Berkowitz. “The feedback we’ve received from shoppers is clear: they’re more than willing to limit their efforts to haggle if they can get a fair deal without the difficulty and stress of long negotiations.”

The balance of time vs. money is just one of the interesting findings of the 2014 Car Shopping Trends Report, which was released earlier today by Edmunds.com. The report is based on a survey of 500 in-market and recent new and used car shoppers from across the U.S. The report features a number of important insights into how Americans shop for a car today, and suggestions for ways that dealers can use these insights to improve the car shopping experience

Other insights include:

• 66 percent of shoppers say that they are likely to request guaranteed upfront pricing on a new car, and 82 percent of shoppers prefer to have a price guarantee on a VIN-specific new car, as opposed to a vehicle configuration that may or may not be on the dealer’s lot.
• 100 percent of smartphone owners surveyed say they used their device to perform some sort of car shopping activity, typically for vehicle and pricing info.
• On average, during the shopping process purchasers will visit two dealers and take two test drives.
• Only 58 percent of respondents say they test drove a vehicle before they made their most recent purchase.
• 83 percent of car shoppers say that they come away very or somewhat satisfied with their dealership experience.

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Today the Census Bureau also released a new commuting edition of the interactive map Census Explorer, which gives Web visitors easy click-and-zoom access to commuting statistics for every neighborhood in the U.S. It also shows how commuting has changed since 1990 at the neighborhood, county and state level — including how long it takes to get to work, commutes longer than an hour, and number of bikers. This edition of Census Explorer uses statistics from the American Community Survey, the best national source of commuting statistics down to the neighborhood level.

“In recent years, many communities have taken steps to support more transportation options, such as bicycling and walking,” said Brian McKenzie, a Census Bureau sociologist and the report’s author. “For example, many cities have invested in bike share programs, bike lanes and more pedestrian-friendly streets.”

While bicyclists still account for just 0.6 percent of all commuters, some of the nation’s largest cities have more than doubled their rates since 2000. Portland, Ore., had the highest bicycle-commuting rate at 6.1 percent, up from 1.8 percent in 2000. In Minneapolis, the rate increased from 1.9 percent to 4.1 percent.

The report also looks at the number of people who walk to work. After steadily decreasing since 1980, the percent of people who walk to work has stabilized since 2000. In 1980, 5.6 percent of workers walked to work, and that rate declined to 2.9 percent by 2000. However, in the 2008-2012 period, the rate of walkers remained statistically unchanged from 2000. Among larger cities, Boston had the highest rate of walking to work at 15.1 percent.

The report, “Modes Less Traveled – Bicycling and Walking to Work in the United States: 2008-2012,” highlights the trends and socio-economic and geographic differences between motorized and nonmotorized commutes. This report — the Census Bureau’s first focusing only on biking and walking to work — is one of many that examines specific aspects of commuting, including workplace location, working from home, long commutes and specific travel modes.

Biking to Work Highlights

• The West had the highest rate of biking to work at 1.1 percent, and the South had the lowest rate at 0.3 percent.
• Among large cities, Portland, Ore., had the highest bicycle-commuting rate at 6.1 percent.
• The median commute time for those who bike to work was about 19.3 minutes.
• Men were more likely to bike to work than women were. The rate of bicycle commuting for men was more than double that of women, 0.8 percent compared with 0.3 percent.
• Those with a graduate or professional degree or higher and those with less than a high school degree had the highest rates of biking to work, at 0.9 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
• 1.5 percent of those with an income of $10,000 or less commuted to work by bicycle, the highest rate of bicycle commuting by any income category.
• African-Americans had the lowest rate of biking to work at 0.3 percent, compared with some other race or two or more races who had the highest rate at 0.8 percent.

Walking to Work Highlights

• The Northeast showed the highest rate of walking to work at 4.7 percent of workers.  Several of the places with high rates were “college towns,” including Ithaca, N.Y., where about 42.4 percent walked to work.  The South had the lowest rate at 1.8 percent. Among large cities, Boston was one of the highest walking-to-work cities at 15.1 percent.
• Workers living in core cities walked to work at a rate of 4.3 percent, compared with 2.4 percent for workers in suburbs.
• The median commute time for those who walk to work was 11.5 minutes, and they left their home at later hours than other modes.
• Men walked to work at a rate of 2.9 percent compared with 2.8 percent for women.
• Those with less than a high school degree had the highest rate of walking to work at 3.7 percent, followed by those with graduate or professional degrees at 2.7 percent.
• 8.2 percent of those with an income of $10,000 or less walked to work, the highest rate of walking to work by any income category.
• Asians and workers of some other race or two or more races had the highest rate of walking to work at 4.0 and 4.2, respectively.

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Frontier Airlines entered the Fresno market in May 2013 providing non-stop air service to Denver three times a week operating an Airbus A319 aircraft with 138 seat capacity. The expanded flight frequencies on Frontier represent a 36% increase in seats to Denver and beyond. The additional seats are being offered at competitive fares through Fresno Yosemite with non-stop service to Denver for as low as $83 each way.

“As Fresno Yosemite continues to experience unprecedented passenger growth, our airline partners are recognizing the demand for additional seat capacity,” said Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle. “Frontier’s increased frequency demonstrates the airline’s responsiveness to our region’s demand for air service options during peak travel months.”

In addition to non-stop air service to Denver, Frontier offers convenient connectivity to other popular domestic and international travel destinations.

10 carriers currently offer Valley passengers approximately 42 daily domestic and international departures from Fresno to 12 non-stop destinations with one-stop service to 242 unique destinations in the U.S. and 74 international destinations covering five continents.

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The charging station, scheduled to open in September 2015, will be built in parking Lot P2, near the intersection of Woodrow Avenue and Matoian Way, west of the Save Mart Center. There will be six charging stalls — four “Level 2” stalls (two- to three-hour charging) and two “quick-charge” stalls (20- to 30-minute charging). The spaces will have public-friendly pay-by-phone capacity.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order in 2012 laying the foundation for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles in the state by 2025.

“The potential of our region is practically untapped,” said Bob Boyd, Fresno State’s associate vice president for Facilities Management. “Building this charging station supports current electric vehicle owners, encourages faster growth by making it convenient and demonstrates Fresno State’s environmental leadership.”

Lot P2 already includes 750 parking spaces covered with solar panels used to generate about 20 percent of the university’s power needs.

There are currently only three other electric vehicle Level 2 charging stations in the Fresno area, at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District office, Schneider Electric and a Nissan dealership. The quick-charge stalls will be the first in the region.

Boyd said constructing a major charging station on campus will help alleviate range anxiety for commuters from surrounding cities where charging areas are scarce.

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In preparation for the peak seasonal travel period, officials at Fresno Yosemite Int’l are encouraging local travelers to remember a few simple tips to help make their flying experience a pleasant one.

• Arrive two hours prior to your flight departure for airline check-in and to complete the security screening process.

• Check with your airline on flight status prior to leaving for the Airport. Convenient flight status links are available on most airline websites and mobile apps or passengers may telephone the airline for flight status inquiries.

• Passengers are encouraged to review the website of the airline on which they are traveling for respective policies, baggage limitations and fees, customer service plans and automated flight alert notifications to cell phones or mobile devices.

• The white curb in front of the terminal is for drop-off only. A “free” Cell Phone Waiting Area is available for motorists waiting for arriving passengers.

• Travel with a current government-issued ID and have your boarding pass out and ready.

• Familiarize yourself with the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) list related to permitted and prohibited items at www.TSA.gov.

• Remember the 3-1-1 rule for traveling with liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on baggage:
3-ounce bottles or less for all liquids, gels and aerosols;

1 quart-sized, clear, plastic zip-top bag; and
1 bag per passenger placed separately in a security bin for X-ray screening.

• Remove liquids and electronic devices from your carry-on baggage for security screening.

• Remember the TSA Secure Flight program when booking airline tickets. When booking airline tickets, use your name as it appears on the government ID you plan to use when traveling—along with your date of birth and gender.

Safety and security are top priorities for all airport personnel. Passengers can help ensure a smooth security process by following the TSA’s security procedures available at www.TSA.gov .

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What is “Under the Influence”?
According to the survey results, teens claim to understand the dangers surrounding drinking and driving:

• The majority (86 percent) of teen drivers consider driving under the influence of alcohol to be extremely or very distracting
• Only 1 percent of teens define driving under the influence of alcohol as acceptable
• Only 5 percent of teens admit to at least sometimes driving under the influence of alcohol

However, when asked about actual driving behavior involving alcohol, driving “under the influence” takes on a different definition:

• One in 10 teens who say they never drive under the influence acknowledge that they occasionally drive after having an alcoholic beverage
• More than two-thirds of teens (68 percent) who admit to driving under the influence of alcohol say they have done so after having more than three alcoholic beverages

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with a quarter of fatal crashes involving young drivers resulting from drinking and driving, these statistics are a reminder that even one drink can be too many.

“While many teens seem to have gotten the message about these driving dangers, the real challenge is to make sure they understand that even a sip of alcohol or a quick text at a red light can be deadly,” said David Melton, driving safety expert with Liberty Mutual Insurance and managing director of global safety. “Teens need to realize it’s not acceptable to put an allowable limit to their engagement in these behaviors – they need to be eliminated entirely when they are behind the wheel.”

Defining “Designated”
While underage drinking is never acceptable and always illegal, many teens and parents consider a designated driver to be a safe alternative to impaired driving. In fact, more than half of parents (58 percent) encourage teens to use designated drivers to avoid driving under the influence, and almost half of teens (47 percent) admit to using one.

However, teens’ definitions of “designated” are concerning:

• Designated Means “Basically Sober”: 21 percent of teens define their designated driver as allowed to have “a little” alcohol or other drugs, as long as they aren’t too impaired to drive
• Designated Means “Least Impaired”: 4 percent of teens describe their designated driver as the “most” sober person in the group

“With teens reporting these lax definitions of what it means to be ‘under the influence,’ a zero tolerance approach is the only answer to prevent potential tragedy,” said Stephen Gray Wallace, senior advisor for policy, research and education at SADD. “The parents and community have a responsibility to initiate and maintain an open dialogue with teens about exactly what driving under the influence means.”

Talking and Texting Behind the Wheel
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than 3,300 deaths were reported in 2012 alone as the result of distracted driving, many attributed to talking or texting on a cell phone.  Teens seem to understand the dangers of these behaviors:

• Nearly all (96 percent) teen drivers understand that using a cell phone while driving – either talking or texting – is at least slightly distracting
• 62 percent of teen drivers think texting and driving is extremely or very distracting

However, according to the new data, teen drivers often do not grasp the dangers of what it actually means to use a phone while driving:

• The majority of teen drivers (86 percent) still admit to using a cell phone behind the wheel
• Nearly half (47 percent) of the teen drivers who say they never text while driving still admit to texting at a red light or stop sign
• 68 percent of teen drivers admit to reading or replying to text messages while driving

“It’s critical not only for teens, but all drivers to understand that any time you pull out your phone when you are driving, whether you’re moving or at a stoplight, your attention is diverted and you put yourself, passengers and others on the road at risk,” said Melton. “If you need to use your phone while driving, find a safe place to pull off the road to make a call or send a text. It’s not worth the risk to respond at a stop sign or before the light turns green.”

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The KBB.com editors look for the ever-subjective “cool factor” when rounding up candidates for this annual list, building a lineup of cars that are specifically engineered to excite driving enthusiasts of all lifestyles.  This year’s list features a dedicated convertible, an off-road legend and a variety of fun, stylish, desirable models in between.

“The vehicles featured on the 10 Coolest New Cars Under $25,000 of 2014 list were hand-selected for shoppers who are looking for their dream car, but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “Many of us aren’t in the position to run out and purchase a Porsche or Lamborghini, which is why we’ve crafted a list of affordable but fun cars, like two-time winner Scion FR-S.  Truly a driver’s car, the FR-S features a stylish looking exterior and modern updates on the interior.”

KBB.com’s 10 Coolest New Cars Under $25,000 of 2014

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“Though travelers are likely to face higher ticket prices for Spring Break 2014, smart shoppers can still escape the harsh winter and find travel deals,” said Travelocity Senior Editor, Courtney Scott. “Travelers should try to travel on off-peak days, bundle flight and hotel bookings into vacation packages and search flights in surrounding airports.”

Prices to Beat for Spring Break
Deal-hunters can use Travelocity’s “Price To Beat” as a benchmark for planning affordable spring break vacations. Based on this year’s data, the price to beat for domestic airfare is $442 and for international airfare, $806.

Top 10 Spring Break Destinations
For the third year in a row, South Florida is the No. 1 spring break destination. Las Vegas rose in the ranks from No. 9 last year to No. 5 this year. Previously absent from the Top 10 list, Hawaii is making its debut on the 2014 list, taking two of the top ten spots. Say aloha to Maui, ranked at No. 9 and Honolulu, ranked at No. 10.

1. South Florida ($417)
2. Orlando Area ($398)
3. Phoenix Area ($383)
4. Fort Myers ($447)
5. Las Vegas ($406)
6. Cancun ($600)
7. Los Angeles Area ($361)
8. Tampa / St. Petersburg Area ($393)
9. Maui ($924)
10. Honolulu ($828)

“This might be the year to venture abroad for Spring Break,” explains Courtney Scott (@courtscott), senior editor at Travelocity. “Several international destinations have been trending in popularity over the past three years including Belize City, Aruba, San Juan, and the Netherlands Antilles.”

Top Trending International Destinations for Spring Break

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