| Soldiers' $2,800 bag fee sparks outrage and Battling to keep Venice afloat |
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(CNN) -- Stung by online comments calling it "disgusting" and "un-American," Delta Air Lines on Wednesday announced it will allow U.S. military personnel traveling on orders to check more bags for free.The policy change, which is effective immediately, came a day after U.S. Army soldiers returning from Afghanistan complained that they were charged almost $3,000 in bag fees by the carrier."We regret that this experience caused these soldiers to feel anything but welcome on their return home," wrote Rachael Rensink, manager of Delta Social Media, in an updated post on the carrier's blog.The Delta incident sparked outrage online after the servicemen spoke out about their experience in a video posted on YouTube. [Read the full article] (CNNGo.com) -- Forget plain old spas, wellness is the buzzword now. Retreats that give you a medical overhaul while you sun, swim and scoff healthy gourmet fare.This Tuscan idyll probably has the world's most exotic facial treatments, using diamonds, gold and Antarctic ice as ingredients.Also on offer are Craniosacral Attuning, Micronized Nasal Showers and Physiokinesiotherapy. It all sounds very technical, but the effects are pure bliss.The spa sits beside an ancient thermal spring said to have healing powers, and is also awash in waterfalls, pools and impressive Roman baths. There are two restaurants, an 18-hole golf course and 53 treatment rooms.Supremely serene, this white temple of minimalism brings an oriental style and philosophy to Spain's Costa Blanca. [Read the full article] (CNN) -- In the wake of an online video in which soldiers returning from Afghanistan complained that Delta Air Lines charged their unit more than $2,800 in bag-check fees, two rival carriers on Thursday said they will loosen their checked-bag restrictions for active-duty military members.American Airlines announced it will allow military personnel to check an extra two bags with no out-of-pocket expense, and AirTran Airways said later Thursday it will waive baggage charges for "members of the military who are traveling on active duty orders."The airline's policy is identical to that of Southwest Airlines, which acquired AirTran in a merger last September, AirTran spokesman Christopher White told CNN.American Airlines airline will have policy fully implemented "in the next few days," spokeswoman Dori Robau Alvarez said in a statement released Thursday.The airlines were the latest of the major U.S. carriers to change their policies. [Read the full article] 
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