| New fatigue rules for air traffic controllers and Independence Pass worth traveling |
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(CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association announced details Friday of a new agreement on fatigue recommendations in the aftermath of several incidents involving controllers falling asleep on the job.Among other things, air traffic controllers will now be allowed to listen to the radio and read appropriate printed material while on duty during the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., as traffic permits. The agreement allows controllers to request a leave of absence if they are too fatigued to work.The agreement reinforces existing FAA policy that prohibits air traffic controllers from sleeping while they are performing assigned duties The FAA will continue to provide controllers breaks on the midnight shift based on staffing and workload.Controllers on break will still be expected to "conduct themselves professionally and be available for recall at all times," the FAA said in written statement. [Read the full article] Editor's note: Brett Snyder writes a weekly CNN.com travel column. Snyder is the founder of air travel assistance site Cranky Concierge, and he writes the consumer air travel blog The Cranky Flier.(CNN) -- Business travel during the summer can be a whole lot different from traveling during the rest of the year, and I don't mean that in a good way.You know how it is. When you fly on weekdays on non-holidays between September and May, it's usually you and a bunch of other road warriors who know the travel drill.But come May, the strollers and flip-flops come out in full force, and that can make business travel much harder. Family vacationers often come with small children in tow, and while I love kids, we all know they can make even simple tasks more difficult.How many times have you passed the ID check at security and agonized over which X-ray line to choose? The right answer is always to avoid the one with kids and strollers. [Read the full article] Editor's note: Michael Ryan is an assignment producer with CNN.com. He, along with two buddies from childhood, John Vertal and Marty Raffay, hike a section of the Appalachian Trail each year -- and still remain friends.(CNN) -- The length of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is constantly changing. In 2010 the Appalachian Trail was officially 2,179.1 miles long. This year it's 2,181. In 2004 it was 2,173.9. The added distance is due to upgrades and repairs. (Not because your group had to backtrack a half-day because one of you left the keys to the vehicle parked at the end of the section in the vehicle parked at the start of the section.) The Appalachian Trail stretches from Springer Mountain, in north Georgia, to Katahdin, in central Maine, crossing 14 states and five national parks. The route is marked by white blazes on trees, posts and rocks.It's possible to hike the Appalachian Trail without a tent. [Read the full article] 
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