As much as it makes non-smokers grimace, this is a legitimate question for some fliers, particularly nervous passengers who might seek comfort in a cigarette. Unfortunately for them, all U.S. carriers ban smoking, whether they're flying in the United States or overseas, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Likewise, flights in and out of the United States on major airlines are smoke-free, and these days very few small international carriers still allow smoking. Even the stalwarts like Aeroflot and Olympic Airlines have stopped permitting it.
One we did find was the small airline Aero California (800-237-6225), which flies between Los Angeles and Mexico. It allows smoking on flights more than an hour long, such as those to Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. Also, some charter flights permit smoking, depending on the clientele. The Web site of Eurowings (www.eurowings.com/en), a Lufthansa affiliate, says some of its flights let you light up.
I have dreamed of attending the Palio in Siena, Italy. Is it possible to get a hotel room in the city? How do you participate in the dinner served all over the city the nights before and after the race?
Regina Petrecca
Reston
The Palio is Tuscany's most celebrated festival -- a bareback horse race July 2 and Aug. 16 and dating back more than 750 years. The racers represent some of the 17 neighborhoods in Siena and compete on a track in the Piazza del Campo. The event is not so much about the race, which is over in minutes, as it is about the celebrations surrounding it and the pride that comes to the winning horse. There's a preliminary race, a big parade, pageantry immediately before the actual event and special outdoor dinners at long tables that seat thousands.
Hotel rooms in Siena and lodging in B&Bs outside the walled city can be tricky to come by, unless you book months in advance. Palio Tours (888-495-8502, www.paliotours.com) has three- and four-night packages that include lodging, tickets to the Palio preliminary and final races, museum and city tours, passes to the parade, breakfast and tickets to a neighborhood outdoor dinner from $795 per person double.
Info: Siena Tourism, www.comune.siena.it (some of the Palio sections are in English).
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