Spirit Airlines has become the latest US-based carrier to become an Airbus A320neo customer, joining other airlines like Virgin America, JetBlue, American, and Republic/Frontier. The Florida-based airline announced this week that it signed an MOU with Airbus for 75 A320-family aircraft, 45 of which will be neos. An SEC filing about the order had an interesting detail about the leases on a large part of Spirits fleet that I thought was worth noting (bolded):

On November 15, 2011, Spirit Airlines, Inc. (the “Company”) jointly announced with Airbus that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) for a significant addition to the Company’s existing aircraft purchase order with Airbus. The MOU,

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During our Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu we encountered some of the most beautiful flora we have seen during all our travels in South America. Many of the flowers are orchids, since Peru has thousands of species of them.

I did my best to look up all the flora from Peru in Google Images, but many times I just couldnt find the name, and on a few occasions, I couldnt even find a similar picture. So if you have some flower friends or better Google skills, have at it!

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The T-shirt hanging on the wall at K-38 Surf Shop is about as blatant as it gets: “Cartel doesn’t kill surfers.”

It was a message that surf-shop owner Jacindo Garcia wants to get out to the surfers who once made their way down south past the border but who are now hesitant because of reports of violence by rival gangs that put a dead stop to tourism in the region for the past few years.

A young surfer takes a wave at Gaviotas, Mexico

I recently took a surf trip down to Las Gaviotas, Mexico, where a beachfront-rental community that once bustled with business continues to struggle under the bad rap Mexico has gotten with violence near the border.

Like others eager to rediscover nearby Mexico, I hesitated to take a trip to the region. Find more…

The hôtels particuliers of France are unique in Europe, both architecturally and culturally. Town houses of nobles and aristocrats who attended the king’s Paris court, these extravagant stone mansions were the urban alternative to the countryside châteaux. Now, an exhibition at the Cité de l’Architecture in Paris traces their history, from the Middle Ages to World War I.

For Hôtel Particulier, a Parisian Ambition, running through Feb. 19, Alexandre Gady, the shows curator, has created the ground floor of a typical hôtel particulier. In the b

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Called “A Christmas Carol as Dickens intended,” Preston Lane’s acclaimed adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is back for the 2011 holiday season, directed by Bryan Conger. Ebenezer Scrooge’s last chance is one night and three spirits. It’s a life-changing ride through past, present and future as he learns what it means to be human. In a reprise of last season’s highly celebrated production, Triad Stage brings Dickens’ classic story to life in a dazzling production brimming with bold acting, daring design and spine-tingling special effects. The return of the

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