The Middle Eastern United Arab Emirate city of Dubai, awash in oil riches, is becoming what may eventually be a combination of Las Vegas and a Disney theme park. It’s already full of luxury casino hotels and can boast of the Bruj Khalifa, the planet’s tallest building.

Dubai also features “The World”, an island chain of beach resorts that resembles a map of the earth as seen from space. Now in the plans is an extensive hotel that will be partially more than 30 feet under the ocean water. Because of its proposed flying saucer spaceship shape, it’s will be known as Water Discus Hotel.  

With personal video cameras and the hotel’s advanced graphic technologies, hotel guests will be surrounded by both real and virtual sea creatures of the Persian Gulf. For more information about plans and progress of the hotel project, go to dubai.com.

These young ladies may actually succeed in entertaining passengers as they check in and wait for their flights. Some suggested cheers could be:

Hooray, hooray...there’ll be a two-hour delay!
Sis boom bah....we’re strip-searching your ma!
Give a rousing cheer...your flight ain’t even near!
Let’s root for our team...an on-time flight is just a dream!

According to CNN, officials at China’s Dalian International Airport brought in an array of cheerleaders to do their athletic best daily to help passengers and visitors pass the time pleasantly while waiting for flights, as well as arriving and departing relatives.

In efforts to make flying, check-in and waiting more pleasant, Dalian airport now also features free physical checkups and instant weather and flight updates by text message.

Dalian International Airport reported there were over 12 million passengers passing through last year. We find it difficult to imagine any American airports putting on any cheerleader services, unless you count those TSA security ladies who smile at you during their intimate frisking.

Spirit Airlines is the latest carrier to charge ever-increasing fees for carry-on bags. The boost from $45 to $100 makes it actually more expensive to stuff bags in the overhead bin than the price paid for some tickets.

For example, a current Spirit special offers “cheap fare” round trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for $82, fees and taxes included. If that’s all you want to pay, take along only small bags that fit under your seat.

This latest effort to extract more money can add to the frustration of passengers who already pay $150 for those $99 specials other airlines frequently display in their ads. It seems there’s always a 99 rip-off somewhere in misleading ads, such as typical gas station signs that offer $3.99 and $4.99 per gallon.

The widow of Elvis, Priscilla Presley recently broke the traditional bubbly bottle to relaunch the American Queen steamboat. After nearly five years off the river, the Queen is expected to begin again regular passenger cruising of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

The 418-foot-long paddlewheeler is scheduled to carry up to 436 passengers. From Memphis, the Queen will typically make port visits in Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

For schedules, prices and other information on the American Queen, go to greatamericansteamboatcompany.com