Every Thursday we do a recap of our favorite five deals from the top travel newsletters. Here’s this week’s best, in no particular order:

6-Night Rome & Florence Package from $995, Inc. Air (EuropeanDestinations.com)
Seen on IgoUgo

Visit one of the most historic cities in the world, plus a trip to the fashion capital, in one vacation. It includes roundtrip air, train between cities, and hotel taxes. Best of all, this price is for September travel, when the weather is perfect.

$200 — California 4-Diamond Oceanfront Resort, $120 OFF (Laguna Cliffs Resort)
Seen on Travelzoo

Late spring and early summer in Cali is fantastic, as the big summer crowds haven’t and this deal is over 50% OFF the regular price. The fact that it includes weekends is the icing on the cake.

Thailand 13-Day Vacation + Air from $1399 (Friendly Planet)
Seen on Kayak

Air alone to Thailand usually runs north of $1000, and with this you get tours, meals, hotel, and so much more. Friendly Planet is also one of the most reputable vacation companies around.

4-Star Luxury Mountain Resort in Tucson,just $99 (Travel Ticker)
Seen on Travel Ticker

Sure it gets hot over in Arizona in summer, but this deal is 40% OFF. Upgrades are incredibly cheap too… if you can take the heat, there is two golf courses, tennis, bike rentals, and much more.

$100–$300 OFF Caribbean & Mexico Vacations (CheapCaribbean.com)
Seen on Sherman’s Travel

Pick your trip and save - $300 off Bahamas packages, $200 off Puerto Rico and Cayman Island packages, and $100 off all others. Considering CheapCaribbean already has the best deals out there, you’ll save a lot more than you think.

Sounds impossible, but there is one airline delay we can get on board with: the JetBlue Bill Me Later promo. Buy a ticket by May 31, 2008 via the airline’s web site, choose the Bill Me Later payment option at check out, and JetBlue will send you a $25 gift card for use towards future travel and allow you to defer payment for up to 90 days. One caveat: the promo is only available to first-time Bill Me Later customers.

American Airlines was the last old-guard carrier to jump on the second checked bag fee bandwagon this year, but today the airline announced that it will be the first to implement an unprecedented first checked bag fee, which will go into effect on June 15, along with a host of new fees for customer services, ranging from reservation assistance to handling oversized luggage.

The new fees reflect troubled times for the airline, which also plans to cut domestic flights, retire as many as 50 MD-80 planes (the ones with the troublesome wiring issues) from its fleet and undergo layoffs to cut costs in the face of rising fuel prices.

I don’t know about you, but I felt a sort of roller coaster drop in my stomach when I read this news this morning. Right now, other airlines have said they don’t plan to match American’s new fee structure. But can’t you just hear the Another One Bites the Dust bass line thumping along in the background?

While American consumers are slightly happier overall in ‘08 than they were last year, travelers are not so sanguine about their relationships with the airlines, according to American Consumer Satisfaction Index Q1 2008 results released today.

It won’t come as a surprise to many frequent travelers to learn that customer satisfaction with airlines has dropped to its lowest point since 2001, the study reports.

But enough of these bland generalizations. Let’s get to the juicy part and name names.

Which airlines are customers least satisfied with? United Airlines and US Airways had the lowest scores this year. US Airways and Continental Airlines were the carriers whose scores dropped the most this year, by 11.5 and 10.1 percent, respectively.

Which airline are customers most satisfied with? Southwest Airlines, which increased its customer satisfaction rating by four percent this year. (Interestingly, this is the only low-cost carrier in the survey group. We wonder how the results would have changed had JetBlue, Frontier and Virgin America been included.)

When it comes to hotels, consumers have a much brighter outlook. While air travelers rated airlines 1.6 percent less satisfying this year, they were 5.6 percent more satisfied with hotels.

Which hotels are consumers most satisfied with? Marriott, Global Hyatt and Hilton Hotels were the top ranked hotel groups, though the “all others” category, which includes smaller luxury properties and boutique hotels enjoyed the greatest gains in satisfaction this year, up 8.6 percent over 2007.

Which hotels are least satisfying to consumers? Hats off to Ramada, Wyndham, Holiday Inn and Promus Hotel groups for snagging the bottom spots this year.

Want to geek out to your heart’s content with the detailed findings? Here ya go:

ACSI Scores by Industry

Some good news for travelers. The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced new rules for airlines and new protections for air travel consumers:

- Just say it: The DOT will begin requiring airlines to disclose new fees for a 2nd checked bag in advertisements and online fare quotes - basically at any point before purchase where fares are quoted. The agency also declared retroactive fees placed on purchased tickets to be unfair.

- Tarmac transparency: Starting this fall, the DOT will begin collecting additional information about flight delays as part of its regular on-time reporting data. This new move will give consumers more information about planes grounded on the runway, flights diverted after departure, flights that leave the gate and then return later, and flights canceled after departing the gate.

- Sky cap: Starting in June, in an effort to decrease delays and ease congestion, the DOT will cap the number of flights leaving Newark Liberty International Airport to 83 per hour.

DOT New Measures - Fact Sheet

Want the lowdown on the new baggage surcharges by airline? Check out our handy Airline Checked Baggage Fee Chart.

Kinda says something about our cultures, no? Today, Japan’s tourism ministry tapped snow-white, uber cutie Hello Kitty as its official tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong. With the iconic cartoon character’s help, Japan hopes to boost annual international visitors numbers to 10 million, up from a record high 8.35 million last year.

And while her lack of vocal chords (or, for that matter, mouth) may hinder her ability to expound upon Japan’s many virtues, cultural sites and rich history, her ability to bridge economic and social barriers may make up for this. I mean, the girl is just as happy appearing on the side of an airplane as she is on a toaster.

But we do have other concerns about Hello Kitty’s ability to do her job. As this AP story points out, Hello Kitty may hail from Japan, but the button-nosed icon, in fact, lives in London. That may make her new job a little difficult. And as we learned in Hello Kitty’s official Sanrio profile, so might her enrollment in primary school and her habit of eating lots of yummy cookies baked by her sister Mimmy (you know how public figures need to, um, keep an eye on their very public figures).

These might be hurdles for Japan’s latest tourism ambassador, but at least her cartoon existence means she won’t cause an uproar every time she goes through a McDonald’s drive-through. Nor will she, we hope, be allowed to adopt orphaned kittens from less fortunate countries encountered during her travels around the world. She is, after all, still just a kitten herself.

(I was always a Badtz-Maru fan, myself. I mean, come on, the kid has a pet alligator. How cool is that?).

If anything says summer, it’s a good old-fashioned road trip. And according to some calculations from the Car Care Council, a non-profit that educates consumers on the importance of proper vehicle care, driving can save you a bundle on your next family vacation.

If you’re looking at a trip of 500 miles or less for a family of four, the Car Care Council’s Rich White says driving is a far more cost-effective and convenient way to travel than jumping on a plane - even if you’re driving an SUV and gas were to hit $5/gallon this summer. White estimates that a family of four traveling on a 500-mile trip would save at least $1,000 by driving, maybe more.

Read on for White’s thoughts on why driving kicks flying’s butt, what to do before you head out on the trip and how to stay safe and happy along the way.

Other than saving money, what advantages are there to driving?

Travelers have so much more control over every part of their vacation by car as opposed to by plane. When you go, when you arrive, when you stop to eat, if you want to change your itinerary - that costs you nothing. Try to do that by plane, there are fees. Even if you could find an alternative flight, you’re at the mercy of someone else when flying, and you have very little flexibility and no options. Now they’re charging for a second bag. You’re going on vacation, and you can only take one bag – if you pack your car, you can take a gallon of facial lotion if you want.

You’re based near DC. Would you rather spend two hours stuck in traffic around the Capital Beltway or two hours stuck at the airport waiting for a delayed flight – and why?

I think because you can control when you’re driving, you can avoid the beltway during rush hour, you have alternative routes. You can go down 181. You have no choice when you go to the airport. If you take an hour to get to the airport, and you get there an hour and a half early, and you stand in line and then you leave, get to the other end, and then wait in line to go get a rental car, for a 500-mile trip, you’re spending almost as much time as you would had you driven. And then you have none of the other advantages of driving.

More after the jump….

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As if there weren’t already enough reasons to fly Virgin America, here’s a brand new one (and it involves draaanks): SuperFly Wednesdays. Starting next week and running through June 18th, passengers who fly Virgin America’s afternoon and evening flights on hump day will pass the time in the sky with two free cocktails. On the ground in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, a Virgin America boarding pass lets you continue your jet set lifestyle with free drinks at hot spots like The Ventian’s Tao, The Tropicana at the Roosevelt Hotel and the XYZ bar at the W Hotel.

There are some ifs, ands or buts involved, but we’re still taken with this promo.

We’re very package heavy this week with a couple great deals to some more off-the-beaten path areas (and that’s a good thing). Here’s my top five for the week:

$49 & up - 72-Hour Fare Sale Between 50+ Cities (AirTran)
Seen on Kayak
If you live near any of the cities this low-cost carrier flies from you’ll save on domestic travel through summer. If you don’t live close, call them up and beg them to add your city. They have great deals like this all the time!

12-Day South Africa Vacation & Air from $2,799 (Gate 1 Travel)
Seen on Booking Buddy
Flights to South Africa go well over $1000, and let’s not get started on how expensive a safari can ocst. This also includes bouncing around to five different destinations (wth the safety of a tour manager).

$699+: Bermuda 6-Night Cruise this August at Half-Off (Orbitz)
Seen on Sherman’s Travel
Anytime you see something at half-off you know you’re getting a good dealio, but usually there is a catch. Here it is - this is only available on one sailing. However, what a great way to enjoy a summer trip.

$279 — Bahamas: 4 Nights & Air (CheapCaribbean)
Seen on Travelzoo
This is a great deal for those living on the East Coast, where it costs less to fly to Grand Bahama Island. You’ll be vacationing at the deluxe Sheraton Grand Bahama resort through summer… the price basically means your air is half-off.

6-Night Peru Vacation with Tours, Air & More from $999 (Peruhotdeals.com)
Seen on Frommers
Frommers says you’ll save up to $400 off similar tours. You’ll have to be patient though… this is for travel in January-March of next year. An additional Machu Picchu excursion is $229, and you shouldn’t go to Peru and not see this place.

One buckaroo. That’s it folks. Earlier this year, BoltBus launched its East Coast bus service offering riders more legroom, wi-fi and low, low fares. Now Greyhound Canada and Adirondack Trailways are following suit with their own juiced up bus line NeOn, whose inaugural 9.5-hour route launching May 22 rolls passengers between New York and Toronto in coaches with extra leg room, free wireless Internet access and in-seat power outlets.

But back to the $1 part, because that’s the best feature (that and the free wi-fi), if you ask me. $1 tickets (each way, plus booking fee) go on sale today and are available through either Adirondack Trailways or Greyhound. Only a few $1 fares are available for each trip, so booking early is key. After the cheapest seats are gone, the fares increase incrementally from there.

After hunting for some of the $1 fares this morning (which I found available on plenty of days this summer), here are some tips for finding them quickly:

- Book via Greyhound. The interface is much easier to use, and, as of today, Adirondack Trailways didn’t seem to have the new route listed yet.

- Select New York Penn Station and Toronto Royal York Hotel from the drop-down list as your points of departure and arrival.

- If you select round trip when you search, the lowest fares will appear as $2. The booking fee for the reservations I tested was $3.

- Note that Greyhound does not identify these routes as part of the new NeOn service.

- If you want to purchase the cheapest fares online, you’ll have to book at least 10 mailing days in advance. Otherwise, you’ll need to buy tickets in person at a Greyhound terminal or agency.