Q and A
Air Price-Fixing Settlement
Q.
What are the details on the price-fixing settlement for people who flew on American, Delta, United and USAir between January 1988 and June 30, 1992? -- Margaret Dietz Meyer, Ithaca, N.Y.
A. Those airlines agreed on June 22 to pay about $450 million to passengers who bought a ticket for domestic travel between Jan. 1, 1988 and June 30, 1992. On July 15, Continental Airlines also agreed to take part in the settlement, adding about $8 million to the package.
Those who think they qualify for a share of the settlement should write to Airline Antitrust Litigation, Post Office Box 209, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, giving an address where you can be reached. Do not send your receipts or used air tickets, but do keep them in order to proceed later.  The settlement is subject to approval by a Federal Court in Atlanta; a hearing is expected no sooner than October. After that, potential claimants will be given information on what to do.
The class-action suit contended that the airlines used the computerized listings of the Airline Tariff Publishing Company, which the carriers own, to control prices. Pitts Carr, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, estimates that the suit covers 10 million customers.
Most of the settlement, if it is accepted, will be in the form of vouchers that can be used on any of the five airlines for up to 10 percent of the price of a ticket and 20 percent of round-trip flights costing less than $100, according to Mr. Carr. The vouchers will be good for three years from the date of issuance, which Mr. Carr said should be by mid-1993. About $50 million of the settlement will be set aside for administrative costs. Any of that money left over will be distributed in cash if the amount is substantial enough, according to Mr. Carr.  Bus Tours of the Southwest
Q.
Are there bus tours that take in Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Taos, the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon this September? -- Esther Zembow, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
A. A number of companies offer bus tours in the Southwest, but few of them cover all the places that interest you. Generally, Santa Fe and Taos are part of itineraries that mainly cover New Mexico and often Colorado, while the other sites are on tours that visit the Grand Canyon and southern Utah. All of the tours are fully escorted by guides, and the prices, for one person based on two sharing a room, include hotels and, unless stated otherwise, all meals. The tour companies' phone numbers are included for information, but the companies prefer that travelers reserve through travel agents (there is no difference in cost).
Tauck Tours, (800) 467-2825, offers a seven-day Canyonlands tour that starts in Phoenix, and finishes in Las Vegas. Included are Sedona, Ariz., the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, including a flyover and a raft trip on the Colorado; Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. The trips, given April through October, are $1,185. A New Mexico tour, eight days, starts in El Paso and ends in Albuquerque, visiting Santa Fe and Taos, among other places. The tour is offered April through October and costs $1,120, including all but two meals in Santa Fe.
Maupintours, (800) 255-4266, offers an eight-day itinerary called Arizona-The Canyons, starting and finishing in Scottsdale. Included are the Petrified Forest, , Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, the Grand Canyon and Sedona. This tour, offered in May, June, September and October, costs $1,225. The 12-day Southwest Indian Lands begins and ends in Albuquerque and includes Santa Fe, Second Mesa, Hubble Trading Post, Gallup and Acoma Pueblo. The cost is $1,598. (The company has no tours that include Las Vegas.)
Mayflower Tours, (708) 960-3793, offers a National Parks of the Southwest itinerary, which starts and finishes in Las Vegas. The 10-day tour takes in the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley; a trip on the Durango & Silverton narrow-gauge railroad, and Mesa Verde, Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. The cost is $1,089 and includes seven dinners. The next departures are Aug. 12 and 19 and Sept. 2 and 9. The Las Vegas Holiday, eight days, starts in Scottsdale, Ariz., and finishes in Las Vegas, and includes Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. The trips are offered year round, and the cost is $689, including four dinners.
Collette Tours, (800) 832-4656, offers an eight-day Arizona and Utah Canyon Country tour that starts in Scottsdale and ends in Las Vegas. Stops includes Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley and Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion National Parks. The tour, $699 to $939 depending on dates, is offered March to mid-December and includes 13 meals. A nine-day Colorado National Parks tour, from Albuquerque to Denver is given through October Stops include Santa Fe, Taos Mesa Verde, Aspen, Vail and Denver. The price is $999 to $1,159 depending on dates.  Paris Air Show
Q.
How can I get tickets for the air show at Le Bourget airport near Paris? When is it held? -- Emily Ehm, Barrington, Ill.
A. The Paris Air Show is held every other year; the next will be June 11 to 20, 1993. On weekdays the show is open only to those in a related trade -- government and military officials or representatives of the airline industry or a related filed. However, on weekends -- June 12 and 13 and 19 and 20 next year -- the public may attend, and view elaborate air shows.  Tickets are sold in the United States by International Trade Exhibitions in France, 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 310, Arlington, Va. 22201; (703) 522-5000. The company will not know ticket prices until late this year and will not have tickets until February. Those interested can write to or call the company before then and will be notified later, but the company recommends calling in February as there is no limit on the number of tickets. Prices for weekends for the 1991 show were $6 a day. The Rain in Port of Spain
Q.
In what months do Trinidad and Tobago have the least rainfall? -- J. Kordak, Cromwell, Conn.
A. The driest months are February, with an average of 10 rainy days and a total of 1.6 inches; March, with 9 rainy days and 1.8 inches, and April, with 9 rainy days and 2.1 inches. Also relatively dry are January, which though it has an average of 14 rainy days has a total of only 2.7 inches, and May, with 12 rainy days and 3.7 inches. By comparison, New York's driest month, November, has 9 rainy days and a total of 3 inches. Trinidad and Tobago is wettest between June to November; August is the rainiest month, with 23 rainy days and 9.7 inches.
Correction:  August 16, 1992, Sunday
An answer in the Q & A column on Aug. 2 about bus tours of the Southwest misstated the telephone number for Tauck Tours in some copies. It is (800) 468-2825.