I WAS DOING A LITTLE research and stumbled upon my May 2004 letter to you, which sounds eerily familiar today. The letter addressed the closure of Oasis, Maxjet, ATA, SkyBus and Aloha airlines due to the high cost of jet fuel. The recent closure of WOW air, which came as no shock to me, echoes similar past issues. Besides travelers not seeming to like WOW, the rising fuel costs and cheap fares got it in the end.

Oasis Airlines and MaxJet experienced the repeated stumble of all-business-class airlines, much like La Compagnie, still flying four years after shedding its U.K. flight and merging with XL Airways. In reality, while all these ideas seem good (even though they fail repeatedly), it is hard to convince regular travelers to switch with no further connectivity through a network or alliance or without a robust frequent-flyer program. When you want to take your family to Africa, you can’t fly a single-leg carrier.

As we move into summer, I start planning my local trips to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for some beach and golf, and at the end of the summer to Cape San Blas on the eastern edge of the Florida panhandle. This area is still getting back into shape eight months after Hurricane Michael. There is lots of work still to be done, and many individuals have inadequate insurance coverage to make repairs. But there is nothing like the Gulf of Mexico this time of year: The water is warm, the beaches quiet and relaxing.

Next I will plan out the fall — still trying to think of where to spend my birthday, which happens to be when Hurricane Michael made landfall, on Oct. 10. Last year I was crossing the Atlantic on the QM2 while doing my best to download news videos of the storm damage. Let me know if you have any suggestions for this year’s birthday trip!

I look forward to seeing you all at the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills for our Leisure Lifestyle Awards this month. The hotel put together a special overnight package price. Join us and stay over!