Hello from the good ol' U-S-of-A! Before we get started I would like to say our heart and prayers go out to all of those involved in this week's Comair - Delta Airlines Flight 5191 crash in Lexington, KY. It is really disturbing when a plane goes down anywhere, but it really hits home when it's an American carrier on U.S. soil. At times like these the fear of flying pops into our heads, but we have to remind ourselves that air travel is much safer than car. You have a 1 in 11,000,000 chance of being involved in a plane crash. Your chances of being killed in an automobile accident are 1 in 5,000. That's scary! Back to our newsletter: Last week (here's the link to the archives) we left off in Budapest, Hungary; this week we travel back to the States. First stop: New York City. Then Los Angeles for an Emmy party. And the third � you just have to scroll down to find out. If you're down for racking up some serious frequent flier miles, jump on board. We're off to the greatest land on earth: America!

BUDAPEST'S AIRPORT (FERIHEGY)
I kept hearing that Budapest has two airports, and that travelers should make sure to find out which one they're flying out of (or into) to make sure they know the right one. It sounded like they were miles apart, but they're not. Whoever told me must have been on crack, because there is only one Budapest international airport -- with three connecting terminals. The first, Ferihegy 1, is for budget airlines. The second, Ferihegy 2A, is for all Mal�v Hungarian Airlines flights. The last is Ferihegy 2B, for foreign airlines. When I arrived at 2A after a 25-minute, 4,500 HUF = $21 USD) taxi ride from the city, I was almost two hours early. There was no line to check in at either the Mal�v counter or security. NOTE: This was before the U.K. security scare.

BUDAPEST TO NEW YORK'S JFK
I flew Mal�v because they had the cheapest last-minute one-way ticket I could find -- and a non-stop flight. (Delta Airlines has the other nonstop to the U.S.). Mal�v flies a 767 on this route. The coach seats did not have much legroom, but I was able to use my laptop � though it was a tight squeeze. The service wasn't very good, even though the flight attendants were friendly � they just didn't come around too often. They served one hot meal and a cold sandwich on the 4,360-mile, 9 hour and 20 minute flight.

JFK'S TERMINAL 8
We arrived in New York at Terminal 8 -- one of American Airlines' terminals. It was a long, depressing walk to customs. One passenger, rushing like everyone else, said to her husband, "It's a shame foreigners have to be welcomed to the greatest country of all by this dilapidated building." I couldn't have agreed more. Come on, people! Spend a few dollars to put some fresh paint on the wall and get a new carpet, so visitors and returning citizens can feel good. Walking down the long, dark aisle made me feel like I was on death row. Seriously, I have arrived at much nicer terminals in third world countries! It was embarrassing -- and not only that, but baggage claim was the worst I have ever seen. Period! The building had a low ceiling; it was dark, old and filthy, and completely packed with tired, hot, confused travelers. There was no communication; everyone went from one claim to another, and bags took over an hour to come out. Note: This was not Malev's problem. I'm not sure who was to blame, but I'm guessing American.

NEW YORK CITY
I was on the East Coast for two days. I spent the first one in New York City. I had lunch with a friend who lives across the street from Regis and Kelly's studio. As we walked out of his place, a small crowd gathered around. My buddy told me to see which star was signing autographs. Like a monkey, I did. It was Kevin Smith from "Clerks." I never thought much of him, but after watching and talking with him for a few minutes, I realized he's a really nice guy. He made sure to sign autographs and take pictures with everyone. I also visited some friends at PJ, Inc., a PR firm in lower Manhattan. For more click HERE.