FareFinder: Thursday, April 16

Get ready to cruise: Carnival Cruise Lines' 72-hour Summer Sale is going on now, which offers a free stateroom upgrade plus up to $240 on board credit with select bookings. Oh yeah, 3-4 day Baja Mexico cruises start at $209 a person.

Piggy-backing on Tuesday's post, Southwest has started selling its Boston (Logan) flights, which take off in August. The airline will fly Boston to Baltimore/Washington and Chicago (Midway).

Between May 1 and July 31, 2009, the Starwood Preferred Guests' Free Weekends promotion lets any new or existing SPG member earn one Free Weekend Night Award after every two stays. Redeem awards any Friday, Saturday or Sunday through the end of September with no blackouts.

JetBlue is now offering frequent flyer miles for you and your pets. Thanks to Jaunted for the heads up.

Breaking: U.S. Airways Announces Return to Free Drinks for All Flights

Ramsey Qubein is Travelin' Light's on-the-road correspondent.

US Airways management is reversing its decision to sell drinks in the Economy cabin bringing free soda, coffee, tea, and, yes, even water back to the traveling public. Since the idea was announced in 2008, passengers and flight attendants have dealt with grumblings that the charges were a step too far on the "fee front".

Management claims that Coach passengers were not booking away from the carrier due to the charge and that there was no significant dip in passenger satisfaction (their justification for keeping the charge, one they had hoped other airlines would match).

Anecdotal evidence suggests that customers were indeed booking away and dissatisfied with the nickel-and-diming approach. Thankfully, the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline will adjust the program to free non-alcoholic drinks in the main cabin. Alcoholic drinks and certain specialty items will remain for sale as on other airlines.

The sale of drinks produced cleaner cabins as there was less trash from drink cans on board and subsequently less use of the restrooms. But, as the only airline in the United States to charge for a cup of water, this change is a step back in the right direction for US Airways passengers. Now, if only the ridiculous $50 surcharge to book so-called "free" award travel would be erased!

Birthright Oranim Provides Free Israel Trips for Jewish Youth

Birthright Oranium (also known as Birthright Israel) and found at BirthrightIsrael.com is offering one of the best travel "deals" in the history of the world: they're giving free trips to Israel.

The catch? You have to be Jewish and between the ages of 18 and 26 to qualify.

Taglit-Birthright Israel provides a gift of first time, peer group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26 from around the world. Taglit-Birthright Israel is a unique partnership between the people of Israel through their government, leading Jewish philanthropists, and local Jewish communities and Jewish Federations (through the United Jewish Communities, Keren Hayesod and The Jewish Agency for Israel).

In other words, this is a purely educational trip designed to give anyone who is a young, Jewish adult a chance to visit the home country. Frankly, it's a wonderful idea, it's fantastically philanthropic and I hope that the economy in no way impacts the ability of this venture to continue as is. Check here at BirthrightIsrael.com  for Summer 2009 registration.