Travel Roundup: Atlanta's Online Travel Lawsuit, Alaska Flies Around Volcano, Yahoo! Ends FareChase and More

Atlanta's lawsuit against online travel companies continues -- Atlanta's lawsuit against online travel companies, alleging they are withholding millions of dollars of hotel taxes, was upheld in Georgia Supreme Court. Now a Fulton County judge will decide the case, whether online travel companies are liable for the lost hotel and occupancy tax. The complaint says that the companies would buy blocks of hotel rooms at wholesale rates and sell them at retail rates -- making a profit -- but not paying retail-price hotel taxes. The suit, filed in 2006 against 17 online travel companies, includes Expedia.com, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Priceline.com and Orbitz. [Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Alaska resumes flights to Anchorage after volcano eruption -- Alaska Airlines resumed flights to and from Alaska after ash clouds cleared from the state's most recent volcano eruption. Thirty-five flights were canceled because of six eruptions from Mount Redoubt near Anchorage, but once the ash cleared, the airline decided to reschedule the flights. More eruptions could delay or cancel flights. [Source: Associated Press]