Fares

Frontier Airlines   launched a New Year's sale on Wednesday that features low prices on selected dates. That's the key, "selected dates. " In my search I found travel dates somewhat limited, but if they work for you, this could be your first deal of the year. The deal: The fare sale from Los Angeles applies to 20 destinations. One-way fares start at $97 to Portland, Ore., $145 to Orlando, Fla., $110 to St. Louis and $163 to Washington, D.C. Frontier has a handy monthly calendar that displays the deal days (selected Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays)

Junior's Deli, which has been serving pastrami and other deli fare on L.A.'s Westside since 1959, will close at the end of the year. Employees, some of them multi-decade veterans of the business, learned Wednesday of the comfort food haven's impending shutdown, a casualty of a rent dispute over the 11,000-square-foot space. "It's catastrophic for me," said David Saul, who co-owns the business with his brother, John. "I'm at a loss. It's like I'm grieving a death. " The Sauls' father, Marvin, launched the delicatessen after a failed stint as a uranium miner in Utah.

The cheapest airfare in Lufthansa's ski season sale goes to ... Moscow. OK, not exactly a ski hub, but there is snow -- and savings. Sale prices from L.A. to Moscow start at $685 round-trip.  The deal: There are lots of destinations in this Lufthansa sale, but none that I could find as low as the Moscow airfares. Testing selected dates, I found availability for L.A. to Dusseldorf, Germany, for $795 round-trip. It all depends on where you're going and when you're traveling to find the deal fares.

Television's holiday season isn't just about Jimmy Stewart realizing he has a wonderful life, Charlie Brown and his fresh-faced gang learning the true meaning of Christmas and the big-hearted Whoville residents sharing their roast beast. That syrupy sweet programming is easy to find most any day, but there's also a whole treasure-trove of not-so-traditional movies, marathons and specials that favor the naughty over the nice. For fans of a slightly twisted Christmas, network and cable channels are serving up some alternatives to the Rankin-Bass catalog and the iconic department-store Santa story, "Miracle on 34th Street.

After fuel prices sent airfares skyrocketing last summer, you may have sworn off travel to Europe. We can't predict whether summer 2013 fares will shoot up; looking at a sample now tells us they're not cheap - at least, not in comparison with winter fares. The rule of thumb holds true: If you want to stuff a few extra dollars in your stocking, go in the off-season. Because the weather isn't optimal and there are few school holidays, winter is typically the cheapest time to head to Europe, excluding the holidays.

Over the last four years, airlines have been charging for extras that were previously included in the price of a plane ticket, such as checked bags, food, drinks and pillows. The trend may be reversing, with airlines starting to bundle those extras back together again. American Airlines announced last week that passengers who search for flights at AA.com will get several choices, ranging from a basic fare to a package that includes a ticket plus a free checked bag, early boarding, an onboard drink and the option to change flights without paying a penalty.

Hal Holbrook has never been afraid of tackling tough subjects in his TV and film roles. "I sort of like controversial things," said the 87-year-old actor, best known for his celebrated one-man show "Mark Twain Tonight!," which he has been performing since 1954. FOR THE RECORD: Hal Holbrook: In the Dec. 17 Calendar section, the Classic Hollywood column about Hal Holbrook said the actor would be appearing in the coming film "The Promised Land. " The title is "Promised Land.

If you plan to travel to Asia next year, consider American Airlines' sale on round-trip fares from Southern California, starting with Shanghai for $669. Discounts also apply on flights to Tokyo and Beijing -- and you don't have to go in winter to take advantage of the savings. The deal: Fly round-trip from L.A. to Shanghai for $669 and to Beijing for $798. There's also a San Diego-Beijing round-trip fare for $898. Tokyo round-trip prices are higher, $1,243 roundtrip. When: The deal is good through 8:59 p.m. Dec. 19 Pacific time for travel between Jan. 7 and April 18. Your trip must end by April 24. Tested: I tested flights leaving L.A. on March 13 and returning March 20. I found availability for a round-trip flight to Shanghai and Beijing at the sale prices.

Airport food in L.A. has been so bad for so long it's no longer brought up in polite society. Only at LAX could the 2010 arrival of Pink's hot dogs - and God love 'em, I know I do - have been welcomed like Moses coming down off the mountain. "It's like the smog: Why complain? Everybody knows," chef Mark Peel told me last week. Since we began having to schlep wretched little bags of food on the plane or starve, the smell of rancid oil and Flamin' Hot Cheetos has made the LAX experience unpleasant in all five senses.

Christmas obviously isn't for everyone, but it's pretty hard to avoid even if your plan for the 25th involves Chinese food and a movie. Stores break out the decorations right after Halloween, and as for the theater, it's wall to wall productions of "A Christmas Carol" as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers are finished. It's enough to put even a Noel-loving drama critic in a "Bah, humbug!" mood. Fortunately, two notable alternatives to the standard holiday fare have arrived to spice up the season: The Second City's "A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens!"