Japan Airlines extends validity period for frequent-flier miles

Starting April 1, Japan Airlines will extend the validity period for accumulated frequent-flier miles. Currently, all accumulated miles must be redeemed no later than 25 to 36 months after the original flight, depending on the date of flight or service. With the new system, all accumulated mileage will be valid for 36 months from the end of the month in which the mileage was accrued.

In addition, the new rules will also apply to miles earned between Jan. 1, 2006, and March 31, 2008. Additional rules and restrictions regarding this change are available at www.jal.co.jp/en/jmb/new_rule/index_w.html.

Japan Airlines has daily nonstop flights between Chicago O'Hare and Tokyo Narita International Airport.

Sock monkeys invade Rockford

How's this for a slightly unusual festival theme? Sock monkeys (which originated in Rockford, Ill., after the invention of the seamless sock knitting machine). The Midway Village & Museum Center (www.midwayvillage.com or (815) 397-9112) in Rockford will host its Fourth Annual Sock Monkey Madness Festival on March 8 and 9.

At this family festival, visitors can learn to make a sock monkey from scratch, accessorize a sock monkey or buy a visually challenged sock monkey and adorn it with the museum's free materials.

Included in this Celebration of Everything Sock Monkey will be the Second Annual International Sock Monkey Film Festival; Ms./Mr. Sockford 2008 Sock Monkey Pageants; sock monkey crafts for kids; an exhibit titled "The Missing Link: Socks, Monkeys and Rockford's Industrial Past," featuring Nelson, a 7-foot sock monkey; collectors' displays; how-to workshops; and Sockford General Hospital, where ailing sock monkeys can get new stuffing or a wellness check from resident surgeons.

For information about the Midway Village & Museum Center or the Sock Monkey Festival, check the above Web site. More information about Rockford is available at www.gorockford.com or by calling (800) 521-0849.

Rent car for a month, get SkyMiles

Snow birds planning to migrate south to Florida for the winter can earn 25,000 bonus SkyMiles with Budget by the Month rentals.

This offer is valid on all car groups on rentals of 60 consecutive days or more at participating Budget airport locations (namely where Delta Air Lines flies) in Florida. Vehicles must be returned by March 31. To qualify, reservations must be made 24 hours in advance at www.budget.com/deltasnowbird (use reference coupon MUAZ111). Other rules and restrictions may apply, and are available at the link above.

Esotouric's 2008 bus tour schedule

Esotouric, the eclectic bus adventure company whose tours reveal Los Angeles' secret history, has announced its first set tours for 2008, including two new entries in the Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles architectural series and the company's first-ever Westside tours (one on true crime, the other on Raymond Chandler's Bay City stories).

January's offerings begin on Jan. 13 with a revamped version of the popular Real Black Dahlia tour, during the anniversary week of Beth Short's unsolved 1947 murder. On Jan. 19, it's sensational true crime and Chinese eats in the San Gabriel Valley with the Blood and Dumplings crime bus tour, and on Jan. 26, passengers explore the lovely, deadly downtown neighborhood of Weird West Adams.

Feb. 2 has Where the Action Was, the Hollywood and West Hollywood rock 'n' roll history tour. On Feb. 16, Esotouric's first-ever West LA tour --Wild Wild Westside -- digs into the forgotten criminal past of the shore-side cities. And on Feb. 23, downtown's architectural and cultural significance is revealed with the new Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: The Many Downtowns.

For further information on these tours and Esotouric, visit www.esotouric.com or call (323) 223-2767. Most bus tours are $55 per person and typically run four or five hours.

Check Lufthansa's student airfare site

Students thinking ahead to spring break should check out www.generationfly.com, a Web site by Lufthansa that claims to offer college students low fares with "flexible terms and conditions not found on most other travel sites."

Only those with a valid college e-mail address may register for promotions. It is currently running a Spring Break Special through Feb. 21 for travel Feb. 1 through March 20.

Getting refund for MaxJet flights

As suspected, MaxJet filed for bankruptcy and suspended service. If you have paid for a flight with a credit card and you contact your credit card company within 60 days of seeing the charge on your bill, you are protected by federal law. Just ask the credit card issuer to take the charge off your bill.

MaxJet is arranging alternate transportation with EOS Airlines (www.eosairlines.com or (800) 458-1277; the best way to fly business class between New York and London anyway), but it's not clear if it is paying for the EOS flight. Seems unlikely, but see details on its site at www.maxjet.com.

Reach George Hobica at

hobica@gmail.com, Kim Liang

Tan at KimLiangTan@aol.com

or log on to www.airfarewatchdog.com.