Following similar hotel fee cuts made earlier this year by online travel sites Expedia and Priceline, Orbitz announced this week that it will stop charging customers hotel fees for changing or canceling reservations.

That is likely to mean a savings of $25 for Orbitz customers who book, then have a change of plans, reports the New York Times.

If paying extra for hotel Internet access once you've already shelled out for the room, then you're not alone, says USA Today.

Yet a recent survey by the publication of hotel brands found that 40 percent charge for hotel room Internet access at their U.S. hotels. On average, fees for the service fall into the $9.95 to $14.95 range.

In many cases, travelers are faced with paying extra to get online or trudging to the lobby or public spaces, where hotels often make wireless Internet access available free of charge.

After more than six months of charging for soft drinks in the economy class cabin during domestic flights, US Airways has decided that the policy is more trouble than it's worth. A recent memo to airline employees described the airline's practice of charging $1 for coffee and tea and $2 for soft drinks as, "a focal point that detracts from all of the outstanding moments."

Come March 1, 2009, non-alcoholic beverages will once again be free.

The news marks the first major airline fee rollback this year. We wonder if others will follow suit?