Thursday Travel Ticker: Drop expected in LAX holiday travel

LAX officials estimate more than 750,000 travelers will pass through the airport Memorial Day weekend, representing a decrease of 7.4% compared with the four-day holiday period in 2011. Higher fares resulting from higher fuel prices are being blamed.... The angler who pulls in the grand prize tagged trout will win $50,000 at Big Bear’s fourth annual Fishin’ for $50K Trout Derby on June 9 and 10. Entry is $55 for adults and $30 for participants under 16; www.bigbear.com or (800) 424-4232.... Festival Mozaic presents a summer program July 11-22 along the Central Coast. It features musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony and other orchestras across the country; www.festivalmozaic.com or (805) 781-3009.... Yosemite fire managers say grasses and other vegetation at the lower elevations have begun to dry out faster than usual because of the low snowpack the park received over the winter.... The Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn recently broke ground on a project that will add a dozen rooms. The inn in Oakhurst, the last town before the southern entrance to Yosemite, aims to complete the project next spring.... The North Lake Tahoe Memorial Day Weekend kicks off Friday with the sixth annual Opening Day at the Lake, a four-day event along the west and north shores of the lake. Airport shuttle service between North Lake Tahoe and the Reno-Tahoe Airport runs from 3:30 a.m. until midnight. Fees are $40 per person, one way, and $75 round trip.... Kimpton’s FireSky Resort & Spa is giving teachers a break this summer with a $75-per-night deal in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale.... The Brazilian airline Trip said this week that one of its female pilots tossed a passenger off a flight because he was making sexist comments about women flying planes. After a one-hour delay, the jet continued on to the state of Goias.... American is the first U.S. airline to take delivery of the Boeing 777-300ER. Among the features are mood lighting, archways, ceiling treatments and AC power outlets at every seat. The first route to use them: Dallas-Fort Worth to Sao Paulo, Brazil.... McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas has released a guidebook to its Terminal 3 expansion, which opens June 27. It is the largest project in the airport’s history; www.mccarran.com.... The Gold Spike Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas holds Cruisin 4 Hope Poker Run and Brewfest on June 16 to benefit Hopelink of Southern Nevada. Participants visit five checkpoints between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., drawing a playing card at each one; www.cruisin4hope.com.... Actor and comedian David Brenner plays Vegas’ Suncoast Showroom on June 10. Tickets start at $15.95; (702) 636-7075 or www.suncoastcasino.com.... Spa Mandalay at Mandalay Bay is offering a Father’s Day package ($225), which includes a 50-minute massage and steam wrap and a 50-minute facial.... El Capitan Canyon, a comfort camping destination just north of Santa Barbara, has added three new sleeping yurts; www.elcapitancanyon.com or (866) 352-2729.... Don’t forget this as summer hiking season begins: “Leaves of Three, Beware of Me.” Poison ivy and poison oak leaves both cluster in sets of three.... Travel quote of the day: “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” (Clifton Fadiman)