good morning, america. i'm bianna golodryga. >> and i'm dan harris. this is sunday, september 19th. this morning, direct hit. hurricane igor is heading straight for bermuda expected to hit with 90-mile-an-hour winds and 15-foot waves. can the island nation withstand the blow? an abc news exclusive. christiane amanpour goes one-on-one with iran's president on the same day that one of those freed american hikers flies home, so now the question is, will the other two imprisoned americans be set free as well? mass suicide. 14 people including 8 children have gone missing. family members say they are part of a fringe cult, and police fear they may have a suicide pact.

and airfares are taking off. this holiday season may be the most expensive travel period in years, so do you buy now or hope for a lower price later on? we've got some answers. fares may be going up, but the seats are shrinking. i just got off a flight the other day. it felt like we were packed like a sardine. >> it's getting increasingly uncomfortable. >> it is. very uncomfortable. but a lot of us are uncomfortable about some breaking news overnight. the scary and alarming story out of california. 14 people missing who police believe are part of a cult. all that they left behind was a bag holding their cell phones, deeds to their property and letters indicating they were eagerly awaiting the end of the world. police, of course, are taking the matter very seriously and put out an alert fearing

they may do harm to themselves. there are special fears for the eight children that are with them. so we'll have more. >> one is 3 years old. the other story we have coming up, you know this being from texas, they love football in texas. it's a way of life down there. now, one town is mourning a star high school quarterback. he had just thrown a touchdown pass when he collapsed and died on friday night. this is just the latest tragedy surrounding high school sports and now there is a new push for mandatory heart screenings before they play sports. we'll get into that debate and tell you what you can do to keep your child safe. but we do begin with hurricane igor bearing down on bermuda. right now it's a category 1 storm packing 90-mile-an-hour winds and it's headed straight for the island expected to hit sometime tonight and our david kerley is there waiting for it. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, a. as you can see, tropical storm-ewin hituda y.

this tory a l it went from actually good news to bad news. the bad news is igor is headed right here to bermuda. thes downgra cay still yesterday when this was a powerful hurricane, the premier issued a dire warning for the island. strong winds and waves and with the eye still a half day from what could be a direct hit on bermuda. as the storm was gathering, many of the 65,000 residents here took a look worried about what is going to slam their shores. >> that's what's scary, yeah, i've been here 45 years. i've seen some hurricanes. i think this one -- i don't know. i feel very, very nervous about this. >> reporter: so is the government of this british territory, which covers all of 21 square miles in the middle of the atlantic. >> today we stand on the eve of the arrival of one of the worst hurricanes to ever threaten our shores. >> reporter: why three hurricanes in the same week? experts say it's not climate change but a pattern that brings warm weather to the atlantic

fueling all these fierce storms. >> the increased hurricane activity could definitely be considered a new normal over the next five or ten years as the atlantic ocean remains on the warm side of normal. >> reporter: most tourists fled the ferocious storm. the last flight headed out to london. >> we were due to be here till wednesday. but we were told by the hotel, you know, you need to be out. >> reporter: at the airport and across the island plywood was cut, screwed into place. shutters closed to hold off the powerful hurricane. >> hopefully he sleeps through the whole hurricane. >> reporter: the storm wilhi overnight tonight. so the last-minute rus up, carrying a cooler on a scooter. >> prepare for the worst, you know. hope for the best. >> me, honey, as a i >> reporter: and it is time to be ready because the storm coming tonight we're about 12 hours away from the really strong, strong winds of this. it's still a massive storm, but this island was worried about something like they saw seven

years ago. when fabian hit, it was a category 3. igor, a category 1. unless it strengthens, there's some good news for bermuda. they may have actually gotten off lightly. we'll find out in about 12 hours, dan. >> let's hope it does not strengthen. david kerley in bermuda, thank you. here in the u.s., igor is more on that. here in the u.s., igor is more on that. k so much, dan. ry. big storm. it is seal h and yet it's still thousands of miles away from the united states. miles away from the united states. i thousand miles still, folks are feeling the effects in the form of very strong rip currents. take a look at this video out of volusia county, florida. 42 rescues made yesterday on the beaches there. five-foot waves, very strong rip current. today it's expected to be worse and they're expected to see eight-foot waves in portions of florida so take a look at the path. here's igor's path expected to hit bermuda later on today as a

category 1 hurricane but it stays well offshore much the united states. still it does pose a lot of threats especially if you are planning on going to the beaches today so anywhere from miami beach, daytona beach, even well beach, do t midalan and the ell northeast, you goi to see six to 12-foot waves and very, very strong rip currents and expect this condition to stay at least through tomorrow morning, tomorrow afternoon, so even though the beach is tempting, i wouldn't -- i wouldn't exact isly go into the water. we'll keep you updated. bianna? >> thank you. the american hike r released from iran after more than 13 months in custody is on her way back to the united states this morning. but sarah shourd leaves behind the men she was arrested with including her fiance shane bauer and their friend josh fattal. shourd expressed her gratitude to iran for mediating the $500,000 bail that was required for her release. >> i thank the good, hospitable people of iran, i thank you for your support and ask you to please, please extend your prayers to my fiance shane bauer

and my friend josh fattal. they will soon be free. >> she will appear later today in new york city timed to coincide with the iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad to attend the u.n. general assembly. "this week's" host christiane amanpour had an exclusive interview with him and she joins us now. good morning, christianne. >> good morning, bianna. indeed, not just sarah but also the u.s. government, secretary of state hillary clinton and many are ask iing the iranian president to make yet another "humanitarian gesture" and free both shane and josh. we asked him about it in the interview yesterday and indeed we played for him a special message from the two boys' mothers. >> we urge you again with your humanitarianism of the islamic republic of iran to show the same compassion you had for sarah to bring josh and shane home. >> translator: we're saddened that they are individuals in prison, and it makes us unhappy when people are prison anywhere

in the world, whether in iran or in the united states or elsewhere. >> and do you think they'll be released any time soon? would you intervene like you did with sarah? >> translator: i would give a recommendation, but their cases have to be examined, and they violated the law. do you want violators to be released? is that what you're asking me? >> well, as yet there has been no evidence presented according to the lawyers and according to people inside iran, although they may have already been charged. and one thing that we did ask president ahmadinejad is how and would they be able to be released? and he talked about swapping them for eight, he said, iranians who are in jail here in the united states, he claims. 's we asked -- i asked whether that meant him he was keeping the two americans hostage. and he said, no, but we want those iranians freed. so it's unclear how this is going to be resolved at this point. >> and ahmadinejad had some terse words for hillary clinton. you sat down with the secretary

of state when you were overseas in israel just a few days ago. >> well, that's right. and interestingly we have both the secretary of state and the iranian president on the show together, obviously not together, but the secretary of state expressing concerns about what she termed the increasing militarization of the iranian government and political space. i put that to president ahmadinejad, and as you can imagine, he categorically rejected it. >> translator: don't you think that miss clinton should think a little before she makes statements of such nature? how would she feel if we fabricated statements? in the united states 500,000 get executed. miss clinton has a -- >> on the other hand when i asked him whether he was ready to engage with the united states as mrs. clinton also talked about, he said, yes, he said we always have been. he said, i just released sarah shourd. isn't that a big gesture and a big signal? so that's what he was putting forth as one of the reasons for releasing sarah shourd.

bianna? >> and can we expect more pressure on ahmadinejad when he will be here at the u.n. on the release of the other two hikers? >> well, i'm sure there will be. as you know there are no direct negotiations or talks between the united states and iran on those particular matters but i'm sure there will be. the u.s. particularly secretary clinton telling me that they are continuing to work with their swiss interlocutors, the diplomatic embassy in iran, which acts on behalf of the united states. >> all right, and we will be watching a very busy week in new york, indeed and very busy show for christianne. you can see all of her interview with mahmoud ahmadinejad as well as her one-on-one with secretary of state hillary clinton later on this week. dan? >> bianna, in california this morning as you know there is a massive search going on for 14 people including eight children. all suspected cult members who according to police may be about to commit mass suicide. they've indicated to relatives that they were going somewhere to await the rapture.

meg oliver is on the story. >> reporter: police believe the 14 are all members of a cult-like christian group led by this woman, reyna chicas. >> they left behind notes saying that they were going to go visit their de vriesed relatives. >> reporter: family members reported the el savadoran immigrants ranging from age from 3 to 17 missing since early saturday. sheriff's deputies say one person left behind a purse with i.d.s, personal papers and letters saying they were awaiting the end of the world. >> they indicated that they were going to the next life, if you will. >> reporter: the group itself is somewhat of a mystery. police say members used to belong to a mainstream christian church before branching out on their own but described as fundamentalists in nature. california is no stranger to tragic suicide plots. in march 1997, police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the religious group heaven's gate, and back in 1978, 900 members of the people's temple based in san francisco were discovered in one of the largest mass suicides in

history in guyana. earlier this year, the group had another trip planned near a wilderness area close to palmdale, but it was canceled when a member told their family. that person was quickly ostracized and kicked out of the group. for "good morning america," meg oliver, abc news. so let's go to washington now and abc news consultant and former fbi special agent brad garrett. brad, good morning to you. to your ears how urgent does this situation sound? >> you know, it sounds fairly urgent to me, dan, because you're talking about people who have left notes and apparently talked about moving on to another life. and if you compare that both to jim jones and heaven's gate, it's people that are very determined that life after this life is going to be much better. so i would be concerned. >> well, why do you think it is so common that these groups end up committing mass suicide? >> because what they do, dan, is convince people that life here

is just not any good anymore, that we've become inhumane or whatever the trick may be to convince people that life is not what it should be. and so as a result, we're going to move on. we're going to feel better. we'll be together in the afterlife and start over as this world, the material world, disintegrates. >> generally speaking, what kind of people are attracted to groups like this? >> well, it tends to be people who are sort of lost in life. they don't feel empowered. they don't feel like that anybody really cares for them, and these groups bring them in. they empower them. they make them part of the brotherhood, so they feel like they have a purpose in life, and you combine that with isolation and a charismatic-type leader, it can be a combination that can lead to something unfortunate like we may be looking at at this time. >> so right now there's this big search going on. how do you imagine that the search is being conducted? what kind of tools are they using to find these people?

>> well, i would guess, dan, that they have gone to a place. they have been before. you've got all these family members to talk to. apparently according to previous reportings, they had talked about doing this and picked a location previously. so i would be surprised if law enforcement is not honing down right now where these people might be. >> unsettling situation to say the very least. brad garrett, we appreciate your time. this morning, thank you. bianna? >> all right, dan. well, president obama was out trying to re-energize his democratic base last night speaking to the congressional black caucus ahead of november's midterm elections. >> i need everybody to go back to your neighborhoods, to go back to your workplaces, to go to churches and go to the barbershops and go to the beauty shops and tell them, we've got more work to do. tell them we can't wait to organize. tell them that the time for action is now. >> but the president is facing renewed energy from the right.

conservatives descended on washington this weekend for the annual values voter summit and they're already looking ahead to 2012. john hendren has that story from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. when sarah palin spoke in iowa the other day, a lot of people thought she was dipping her toes into the waters for a 2012 presidential run. but a new straw poll has another lesser known candidate riding a cresting conservative wave. in one of the earliest tests for 2012, a surprise winner. who did you vote for? >> mike pence. >> for president i vot for mike pitts. >> congressman mike pence. >> reporter: the low-profile indiana republican might not be a household name, but for the conservatives here at the values voter summit, he speaks their language. >> i'm a christian, a conservative and a republican in that order. [ applause ] >> mike pence is somebody who is both a fiscal conservative and more importantly for this conference a cultural conservative. unapologetic on issues like gay

marriage and abortion, and that really appeals to this kind of audience. >> reporter: also riding the wave former arkansas governor mike huckabee who came in second. who is not, mitt romney, a former blue state governor from massachusetts, a distant third, too moderate, some say and former house speaker newt gingrich. >> he threw a bomb attention getter. >> reporter: he's been a fiery critic of the president assaulting his health and human services secretary yesterday after she warned insurers not to blame rate hikes on health care reform. >> she was behaving exactly in the spirit of the soviet tyranny. >> reporter: that was too much even for some conservatives. >> the rhetoric was a little strong. >> reporter: also surprising is who is not topping the list. >> we're due for a little rediscovery. >> reporter: palin, who won the vice presidential straw poll but came in fifth for president. >> there may be a message of not wanting to give her the keys to the car.

>> reporter: not in the driver's seat but as co-pilot they love her. we were expecting to hear today from anotheblic phenomenon, delaware senate candidate christine o'donnell. but after a week in which a number of her past controver comments surfaced, she canceled appearanandpdaanna >> all right, definitely a hot topic this midter i was at a dinner party last night. at the table surrounding us, as well, all talking about midterm. >> and now everybody will be talk about mike pence, a person noilop>> ty. heard we want to turn to the news headlines now. ron claiorneou. e. well, pope benedict wraps up his visit to britain today. the pope apologized on saturday to five people who were sexually molested by priests when they were children. later the pope held a vigil that drew a crowd ofu 8 suspected of plotting an attack against the pope have been ed. an iestigation turned up no and we're awaiting word from

bp that its once leaking oil well in the gulf of mexico has been permanenyapp engineers are conducting a inal pressure test on the cement plug to make sure that the well wll the well spewed more th 200,000 gf it was first stopped in mid-july. and six people were killed when a church van crashed north of new york city. police believe a blown-out tire caused the vehicle to roll over coming to a stop upside down. the bishop and his wife were among those killed. eight others were injured. and a 22-hour standoff ended in texas after a shooting suspect surrendered to authorities. the suspect, victor white, allegedly went on a shooting spree after a man came to repossess his trailer. the three victims who were not killed include two sheriff's deputies. none of the injuries are cons lif and finally, food fight. the tomatoes were flying at milwaukee's fourth annual tomato romp. on saturday about 200 people joined in throwing and getting hit by and with tomatoes. organizers say since the had

oktoberfest and pumpkin fest were already taken, they chose tomato throwing to celebrate. the best part, they have a bloody mary contest before and after. get you in the mood. >> lubricated for the fighting. >> lubricated, exactly. >> thank you, ron. we appreciate it. no tomato toss in here, marysol. >> please, no, bianna and dan. good morning to you guys, good morning. good morning, everyone. autumn is just a few days away but don't tell that to folks in the south and the west. look at these temperatures, 109 in phoenix. that breaks a record, albuquerque, 89. denver, 91. so the heat continues. 89 in houston where my friend and colleague hails from. before that,usbut she came here it was -- it's a long story to tell. we're also keeping a look at the heavy rainfall over th24 hours including the last 24 hours. more rain is forecast for today. kansas city, st. louis, springfield, not as much rin tot whouomit with

>> good morning, and dave zahren here. a delightful morning in the washington capitol. it's cool out there, 50's and low 60's. but just to the west you see light showers, with a threat in the afternoon hours. big picture. a cold front to the north of us. and high today in the >> thanks so much. more on your sunday outlook a little bit later in the show. bianna? >> all right, marysol. >> the golodrygas call is ruxan, russian/texan. anyway, coming up on "good morning america," a desperate search for a 78-year-old vermont grandmother of 9 who mysterio mysteriously vanished over a week ago. why police think she was abducted. also, in the wake of two

tragedies involving high school athletes this week, we're going to talk about what you can do to keep your child injury-free on the field. advice from a medical specialist coming up. plus, we're heading into what may be one of the most expensive holiday traveling seasons in a long time. how can you avoid paying twice as much for plane tickets as last year? [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. ♪ a nutritious start to the day is essential. that's why carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies the nutrients of a balanced breakfast. so kids get the protein and calcium they need to help build strong muscles and healthy bones. carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. as a va pharmacist, carnation instant breakfast i have technology, like computerized patient records, that helps me make a difference in the care of our veterans. and that's what they deserve.

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but viva puts 35% more towel between you and the mess. 35% more? are you ready to take that 1-step? yes, i'm ready. beautiful. [ cheers and applause ] [ sandy ] try viva® and quit the quilt. beautiful. [ cheers and applause ] hey, you guys. want to try activia's great new taste? isn't this the yogurt hat, you know... helps regulate your digestive system. trust me. it is beyond tasty. mmm. this is really good! new best tasting activia ever! >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> good morning, it's 8:27. and looking at top headlines, the american, sarah shourd is

back on american soil. arrived on american soil hours ago, arrested and facing charges in iran. now let's head over to dave zahren for a check of the forecast. >> good morning, a cool morning in the national capitol, temperatures in the 50's and 60's, and a cold front is approaching. still a very nice day. approaching. still a very nice day. high temperatures, warmer than

check it out. check it out. you're looking at what's called the forbidden island. it's a privately owned hawaiian island which is called niihau. actually bianna has a special pronunciation. do you want to say it? >> niihau. >> bianna golodryga, ladies and gentlemen. the family that owns this island rarely lets anyone to visit. they did allow our cameras in. we were the first american news crew to visit. we'll take you there in our "weekend window." i asked for that assignment and was rejected possibly because i don't pronounce the name of the island correctly.

>> you would have been given it if you just said nihau. bianna golodryga. it's sunday, september 19th. >> and i'm dan harris. also ahead, if you've got travel plan, maybe to niihau for this holiday season, expect your wallets to take a hit. unfortunately, airfares are already 10% higher than last year. the good news, we have tips on what you can do to make sure you get the best deals. plus we're going to talk about how to keep your kids safe on the playing field. over the past week two high school athletes died suddenly. why did this happen, and what can parents do to prevent their kids from getting hurt? but first a tiny vermont town is the scene of a very big search for a beloved 78-year-old woman who mysteriously disappeared. police think the popular and active grandmother was kidnapped but why? jeremy hubbard has the latest. >> reporter: a hundred volunteers from as far as connecticut and cape cod joined the search this weekend helping police and the fbi comb a 25-square-mile area. scuba divers even checked a

nearby quarry but still no sign of the missing grandma. >> anybody who has information relative to the case that can be helpful to please come forward. >> reporter: the mystery began last weekend when a friend came to pick up pat o'hagan for a rug hooking meeting. o'hagan was nowhere to be found. her car still in the driveway. >> there is no reason to believe that she's wandered off on her own. >> reporter: the family says pat isn't forgetful. she doesn't have a boyfriend and isn't wealthy so there's no financial motive. they're wracking their brain to find who doesn't like her. >> we're looking but can't find anybody. >> reporter: in sheffield, a quiet vermont town of just 700 missing person signs are now posted while o'hagan's children cling to memories of an active senior who cherished her family. >> probably the time she spent with my children. her grandchildren were very important to her. >> reporter: police have spent days conducting interviews following up on leads, and they plan an aggressive search again

today. >> we've been very busy. the public is continuing to give tips, and we're following up every lead we can. >> they're desperate to track down this well-known, well-liked widow. for "good morning america," jeremy hubbard, abc news. >> bizarre story. let's take a look at the rest of the day's headlines now with ron claiborne. good morning again. >> good morning, again, dan and bianna. good morning, everyone. in the news, president obama urged african-american voters, one of the most loyal blocs of democratic voters, to turn out in force for the november midterms. to the congressional black cauc caucus, he wants them to do what's right politically instead of what's right, period. allegations of fraud are being made about saturday's parliamentary elections in afghanistan. at least 14 people, meanwhile, were killed in bomb explosions and rocket attacks during the voting. and muslim organizations will hold a summit in new york city.

they pl to discuss th andy.te- and a joint in california is selling marijuana ice cream for medical use. flavors -- flavors include strawmari cheesecake, triple chocolate brownie, yeah, really, and bananabis foster. california. that is a quick look at the headlines. over to marysol with the weather. >> just give me vanilla swiss almond, and no one gets hurt. good morning, ron. good morning, everyone. we want to show you video out of bermuda ahead of the arrival of hurricane igor. there you can see what they're dealing with is a lot of heavy rain. it's still a category 1 hurricane, but you can see already causing rough seas. today they are expecting to see 30-foot seas. we follow the path, and >> good morning, forecaster dave zahren here. a look at the beautiful blue skies, 61 degrees. looks like a nice day for the

>> thanks so much. this weather report has been brought to you by macy's. dan? >> thanks, mary. now to a major concern for parents. as the school sporting season starts up again, keeping kids safe on the playing feed. this weekend a star high school quarterback, an excellent student, with dreams of playing for the university of texas longhorns died during a game. friday night after throwing his second touchdown pass, senior quarterback reggie garrett of west orange high school in texas collapsed on the sidelines. garrett appeared to have suffered a seizure and was unresponsive. >> all: hail mary full of grace. >> reporter: rushed to the hospital, he was later pronounced dead. >> just a big loss. everybody is going to be be -- tragedy. >> reporter: what isn't clear if the seizure was a pre-existing condition which was never flagged as being severe. garrett's death will now be

investigated. according to the cdc, high school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations annually. this past friday, 16-year-old antonio robis collapsed on his high school track running a routine drill. he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead of apparent heat exhaustion. and last week, hayward demison of central catholic high school in oregon scored the winning touchdown. moments later demison felt his heart racing. >> i got back up and i was -- i was trying to breathe a lot more and then -- >> he collapsed of a heart attack. his heart stopped for about two minutes before a nurse in the stands helped revive him. turns out he has a heart condition, something doctors previously diagnosed as asthma. his father is now fighting to mandate heart screenings for all high school athletes. >> i want this a law, and i won't stop. i'm going to push it that no other family has to go through it. >> for more on this, we're joined now by physical medicine

specialist dr. ian smith who is in chicago. ion, good morning to you. >> good morning, dan. >> so there's a debate in the medical community going on right now about whether all high school athletes should be given ekgs before they could play. to you does that sound practical and wise? >> well, absolutely. i mean, if you look at the situation, a lot of these injuries are hidden injuries that were there, but the sport unmasked the injury, and the question is whether or not the old physical exam that we used to do for prescreenings for athletes is enough. there is a very strong argument to have at least ekgs and some would argue an echocardiogram which allows you to look at the way the heart beats to make sure they don't have any hidden defect. now, when it comes to seizures, that's a whole different case for heat exhaustion. but when it comes to heart problems which are quite common we should look at that. >> if you're a parent, what kind of questions should you ask when you take your child in? >> well, the first important

thing is to understand the family history. do your parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents have any history of any kind of heart defects or illnesses because sometimes when you look at the family history, you may expect to see that in the child. the other thing that parents should ask the doctor is whether or not an intense burst of exercise would do any kind of damage to their child? are they physically able to handle that, and of course your doctor will give you advice from there. >> you say some parents are reluctant to tell the coach about any pre-existing condition. why do you think that is? >> well, there are two major reasons. some parents are just in denial. they don't want to admit their child has an ailment. the second part, parents don't want to cut their children short from playing sports and don't want to disappoint their child. they know that if they report it they might not be able to play

sports. so parents have to take the bull by the horn and be honest and open so these things don't happen. >> there is a much larger issue than these very, very serious cases. look at the stats, 30 million kids playing sports these day, 3 million injuries every year of all varieties. generally speaking why are we seeing so much more injury on the field now? >> well, i think it's twofold. i think, first of all, parents are not making their child be safe meaning they're not giving them the proper equipment, safety equipment. when parents are given the equipment they're going out and buying the equipment themselves instead of having professionals instead of having professionals you hav at standpot n ectu sports especl th i we'shinrn bcaust thbe t venus w >> you've told me a major thing ydryou've told me a major thing

y pgoino the football field or the basketball court and are not properly hydrated which can affect your soft tissues but i would advise all parents to make sure you're nourishing your child properly and hydrating them properly but also make sure you're having ianey u >> nio a holiday ares g of if you want to buy your tickets, you might end up paying twice as much as you did last year. we're going to give you a sense on how to get the best deals coming up. a a visitocf1 it's a hawaiian island that very few people get to see, but we're going to show you this afternoon. the l of home made chili whatever scents fill your household, purina tidy cats scoop helps neutralize odors in multiplelcat homes...

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we have some important news this morning for air travelers. be ready to pay more for your flight home these holidays. fares are going up and tickets for thanksgiving flights are already 10% higher than last year. so how can you make sure you get the cheapest ticket? joining us now from dallas is the co-founder of farecompare.com, rick seaney. good to see you, rick. thanks for joining us this morning. >> good morning. >> we talk about airfares going up 10% from where they were last year approaching the holidays. why are we seeing that? >> well, it was pretty tough

times economically last year. people procrastinated a lot. earlier tickets were almost half price and almost saw decades lows for almost all of 2009 so a bad year for airlines. >> yet we saw more and more they're canceling flights and packing these up, so wouldn't you think that that would make economic sense for them to have reasonable fares now given the measures that they've taken? >> that's exactly opposite of what gives them -- there's no reason to discount when planes are full. in fact, when planes are completely full, they raise the prices up in order to, you know, get more yield out of their tickets, so the bottom line is full planes, typically airlines will add a lot of seats when they know what's going on with the economy, but right now the economy is so tough, they don't know what's going to happen three months down the road, so they're not going to add backseats. ticket prices will go up. >> so what should consumers do now? should they book their holiday travel now, or should they wait? >> absolutely. you cannot procrastinate and

need to be shopping right now, not necessarily booking but shopping right now. don't book later than mid-october. if you get to the last minute you're going to be paying $600 to $800 for the tickets instead of 350 to 450 so the key is to do what i like to say call it better/bad deal. you'll pay more than you normally do but don't wait until the last minute this year. last year you did. the year before you could procrastinate but not this ye >> what are the best ways y >> welirst kno you always o low-cost airlines along with t legacy airlines. both of them compete very heavily in certain markets, so some of them could be dicaly le a connecting flight. connecting flights are running anywhere from 30% to 40% cheaper than those coveted nonstop flights but, remember, during the holidays, if you connect, you could get stuck, so be careful about that. >> just to give people a sense of the price hike, can you give us an example of what we can expect last year compared to this year?

>> for christmastime going coast to coast from new york to los angeles, around $325 around christmas last year. that was very cheap. right now it's running 400. i expect if you continue to wait for christmas, up until november or december, you'll see tick in the $700 to $800 range. >> and lastly i want to ask you about this united/continental merger. >> sure. >> a lot of talk of that in the business world, and we know that could mean potential layoffs for employees. what does that mean for flyers f >> i think the travelers, especially people that fly a lot on united/continental is about their loyalty points. i expect both of them to take the best of those programs and offer them up because the last thing they want to do during a recession or the post-recession is to lose a customer that's been loyal to them. then you al besto shht n is tuesday at 3:00 p.m. eastern time. if you shop at that time, you'll catch the most number of seats because sales are filed on monday. all the other airlines scramble

to match tuesday, so you should be shopping tuesday afternoon. >> that is the prime target. tuesday afternoon. thanks for some sound advice. thanks for joining us, rick. have af> yo > c up d mo the beauty and serenity of a little-known hawaiian island. ou. awarded "most appealing minivan." the only minivan with the soul of a volkswagen. now with 0% apr for 60 months. ♪ now with 0% apr for 60 months. hey, you guys. want to try activia's great new taste? isn't this the yogurt hat, you know... helps regulate your digestive system. trust me. it is beyond tasty. mmm. this is really good! new best tasting activia ever! ♪ activia with the best decongestant. my choice is clear. claritin-d. nothing works stronger, faster or longer for allergy congestion relief without drowsiness. get claritin-d at the pharmacy counter.

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there is an island in hawaii known as the forbidden island. it's been privately owned by the same family since 1864 and very few get to ever visit there. in fact, we were the first u.s. network crew ever to be allowed to shoot there. this morning our "weekend window" opens to niihau, hawaii, bianna. >> niihau. >> when you come out to niihau, what you are immediately going to notice is the peace and quiet.

the fact that you're going to a beach that doesn't have people on it. it doesn't have a lot of foot tracks on it. it's an open, empty beach. it is a privately owned island, and so nobody is allowed to come on here. even the shoreline and the breakers are owned by the family. you will be in the presence of an ecosystem that you won't find anywhere else. it's an unspoiled ecosystem. we'll see many times monk seals just lying there on the beach. >> there are a huge number of sales. probably the seals of niihau have recolonized the rest of the hawaiian islands. it's nice to know that they have

that place of refuge. >> a person doesn't own land as such. it's on loan from god, and you have to maintain it as best you can. this island is a legacy that needs to be preserved and passed on to the next generation. at sharp, our goal is to reproduce every color in the world on tv. introducing quattron quadpixel technology, it adds a fourth color, yellow, to the standard rgb color system, creating a vast array of colors you can't see with your tv's 3 color technology. but, you can see this... wow! oh my. [ male announcer ] quattron from sharp. y have to see it, to see it. [ takei laughs ] but it's also rich in powerful nutrients

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before we go to niihau, we want to mention that tickets are now on sale for the stand-up for heroes benefit presented by our own bob woodruff's foundation and the comedy festival. >> we got ours. jon stewart is emceeing. jerry seinfeld and tony bennett will al >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. good morning, it's 8:56, the police are continuing their

search for the suicide couple, both died of gunshot wounds. witnesses saw the two arguing. sarah shourd arrived at dallas airport, arrested after hiking in the iranian border, accused of being spies, and she was released because of their respect for women. >> good morning, what a great last weekend of the summer. this is a live shot, showing lots of clear skies. and a bit milder than yesterday, big picture, what can you expect today? look for high temperatures around the mid-80's, and yes, a few showers, and have a threat

for a stray shower or thunderstorm for everyone. topping at 79 degrees yesterday, and monday and tuesday, temperatures only in the upper 70's, and then by wednesday, first day of fall. what happens? the stickiness comes back and temperatures near 90, and maybe a thunderstorm and that system stays with us until friday where we could have more