After flight, how much for taxi into the city?

Ever wonder what the typical cost of an airport taxi ride is for major cities around the world?

The Associated Press sent reporters out with a tourist’s itinerary on a weekday in June in five cities around the world to compare various costs.

Here’s what they found in regard to taxi rides from major airports into cities:

Tokyo, $82.40; 20 minutes from Haneda Airport, which is being used by a growing number of international tourists. Fare from Narita International Airport runs $300.

Paris, $73.50; one hour.

New York: $58; one hour, 15 minutes, including waiting in line to get the cab.

Buenos Aires, $33.40; one hour 15 minutes.

Dubai, $13.60; 10 minutes.

And for travelers seeking an overall view of a city from one of the tallest buildings, here’s a comparison of the top spots:

Dubai, $28.59 for the Burj Khalifa; 12-minute wait. Tickets must be reserved in advance because they are often sold out.

New York, $23 for the Empire State Building; one hour in half a dozen choices of lines for ticket, security and elevators.

Paris, $18 for the Eiffel Tower; usually less than a half-hour wait but the elevator broke down the day the reporter was there, resulting in a three-hour wait.

Tokyo, $10.30 for the Tokyo Tower; no wait.

Buenos Aires, no luck. The Obelisco was closed for renovation and the rooftop cafe at the PanAmerican Hotel is open only to hotel guests.

More airline tickets bought from agents

The travel agent industry isn’t what it used to be, given that so many folks get tickets themselves online, and airlines don’t offer the commissions to agents that they used to.

But things are looking a bit brighter for the industry, at least in regard to airline ticket sales.

Airlines Reporting Corp., the company that offers financial services that links travel agents and airlines, said the value of airline tickets sold by agents in the first five months of this year was $39.3 billion.

That was up nearly 7% from a year earlier and about 15% higher than in the same period in 2010.