This morning's Wingint It column looks at the close ties between economic recovery and travel. Read it all here. 

Last week's Winging It column reported on efforts by the travel industry to find funding to promote the United States better to foreign visitors, and help explain to would-be visitors how to meet entry requirements. The nation, it seems, has developed an unwanted reputation since 9/11 for some of the least-friendly welcomes at internatonal gateways for travelers from overseas.

 Now the Travel Industries Association, representing 1,700 organizations and busineses, reports that Congress is moving ahead on legislation that sets up a public-private partnership to help with the effort. The private sector will contribute some funds and the rest will come from a $10 entry fee on visitors who don't already pay for a U.S. visa. The association says 50 senators and 245 House members now co-spnsor the legislation. It has been reported to the Senate floor and approved by a House subcommitte, with the House Commerce Committee expected to act this week. This kind of effort could help Philadelphia and any other city or region that wants to welcome more of those free-spending folks from overseas. 

British Airways opened its new Terminal 5 at its London Heathrow Airport last spring with great fanfare. Unfortunately, the terminal really wasn't functioning fully, with major snafus in baggage-handling equipment and other problems giving an ugly shiner to the airline's service reputation. Slowly but surely, BA has worked out the problems and as of this morning, opened Terminal 5 to another 30 long-haul flights, including the daily roundtrips it makes between PHL and LHR. Also using the terminal for the first time today are flights to other U.S. cities and destinations in Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.

As it does with all its international operations, BA it touting the facilities for business- and first-class passengers. Last fall, the airline opened a new lounge for those customers at PHL, in Terminal A-West, across a wide corridor from its gate. BA officials say the PHL lounge is similar in decor and amenities -- although smaller -- to what the business traveler will find at the other end of the trip, in Terminal 5. As we've written about before, competition for premium passengers on all airlines serving Heattrow is about as keen as it gets in the airline business. Travelers who can afford to sit up front prefer LHR to other London airports, helping explain why US Airways added a PHL-LHR flight last year while still serving the PHL-London Gatwick route. And Continental recently decided to give up serving Gatwick from its Newark hub in favor of flying just to LHR.