Agreement puts United’s exit from Ch. 11 nearer
Agreement puts United’s exit from Ch. 11 nearer — United Airlines resolved simmering disputes Thursday with its unsecured creditors, clearing the way for the carrier to end its 3-year-old bankruptcy case in a few weeks. (USA Today)
U.S. airline pilots complaining more about fatigue — A growing number of U.S. airline pilots are complaining about fatigue from longer work days brought on by crew schedule changes at airlines that have restructured, or continue to restructure in bankruptcy, the nation’s top pilots’ union said Thursday. (Reuters)
Landing-gear door left open on Alaska Airlines flight — An Alaska Airlines passenger jet had to make an emergency return to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after a company mechanic apparently left a landing-gear door open, the company has acknowledged. (AP)
2005 a banner year for passports — Last year was another record year at U.S. passport offices. About 10.1 million of the blue booklets were issued in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the State Department says. That’s up from 8.8 million in fiscal 2004. (USA Today)
New N.J. slogan: ‘Come see for yourself’ — If you were pulling for “New Jersey: You Got a Problem With That?” as the new state slogan, forget about it, buddy. The winning entry in the New Jersey tourism slogan contest was: “New Jersey: “Come See For Yourself.” (AP)
Kicked-back Cancun kicks in — Two months after the Category 4 Hurricane Wilma struck the popular resort of Cancun, causing an estimated $2 billion in damage, the place is back in business  though hardly back to normal. (USA Today)
Millionaire prepares for new flight record — With a wingspan as wide as an 11-story building, and a body weight so light it cannot land without drag chutes to slow it, millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett’s experimental plane arrived yesterday at the space base in Cape Canaveral, Florida to prepare for another record-breaking flight. (Reuters)
In Oregon, it’s a brew put world — For people partial to fine craft brews and plenty of local color, Portland’s rainy winter season is a great time to visit the city that is king of beers. Indeed, Portland has more breweries - 28 - than any other city in the nation if not the world, and it has arguably become one of the best destinations anywhere for beer-tasting. (The New York Times)
Northwest pilots agree to freeze pension plan — Northwest Airlines Corp. pilots have agreed to freeze their defined benefit pension plan while the company changes to a plan based on employee contributions. (Reuters)
American Airlines charged over reserve pilots — The U.S. government filed a lawsuit against AMR Corp.’s American Airlines on Thursday charging that the carrier denied benefits to three of its pilots during their service with the Naval Reserve and Air National Guard.
Memphis airport launches flight tracker — Picking up relatives and business colleagues from the airport on time could become easier thanks to a new feature added to Memphis International Airport ’s Web site. (Memphis Business Journal)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.