Air marshals face smuggling charges
Air marshals face smuggling charges — Two federal air marshals are facing drug charges after allegedly agreeing to smuggle cocaine from a man who turned out to be a government witness, the U.S. attorney’s office in Houston, Texas, announced Monday. (CNN)
Cruise ship housing storm victims breaks loose in river — The Carnival ship Ecstasy  home for more than 1,000 New Orleans police officers, their families, and other city workers, was safely back at its moorings Sunday morning after a harrowing trip down the Mississippi River. (AP)
Pittsburgh airport to install universal check-in kiosks — Pittsburgh International Airport will install its first one-size-fits-all kiosks this summer, allowing passengers from any airline to bypass ticket counters and print boarding passes from ATM-like machines in the terminal. (AP)
Taxi drivers abandon Honolulu airport — Travelers arriving in Honolulu might be stuck on the curb for a little while because airport taxi drivers are refusing to work. (AP)
Rental car customers chafe at tougher rules — Hertz is now holding its customers responsible for “any and all” loss or damage to a rental car resulting from natural disasters, from hailstones to hurricanes.
Customers may complain, but they will not take their business elsewhere, analysts say. The move part of a industry trend called “unbundling.†(The New York Times)
Shark frenzy closes Australian beaches — Several tourist beaches along Australia’s popular Gold Coast were closed again Sunday because of a massive feeding frenzy involving more than 100 sharks, a lifeguard official said. (AP)
Plane skids off JFK runway, no one hurt — A Turkish Airlines flight skidded off a runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport Sunday night, but none of the 198 passengers was injured, a regional transportation spokesman said. (AP)
Pilot arrested at British airport on suspicion of being drunk — An American Airlines pilot was arrested at Manchester Airport on suspicion of being drunk Saturday shortly before his flight was due to take off, police and the airline said. (AP)
Upscale retailers latch on to captive airport audiences — Retailing in airports is soaring as more merchants see the potential of putting their merchandise within reach of a growing legion of air travelers with time on their hands. (USA Today)
China sees big safety challenge in aviation growth — China faces an enormous aviation safety and infrastructure challenge over the coming years as it grapples with explosive growth in passenger travel and tries to integrate new aircraft, the industry regulator said on Tuesday. (Reuters)
Priceline says air ticket bid business fading — Priceline.com, which came to prominence by offering travelers a chance to name their own price for hotel rooms and airline tickets, is seeing a sharp decline in its ability to sell plane tickets that way, its chief executive said Monday. (Reuters)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.