Airline screeners fail government bomb tests
Airline screeners fail government bomb tests — Imagine an explosion strong enough to blow a car’s trunk apart, caused by a bomb inside a passenger plane. Government sources tell NBC News that federal investigators recently were able to carry materials needed to make a similar homemade bomb through security screening at 21 airports. (NBC News)
FAA plans to extend flight cap at O’Hare — A cap on the number of flights into O’Hare International Airport that was to expire next month will likely be extended until Oct. 28, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday. (AP)
Delta CFO says airline won’t negotiate pay cut with pilots — Delta Air Lines won’t lower the amount of concessions it is seeking from its pilots any further, but would be willing to discuss concerns pilots have about the possible termination of their defined benefit pension plan, the carrier’s chief financial officer said in an interview Thursday. (AP)
Amtrak may restructure long distance train routes — Amtrak, under pressure to cut costs and reform its business practices, will reevaluate its 15 long-distance trains this year and could restructure that service, the railroad’s board chairman said Thursday. (AP)
Hooters Air leaving Tampa — Hooters Air apparently will depart the Tampa Bay area for good next month. An affiliate of the restaurant chain built on chicken wings and a wait staff in tank tops and tight shorts, Hooters Air has stopped selling flights at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport after April 17. (St. Petersburg Times)
Buffalo-Boston connection next for JetBlue — New airline service between Buffalo and Boston that’s been in the works for more than a year will happen starting July 1. JetBlue Airways has announced it will begin offering three round-trip flights between Buffalo Niagara International Airport and Boston’s Logan International Airport on that date. (Buffalo Business Journal)
Logan hikes weight-based landing fees — Planes may feel like cattle cars these days, as airlines try to maximize profits by squeezing passengers onto the smallest planes they can on every flight. To offset this trend, Logan International Airport will begin charging airlines 2.4 percent more for landing planes. (The Boston Globe)
Making germs a no-go — Traveling germophobes beware. While there are dozens of products on the market that claim to fight germs that you encounter on the road, medical experts say many of these products are more effective in quelling the psychological ick factor than in preventing disease. (USA Today)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.