Airlines, pilots fail to reach deal
Airlines, pilots fail to reach deal — Two of the nation’s largest airlines, Delta and Northwest, failed to reach new contract terms with their pilots Wednesday after marathon negotiations. (AP)
New Mexico governor signs spaceport bills — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed legislation into law on Wednesday that will allow his state to begin investing millions of dollars in a facility to launch tourists into space. (MSNBC.com)
Chicago runway too slick at crash — The runway at Chicago’s Midway International Airport was much slicker than pilots were led to believe on the snowy December night that a Southwest Airlines jet skidded through a fence and killed a 6-year-old boy, according to a USA TODAY analysis. (USA Today)
Runway calculations: Pure physics — As the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) searches for a cause in the fatal crash at Chicago’s Midway International Airport last December, it will perform extensive computer analysis to determine precisely how slick the runway was. Such analysis won’t be completed for months.(USA Today)
Mexico City now letting U.S. hotel stay open — Mexico City authorities Wednesday lifted a closure order on a Sheraton hotel, a day after they demanded that it be shut amid a dispute over the U.S.-ordered expulsion of a group of Cubans meeting there. (Reuters)
Young boy bitten by rat in hotel — A Lake District hotel faces legal action after two members of a family, including a three-year-old boy, were bitten by a rat in their bed. (BBC News)
Using Amtrak rails to cost states more — Maryland and other northeastern states could face “significant” new costs for the use of Amtrak’s tracks by MARC and other commuter rail lines, according to state Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan. (The Baltimore Sun)
Biodiesel car rental comes to Los Angeles — A company offering rental cars powered entirely by biodiesel set up shop in Los Angeles on Tuesday, hoping to bring the aroma of popcorn and doughnuts to the city’s smoggy freeways. (Reuters)