Girl among survivors of Mexican bus crash
Girl among survivors of Mexican bus crash — An overcrowded bus speeding home from a religious festival veered off a highway emergency ramp and crashed through a metal barrier Monday, plunging more than 650 feet into a ravine. Fifty-seven people were killed, including a 13-year-old boy. (AP)
Air of caution at CDC after mumps outbreak — It was the kind of news that many frequent fliers had long suspected. At a news conference last week, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that there is a possibility that airline travelers could contract mumps, measles or even tuberculosis from other airline passengers. (The Washington Post)
US Airways CEO blasts JetBlue — US Airways is responding to JetBlue’s move into the Charlotte market — so far — with a feisty letter from the chief executive rather than fare cuts. US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker blasted JetBlue over the weekend in a letter to employees, promising to “compete aggressively.” (The Charlotte Observer)
Mississippi senators’ rail plan challenged — Mississippi’s two U.S. senators included $700 million in an emergency war spending bill to relocate a Gulf Coast rail line that has already been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina at a cost of at least $250 million. Critics call it a gift to coastal developers and the casino industry. (The Washington Post)
Investors push oil over $70 a barrel — Oil prices closed yesterday at a record high of more than $70 a barrel, rising more than $1 on concerns about pipeline attacks in Nigeria and heightened diplomatic tensions between the West and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. (The Washington Post)
Bon Jovi gives N.J. tourism a good name — New Jersey’s tourism industry is getting some help from Sayreville native Jon Bon Jovi, who’s lending his new hit single to a state advertising campaign. (AP)
Environmentalists object to NYC duck boat tours — Boston has them. Philadelphia has them. Seattle, Baltimore and Atlanta have them. But an effort to bring the popular amphibious vehicles known as “ducks” to Manhattan for tours of the city is being challenged by an environmental group that says they will increase noise and pollution and cause safety problems. (AP)
Vietnam Air, AA start passenger-sharing alliance — Vietnam Airlines and American Airlines on Monday began a code-sharing agreement on Monday, an official of Vietnam’s state-owned airline said. The agreement will allow the airlines to expand their reach by selling and marketing seats on each other’s flights. (AFP)
Sea-Tac control tower silent for 25 minutes — For 25 minutes in the wee hours of April 11, the control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport did not respond to airplane traffic. “There were two planes affected — one trying to take off and one trying to come in,” airport spokesman Bob Parker said Monday. (AP)
Harrah’s plans to invest in Biloxi — Harrah’s Entertainment is acquiring more land on the storm-ravaged Mississippi coast and plans to sell two riverboats in Louisiana. (AP)
Godspeed replica to make stops on East Coast — A new replica of one of the three ships that carried Jamestown’s founders will set sail May 22 for a tour of six East Coast ports to begin commemorating the 400th anniversary of America’s first permanent English settlement. (AP)
Hooters Air lands for the final time — Known for featuring scantily clad women in orange short-shorts and tight T-shirts on flights, the airline last month said it will be grounded except for private charters out of Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP)
Cendant expected to name chief of Web travel business today — The Cendant Corporation is expected to announce today that it has named Jeff Clark as the chief executive of its online travel business, which includes Orbitz and Cheaptickets.com. The appointment comes as Cendant, the real estate and travel conglomerate, is preparing to break itself up by spinning off its four major units into publicly traded companies. (The New York Times)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.