Investigation finds new terror threat from cargo
Investigation finds new terror threat from cargo — Nearly four years after 9/11, Americans flying on passenger planes remain vulnerable to another terrorist attack in the air because of lax screening of the millions of tons of cargo loaded into the belly of aircraft, a three-month CNN investigation shows. (CNN)
Hurry! Last chance to win tickets — Wanna fly somewhere for free this summer? When you register at Tripso’s forums and make your first post, you’ll be automatically entered to win two tickets on US Airways. The tickets are good through June 30, 2006. But hurry: you have to register and post before August 15, 2005 to be eligible.*
Gas prices hit another record high — Motorists got a barrelful of bad news Wednesday when oil prices soared to a new high, gasoline set another record in California and the Department of Energy warned that pump prices could remain above $2 a gallon through much of next year. (LA Times)
Northwest, rivals, prepare for strike — With too many of its planes grounded for repairs Wednesday, Northwest Airlines gave passengers and employees a look at what travel may be like if it tries to keep flying during a mechanics strike or lockout that looms next week. Northwest hired a charter jet to whisk travelers from Detroit Metro Airport to Dallas. (Free Press)
Irene may turn into a hurricane, hit U.S. — Tropical depression Irene became a tropical storm again as it moved closer to the East Coast on Thursday, raising the possibility it could eventually hit the United States as a hurricane. (AP)
Will the TSA let us leave our shoes on? — If the Transportation Security Administration has its way, wearing flip flops through airport security checkpoints will once again be a lifestyle choice instead of an attempt to avoid the podiatric strip tease now associated with airline travel in the post-9/11 era. (NBC)
Brits: bombings? What bombings? — Air travel in the UK reached record levels last month despite the London bombings. BAA, the airport operator that runs Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted as well as four other airports, said passenger numbers reached 14.6 million, up 2.6% on July 2004. (Guardian)
Punk rock singer jumps from limousine, causes traffic jam — A 25-year-old punk rock singer apparently jumped from a limousine into predawn traffic on the San Diego Freeway in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, and was killed when struck by at least a dozen cars, authorities said. The 5 a.m. incident triggered a huge rush-hour traffic jam. (LA Times)
Probe into missed TNT at checkpoint — Customs officials are investigating an Ontario man’s claim that three airport security systems failed to detect 170 grams of explosive material he accidentally brought back from Sri Lanka in his stowed luggage. “We’re very concerned,” said Paula Shore of the Canada Border Service Agency. “It’s not something that should ever have been allowed on an aircraft.” (Star)
United not concerned with lost gates in Chicago — United Airlines said Wednesday that it does not expect to lose gates at O’Hare International Airport under an agreement with the city that sets minimum-use requirements for the carrier to keep them. The agreement was reached Sunday, United said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. (Bloomberg)
British Airways paralyzed by sympathy strike — British Airways was today forced to stop check-ins to all its Heathrow flights after baggage handlers walked out in sympathy with sacked catering staff. A Heathrow Airport spokesman said this afternoon: “The continuing industrial difficulties at Gate Gourmet have escalated, resulting in a stoppage by some British Airways staff. (Sun)
A bigger shuttle for Delta — Passengers on the Delta Shuttle will notice a change beginning Nov. 1: a different kind of airplane. Delta Air Lines plans to announce today that it will retire the Boeing 737-300 jets that it has been using on the shuttle, which flies between New York and Boston and New York and Washington. Instead, it will substitute nine McDonnell-Douglas MD-88 jets on the shuttle routes. (The New York Times)
Israel cruise ship plot exposed — A Syrian believed linked to al Qaeda was taken before a Turkish court Thursday on suspicion he was plotting to slam a speedboat packed with a ton of explosives into cruise ships carrying Israeli tourists. (AP)
That’s not a tomahawk — this is a tomahawk — Four masked men have used a tomahawk and a machete to hold-up a hotel overnight in Sydney’s north west. The robbers entered the hotel on Parramatta Road in Auburn shortly after midnight today, police said. The bandits, who had their faces disguised with beanies, hoods and other clothing forced the hotel staff, patrons and security officers on to the floor. (Australian)
Skip Bowman, Carrie Charney, Leslie Friedman, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.
Here’s the fine print on Tripso ticket giveaway: When you make your first post as a registered user, you will automatically be entered to win. Travel is roundtrip in coach class anywhere US Airways flies in the continental United States, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America. There are some blackout dates, such as major holidays. Sorry, they must be US Airways flights and their codeshare partners don’t count