Jet lands at Logan after sparks fly
Jet lands at Logan after sparks fly — Air traffic controllers at Logan International Airport spotted sparks coming from underneath a Midwest Airlines jet on takeoff last night, prompting the pilot to return to Boston and make an emergency landing, officials said. (The Boston Globe)
Union fined, strike continues in NYC — New Yorkers are awaking Wednesday to the second day of a public transit strike, with no sign of workers returning despite $1 million-a-day fines slapped on their union by a judge. (CNN)
Aviation laws demand attention to age factor — Few airlines fly a fleet of planes as old as Chalk’s Ocean Airways. The small Florida carrier uses Grumman Mallard G-73s, an antiquated seaplane with a World War II-era design. But age alone shouldn’t be considered a safety hazard, investigators say. (USA Today)
NTSB: Crash came after wing fell off — The seaplane that crashed off Miami Beach and killed all 20 people on board plummeted into the ocean after its right wing inexplicably fell off, the acting head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday night. (USA Today)
Hijacker sought by U.S. released — The German government disclosed Tuesday that it had freed a Hezbollah member who had been convicted of hijacking a TWA airliner in 1985, allowing him to return to his native Lebanon despite long-standing requests from the United States to hand him over for trial. (The Washington Post)
Pilot jailed for poisoning passenger — An off-duty Indonesian airline pilot was jailed yesterday for 14 years for murdering one of the country’s leading human rights activists by lacing his food with arsenic during a flight. (The Guardian)
Saudi Arabia to get $26 billion makeover for tourism — Saudi Arabia will build a $26.7 billion Red Sea resort, port and financial centre to help boost tourism and trade in the conservative kingdom, its developers said on Tuesday. (Reuters)
What’s worse than getting sick while traveling? — A sudden illness or injury in an unfamiliar locale has always been a job hazard for business travelers. Such a turn for the worse of an employee’s health has also become a growing headache for companies as they expand into new overseas markets. And things could get worse, travel industry analysts say. (The New York Times)
AirTran workers reject union — A group of AirTran employees has voted against representation by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the airline says. (Orlando Business Journal)
12-foot shark attacks trans-Atlantic rowing boat — A 12-foot shark attacked the boat of a New Zealand team competing in a trans-Atlantic race on Tuesday, rocking the vessel and leaving the rowers “shell shocked.” (AP)
Cancel or cope? Transit strike strands tourists — For days, officials have been warning about the economic impact of a strike on the city’s tourism industry, which generates about $24 billion a year in business activity. In 2004, the city drew about 40 million visitors for the entire year. (USA Today)
Huge rental car center set to open at Sky Harbor Airport — A $270 million rental car center is set to open at Sky Harbor International Airport early next month. The facility has been under construction for nearly two years. (AP)
Boeing says a bigger 787 his ‘highly likely’ — Boeing says it’s talking with airlines about a stretch version of its new, fuel-efficient 787 jetliner. (AP)
Port of Miami open after 27-hour delay from accident — The Port of Miami reopened to ship traffic Tuesday evening, about 27 hours after the Coast Guard halted sailings to investigate the deadly crash of a Chalk’s Ocean Airways seaplane that carried 20 people. The shutdown affected cruise ship passengers most. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Pet owners miffed by Air Canada holiday policy — Some dog owners are upset with Air Canada because they are unable to travel with their pets over the holidays. Air Canada recently introduced a policy that restricts passengers from checking their pets in a plane’s baggage compartment between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6. (CBC)
Deals scarce this holiday — Looking for a last-minute flight to visit grandma or escape the in-laws this holiday season? Get ready to shell out $400 or $500, if you’re lucky. In recent years, consumers were able to score ultra-cheap airfares over the holidays by booking tickets just a few days or weeks before travel. It’s a different story this time around. (Rocky Mountain News)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.