Man jumps from moving jetliner onto tarmac
Man jumps from moving jetliner onto tarmac — An airline passenger bit a fellow traveler Monday, then jumped out of a jetliner moving on the tarmac, authorities said. He was later subdued with a stun gun. The man was taken to a hospital from the Fort Lauderdale airport, the Broward County sheriff’s office said. (AP)
New U.S. security device spots weapons under clothes — A new surveillance device using radio waves to look under peoples’ clothing for concealed guns, bombs or other weapons may be coming soon to a security checkpoint near you. (Reuters)
Italian airline worker protest causes havoc — Workers from Italy’s state airline are in the fifth day of a protest that is causing travel chaos and hundreds of cancellations of national and international flights. More than 180 Alitalia flights were canceled in Rome, with the work stoppage expected to continue until at least Wednesday. (Voice of America)
Travelocity buys Asia-Pacific travel portal ZUJI for $34 million — US-based Travelocity has fully acquired regional online travel booking firm ZUJI for 34 mln usd to boost its Asia-Pacific business. Under the deal, completed today in Singapore, Travelocity and its affiliates raised their stake in ZUJI to full ownership from 13.63 pct. (AFX News)
Travel websites gain visitors by offering more than low prices — The most popular destination for travelers continues to be the Internet. Forty-seven million Americans bought travel online in 2005, about 7 million more than in 2004, according to PhoCusWright. This year, travelers will spend about $79 billion online for leisure and self-booked business travel. (The Los Angeles Times)
Winter returns to Northeast, with a vengeance — A January heat wave came to an end Monday across New England as a storm brought dropping temperatures and heavy snow that closed scores of schools and caused road-closing traffic accidents. Up to 10 inches fell in some areas from eastern New York to Maine. (AP)
Father of pilot in seaplane crash files lawsuit — The father of the pilot killed in the crash of a Chalk’s Ocean Airways seaplane has filed a 100 million-dollar lawsuit against the airline. Pilot Michele Marks of Boynton Beach and 19 others aboard the plane were killed when it plunged into the water shortly after take-off en route to the Bahamas. (AP)
Rio’s Carnaval parade gives locals – and tourists – a moment to shine — The festival, which originated in ancient pagan celebrations of spring in Europe, goes from Friday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday  days when Brazilians on either side of the country’s deep social and economic divide can cast aside their worries together. This year’s party starts Feb. 25. (AP)
Car rentals get closer to home — Neighborhood car rentals  a practice that barely existed two decades ago  are now generating more than half the industry’s revenue. One big reason for the shift: Cars are cheaper to rent away from airports. (USA Today)
Not your grandmother’s bus tour — Retirees and all-you-can-eat buffets? Not on this travel bus tour. How about bar-hopping? Adventure side trips? Even scheduled free time and the potential for romance? Only travelers between the ages of 18 and 35 can board a Contiki Holidays bus for sightseeing trips geared toward the young and social. (AP)
Northwest, employees square off over contracts in court — Northwest Airlines may be undervaluing some of the benefit cuts its pilots have offered to help the struggling airline emerge from bankruptcy, experts for the pilots union testified Monday. (AP)
Southwest Airlines adds wireless reservation service — Travelers flying Southwest Airlines can now use their wireless computer connection to check-in for a flight, cancel boarding passes and obtain other flight information. (The Albany Business Review)
JetBlue to serve Dunkin’ Donuts coffee — JetBlue Airways Corp., parent of the low-cost airline, said Tuesday it will begin serving 10-ounce cups of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee on all its flights by the end of the month. (AP)
Flying in a snit — Etiquette in the air took a turn for the worse after 9/11, as travelers’ frustrations over long lines and intrusive security checks boiled over, and it sank even more last year as planes grew as crowded as cattle cars. Frequent travelers do not have high hopes for relief this year, either. (The New York Times)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.