Northwest Airlines strike is imminent
Northwest Airlines strike is imminent — The bitter dispute between Northwest Airlines Inc. and its mechanics union took another step toward a strike when talks stalled Wednesday. The union told the airline it’s pulling out of what was to have been a four-day talk session that began Tuesday at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Mediation Board, the federal agency that handles labor disputes in the airline industry. (Free Press)
Win free airline 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.*
U.S. issues London travel warning — The U.S. State Department has warned Americans to maintain “a high level of vigilance” while living or traveling in Britain, following the bombings in London last month. Investigations are ongoing into the July 7 bombings that killed 52 people on three Underground commuter trains and a double-decker bus, and the July 21 attempted bombings, also on the British capital’s mass transit system. (AP)
Rising gas prices aren’t a problem in South — Rising gas prices are not deterring travelers from taking leisure trips, especially in Florida, AAA has said. The travel group said more than two-thirds of surveyed AAA Auto Club South members in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee said they planned to make at least one leisure trip to or within Florida in the next 12 months.
Travel concern: balancing security with privacy — The debate over where to draw the line between public safety and civil liberties is being waged, among other places, in the labyrinth of train and subway entrances below Penn Station. For her part, Judy Joseph, who works for a publishing company in the city, would like to see more security on trains, not less. She’s comfortable with police randomly searching bags and backpacks as long as “it’s clear that everybody could be subject to being searched.” (USA Today)
Cruise turns into homeland security incident — Activity aboard a Newport dinner cruise Tuesday night led to a homeland security check, during which four men were questioned and detained. The incident happened on the Harbor Queen after passengers talked to the captain. (Turn to 10)
Avis and Budget give young renters a break — Nick Pierangeli would have liked to have rented a car for trips to Chicago and North Carolina, but he is 24, and restrictions on rentals for younger drivers meant the Silver Spring resident had to take taxis and buses, or drive his own car. Yesterday, he heard that Avis Group Holdings Inc. and Budget Rent A Car System Inc. have decided to give the 14 million Americans in the 21-to-24 age group a break. (Washington Post)
Hotel ‘hero’ saves guests in fire — A Belfast man has been hailed a hero after alerting dozens of holidaymakers to a fire in their Donegal hotel. About 40 guests were in the Beech Hotel in Downings when the fire broke out in the early hours of the morning. (BBC)
Tube traffic down 30 percent, post-7/7 — Tube passenger numbers have dropped by 30% at weekends and between 5% and 15% on weekdays, since the 7 July bombings, a senior manager has told BBC News. (BBC)
Body found in Air France wheel bay — The body of a boy believed to be of African origin was discovered in the wheel bay of an Air France flight when it arrived in Paris from Canada, French police said Wednesday. The corpse of the boy, thought to be around 15, was discovered Tuesday in the undercarriage of an Airbus A330 jet coming from Montreal. (AFP)
Woman tries to open plane door in midair — A woman was arrested Wednesday for attempting to open an airplane exit door while the plane was still in the air, police said. The 52-year-old woman from Dania Beach, Florida, left her seat and tried to open the door as the United Airlines flight was descending into Seattle to land, police said. (AP)
Air France pilot faces inquiry — Investigators trying to piece together why an Air France jetliner crashed and burned at Canada’s busiest airport said Thursday they will interview the co-pilot first because the pilot remains hospitalized and unable to answer questions. Real Levasseur, leading the investigation by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board, said the captain of Flight 358 from Paris was still in the hospital with back injuries. (AP)
Boeing: 787 will make flying ‘fun again’ — Coming soon to an airport near you: an airliner with a window in the lavatory. Boeing plans to offer restrooms with views as standard equipment on its new 787 airliners. It’s part of a much larger industry-wide competition to woo travelers — or at least the carriers that buy planes — with cabin amenities that sizzle. “We’re making flying fun again,” said Boeing spokeswoman Mary Hanson. (Herald)
City official blasts Royal Caribbean — Maria Karczewski couldn’t wait to board Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas in Bayonne last week for a cruise to Bermuda. But now she says she’ll never again sail with Royal Caribbean. (Jersey Journal)
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.