Northwest gets more time for bankruptcy plan
Northwest gets more time for bankruptcy plan — A New York bankruptcy court judge on Tuesday allowed management of Northwest Airlines six more months to develop a reorganization plan. The carrier, which faced a Jan 12. deadline for such a plan, in court papers called its bankruptcy “among the largest and most complex cases ever filed.” (AP)
Debate builds around rebuilding — Homeowners in New Orleans should be free to rebuild in every neighborhood, even those most severely flooded by Hurricane Katrina, says a commission proposing a recovery plan for the city. (USA Today)
AirTran growth strategy seen as opportunistic — AirTran Airways has a lucrative way of finding sunshine on someone else’s cloudy day. The low-cost carrier, a unit of AirTran Holdings, bases its growth strategy partly on the failures of rivals that are forced to pull planes off unprofitable routes. (Reuters)
Airport screeners’ strains, sprains highest — Federal airport screeners continue to have the highest injury rate among the nation’s workers nearly two years after the Transportation Security Administration discovered the problem. (USA Today)
WHO tries to allay fears over bird flu outbreak in Turkey — The World Health Organization on Wednesday tried to allay fears of a massive bird flu outbreak in Turkey, telling people not to panic but urging them to avoid contact with sick or dead poultry. (AP)
Spirit Airlines begins service from D/FW airport — Spirit Airlines on Tuesday became the sixth low-cost carrier to begin operating out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Miramar, Fla.-based Spirit received a $250,000 incentive package from D/FW Airport. The airline will operate out of one gate in Terminal E. (Dallas Business Journal)
Fliers wonder if there’s no such thing as a free ride — The proportion of domestic airline passengers traveling on free tickets continues to diminish, the result of changes in mileage programs and consumer preferences. (USA Today)
Independence Air ends: No bang, some whimpers — Independence Air Flight 1217 from Newark Liberty International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport made its final journey last week. A writer shares his thoughts and those of the passengers and crew aboard this flight. (The New York Times)
Israel to end deals with Pat Roberson over Sharon bashing — Israel will not do business with Pat Robertson after the evangelical leader suggested Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke was divine punishment for the Gaza withdrawal, a tourism official said Wednesday. (AP)
Shake-up at ATA Airlines — ATA Airlines, which flies to Hawaii from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, is reassigning its senior executives. The parent company of the bankrupt carrier, Indianapolis-based ATA Holdings Corp., announced Wednesday that CEO John Denison had decided “to drive accountability down to each of its two lines of business.” (Pacific Business News)
A refresher on etiquette at 35,000 feet — Most of us have heard that rats begin to attack each other when they’re forced by researchers into an overpopulated environment. Airline executives know that passengers on their airliners have similar tendencies when they are overcrowded. Bottom line: Courtesy defuses stress, even at 35,000 feet. (ABC News)
Florida adventures beyond Orlando and Miami — If your idea of a vacation in Florida has more to do with mangroves than Mickey Mouse or Miami, check out the Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State . (AP)
Las Vegas hotel-casino destroyed — After spending two shuttered years living up to its name, the Castaways hotel and casino went out with a bang Wednesday morning. (AP)
Turin may offer more after Olympics — Can’t find a hotel room in Turin for the Olympics? Worried about getting stuck in traffic on the single-lane road that leads to the games’ Alpine hub? Don’t want a repeat of the nightmare at the Salt Lake City airport the day after the 2002 Winter Games ended? Visiting Turin after the February 10-26 Olympics may have its advantages. (AP)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.