Passenger plane carrying 160 people crashes in Venezuela
Passenger plane carrying 160 people crashes in Venezuela — An airliner carrying 160 passengers and crew members crashed into a mountain in northern Venezuela early today after reporting engine trouble, killing all aboard, aviation authorities said. The plane, an MD-82 made by McDonnell Douglas and operated by West Caribbean Airways of Colombia, was carrying French vacationers to Martinique from Panama when the pilots reported engine problems to Venezuelan air-traffic controllers at 3:07 a.m., the authorities in Venezuela said. Ten minutes later, the controllers lost radio contact. (New York Times)
Mergers to watch — Get ready for a raft of mergers in the U.S. airline industry. The proximate cause, of course, will be the bankruptcies. A filing by Delta Air Lines seems imminent, with Northwest Airlines taxiing not far behind. Bankrupt airlines have become as familiar as long security lines at U.S. airports. US Airways Group has filed for bankruptcy protection twice. UAL, the parent of United Airlines, has been stuck in Chapter 11 for nearly three years. If US Air gets out, it will because of the generous agreement from America West Holdings to buy the carrier. (Analysts remain pessimistic about that marriage surviving.) (Forbes)
New ships come in two sizes: big and wow — After a brief lull, cruise lines are on a building spree again. Would it surprise you to learn that the buzzword is “behemoth”? I didn’t think so. Of 22 vessels on the docket through 2009, only one will carry fewer than 2,000 passengers. And at 1,848, that’s not fewer by much. Bigger ships will require bigger ports. And according to Seatrade, a maritime-industry organization, “almost 300 ports around the globe will need access or facilities upgrades, requiring an investment of at least $3.5 billion.” (Newsday)
Baltimore closes in on $305 million hotel — Baltimore’s City Council moved closer to approving a publicly financed convention center hotel, which, at $305 million, would be the city’s most expensive project. In a key vote, the council voted 9-6 on Monday to publicly finance the hotel construction with $305 million in city revenue bonds. All that’s left is one, largely formal final vote, expected next month, to put a 752-room Hilton on a parking lot next to the downtown Convention Center in 2008. (Washington Post)
Popsicle cruise ship? — A former Hollywood stunt man now living in the Netherlands launched his greatest project to date Tuesday: a 45-foot replica Viking ship made of millions of wooden ice cream sticks and more than a ton of glue. Rob McDonald named the ship the “Mjollnir” after the hammer of the mythic Norse god of thunder, Thor. After the 13 ton boat was lifted into the water by crane, “Captain Rob,” as he is known, stood calmly on the stern as a team of volunteers rowed the apparently sturdy vessel around the IJ River behind the city’s central station. (Los Angeles Times)
BA braced for strikes as talks fail — British Airways was bracing itself for further unofficial strikes last night after talks broke down between its catering suppliers and the trade union representing 670 sacked workers. Negotiations between Gate Gourmet and the Transport and General Workers Union were abandoned after the company refused to reinstate all the workers. The union appealed to BA to intervene saying that it could not “do a Pontius Pilate on this issueâ€Â. (The Times)
An X-Box on your pillow — At the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif., concierge Kelly Conway recently added a new title to his job description: “game butler.” As upscale properties intensify the competition to differentiate themselves from one another, they are starting to add high-tech videogame equipment to the list of amenities they provide. At the Viceroy, which is owned by the Kor Hotel Group, guests can check out a Sony PlayStation 2 or PlayStation Portable device free of charge. Then, if necessary, they can call on Mr. Conway, a “self-diagnosed videogame addict,” to coach them on the finer points of popular games like “Twisted Metal: Head-On” or “Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee.” Game machines like these — along with an array of high-tech gear aimed at traveling videogame lovers — are joining pay-per-view movies and overpriced nuts in hotel rooms. (Wall Street Journal)
Security software to get airport test — SecureLogic Corp., of New York, will test its iScreen aviation software at an undetermined U.S. airport in a pilot program agreement with the Transportation Security Administration, the company said Aug. 26. The software is designed to improve the management, control and monitoring of airport security screening operations. (Aviation Week)
Student arrested at airport free to resume aviation classes — A University of Oklahoma student accused of transporting an explosive device into Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport last week is free to begin attending classes when the fall semester starts Monday.
Charles A. Dreyling Jr., 24, who is free on $10,000 bail, remains a student at the university, OU spokeswoman Catherine Bishop said Tuesday. (USA Today)
Skip Bowman, Carrie Charney, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra.