Plane cutlery is in vogue
Plane cutlery is in vogue — At a time when dining at 37,000 feet is characterized by salty snacks, $5 turkey wraps and plastic cutlery, the flagship tableware from a fading era of air travel is turning up in places other than airplanes. From soup tureens to nut dishes, discarded items from airliner food galleys are showing up on eBay, in neighborhood boutiques, even in fancy restaurants.
For a vintage flight experience, try Northwest — Each day, a little piece of aviation history takes off in Columbus, Ohio. And in Buffalo, N.Y., and dozens of other cities where Northwest flies DC-9s that average 34 years old. Some of them first flew when Lyndon Johnson was president.
Southwest killing US Airways ‘with kindness’ — Southwest will begin serving Pittsburgh in May with flights to Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando and Philadelphia. Before the discounter began service from Philadelphia last May, then-US Airways CEO David Siegel warned his employees that Southwest was “coming to kill us.” If that warning ever rings true, it will be because the Dallas-based airline, based at Love Field, will have killed it with kindness — together, of course, with low fares and on-time flights.
Conveyor belt bursts into flames at Fort Lauderdale — A fire under a baggage conveyor belt at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport caused a brief terminal evacuation Saturday, but no one was hurt. The fire started around noon when debris got stuck under the belt in an area where only airport workers were allowed, airport spokesman Jim Reynolds said.
Taxi crashes into Long Beach hotel — A London-style taxi crashed through a glass entrance of the Renaissance Long Beach hotel Friday morning, sending one man to a hospital in serious condition, authorities said. The accident, which injured three other people, happened at about 9 a.m. after the driver’s foot slid from the brake to the gas pedal of his black LTI TXII cab while waiting to pick up a customer, said Patrick Eberlein, investigations manager for Long Beach Yellow Cab.
Mrs. Bond, what’s that buzzing in your suitcase? — A buzzing noise from the suitcase of a woman once married to James Bond star, Sean Connery, caused a stir at Brisbane airport today. But the sound from Diane Cilento’s case was only her battery-operated toothbrush.