Plane slides off runway in Chicago, 1 dead
Southwest plane slides off runway in Chicago, 1 dead — A Southwest Airlines plane landing in a snowstorm in Chicago slid off a runway on Thursday and crashed through a fence and onto a busy road, colliding with two cars. A boy in one of them was killed. (Reuters)
Snow, freezing cold grip middle of USA, head east — Storms across the nation’s midsection delivered freezing cold and as much as 10 inches of snow by Thursday, bedeviling drivers on slippery roads and closing schools from Texas to Indiana. (AP)
Passenger was mentally ill, police say — The American Airlines passenger killed by air marshals at Miami International Airport on Wednesday suffered from bipolar disorder, according to investigators, raising new questions about how much training sky marshals receive in dealing with travelers with mental illnesses. (The Washington Post)
Air marshal program: Is training adequate? — Wednesday’s shooting of an unarmed airline passenger in Miami is casting fresh scrutiny on the Federal Air Marshals Service, the nation’s last line of defense in the many-layered aviation security apparatus. (The Christian Science Monitor)
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US Air merger is start of trend: CEO — Further consolidation among U.S. airlines is inevitable as carriers hunt for ways to eke out a living in an industry dogged by soaring fuel costs and low-cost competition, the chief executive of US Airways Group said on Thursday. (Reuters)
Airport codes leaked onto Internet — Passwords for restricted areas in 17 airports have been leaked onto the Internet from a Japan Airlines co-pilot’s personal computer, the airline said Friday. (UPI)
‘Budget’ hotel rooms go for $370 in NYC — Cost-conscious visitors to the Big Apple who favor budget hotel chains are in for a rude wake-up call this holiday season: a $330-a-night Super 8. (USA Today)
Virgin America announces new funding, DOT filing — Virgin America Inc., a US-based startup, announced yesterday that it has secured $177.3 million in committed funding and has filed an application for certification with the US Dept. of Transportation to operate as an interstate carrier. (ATW Daily News)
Family plans suit against cruise line — The family of a Connecticut man who disappeared from a cruise ship during his honeymoon plans to sue the cruise operator, accusing the company of trying to cover up the incident and failing to ensure passenger safety, an attorney said Wednesday. (AP)
High gas prices alter driving habits — Record gas prices have put a dent in our driving habits. The growth in miles driven in the USA, a mostly steep climb for 25 years, has flattened in the past year as gas prices spiked, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Federal Highway Administration data. (USA Today)
House OKs bill to ban aiming laser pointer at plane — People who aim laser pointers at planes could face fines of to $250,000 and five years in prison under a bill passed yesterday by the House.
Logan reports another incident on runways — Just a week after local and federal aviation officials announced changes to improve runway safety at Logan International Airport, the airport recorded its 17th runway incident in the past 14 months, the most of any US airport, federal officials said yesterday. (The Boston Globe)
Two men charged in alleged car-rental fraud — Two Brampton men have been charged in a $17-million fraud involving hundreds of vehicles at a rental car franchise in Toronto and at other dealerships in southern Ontario. A third man was also charged, but his activities weren’t as involved, police say. (The Star)
Storm hits Northeast, snarling traffic and closing schools — A storm spread a blanket of snow almost a foot thick across much of the Northeast on Friday, snarling commutes and closing schools as the flakes fell too fast in some places for cleanup crews to keep pace. (AP)
Chicago crash plane fairly new, no known problems — A Southwest Airlines plane that skidded off a snowy runway and onto a highway, killing a child riding in a car, was a relatively new aircraft with no history of problems, the airline said on Friday. (Reuters)
Carrie Charney, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.