Radar system down for hours at O’Hare
Radar system down for hours at O’Hare — O’Hare International Airport’s primary radar system was down for more than five hours Friday morning, leading to limited delays, officials said. (AP)
Travel industry launches ‘one-stop’ passport shop — Eager to see an unimpeded flow of travelers into the USA once new passport regulations take effect next month, the Travel Industry Association this week launched getapassportnow.com to provide “one-stop shopping” for passport applicants. (USA Today)
JetBlue says it can save money and give passengers more legroom — Discounter JetBlue Airways said Thursday it will increase passengers’ legroom by removing a row from each plane in its Airbus A320 fleet. And, defying the conventional industry wisdom, Jet Blue says it expects to save money by doing so through staffing reductions and fuel savings. (USA Today)
Travel industry groups oppose terror risk program — Eight major U.S., Canadian and European travel industry associations urged the government to suspend a computerized system for assessing international travelers as potential terrorists. (AP)
Japanese may follow Matsuzaka to Boston — Tourism Massachusetts, a nonprofit marketing group, estimates 20,000 Japanese tourists will come to Boston annually to watch Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka in a Red Sox uniform. (The Boston Globe) (Registration required.)
Government proposes rail security plan — Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defended his plan to prevent terrorist attacks on trains as “a big step forward in protecting the country.” The plan, announced Friday, was denounced by Democratic lawmakers as too little, too late. (AP)
Storm leaves 260,000 without power in Northwest — A wind storm, packing gusts of 90 miles per hour, has left more than 260,000 customers without power in the Pacific Northwest on Friday, local power companies said. (AP)
Holiday spirit burns brightly in Santa Fe — Santa Fe offers holiday visitors a deep sense of abiding tradition. Not much changes in the holiday celebrations here, which, nowadays, is no small thing. (Sunset Magazine)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.