Royal Caribbean orders largest ship
Royal Caribbean orders largest ship — Royal Caribbean International has ordered the world’s largest and most expensive cruise ship, Europe’s largest shipbuilder, Aker Yards ASA, said Monday. The contract price for the new ship is about $1 billion, making it “the most valuable ship ever ordered in the history of commercial shipbuilding.” (AP)
Sale of airports’ banned items proves boutiful — Nobody has totaled it up, but the business of disposing of or reselling items banned by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration appears to be valued in the millions of dollars a year. (USA Today)
United one-ups small regional jets — United Airlines had heard all the gripes from business travelers about small, cramped regional jets before it recently rolled out Explus, a twist on its United Express service that offers a touch of luxury and the possibility of upgrades for its high-mileage travelers. (USA Today)
Ex-American Airlines CEO to join Virgin U.S. venture — Former American Airlines CEO Don Carty has agreed to serve as chairman of Virgin America, the start-up airline backed in part by Virgin CEO Richard Branson. (Fortune)
Travelers work around fast-rising hotel rates — Faced with the prospect of a record increase in hotel rates, travelers are seeking ways to trim travel costs. A report from consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers issued Monday projects the biggest yearly dollar increase ever in average daily U.S. hotel rates in 2006  to $95.92 this year, vs. $90.84 in 2005. (USA Today)
Retired pilots given larger voice in Delta restructuring — Retired Delta pilots will get a larger voice in Delta Air Lines’ Chapter 11 restructuring, a bankruptcy court judge said Monday in a ruling that could complicate the airline’s bankruptcy proceedings. (AP)
Crowds try to storm Hong Kong Disneyland — Hong Kong Disneyland will adjust its admission system after hundreds of ticket holders from mainland China were turned away and tried to storm the park, a Disney executive said Saturday. (AP)
Mechanical problems ground Fossett flight — A fuel leak prevented Steve Fossett from taking off Tuesday on his quest to break a 20-year-old record for the longest flight. Fossett said it was an easy fix, but he would not attempt to take off Wednesday because of unfavorable weather forecasts. He said he would likely try later in the week. (AP)
Smoke in jet forces landing at Logan — A British Airways jet flying from Newark made an emergency landing last night at Logan Airport, after smoke in the London-bound plane’s cockpit prompted pilots to divert the flight to Boston, authorities said. (The Boston Globe)
U.S. proposes hike in air passenger security fee — The Bush administration proposed Monday to boost security fees on commercial airline flights to raise an additional $1.3 billion in receipts from passengers. (Reuters)
Airline merger gossip persists — Norman Mineta was just thinking out loud when the U.S. Transportation Secretary mused last month about a merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, his spokesmen say. And Delta Chief Executive Gerald Grinstein says the ailing Atlanta carrier is not laying the groundwork for a merger with anybody. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Website finds rising costs for Albany to Dulles flights — Same-day business trips from Albany, N.Y., to Dulles International Airport cost three times as much since Independence Air went out of business, according to a Cheapseats.com analyst. (Albany Business Review)
Memo Pad: The top-10 travel worries — In a survey, more business travelers cited theft (37 percent) than terrorism (27 percent) as the biggest potential risk on the road. (The New York Tiimes)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.