US Airways pilots to picket
US Airways pilots to picket — US Airways pilot union leaders on the East Coast plan to picket and hand out leaflets at the Philadelphia airport Tuesday, the highest profile sign yet of growing labor rancor at the merged America West-US Airways. (The Arizona Republic)
Train crash in Northern Egypt kills 51 — A passenger train barreled into a northern Egypt railway station Monday and collided with a second train, killing at least 51 people and injuring more than 100. (AP)
Smoke in cabin forces plane evacuation — An Alaska Airlines MD80 was evacuated on a taxiway after smoke appeared in the cabin shortly after the plane landed in Long Beach, Calif., a company spokeswoman said. (AP)
Terrorists and more air security? Heck, though, we will go — The most recent terrorist threat to flying couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for the industry — or for travelers. As authorities said they had thwarted a plot to blow up jets leaving London and bound for the United States, airlines were starting to make money again, and confident passengers packed planes at unprecedented levels. (The Los Angeles Times) (Registration required.)
Terror alert prompts flood of travel advice — The announcement by the British government on Aug. 10 that it had thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up as many as 10 planes heading toward the United States may have paralyzed operations at many of the world’s major airports — but it didn’t deter some members of the public relations industry from quickly springing into action to promote their travel clients. (The New York Times) (Registration required.)
Crimes spark tourism concerns in Brazil — The murder of a 19-year-old Portuguese student on Copacabana beach and a rash of robberies have rekindled concerns about security in Brazil’s top tourist city, where authorities have tried several initiatives to make streets safer for visitors. (AP)
When flight troubles loom, travel sites spread the word — Customer service initiatives by Orbitz and fellow online travel agencies Expedia and Travelocity are working to engender some customer loyalty from notoriously fickle online travel shoppers. (The Los Angeles Times) (Registration required.)
FBI says Texas passenger ‘not suspicious’ at all — A passenger who was detained after flight attendants said he tampered with a bathroom smoke detector wasn’t arrested because he was determined through searches and interviews to be “not suspicious at all,” the FBI said Sunday. (AP)
United, American drop fare increases — United Airlines and American Airlines said on Monday they have backed away from fare increases, signaling that profit-boosting price rises have come to an end — at least for now. (Reuters)
U.K. charges 11 in terror plot — Eleven people were charged Monday in the alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, and investigators found bomb-making equipment and martyrdom videos, authorities said. (AP)
Cincinnati fares likely to stay high — Two years after Delta Air Lines launched its SimpliFares initiative here, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport has resumed its perch as the most expensive major airport in the nation from which to fly. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Airlines tremble at prospect of $100-a-barrel oil — Beleaguered U.S. airlines seem to have slowly staggered to their feet since the terrorism and recession of earlier this decade. But credit agency Standard & Poor’s has come up with a worrisome scenario that could knock them back down: $100-a-barrel oil. (USA Today)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.