U.S., Canada seek way around passport plan
U.S., Canada seek way around border passport plan — The Homeland Security and State departments are trying to come up with a cheap, convenient way for U.S. citizens and Canadians to prove their identities while crossing the border. (USA Today)
Battle lands at Dallas airport — After a 31-year absence, American Airlines will soon return to Dallas Love Field with mainline jets, executives said Wednesday, taking on Southwest Airlines in what will likely be a bruising competition for North Texas passengers flying to Missouri. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Swiss women sue after hotel bedbug attacks — Two Swiss women who spent a week at a Manhattan hotel have filed a lawsuit saying they had a lousy time trying to sleep there because they were bitten by bedbugs. (AP)
Boeing on Cloud 9 with Cathay deal — Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. said Thursday it would buy or lease up to 39 aircraft, mostly from Boeing Co., the carrier’s largest-ever new plane deal and a key win for the U.S. plane maker over rival Airbus SAS. (Reuters)
Pittsburgh airport travel increased since US Airways pulled flights — Communities think of the loss of an airline hub as a doomsday scenario less traffic and less prestige. But in Pittsburgh, the opposite happened this year: After US Airways pulled half its flights, local travel increased sharply. (The Wall St. Journal/Seattle Times)
Northwest reports $346 million loss — Northwest Airlines lost $346 million during the first six weeks of its bankruptcy, the company said on Wednesday. (AP)
Travelers spending Christmas away from home — About one in 20 Americans spends Christmas away from home, according to a Maritz Research Poll that has come up with the same results three years in a row. (AP)
‘Stowaway cat’ to fly business class to U.S. — A house cat found in France about a month after wandering from her home in Wisconsin is set to fly business class home from Paris to Newark, New Jersey, Continental Airlines said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Airline security a waste of cash — Since 9/11, our nation has been obsessed with air-travel security. Terrorist attacks from the air have been the threat that looms largest in Americans’ minds. As a result, we’ve wasted millions on misguided programs to separate the regular travelers from the suspected terrorists. (Wired News)
Guilty pleas in travel scam — Two Salinas travel agents, accused of defrauding hundreds of customers for a total of $400,000, pleaded guilty Wednesday to grand theft and other related charges. (Monterey Herald)
Calif. airport to offer express screening — The international airport of Silicon Valley will soon become the nation’s second airfield to offer a high-tech express lane for security checks. The so-called “Registered Traveler” program offers airline passengers a prepaid, preapproved security pass  complete with fingerprint and eye scans. (AP)
McCarran airport reports increase in passengers — Passenger traffic increased in October at McCarran International Airport, despite poor performance by large airlines including American and Delta, officials said. (AP)
Cabin security worries flight attendants — The expected lifting of the federal government’s ban on sharp objects carried by passengers aboard planes has some flight attendants feeling like they are not only the last line of defense in aviation, but also that they’ve been left in the lurch. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Carrie Charney, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.