United Cancels Flights for Fourth Straight Day
Skybus Cancels 18 Flights, Resumes Full Schedule
Judge Rules Bankrupt MAXjet Can Help Stranded Fliers
Pint-Sized Monkey Smuggled on Flight Dies
American Travelers Sticking Closer to Home in 2008?
UNITED CANCELS FLIGHTS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT DAY – International Herald Tribune
United Airlines has canceled flights for the fourth straight day due to heavy storms in the Midwest. The Chicago-based carrier grounded 168 flights on Thursday, mostly to help prevent planes from being stranded in Denver. Fewer than 5 percent of its flights were canceled on Wednesday as it moved crews to deal disrupted schedules from bad weather that hit Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport days earlier.
Link: International Herald Tribune
SKYBUS CANCELS 18 FLIGHTS, RESUMES FULL SCHEDULE – USA Today
Low-fare carrier Skybus Airlines canceled 18 flights over the last two days due to maintenance problems on two of its planes. The Columbus-based airline has resumed full operation, but spokesperson Bob Tenenbaum estimates that at least 1,000 holiday travelers were affected by the canceled service. The airline was offering refunds and making efforts to rebook travelers on later Skybus flights.
Link: USA Today
JUDGE RULES BANKRUPT MAXJET CAN HELP STRANDED FLIERS – BusinessWeek
A federal judge has ruled that MAXjet Airways Inc. can use $390,000 to accommodate up to 1,000 customers that were left stranded on Christmas Eve and beyond when the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The judge’s order also authorized credit card companies to refund customers that had booked tickets on the all-business-class airline. The airline has said that it has secured hotel rooms through early January in all four cities that it services—London, New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas—for passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted.
Link: BusinessWeek
PINT-SIZED MONKEY SMUGGLED ON FLIGHT DIES – MSNBC
The tiny tamarin monkey that grabbed headlines this summer after being smuggled under a man’s hat during a flight from Lima, Peru to New York has died. Federal health agency officials don’t yet know the reason for his death, but the CDC has announced that the monkey showed no signs of illness while it was under quarantine. The fist-sized creature was discovered on the flight when it crept out from under the hat and perched atop the man’s ponytail.
Link: MSNBC
AMERICAN TRAVELERS STICKING CLOSER TO HOME IN 2008? – Associated Press
After a year marked by high gas prices, confusing passport rules, flight delays, and a weakening dollar, it seems a safe bet that American travelers will be staying closer to home in 2008. But that doesn’t mean that travel is on the decline: A recent survey has shown that 45.8 percent of Americans plan to take a vacation in the next six months, up from last year. Domestic destinations are already showing some benefits from this potential travel trend: Visits to national parks were up 1.3 percent between January and September 2007.
Link: Associated Press
