Pilot Issues Called Critical to Delta-Northwest Talks

Historic Street in Toronto Ravaged By Fire

IATA Joins Solar Plane Project

Fighter Jets Collide Over Gulf of Mexico

Unusual Hotel on Icy Lake With a View of the Aurora Borealis

PILOT ISSUES CALLED CRITICAL TO DELTA-NORTHWEST TALKS – The Washington Post
As Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines move closer to a merger—which would create the world’s largest carrier—pilots are concerned with key issues, such as how they would be merged into one fleet. Northwest and Delta are considering mergers due to rising fuel costs and increasing competition for smaller and efficient airlines. In regard to revenue, Air France-KLM is the largest, and in regard to number of passengers, American Airlines is the world’s largest, but a Northwest-Delta merger would top American Airlines.

Link: Washington Post

Related Link: Travel Detective Blog: Impending Drama, Merger Mania, and the NY Passenger Bill of Rights

HISTORIC STREET IN TORONTO RAVAGED BY FIRE – City News
A historic and heavily-touristed section of downtown on Queen Street West in Toronto was ravaged by a terrible fire and now is a pile of rubble. Heavy winds worsened the fire, which started as a two-alarm fire and escalated to a six-alarm fire. Thirty fire trucks and 150 firefighters were on scene, and, thankfully, there were no major injuries. Frigid temperatures complicated the situation, causing streets and sidewalks to become icy. Many of the destroyed buildings were built around the turn of the century, and the neighborhood recently was declared a heritage conservation district.

Link: City News (Toronto)

Related Link: Travel Detective Blog: The Las Vegas Hotel Fires

IATA JOINS SOLAR AIRPLANE PROJECT - Airline Travel News
Ever thought it was possible for an airplane to fly around the world using solar power and not fuel? Well, International Air Transport Association has become an Institutional Partner of Solar Impulse to create an airplane of this stature that will produce zero carbon emissions. The first test flights will occur as soon as 2009, and the prototype airplane will aim to fly both day and night—only by solar energy.

Link: Airline Travel News

Related Link: Peter Greenberg.com’s Green and Responsible Travel Category

FIGHTER JETS COLLIDE OVER GULF OF MEXICO - CNN
Two F-15C fighter jets collided over the Gulf of Mexico during a routine training exercise on Wednesday, according to Air Force officials. The crash occurred about 50 miles south of the Tyndall Air Force Base located in Panama City, Florida. Air Force search and rescue and U.S. Coast Guard crews searched the Gulf for the missing pilots Wednesday afternoon. The Pentagon said it didn’t immediately know how many crew members were missing, but the F-15Cs are single-seat jets. There are no updates as to if the pilots were found.

Link: CNN

UNUSUAL HOTEL ON ICY LAKE WITH VIEWS OF NORTHERN LIGHTS – Guardian (UK)
For an unusual hotel accommodation and views of the aurora borealis, stay at the Abisko Ark Hotel. A cluster of huts located on frozen Lake Tornetrask, this hotel in northern Sweden gives the Ice Hotel “a run for its money.” The hotel began with a local tradition: Men have been building huts for several decades and bring them on the ice every winter to fish from a hole through the ice floor. The hotel even has a sauna, and as guide and chef Lars Bergqvist notes, “No hotel in Sweden is complete without a sauna. And you can’t really enjoy the aurora without first getting hot and sweaty.”

Link: Guardian (UK)

Related Link: The World’s 10 Most Unusual Hotels

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