Ryanair Hits Low-Tech Flyers With $60 Fee

... 6 weeks before you fly, study says

(NEWSER) - Flying anytime soon? With any luck your trip is a month and a half from now—because a new study says travelers can find the lowest airfares 6 weeks before flying, the Los Angeles Times reports. The price difference: 6% lower than average, according to a company that analyzed millions of transactions over 4 years. Prices spike about a week before the flight, the study says, and can be 40% higher than average on the day you fly. (See how to get the best airfare deals—by tweet and email .) More»

False alarm panics people on British Airways flight

(NEWSER) - It's 3am and you're snoozing on an overnight flight to London when a message plays over the PA: This plane may be about to crash. That's what happened to passengers on a British Airways flight from Miami last week, before the cabin crew told everyone it had just been a mistake, the Telegraph reports. "An alarm sounded and we were told we were about to land in the sea. I thought we were going to die," said a passenger. "My wife was crying and passengers were screaming." More»

Find tickets, new flights, even lounges

(NEWSER) - Every air traveler armed with a smartphone should load up on these five apps, says the Travel section of USA Today:

• SkyScanner (Free): This app will hunt down the best price for your ticket. It scans not only all of the airlines' websites but all of the online travel agencies (Expedia, Priceline) as well.
• Next Flight ($2.99): Yeah, it's relatively pricey, but worth the cost when needed. If your flight is canceled or delayed, or you just plain miss it, the app provides a list of all available flights from all carriers over the next two days. If none are there, it searches for hotels and car rentals.
• Priority Pass (Free): This app supplies a list of all the lounges at your airport. You can look through photos and amenities before deciding whether to shell out money for a pass.

...Memphis International Airport

(NEWSER) - Memphis, Tenn., is no place for thrifty travelers, or at least not those who prefer the open sky to the open road. The average price of a ticket at the Memphis International Airport is the highest among the top 100 largest airports in the US, according to a report released Tuesday by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In Q2 of this year, passengers departing from and returning to the airport on a domestic flight paid an average of $476.22. More»

Fellow passenger took photo of laptop to alert cops

(NEWSER) - An engineering professor from the University of Utah was busted on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City on Saturday after a fellow passenger sent a message to alert police that he was viewing child pornography on his laptop, according to investigators. A passenger behind Grant Smith in the first-class section took a photo of what appeared on Grant's computer, and emailed it to a relative with a message to contact police, reports the Boston Globe . Grant was arrested at Logan Airport in Boston, and investigators found "disturbing images of child pornography" on his computer, said a police spokesman. He has been charged with possession of child porn and will be arraigned today. He has already been placed on administrative leave by the university. More»