Furry Passengers Take Off Aboard Pet Airways

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.

"C'Mon Son," chides baggage screener

(NEWSER) - TSA agents are basically known for collectively killing America's buzz, but here's an unusual exception out of the Denver International Airport: A TSA agent there discovered marijuana in rapper Freddie Gibbs' luggage, but instead of confiscating the weed, the baggage screener just left an admonishing note reading, "C'mon son." The agent let the rapper keep his stash. Gibbs tweeted a photo of the note and "probably just got the guy fired," concludes Gawker . How much weed was he able to slide through security? Half an ounce, he says . It doesn't look like the message worked, though. He's apparently "still smokin." More»

For fuel or unpaid fees, depending which report you read

(NEWSER) - Flying: It’s just not what it used to be . The latest example? A plane was grounded in Vienna for six hours as the airline forced passengers to come up with an additional $31,000. Apparently charter airline Comtel is in financial trouble and hadn’t paid "landing fees or taxes," one passenger tells the Telegraph —which puts the amount raised at closer to $38,000. The AP , however, says the staff told fliers the money was needed for fuel. "They lined up the buses and said we would be removed from the plane if we didn't pay up," says one passenger. More»

Overhead bins, seat backs, and even safety videos are featuring commercials

(NEWSER) - Your next flight could feel like being stuck inside a commercial. Various US airlines, desperate for revenue, are beginning to cram advertising into every corner of their planes, including overhead bins, seat backs, napkins, flight attendants' aprons, and even through crew announcements and in-flight safety videos, reports USA Today . Delta, for instance, is running a Lincoln commercial after its video. More»