JetBlue Teams With Irish Airline

(NEWSER) - This could set off an interesting price war: JetBlue today began selling a $599 pass for all the flights you can handle between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8, reports Bloomberg. The idea is to try to keep their planes full once the peak summer season winds down. The offer's good for all 56 cities served by the airline, which has seen a 4.6% dropoff in traffic of late. More»

PC World takes a look at getting connected in the air

(NEWSER) - Travelers who want to stay connected while they're on the move get an assist from PC World, which finds that some airlines and airports are soaring ahead in the technology stakes while others are stuck on the runway. Virgin America leads the way, with a power port in every seat, in-flight WiFi rolling out this year, high-tech entertainment, and an on-board system that lets you IM other passengers—or order a meal. More»

Airline will introduce boarding queue, keep free-choice seating

(NEWSER) - Southwest Airlines will keep its trademark open-seating policy but will assign a boarding order to cut down on passengers queuing up far in advance of boarding. Southwest currently boards its airplanes in a sequence of three groups, with passengers free to pick their seat. While Southwest fans enjoy the freedom, critics that have called the procedure a "cattle call." More»

He reportedly screamed about bombs and al-Qaeda

(NEWSER) - A pilot tore through the cabin of a JetBlue plane yelling about terror threats, warning passengers about al-Qaeda and bombs on board, passengers tell the Amarillo Globe-News . The captain started "shouting, ‘Iraq, al-Qaeda, terrorism, we’re all going down,'" witnesses said. Passengers tackled him and held him down, and the flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas. The pilot was hospitalized. "It seemed like he went crazy," a passenger said. The airline's official statement says the captain had a "medical situation" that forced the flight to be diverted, notes AP . More»

Preserved heart had been on display for 800 years

(NEWSER) - A thief has ripped the heart of Dublin's patron saint out of one of the city's cathedrals. The preserved heart of St. Laurence O'Toole, which had been on display in Christ Church Cathedral for 800 years, was stolen over the weekend, reports AP . The relic was kept in a heart-shaped wooden box in a chapel dedicated to the saint, and the thief had to break into an iron cage to make off with it. Police believe the thief hid overnight in the cathedral, and fled with the heart when it opened its doors the following morning. More»