Turtles Shut Down NYC Runway

From the US to Bhutan, a tour of white-knuckle airports

(NEWSER) - The scenery is spectacular, but lofty mountaintops, stiff trade winds, and abbreviated tarmacs make for teeth-clenching landings at the world’s most harrowing runways, per Travel and Leisure:

• Paro Airport, Bhutan: Surrounded by 16,000-foot-high Himalayan peaks, what could possibly go wrong?
• Barra Airport, Scotland: Hold on tight. The roughness of your sandy landing is determined by the outgoing tide.

Mating turtles cause shell of a problem

(NEWSER) - Apparently, nothing can stand in the way of a turtle's libido—not even a 747. Turtles crawling to breeding grounds across a tarmac at JFK airport have forced the shutdown of a runway several times this week, delaying flights, reports the New York Post . "Running over turtles is not healthy for them," says a Jet Blue rep. "Nor is it good for our tires." More»

Air France A380 nicks, spins Delta aircraft on runway

(NEWSER) - All passengers escaped without injury after two planes collided on the ground at New York's JFK airport last night. A wing of an Air France Airbus A380—the world's biggest passenger jet—clipped the tail of a commuter Delta Connection plane while taxiing to the runway for takeoff, AP reports. Some 500 passengers were taken off both planes, and the aircraft were towed away for inspection. More»

New York City just starting to get moving again

(AP) - Thousands of travelers are still sitting bored and bleary-eyed in airports, stuck buses, and subways today, a day after parts of the Northeast got slammed by more than 2 feet of show. "People are exhausted. They want to get home," sighed a Tel Aviv-bound traveler who had been marooned at JFK Airport since yesterday. And some may sit for days. Many planes are booked solid because of the busy holiday season, and recession-hit airlines are operating fewer flights. More»

Reptile stops traffic on busy Boston road

(NEWSER) - A turtle trying to reach the safety of a riverbank literally stopped traffic yesterday in Boston, NBC affiliate WHDH reports . The elderly reptile strolled across a three-lane parkway at its own pace as some drivers stopped, some swerved, and two SUVs coasted right over the top of its shell. The snapping turtle scared off a state trooper by living up to its name before eventually being corralled by wildlife experts. Watch the video above or, to learn more about the turtle's loggerhead cousins who were rescued from the Gulf oil spill, click here . More»