Furry Passengers Take Off Aboard Pet Airways

Offers a $200 credit in return

(NEWSER) - Don't you hate it when the airline loses your luggage? Now imagine how angry you'd be if that luggage was your pet. That's Josiah Allen's situation. The 19-year-old recently adopted a stray dog in Mexico, then tried to fly home to Canada with him. But when he landed, he discovered that the dog, a Dachsund/Jack Terrier mix named Paco, hadn't made the trip, ABC News reports. Delta said the dog was safe in Mexico, and would be along soon. 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»

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»