US Airways makes bid for Delta — The $8 billion cash and stock bid would create one of the world’s largest carriers. The move came despite Delta’s repeated statements it isn’t interested in a merger. (AP)
Runway incidents rise for second year — Dangerous near collisions on the nation’s runways climbed for the second year in a row, prompting a renewed call by aviation accident investigators on Tuesday for new safety devices. (USA Today)
Airport screeners alerted to inspectors — Security checkpoint managers at San Francisco International Airport were warned when undercover inspectors came to test how well screeners detected fake bombs and weapons, a government report said Tuesday. (AP)
Carnival Cruise official touts New Orleans as destination — Bookings on Carnival Cruise Line’s Fantasy are healthy but a spokesman for Miami-based Carnival said the line still has work to do in getting the word out that New Orleans has returned to its status as a destination city. (AP)
MTV and Frommer’s partner on travel guides — A venerable name in travel is partnering with the network that brought you music videos, Pimp My Ride and Cribs to produce a new series of trendy guidebooks for young travelers. (AP)
The Cottage Cheese Caper, and flying as it used to be — Escorting a woman out of a security check zone because of cottage cheese may not be the best use of airport security personnel. (The New York Times) (Registration required.)
Historic Pattee Hotel in Perry to close — The owners of the Hotel Pattee, in Perry, Iowa, said Monday that they will close the hotel by Dec. 30. They cited “substantial operating losses” since the refurbished hotel reopened 10 years ago. (AP)
Stocks rise on US Airways-Delta merger talk — Investors cheered the possibility of consolidation in the airline industry and remained upbeat following sharp gains Tuesday, when the Dow Jones industrials reached another record high close and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index hit a six-year high. (AP)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.
