FBI hunts for close in Miami-Boston bomb threats

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The FBI is looking for common denominators in bomb threats on American Airlines flights between Miami and Boston. Two cases have arisen, prompting the FBI to dig a little deeper. The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday, when a flight attendant found “bomb on board, Boston-Miami” written on a bathroom cabinet. A search of the luggage yielded no bombs or other weapons.

On September 17, a flight attendant found a threatening note in the lavatory – the plane had departed Miami at around 9:30 PM and had to head back only 40 minutes later. Again, a search of the plane turned up nothing.

Too coincidental to be a coincidence, it seems, the FBI is looking for any common threads that may exist.

American finds $2.9 billion: more routes added

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It’s hard to see how the machinations of Wall Street affect the end consumer, sometimes. In the case of American Airlines and its recent pickup of $2.9 billion, you can draw a straight line from the money to the exit row.

The hefty infusion, a risky move because revenues are down and this is not a trivial amount of debt, has already prompted announcements of schedule changes … for the better. American is planning to increase flying in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, though there will be fewer flights in Raleigh/Durham and St. Louis. Look for 57 new daily flights at O’Hare, six more from JFK, two in Los Angeles and anther 19 in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The news comes at a time when most airlines are cutting back service as a way to control costs due to reductions in passenger traffic.

Since we’ve seen what fewer flights can mean – more crowded flights, less legroom and higher odds of getting stuck in a middle seat – the financial breathing room that American has gained could actually give you more actual breathing room the next time you fly. If American fill these extra seats (at the expense of your throwing up the armrest and claiming two), it will generate more revenue, which could turn into real growth. Maybe some of that cash will be used to bring back some amenities.

Blankets, anyone?

The Entourage Escape

by Annie Scott on


Know any “Entourage” fans? Well, through September 27th, you can treat them to the travel experience of their dreams — W Hotels are running two promotions called The Entourage Escape and The Entourage Bungalow Experience.

The Entourage Escape is available at all W Hotels in North America, starts at $339 per night and includes:

  • A W Hotel Suite
  • A bottle of bubbly
  • Free On-Demand Access to select episodes from the Fourth and Fifth Seasons of Entourage
  • Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Clips from Season Six not available anywhere else

It is a literal escape to drink and watch TV in your room. Sometimes, the simplest things can be what we need the most.

The Entourage Bungalow Experience is a little more involved. This luxury getaway takes place only at the W Hotel in South Beach, Miami, and will cost you $5,000 per night. What do you get for all that?

  • Limo transportation to/from the Airport
  • Golf for four at Diplomat Golf Course, including Grey Goose golf bags, balls and towels for four
  • WOW Cabana next to the WET® pool, including bottle service and food
  • Four hour boat tour of South Beach , including lunch
  • Use of two Jet Skis
  • Overstuffed assortment of bliss® products for men
  • Courtside Coronas and reservation for on-property basketball court
  • Dinner for four at Solea
  • Table and bottle service at the Wall nightclub at W South Beach
  • Two Night Bungalow Accommodations for four at W South Beach

Men’s spa products, Jet Skis, golf and more — it’s what Vince and the “Entourage” gang would do. Go for it!

United States makes a fool of itself – arrests UK comedian for “sounding Cuban”

by Scott Carmichael on

You can’t make this crap up – British comedian Paul O’Grady was arrested at Miami international airport because he sounded “Cuban”.

The award winning comedian has his own TV show, and became famous thanks to his hilarious Lily Savage drag queen character.

Apparently, the fools at Miami airport thought his accent was a tad funny, and accused him of being an illegal Cuban alien.

It took officials two hours to verify his identity and confirm that he is indeed, a British comedian, and not a Cuban immigrant.

I’m not entirely sure why they couldn’t just take a close look at him, and come to the conclusion that he doesn’t even look Cuban. But that would obviously prevent Miami airport from keeping its title as one of the worst International airports in the country.

With so many tourists visiting the United States entering through Miami, the airport may want to review its policies, and ask their immigration officials to re-read the manual on how to spot an illegal immigrant. The first step is to just read the damn passport.

Mr. O’Grady spoke about the incident on his radio show, and said “I’ve been to hell, folks – it’s called Miami airport.”.

26 hurt on turbulent Continental flight

by Katie Hammel on

On most flights, turbulence is a minor inconvenience. You have to return to your seat and buckle in, and you may have to wait a little longer to get your next vodka and cranberry (oh, is it just me that needs a cocktail, or three, to relax on a plane?). Planes are generally able to avoid the worst of the bumps, thanks to radar and reports from other planes in the area. But sometimes, turbulence strikes seemingly out of the blue, and that may be when it is the most dangerous.

This could be what happened on Continental Flight 128, which hit severe turbulence on its way from Brazil to Houston and was forced to make an emergency landing in Miami early on Monday. The plane encountered the turbulence just northwest of Puerto Rico and landed at Miami shortly after 5:30 a.m.

The turbulence was so rough that it catapulted passengers from their seats, slamming them into luggage bins and bashing their heads into overhead seat controls, cracking the panels and breaking glass in the reading lamps. 26 people were injured. Four of the injuries were reported as serious and 14 people were taken to the hospital.

Passengers stated that the turbulence didn’t last very long, and that after it had passed everyone remained calm. There’s no word yet on what exactly caused the turbulence, but the FAA is investigating.

[via ABC News]