Nov 25th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Three airlines just scored a first with the U.S. government: they were fined for leaving passengers in the lurch. Continental Airlines, ExpressJet (a Continental affiliate) and Mesaba (part of Delta) racked up a total punishment of $175,000 when their combined efforts left fliers on a plane in Minnesota for six hours.
Continental and ExpressJet were slapped with a fine of $100,000, while Mesaba ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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DoT gives airlines $175,000 reminder ahead of Thanksgiving
Nov 25th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Three airlines just scored a first with the U.S. government: they were fined for leaving passengers in the lurch. Continental Airlines, ExpressJet (a Continental affiliate) and Mesaba (part of Delta) racked up a total punishment of $175,000 when their combined efforts left fliers on a plane in Minnesota for six hours.
Continental and ExpressJet were slapped with a fine of $100,000, while Mesaba ...Gadlinks for Monday 11.16.09
Nov 16th, 2009 at 5:00PM:
It's "Wild West" day here at Gadling, so I dug into the travel blog archives to find some of the best "Wild West" reads. Hope y'all enjoy today's pickin's!
Horse lovers, rejoice! Here are eight of the top horse-related travel experiences you can't miss around the world. [via BootsNAll]
Check out this "Ask the Locals" city guide to Fort Worth, Texas. [via Peter Greenberg]
Aside from Texas, ...In the Wild Wild West: Dine in a trailer park
Nov 16th, 2009 at 8:00AM: The new trend on dining out in Austin, Texas is in trailer parks. Street food trailer parks, to be exact. Warm, temperate weather makes the capital of Austin an excellent destination for outdoor eating, so why not plant a few street food stalls in permanent slots and let the masses come forth?
South Austin's Trailer Park and Eatery is a series of several, small street food stands parked on a ...Wild Texas: the critters of the Lone Star State
Nov 9th, 2009 at 9:00AM: When it comes to viewing wildlife in the U.S., most people naturally gravitate to the western part of the country, where you'll find a wide variety of species in abundance. Places like Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and of course Alaska, have great reputations for offering travelers an opportunity to see a large number of animals in their natural habitat. One place that doesn't garner this kind of ...Drive a rental car to Florida for $1
Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:30PM: I agree with Mike Barish's recent post. Road trips do rock. I love grabbing some friends, jumping in the car, and blasting great music as we cruise down the highway or along back roads. If you love a good road trip.....and you happen to live in Texas or on the east coast......and you want to drive one-way to Florida.....and you just happen to plan on going before November 15, well then Thrifty Car ...Mom and kid booted from plane, demand apology and compensation
Oct 31st, 2009 at 1:00PM:
It's easy for passengers to grow annoyed with kids on planes. There's nothing worse than hearing a scream and knowing you're about to be part of a captive audience for several hours. Yet, flight crews usually show a lot more tolerance. Hey, they're on the plane to earn a paycheck. Every job has trials to be endured. Pamela Root's son, however, was too much for them.
Kid and mom were kicked ...Ground-level intelligence on the top restaurants in the country
Oct 19th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Everybody loves to publish lists, but few have so much data as OpenTable upon which to draw. So, when that site puts out a list of top spots, it's definitely worth a look. The latest, "Fit for Foodies," is the result of 3 million restaurant reviews, which ultimately led to 50 restaurants that are definitely worth your time. Upon quick inspection, I haven't been to any of them (which probably makes ...Top 10 travel-themed 50's songs
Oct 14th, 2009 at 11:30AM: When Jeremy took on top 10 travel-themed 80's songs last week, I headed to the 1950's. Partially influenced by seeing the 1958 movie version of South Pacific this summer, this choice turned up ten songs that range from show tunes to country to R&B.
Even though much attention was given by American mainstream culture to get Rosie the Riveter back in the kitchen after World War II, certain ...Randy Quaid (allegedly) stiffs hotel for $10K
Sep 27th, 2009 at 10:00AM:
Actor Randy Quaid and his wife, former model Evi, got out of jail Thursday night. They landed in the Texas pokey because of a $10,000 hotel bill they didn't pay in California. Each is out on $20,000 bail. They were arrested in Marfa, 160 miles southeast of El Paso.
Authorities in Santa Barbara, California issued a felony warrant – burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy ...American finds $2.9 billion: more routes added
Sep 17th, 2009 at 9:00AM: 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. ...The famous ghost lights of Marfa, Texas
Sep 14th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Way out in West Texas, near the sleepy little town of Marfa, there is an unexplained phenomenon that can often be seen on the darkest of nights, when strange, colorful lights appear in the sky, giving the surrounding landscape an otherworldly glow. These "ghost lights" of Marfa have been manifesting themselves for decades, with some saying they date back all the way to the 1800's, and yet they ...Wineries with outdoor music offer perfection: 10 wineries and 9 states
Sep 8th, 2009 at 12:00PM: As I sipped a glass of red wine at Harpersfield Winery in Geneva, Ohio on the last Saturday in August while listening to the Hollywood Slim Band, one of my favorite Ohio-based groups, I thought what a perfect finale evening to the last month of summer. The setting sun that cast its warm glow over the scene--plus the plate of cheese, meats and olives served up with warm bread cinched the thought. ...Deep fried butter and pork chops as Texas State Fair food finalists
Sep 2nd, 2009 at 3:00PM: State fairs have long been the best destination for good carnival style food - kettle corn, ham and hot dogs have always been on offer, but in recent years, competition for the most insane food has heated up. Things started with the Scottish invented deep fried candy bar, then people started deep frying Twinkies, cookies and other sweetness. But more recently, vendors have gone to great ...Mandola Winery: A slice of Italy in Texas Hill Country
Aug 31st, 2009 at 8:00AM: Texas Hill Country is a unique and scenic region tucked away in the center of the Lone Star State. The rolling hills and limestone cliffs begin just west of Austin and run as far south as San Antonio, with narrow, twisting country roads and interesting small Texas towns dotting the area. One of the hidden gems in Hill Country is a winery called Mandola's, found just outside the tiny town of ...Drag out summer after Labor Day: 12 ideas
Aug 25th, 2009 at 10:30AM: So what if it's almost the end of August, kids are heading back to school in droves, and Labor Day is almost here?
There are ways to drag out that summer feeling with easy-going, inexpensive travel. Pick places that you haven't been to before to heighten a sense of adventure -- something that summers are made for.
Here are 12 ideas to get you started into dragging out summer--at least until the ...Ten musical destinations that will rock your world
Aug 24th, 2009 at 10:00AM:
Music has a way of taking you on a journey. Like any great trip, the songs that inspire us are filled with joyous highs and sobering lows, unexpected revelations and exotic uncertainties. It's only natural then that each of us seeks out music during our travels. Whether it's a CD stand in a bustling market in Morocco or a classically-trained violinist playing on a street corner in Paris, music ...The Real Fight Club
Aug 14th, 2009 at 1:30PM: An employee at a school for the mentally disabled in Texas has just been convicted of organizing his own version of Fight Club with the residents. He even filmed the fights with his mobile phone. Five other employees have already been charged with encouraging the fights. These guys are sick and I'm glad they're being punished for exploiting vulnerable people. I'd like to see how these bastards ...Texans denied entry into Ireland
Jul 10th, 2009 at 4:00PM: This story is an example of a traveler's nightmare as well as what it's like to win the lottery--an is the glass half empty or half full sort of tale.
Three strapping young men, high school graduates from Plano, Texas landed in Dublin, Ireland ready to embark on a back-packing trip around Europe. They were eager. Excited. If you've done a similar trip, you know the feeling. Then they were asked ...Sinkhole travel: The Dead Sea isn't the only place to see where the earth has caved in
Jun 25th, 2009 at 12:30PM: The story about Eli Raz who fell into a sinkhole at the Dead Sea and wasn't found for 14 hours--alive, thank goodness, about environmental changes and the traveler's experience. In the case of Raz, the message is look, but be alert for heaven's sake when out in the natural world.
The Dead Sea, at the lowest point on earth, has 3,000 sinkholes along the coast and more coming. Raz is on a mission ...Hurricane season is for bargain-hunters
May 27th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Hurricane season will not keep travelers from their destinations! A recent survey by TripAdvisor®, which mined the opinions of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers, reports that 43 percent plan to hit a hurricane-prone destination this summer or fall – peak hurricane season. This is up from 36 percent last year. Sixty-five percent of the survey's respondents are doing this to take advantage of ...
