Free Republic

A Canadian airline has sent a warning to its pilots to stop bringing pornographic material into the cockpit. In an internal bulletin to staff, Air Canada threatened to sack and/or pursue criminal charges against pilots who were caught displaying ‘inappropriate material’ on a flight. The warning was sent to employees after obscene material was discovered while an official with Transport Canada, the national industry regulator, was seated in the cockpit. The bulletin was issued a year ago, but has recently been obtained by CBC News. In the notice, Rod Graham, Air Canada’s chief pilot and director of fleet operations and...

**SNIP** The three-term senator on Friday apologized for the mistakes that she blamed on “sloppy bookkeeping" and said that on Sept. 1 she put new procedures in place. “I take full responsibility,” Landrieu said. “They should have never happened, and I apologize for this. A new system has been established that has been successfully used by a number of Senate offices to provide a safeguard from this happening in the future.” The 11-page report shows 104 flights. It also states the campaign spent $202,330 for separate flights for campaign travel over the period in question, that the $33,727 repaid is...

When the controversy surrounding Senator Mary Landrieu's (D-LA) use of taxpayer funds to pay for campaign travel first broke back in August, her Senate office spokesperson Matthew Lehner promised Landrieu would produce a full report of her travel activities "by the time" the Senate returned from its August recess and returned to session in September. By Thursday, the fourth day since the Senate's September session began, Landrieu has produced diddly squat. Efforts to contact Lehner, who made that promise on her behalf, resulted in an automatic email saying that, as of September 2, he no longer worked in her congressional...

Students can wave goodbye to being driven to university by embarrassing parents in an overloaded car – and pay to arrive in style instead. Launching on Monday, The Very Important Fresher package offers those with the budget the option to travel to campus by helicopter, private jet, Ferrari or Aston Martin. Other luxury options include a Rolls Royce Phantom, Mclaren P1 – and even a horse and carriage - which will set buyers back up to £25,000.

Squeezed into tighter and tighter spaces, airline passengers appear to be rebelling, taking their frustrations out on other fliers. Three U.S. flights made unscheduled landings in the past eight days after passengers got into fights over the ability to recline their seats. Disputes over a tiny bit of personal space might seem petty, but for passengers whose knees are already banging into tray tables, every inch counts.

So a few weeks ago, my Wonderful Wife got a bug in her bonnet to see Niagara Falls.

Windowless planes could be the future of cheaper air travel as a government technology centre develops a proposal to help airlines save on fuel. In place of windows, plastic display screens projecting the sky outside could line the cabin of an aircraft. It is hoped the technology will significantly reduce aircraft weight and cut fuel costs without worrying nervous passengers. The display screens will function using a technique called printable electronics, which involves the use of conductive inks to carry electric current in cardboard and plastic for just a few pence per unit. The technology could be rolled out in...

Westboro Baptist Church, the hate group that masquerades as a religious organization, is known for their publicity stunts, but they may have bit off more than they can chew with this one. After a comedian offered to pay for them to fly to Iraq so they can protest real Christian persecution at the hands of Islamic militants, the group tweeted that they have accepted his offer. They want to take their picket signs and head over to a country currently occupied by a group that beheads Christian children without hesitation – this ought to go well. To bring you up...

The number of people traveling to Switzerland to commit suicide has doubled since 2009, a new study shows. These "suicide tourists" are largely from Germany and the United Kingdom, although they also come from other countries including the United States and Canada, and nearly half suffer from nonfatal neurological conditions, such as paralysis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, the study suggests. Saskia Gauthier, MD, from the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Zurich, and colleagues report their findings in an article published online August 20 in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Assisted suicide is restricted in many countries, but in...

Delta is the best airline in the U.S., that is, if you are looking for fewer canceled flights or mishandled bags and on-time arrivals. "Of course, we don't have a measurement for the widths of flight attendants' smiles or other intangibles, but if you look at the numbers, Delta comes out on top this year," said George Hobica, founder and president of Airfarewatchdog, which puts together the annual list.

This year’s list of friendliest (and unfriendliest) cities in the U.S., as chosen by Condé Nast Traveler readers, boasted a lot of Southern hospitality and big-city chilliness, but what do you get when you widen the list to include the whole world? The results may surprise you.

HILDALE — Continental breakfasts are now being served at a bed and breakfast that has opened on the site of a sprawling, mostly unoccupied compound in southern Utah that was built for the leader of a polygamous sect. America’s Most Wanted Suites and Bed and Breakfast takes its name from Warren Jeff’s time on the list of the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives. Accommodations in the Hildale bed and breakfast run from $85 to $200 a night. Hildale and neighboring Colorado City, Arizona, are both home to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Former Jeffs...

This looks fun! ======================= Bahamas Lobster Season: Lobster season in The Bahamas opens August 1 and runs through March 31st, and there are some very specific rules you must abide by as a visitor. Here are some of the rules: Taking lobster out of season is an obvious no-no. Nothing more needs to be stated on that. You must obtain a fishing permit when you clear customs. In Florida the permits are required for each person, however in the Bahamas the permits are obtained for the boat. If you’re on a chartered yacht, chances are they carry a legal fishing...

....On Monday, Transportation Security Administration fee hikes go into effect, and they will have the greatest impact on travelers who make nonstop flights or have long layovers between flights. Critics say the agency should call the fees what they really are: a tax hike. “Anyway you look at it, this is an increase in taxes,” said Charlie Leocha, chairman of the consumer group Travelers United. The old fee had been $2.50 for a nonstop and $5 for a connecting flight. The maximum fee for a round trip was $10. The new security fee for all flights is $5.60. Any layover...

Three undergraduates from Singapore are relieved they were not on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which crashed in eastern Ukraine after being allegedly shot down by militants. The Boeing 777 came down in cornfields in the separatist-held region on Thursday, killing all 298 people on board on Thursday (July 17). In April, 23-year-old Nicholas Ng and his two friends had booked a return ticket to Europe through a travel agency. But the National University of Singapore student's booking was cancelled after he missed the deadline to submit the required documents, such as his passport details. His friends also cancelled their...

A Mashable investigation shows that aircraft from many nations, including the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, routinely fly at high altitudes over tense conflict zones such as Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. In the wake of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on Thursday, such overflights may be reexamined. Aviation regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration, issue warnings to pilots based on information about any hazards, including military activity in the area of a planned route of flight. For example, in the days leading up to the Malaysia Airlines crash, the FAA banned American carriers from flying...

French authorities say they foiled an Islamic terrorist plot reportedly targeting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and a nuclear power plant last year. The revelation comes as the country unveiled new anti-terror rules which included a proposal to ban terror suspects from leaving the country if it is thought they intend to fight abroad, The Telegraph reported. French authorities revealed they arrested a 29-year-old Algerian butcher living in southern France June 2013, after they found coded messages between him and a high-ranking Al Qaeda member discussing how “to conduct jihad in the place you are currently,” according to Le Parisien....

The Obamas have spent over 44 million dollars in taxpayer money on travel and vacations. Some are even calling him the “most well-trvaeled, expensive” president in our nation’s history. As Americans head off for the long holiday weekend, let’s take a look back at some of the president’s holiday spending. Our president vacations a lot — we’re talking $44,351,777.12 worth of “a lot,” with most expenses charged to the American taxpayer

Flaris, a new aviation company based in Poland, made an unexpected appearance at the Paris Air Show in June with its prototype of a single-engine personal jet, the LAR01. The all-composite design allows for sweeping lines, with a sharp nose, a cabin that seats four, and long, narrow wings for aerodynamic efficiency. - See more at: http://robbreport.com/aviation/flaris-personal-jets-take?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=relatedlinks&utm_campaign=aviation#sthash.PFsSTX3s.dpuf

Once in while, the CNN Travel braintrust blows it -- make that all the time if you happen to be @cnnalwaysblowsit47. Such was the case last year when we published our updated list of the greatest travel songs ever recorded. Sure, we included a few unassailable classics about life on the travel trail. Even @cnnisamoron231 couldn't rage against our inclusion of Willie Nelson's all-time sing-a-long "On the Road Again." But we have to admit, once in a while, @iloathecnn and @cnntroll99 have valid points to make. How exactly did we miss such obvious wanderlust ditties as the Allman Brothers Bands'...