Nigeria’s largest airline halts domestic flights
Boston.com

Nigeria’s largest airline Arik Air Ltd. halted all its domestic flights indefinitely Thursday as its leaders alleged government corruption made it impossible for the carrier to fly, after officials raided and disrupted its flights without explanation.

Arik Air’s top executives told journalists that employees of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria raided its operations at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport and gave those waiting on its flights nearby conflicting and disparaging information about the airline. The airport authority later denied its employees were involved, blaming the raid on unions upset over unpaid salaries.

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Southwest Airlines Orders Blended Winglets “To the MAX”
Sacramento Bee

Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) announced today the largest single order in its history, with Southwest Airlines purchasing up to 268 additional sets of Blended Winglets for Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft, surpassing its original order placed in 2003.  This order will ensure that all of Southwest’s future Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft will be equipped with Blended Winglets until Southwest Airlines transitions to the Boeing 737MAX.

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British holidaymaker scarred for life by jellyfish in Thailand
AOL Travel UK

A woman was stung by jellyfish just hours after she arrived at a luxury resort in Thailand for a holiday.

The Daily Mail reports how Sam Webster, 37, suffered third degree burns and was left with horrific scarring after falling from a banana boat and being attached by the dangerous animals.

The mum of one, from Solihull, feared she was being eaten by a shark and said the stings felt like ‘hundreds of razors’ slicing through her leg.

The attack left Sam close to drowning and her partner jumped into the water to save her.

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Labor strife threatens American Airlines schedule
San Jose Mercury News

With American Airlines canceling dozens of flights every day, passengers with fall travel plans are confronting an inconvenient question: Should they avoid the nation’s third-largest carrier because labor strife might cause delays and cancellations?

Several prominent travel gurus say it’s too early to “book away” from American. They say the number of canceled flights is still small and that American can find room on other planes for displaced passengers.

The airline expects to cancel up to 2 percent of its total flights through the end of October because of a dispute with pilots. Even if passengers find other flights, it’s a setback for American, which is struggling to reverse years of heavy losses.

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