More like the long-haul edition… Round ‘em up!:

Airports feeling more like the post office
It’s not because of the lines. It’s the signs reading “WANTED” with photos of criminals. But airports won’t display run-of-the-mill criminals. Oh no. They’ll feature wanted-posters for terrorists. But honestly, why limit the posters to terrorists? Why not seek out a whole range of wanted criminals? After all, will Osama really be catching the 10:30 flight to Pittsburgh?

Free jetBlue tickets
Buy a ticket to London on Eos Airlines, get a free ticket on jetBlue. Membership in jetBlue’s True Blue frequent flyer program required. (Via the Cranky Flier)

Halfway to a free ticket on Southwest
Register by January 31, 2007 for Southwest Rapid Rewards and get 8 credits, halfway to a free flight. The promo is aimed at the Washington, DC market but seems to be open to anyone. (Via View from the Wing)

The War on Margarine proceeds apace
Loews Hotels are banning transfats, phasing in various bans over the coming months. No margarine will be used their kitchens, or available for your morning toast. Will a foie gras ban follow?

What’s in a name?
Brazilian airline Varig, a shell of its former self, is renaming itself “Nordeste.” Will they remain in Star Alliance? Will anyone care?

Speaking of Brazil…
It’s both a good day and a bad day for the pilots of the Embraer jet that survived the mid-air collision over the Brazilian jungle. They were finally allowed to leave Brazil and head home to the United States, where they were held (but not under arrest) since the incident over two months ago. However, they’ve been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the accident and have promised to return to Brazil for the trial. Blaming the pilots for the failures of the air traffic control system appears to be the Brazilian government’s m.o. Shame on them. For near-daily updates on this affair, Joe Sharkey’s blog is the place to go.

EU expands “borderless” travel
The European Union is expanding the number of countries that fall under the Schengen Treaty’s rules for travel between states. Under Schengen rules, you don’t need to undergo passport controls when you move between participating countries. If you’re flying in from outside the Schengen zone, you’ll be fully screened. Of EU members, only the UK, Ireland, and Cyprus will NOT participate in Schengen. Non-EU members Iceland and Norway participate; Switzerland joins next year.

Helicopter service to Newark Airport
US Helicopter is adding Newark to its roster of airports served from the heliport in downtown Manhattan. Service begins at $159 each way, with a scheduled flight time of 8 minutes.

Richard Branson calls for electric tugs at airports
As part of its re-entry into the Chicago market, Virgin Atlantic called for O’Hare Airport to employ electric tugs, to pull planes from the gate to the runway. Doing so would apparently cut aircraft emissions on the ground by 18%. Da Mayor is intrigued…