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Love is no longer in the air
An amorous couple that got busted for their inflight PDA will have to resort to conjugal visits soon. A jury convicted Carl William Persing of interfering with a flight crew last November. In the original complaint, he was accused of being overly amorous with his lady, and that he had his head in her lap in what was perceived to be a sexual manner. (His original defense was that he suffered from a medical condition that required him to rest his head. I guess they gave up that line of defense.) But a felony? And why did he take the fall, while she was let off the hook? It takes two to tango!

Fight terrorism! Shop!
Britain’s airports have been criticized for their long advance check-in times for a while now. Four hours before your international flight? Puh-leeze! Now the airlines themselves are getting into the criticism game. The leadership of British airline bmi has gone on record to claim that the British Airports Authority uses the terror threat to boost its revenue at airport stores.

Fight terrorism again! Assign seats!
No open seating for airlines in India: Assigned seats are now mandatory. Why? The Indian Directorate of Civil Aviation argues that “the move will ensure keeping the centre of gravity within limits at all times during flight,” and that “allocation of seats will also avoid confusion among passengers over seating arrangements and in cases of emergency, specific seat numbers given to certain passengers will be helpful for investigation purposes.” Okay… well, I like seat assignments, but is the center of gravity ever really an issue at Southwest? Seems like they really want to know where the baddies are sitting…

Europeans get better fares when they shop in the USA
European travelers looking to get a deal might consider booking their intra-European flights on US-based travel agency sites. The Times of London reports that fares are often lower on this side of the pond. But beware: Some sites don’t take credit cards that aren’t issued by US banks.

Deciphering pilot-speak
Patrick Smith provides a glossary of things you’ll hear on the PA system in flight. Some of it is niggling over the present tense, especially in variations that involve the word “do.” (As in “I do speak” vs. “I speak” or “I am speaking.”) Fight the good fight, Patrick!