Spain

Mad splatter: annual tomato fight paints town red

Tens of thousands of revellers splattered each other with 120 tonnes of squashed tomatoes yesterday in a gigantic annual food fight known in Spain as the Tomatina.

Queensland

Indonesian wins $1 million Queensland holiday

Rusman Mustam will be a popular man after winning his 6000 colleagues a chance to take a $1 million Queensland holiday.

Air travel

Germany scraps body scanners after false alarms

Germany has decided against installing body scanners across the country's airports after a pilot scheme in Hamburg was blighted by false alarms, the interior ministry announced on Wednesday.

Safety fears came close to freezing air route

Dylan Welch THE United States was so concerned about the state of Australia's air safety system in 2009 that it considered freezing flights from Australia to the US, a downgrade that normally only affects countries from the developing world.

Indonesian wins million-dollar Queensland holiday

Tony Bartlett Rusman Mustam will be a popular man after winning his 6000 colleagues a chance to take a $1 million Queensland holiday.

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Air safety

US fears about Australian airlines' safety revealed

Dylan Welch The US was so concerned about the state of Australia's air safety system in 2009 that it considered downgrading Australian airlines flying to the US.

Airlines

Cathay Pacific to launch premium economy seats

Cathay Pacific plans to launch a premium economy class in 2012, promising a "real upgrade over economy" to attract increasingly price-sensitive travellers in the face of economic headwinds.

Aircraft

Boeing launches new 737 'MAX' to take on A320neo

Boeing yesterday launched an upgraded version of its popular 737 plane powered by a more fuel-efficient engine, citing strong demand from airlines.

Tourists warned

Tourists warned help has its limits

Dan Oakes The head of the Foreign Affairs Department has warned that Australian tourists should not expect the government to automatically bail them out of trouble spots such as the north African countries swept by revolutions this year.

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Rescue no certainty for tourists in trouble spots

Dan Oakes THE head of the Foreign Affairs Department has warned that Australian tourists should not expect the government automatically to bail them out of trouble spots such as the north African countries swept by revolutions this year.

Air safety

Pilot banned, airline punished over refusal to give up landing slot

Pilot's flying licence revoked and airline punished over refusal to give up landing slot to diverted jet low on fuel.

Two jets in near miss over south-east Queensland

A near miss between two commercial jets over southeast Queensland is being investigated by the national air safety bureau.

Cruising

Cruise passengers sue over gastro illness on ship

More than 130 British holidaymakers are taking legal action against cruise line Fred Olsen after allegedly falling ill on board one of its ships.

Air safety

World's top 10 safest airlines named

Report finds top 10 safest airlines are mainly those based in Europe and the US.

Air safety

Passengers injured jumping from plane after bad landing

Terrified passengers jumped out of a plane in India yesterday after it skidded to halt on landing, trying to escape before emergency ladders were put in place.

Chinese vote Queensland best green destination

Queensland has been voted the "Green Tourism Destination of the Year" by more than 4.2 million readers of China's Travel Weekly tourism trade publication.

Comments

City parties on, not a riot in sight

London London's colourful Notting Hill Carnival gets off to a peaceful start, defying fears the street festival could be marred by a repeat of this month's devastating riots.

Air travel

Flying somewhere? Better book now for the best price

If you were thinking of buying a plane ticket, now might be the best time to do it as airlines are hiking fares.

UK

London heals with Europe's biggest street party

London's colourful Notting Hill Carnival got off to a peaceful start on Sunday, defying fears that Europe's biggest street festival could be marred by a repeat of this month's devastating riots.

Troubled Tiger loses another boss

Andrew Heasley Tiger Airways has announced chief executive Tony Davis will leave the company on November 1 - claims that were denied just two weeks ago.

New Zealand

Adrenalin junkies flock to South Island for games

Scott Spits It's not all about the Rugby World Cup on New Zealand's picturesque South Island.

Air travel

Woman's erotic dancing forces plane to turn back

Sleepy early morning passengers on a flight from Moscow's biggest airport to London may have thought they were dreaming on Friday when a drunken Russian woman staged erotic dances on the plane.

Aircraft

Nightmare over: Boeing's Dreamliner finally approved to fly

Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner won approval from US and European Union regulators on Friday, setting the stage for the first delivery of the aircraft to Japan's ANA after three years of production delays.

Police out in force at Notting Hill Carnival

As many as 4,000 extra police officers will be on the streets of London for the start of the annual two-day Notting Hill Carnival amid concern that gangs are planning a repeat of this month's riots and disorder.

Qantas sorry for 'racist' tweet, but rugby subject asks: What's the big deal?

Clay Lucas Qantas apologised yesterday for a publicity stunt on Twitter that backfired.

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Air travel

Airline changes direction

Strategic has a new name and new routes as it enters the no-frills market, writes Clive Dorman.

Smart Traveller

Statue of Liberty to close for a year

KATRINA LOBLEY Two new trips are tapping into the popularity of battlefield tourism.