This week in travel

Wanderlust's selective guide to travel-related news from across the globe

Published January 22, 1999 8:00PM (EST)


- - - - - - + From CNN
In the name of safety, the Federal Aviation Administration announced on Wednesday that a new air traffic control system will be installed in all 20 U.S. control centers by 2000. Those monochrome displays, known as "green screens," will be replaced with 20-by-20-inch color radar displays that are less vulnerable to outages. The projected cost of upgrading the 30-year-old system is $1 billion.

- - - - - - + From theTrip.com
In what could be a sign of the times, another airline merger may be on its way. United Airlines has expressed interest in buying America West Airways just a month after American Airlines acquired Reno Air to expand its competitive base in the West. If United pairs up with the low-cost carrier, it could cut into Delta, American and Southwest Airlines' share of the market. The two airlines both confirmed that they are in talks, but would not go into any details.

- - - - - - + From ABC News
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., vowed this week to push through his legislation that would increase the number of flights out of Chicago, New York and Washington, and would commit $2.4 million toward the Airport Improvement Program. Similar legislation failed last year. The bill will also set up a program to increase the number of flights to smaller communities, where the cost of traveling short distances sometimes outweighs the cost of flying from a hub city overseas.

- - - - - - + From the Toronto Globe and Mail
In central Romania, 4,000 striking miners had to halt their march on Bucharest after running into an impasse in the road -- thousands of riot police with tear gas and smoke bombs. The miners' strike, which has lasted for 16 days, is the largest sociopolitical unrest in the country since the Romanian government came into power in 1996. Earlier in the week, 24 people were injured after breaking through a police barrier.

- - - - - - + From the South China Morning Post
There has always been something intimate about the village of Kutemajarvi in Finland, with its secluded meadows and forests, hiking trails and idyllic country barns. But most would point to its name, which translates as "spawn lake," as the real reason Kutemajarvi (nicknamed Lake Lovemaking) is planning a festival that celebrates its sensuality. The villagers are in the midst of organizing a sex fair to be held this summer for those 45 years and older. They say they came up with the idea when trying to think of something to do to commemorate the United Nations' International Year of Older Persons.


By Susanna Stromberg

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