Special Agent in Charge Laurie J. Bennett, Buffalo Division, issued the following statement:

"The FBI is providing support to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), New York State Police, the Erie County Police Department, Emergency Medical Service personnel, local fire departments, and the State of New York in response to last night's crash of Continental Express 3407 in

The United States Capitol is a monument, a working office building, and one of the most recognizable symbols of representative democracy in the world. Visitors are welcome to enter the building through the Capitol Visitor Center, located underground on

Security Increased

Heightened front-line and behind-the-scenes security measures will be taken in stations and aboard trains, and may include:

Amtrak Police officers and Mobile Security Teams
Federal, state and local law enforcement and anti-terrorism forces
K-9 units
Identification checks
Passenger, and carry-on and checked baggage screening
Due to the high volume of traffic expected, some trains' passengers may be asked to remain on board for a short period of time prior to detraining to ensure the safe and orderly movement of passengers through Union Station. With numerous trains arriving within short time frames, trains will take turns unloading passengers to prevent unsafe overcrowding conditions in the station. Passengers with disabilities and special needs should specifically request assistance when making reservations.

Reservations for Amtrak trains may be made online at

Seats Still Available on Amtrak for Inauguration Day, January 20

WASHINGTON - Amtrak has expanded capacity by adding trains and cars to maximize available space for service to and from Washington, D.C., during the inauguration of the nation's 44th president on January 20, 2009. As of January 8, seats were still available on trains running in the Northeast Corridor at peak periods on Inauguration Day. Space is limited and travelers are encouraged to purchase tickets as soon as possible. The extra trains and cars add more than 50 percent more capacity than a normal weekday, with the majority of the additional service available southbound toward Washington in the morning and northbound from Washington in the afternoon and evening. All Amtrak trains in the Northeast require reservations and ticket purchases prior to boarding.

"With Amtrak's added capacity, the train is one of the best ways to get into the city for this historic event," said Emmett Fremaux, Amtrak vice president of marketing and product management. "Since many roads into the city and along the parade route will be closed, passengers can access inaugural activities just down the road from Union Station."

Travel Tips

Due to the large crowds expected, access to Washington Union Station will be limited to Amtrak, MARC and VRE passengers in the afternoon. Because of extraordinary security measures associated with inaugural events the food court and

(inan.info)-The Airbus A380 offers a flying experience no other aircraft in the sky can match.

Two full-length decks with more space for every passenger. 220 windows flooding the cabin with natural light. An onboard noise level that's the lowest of any existing passenger aircraft, quiet enough to significantly reduce fatigue.
But the environmental benefits of

(inan.info)-CHICAGO, – United Airlines today announced two changes to its domestic checked bag policy. The service fee to check one bag for domestic travel will be $15 each way and the fee to check three or more bags, overweight bags or items that require special handling will increase from $100 to $125 or from $200 to $250, depending on the item.

These changes apply to customers who purchase a ticket on or after June 13, 2008, for travel within the U.S. and to/from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on or after August 18, 2008. The $15 service fee does not apply to customers who are flying in United First or

(inan.info)-By Suzanne Presto
Irbil

VOA News-A group of American tourists just wrapped up a two-week trip to Iraqi Kurdistan. Local tourism officials say they are the first American tour group, and only the second tour group ever, to travel through northern Iraq's Kurdish region. Suzanne Presto joined the tourists in the region's capital, Irbil, on the last evening of the trip and has this report.

Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan are not the first places that comes to mind as vacation destinations.

Although much of Iraq is mired in war and violence, the largely autonomous Kurdish region in the north has enjoyed relative safety and prosperity. In 1991, allied forces that battled Iraq when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait instituted a safety zone in the north, providing some security for the Kurds, who were brutally oppressed by Saddam.

But the U.S. State Department, as well as other nations' foreign ministries, still advise citizens to avoid traveling to the region.

So U.S.-resident Marge Busch's friends were surprised when she told them that she and her husband Len were headed to Iraqi Kurdistan on vacation.

"Everyone of them - 'Oh, why would you go there?" said Marge Busch.

The Buschs and 17 other well-traveled Americans became the first U.S. tour group to ever travel through Kurdistan.

Army officer Bill Beauchamp. Two years ago, the 87-year-old published a book on world history that included chapters on Mesopotamia and the Silk Road.

So Beauchamp was thrilled when he learned that a California-based touring company, Distant Horizons, was organizing a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan for the first two weeks of June.

"Distant Horizons came out with a little squib in one of their newsletters that they tell what is going to happen in the future," said Bill Beauchamp "and as soon as I got it, I ran to

(inan.info)-ASCI News-Customer satisfaction with airlines drops to its lowest point since 2001, falling for a third
year in a row. Faced with the soaring cost of jet fuel, airlines are raising ticket prices,
overbooking flights, and charging extra fees for checking more than one bag and for
“premium” seats.

Continental Airlines and US Airways suffer the largest nosedives. Continental’s ACSI
score plummets 10% to 62, while US Airways falls12% to 54. The four airlines at

(inan.info)-VOANEWS.com-By Scott Stearns
Sharm El-Sheikh

U.S. President George Bush says Saudi Arabia's move to increase oil production to make up for declining output elsewhere does not solve the problem of high gasoline prices for Americans. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush again called on opposition Democrats to allow for drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge.

It is the second time in four months that Saudi officials rejected the president's request to boost overall oil production to

(inan.info)-By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles

One of the most impressive ocean liners ever built, the SS United States, had a brief but illustrious career in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the ship lies derelict at a dock in Philadelphia, but as we hear from Mike O'Sullivan, the makers of a documentary on the ship hope to see it return to service.

Filmmaker Bob Radler was awestruck as a child when he visited the piers where some of the world's big ocean liners were berthed.

"My father took me to ocean liner row in New York when I was about six-years-old - this was in the 1950s - [I] saw the Queen Mary, the Isle de France, and the SS United States," said Bob Radler. "And the razor-sharp bow of the SS United States and the fact that it looked like it was going 60 miles an hour just sitting there really appealed to me. And it looked like the future."

He says the ship was five city blocks long and 12 stories high, and with the name United States emblazoned on its bow, it was impressive.

The SS United States has been largely forgotten, but many who remember her appear in