Terribly sad story, from the UK.

A Egyptian woman who was flying from the U.S. to Kuwait was breastfeeding her baby when she fell asleep.

When she woke up, the child seemed lifeless. A doctor onboard worked on the four-week old girl, as the plane was diverted to Heathrow.

The child was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead – she had been accidentally smothered.

The Australian airline Jetstar recently apologized to one of its 15 year old passengers.

It seems the girl got what she and her mother considered to be harassment on Facebook, when a male flight attendant – who met the kid on a recent flight – allegedly asked to become her “friend”.

According to Australia’s TheAge.com, the messages included the following:

“I’ve never wanted to add a 16-year-old before… um, well you seem quite mature maybe we might come [sic] friends. Here is my number….do you even have a phone? What area do you live in? Why haven’t you added me?” -Facebook message

The airline has since apologized to the girl, and her mother, too – and they are investigating.

A hat tip to Gadling – they know where all the bodies are buried.

Don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Freddie Gonzales, but he was news back in 1989.

That’s when Freddie, a convicted armed robber, and a colleague (okay, cell mate) escaped from prison in a helicopter that had been hijacked by his wife.

Of course, they were later caught and everyone went back to prison (the missus, too) – but you’d be surprised how many people go the escape-from-prison-by-helicopter route. Wiki has tons of examples – including my favorite, a Miami prison break that failed because too many guys hopped aboard and the overloaded helicopter crashed in the yard. Oops!

There have been a few movies on the subject, most notably I suppose, 1975’s “Breakout” with Charles Bronson. Can’t go wrong with Chuck.

Meanwhile, Freddie Gonzales is a pretty lucky guy – he’s out of prison and he’s only 41 years old (his wife is out now, too, but I don’t know if they’re still together). However, Mr. Escapee must still undergo another ten years of “intensive supervision.”

Crime – it does not pay.

Love this letter from the “Travel Diva” in the Detroit Free Press:

Dear Travel Diva: Where can I find a bed-and-breakfast in Oslo? It’s not for me. It’s for my son. He’s in his 50s. — Helpful Mom

Travel Diva tells Mom that he should plan his own trip – then adds, “Better yet, go yourself and leave him at home.”

Amen, sister.

Let the boy fend for himself. It’ll make a man out of him.

I’ve been reading about the babymoon trend for some time — a last big travel fling for expectant parents. ABC recently has this story on it.

The whole idea is “last minute pampering” before Junior arrives — at resorts that include such things as massages and even “craving chefs”.

Wonder if these guys have ever been pregnant? The last thing I wanted to do was “travel” — that’s just work, these days. And forget that “glow” everyone talks about — sometimes, pregnant women don’t look their best — and may not be all that keen on frolicking in public.

Another thought — do we really want to blow Junior’s college fund on a last minute fling?

Relax. I have an alternative:

1.) Stay home. 2.) Sit on couch. 3.) Surround self with snacks. 4.) Watch old episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show, to remind you what it was like to be carefree, single and childless. Or watch the Brady Bunch.

Note: this do-it-yourself “babymoon” can be enjoyed by all. Try it today!

Saw this on Consumerist — and they got it from Gerry Braun of the San Diego Union-Tribune — and we bring it to you. Got that?

Anyway, it seems there was going to be this big family reunion in Hawaii. Tickets were purchased months in advance, a beach house was rented, all was in readiness. UNTIL — the day before. United told them the flight was canceled.

Only, it wasn’t. United reportedly, just bumped the family. Eventually they admitted that but never said why (couldn’t be because tickets purchased closer to the trip — more expensive tickets — would be more profitable for the airline, could it?).

The alternatives offered by the airline didn’t work — family members would have missed most of the vacation. Oh, and it wasn’t just a vacation: these people were getting together for a farewell visit to a family member who was dying in Hawaii.

You guessed it. Vacation was a no-go. Family member died. Read all about it.

Well, I doubt it.

But…people do indeed fly to these things (and according to a report from the Florida Sun-Sentinel, as many as a third of reunion attendees will travel 500 miles which boggles my mind).

Now let me boggle yours: a poll by the Travel Industry Association “found one in three adults – about 72 million – in the United States attended a family reunion in the three previous years.”

What’s with these guys? All this…(shudder)…togetherness?

I thought avoiding Uncle Fester and Auntie Em was one of the reasons they invented email.

UPDATE: Southwest gave them refunds. If you ask me, Southwest went way above & beyond.

Okay, a mother and her four kids (and a pregnant aunt) were flying Southwest from Detroit to Phoenix to Seattle.

But Phoenix was the end of the line as far as the airline was concerned. According to Southwest, the kids were “disruptive and unruly” and the airline feared for the safety of the passenger and crew.

A news report noted that two of the children have medical problems, but Mom admits the kids “were a little bit out-of-control” and heck, this was their first flight.

Anyway, the family did get to Seattle, but the report gives us no clue as to what airline eventually flew them. Wonder what was that flight like?

See the video. Were you on the plane with them? If so, describe.

The correct response is, both have made the “No Fly” list.

The senator has since gotten himself off the list, but not so our young hero. The 5-year old Seattle area lad was at Sea-Tac last week, heading to LAX with his mom.

Then, the long arm of the law reached out: Not so fast, son! You Are On Our List.

Of course, it was Mom who got frisked. Go figure. But eventually, they got on the plane.

Saw this on Consumerist. And Consumerist never leaves you hanging–here’s their link to getting yourself OFF the “No Fly” list. Oh, and here’s some video of the kid. He seems harmless…

You can’t walk through a check-out line without learning which celebrities are pregnant, which celebrities might be pregnant, which ones are lying about not-being pregnant, and who might be hiding the always elusive “baby bump.” Luckily, the folks at Jaunted have taken the celebrity pregnancy craze and used it for Good instead of Evil.

They break down Nicole Kidman’s and Nicole Richie’s pregnancies and give a lesson in safe air travel. Check out the Jaunted post to find good tips and sources for information on healthy air travel for mothers-to-be.

OK, so the House that Uncle Walt built isn’t really banning kids, but one of Disney World’s restaurants doesn’t want your youngsters to dine with you. Victoria & Albert’s, Disney World’s only AAA Five-Diamond rated restaurant, will no longer allow children under the age of 10 through its doors.

Just so you know, dining at this fine establishment runs you a minimum of $100+ per person, harp music fills the air, and a dress-code is enforced. Not really a place for the little ones, I suppose.

Of course, I think you’re better off grabbing a funnel cake and a bucket of popcorn and heading to Expedition Everest, but maybe that’s just me.