Airports Council International

Airlines are trying to shrug off a financially-plagued decade by promising passengers more low fares as well as a seamless, paperless and even "contact-less" travel experience, industry executives said.

Travelers and airports feel the pain as airlines cut flights and shuffle routes. Air travel isn't as quick and cheap as it used to be from some big-city airports.

European airports see slow and gradual recovery in air travel. European airport operators said Thursday that they are seeing a "slow and gradual" recovery in air travel in October after an unprecedented fall in passenger numbers.

Image overhaul: Bangkok airport renovates and cracks down on crime after 3 troubled years. Baggage handlers at Thailand's main airport now wear uniforms with pockets sewn shut to prevent pilfering. Police are hauling away illegal taxi touts. And cushions are being added to metal seats at departure gates derided as a "pain in the rear."

Hudson ditching survivor joins overwhelming public opposition to FAA bird strike data secrecy. A survivor of the jetliner that ditched in the Hudson River after hitting birds and most other public commenters opposed a government proposal to make secret its data on when and where such bird strikes occur.

FAA wants data on airliners hitting birds kept secret, fears publicity will reduce reporting. The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to keep secret from travelers its vast records on where and how often commercial planes are damaged by hitting flying birds.