News and notes from around the interweb:

• Alcohol improves your foreign language skills. That’s why we take foreign language classes in college.

  

• The Economist picks up my argument for why inflight internet will eventually be free.

  Nevertheless, there is reason to think that free and fast internet connections could be just around the corner. That is down to improving bandwidths. Gary Leff, a travel blogger, points out that when bandwidth is limited, airlines have to ration it by charging for it. Otherwise you end up with unusably slow speeds, which is what happens on the rare flights that offer free internet.
  But now airlines like Delta and American have been introducing satellite internet..

• Another day, another bad headline for an airline: “American Airlines let stroke victim wander into traffic” meanwhile Delta was probably off shooting magic unicorns.

• Star Alliance member Air India is introducing family miles pooling

  
  Air India Boeing 777-200LR, Copyright: boarding1now / 123RF Stock Photo

• air berlin topbonus is still status matching? interesting considering the number of airlines that are now offering matches to air berlin elites.

  

• Turkish Airlines serves domestic meals its flights to Northern Cyprus a political act.