News and notes from around the interweb:

• Free airport gym and shower passes a drawing but almost no entries, hurry.

• 35,000 free Citi ThankYou points and a possible 25,000 free miles as compensation for delayed Citi to Air France transfer

• As I’ve been saying for awhile hotels don’t always offer the lowest prices when booking direct, and hotel best rate guarantees are marketing claims with terms designed to limit when they actually have to honor. Now a study says online travel agency prices are lower more often than booking direct is lower (although usually prices are the same).

• A 92 year old American Airlines employee has been working in maintenance in New York for 75 years.

• ‘Do Not Pair’ What happens when pilots don’t get along. Like these two United Express pilots.

  

• The 28 year old passenger who was charged with “public intoxication, resisting transport/arrest and assault on a public servant” after forcing a Southwest Airlines flight from Austin to Chicago-Midway on Tuesday is embarrassed — but don’t think he takes responsibility for his actions,

  [His attorney] Flores says while it does not completely dismiss his behavior, “I hope that the public is sympathetic to the realities of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of experiencing combat.”

• Help Us Defend U.S. Jobs Delta’s Profits (HT: James N.)

• Apparently about the only thing Budget Airways appears to be spending money on these days is a new safety video, though at least it’s pretty good: