News and notes from around the interweb:

• Come to the May 30th DC area frequent flyer meet-up!

• European Cockpit Association, representing 38.000 pilots from 37 European states, expresses serious safety concerns resulting from electronics bans (HT: Reid F)

  With current airplane cargo hold fire suppression systems, it might prove to be impossible to extinguish a lithium battery fire in the cargo hold, especially when the batteries are stored together. Therefore, any event of this nature during flight would more than likely be catastrophic.

  …In the addition to the safety concerns, ECA is concerned that the new process provides a predictable mechanism whereby a prepared PED could be placed into the cargo hold together with a large number of lithium batteries (contained in other PEDs) in order to trigger a disastrous event.

• Airlines need to stop taking customers for granted. And after airlines clean up their act, maybe TSA can be next. Here’s how to actually fix TSA.

  

• 500 points for checking out at the desk, a great way for the hotel to know when a room vacates

• Word is that the Singapore Airlines A350-ULRs which will be able to fly Singapore – Los Angeles and Singapore – New York non-stop will have business class and premium economy only, no regular economy. That would sure be a long ride in coach, even Singapore’s coach…

  

• United evacuated Houston flight over scorpion (HT: Alan H.)

• What happens when someone falls off a cruise ship