News and notes from around the interweb:

• The trial of a man who yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘Boom!’ on descent.

  “He fell asleep for about three quarters of the flight and when he woke up he threw a towel back at a member of staff who had offered him one,” Mr Sullivan said.
  “He also threw a scone behind him although it did not land on anyone. He was also hitting his head with his hand. People were distressed and upset by his behaviour.”

• Virgin Australia Velocity will impose fuel surcharges on Etihad awards starting June 19: Economy at US$50, Business at US$205, and First at $300 per segment. This is more than Etihad charges their own members.

  Of course, since fuel is now cheap, airlines now refer to these junk fees as ‘carrier-imposed’ surcharges. In other words, they don’t even pretend the fee is for anything anymore, it’s just a fee imposed by the airline.

• An employee cleaning a plane that would fly from Cyprus to Tel Aviv mistook the “Hebrew word ‘booba’, meaning doll, for ‘bomb'” on a box which contained a toy. Hijinks ensued. (HT: Alan H.)

• I’m not the only one who thinks the TSA should be privatized (and a response to critics): Disband the TSA

• Some key moments in the evolution of luxury hotels (HT: Alan H.)

• Air India will offer space available upgrades on domestic flights to military. More competition for Indian bureaucrats!

• Why does Expedia keep the Orbitz and Cheaptickets brand separate? Customer segmentation.

  Orbitz is focused more on domestic customers and Expedia supports more international users. In addition, CheapTickets customers are more price-focused and more willing to purchase flights with one or two stops than Orbitz customers, he says.