Continental Airlines thought of a unique way to celebrate their 75th Anniversary as a company. The airline will fly a retro painted aircraft to their 3 hubs in Houston, Cleveland, and Newark later this week as part of the celebration of 75 years in business.

"I am proud to celebrate this exciting occasion with the Continental team, including both our current 43,000 co-workers, as well as the many retired co-workers who paved Continental's history and made the airline what it is today," said Larry Kellner, Continental's chairman and chief executive officer. "Not many 75-year-olds believe their future will be longer and more vibrant than their history, but that's exactly what we're looking forward to at Continental."

The new Boeing 737-900ER will make its way to Cleveland Hopkins this Friday. Employees and retirees have been invited to join along in party that will be held at the companies hub as part of the celebration.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama is easing restrictions on travel and money transfers by Cuban Americans to family in Cuba.

Need to use the restroom? That'll cost you, if Ryanair's new plan to begin charging passengers to use the toilets while flying comes to fruition. Company CEO Michael O'Leary said that customers might have to fork over £1 to "spend a penny" on flights.

O'Leary said Friday, "One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future."

He added, "We are always looking at ways of making air travel cheaper. We are all about finding ways of raising revenue so we can keep lowering air fares."

There's one problem with this plan, however. By charging people to use the bathroom, it could result in fewer drink purchases during flights.

Parking just got easier at Akron-Canton Airport, and just in time for your Thanksgiving travels. With the new CAK Fast Pass, frequent CAK customers can get out and on their way home much faster. And best of all, the Fast Pass is free.

Beginning today, CAK travelers can flash their Fast Pass card and be on their way. No more parking tickets to lose, and no waiting to pay. So how does it work?

Fast Pass links to a pre-authorized credit card, and the Fast Pass card will let you enter and exit any of the CAK lots through designated Fast Pass lanes. All you have to do is wave your card in front of the Fast Pss reader, and your time in and out will automatically record and charge to your credit card. A receipt will be sent to you via e-mail or fax within 24-hours. It's that simple!

CEO & President Rick McQueen said, “Fast Pass is perfect for the frequent traveler out of CAK. Our parking lots are already easy to get through but this will allow a frequent business traveler to make it through even faster. It’s just another great customer amenity that makes us a better a way to go.”

Travelers can sign up for the new Fast Pass program at www.cakfastpass.com.

With all flights grounded in Houston, travel in the US this weekend is expected to be a nightmare. Continental Airlines, however, seems to have been more prepared than most, having purchased rental space in an underground bunker where they can safely house their important computer systems and up to 200 staff members in the event of an emergency.

The bunker, which is located in Montgomery, Texas, was built by a wealthy Taiwanese businessman who feared that the Russians or Soviets would attack the US with nuclear missiles. Ling-Cheih Kung made his fortune during the 1970's with Westland Oil (now defunct), but lost the title to his property in the 80's when oil companies went bust.

The bunker is located 50 feet below ground, and Continental occupies an area of about 2000 square feet. Continental moved into their spot in 2006, just a few months after construction and renovations on the facility began, which also added internet connectivity for companies leasing space.

The airline industry is being hit hard with increasing fuel costs, and has begun shifting some of that burden over to consumers with incrased fares and charging for checked bags. Next up is cutting out the little luxuries we take for granted. US Airways has announced that they will be removing in-flight movie systems from their flights, which will save them about $10 million per year.

US Airways made the decision to pull out the entertainment systems because the number of people paying $5 for headsets has dropped, while the cost of jet fuel, maintenance and studio fees and increased. Furthermore, the video system adds about 500 pounds to a plane's weight, increasing the amount of fuel used per flight.

The in-flight entertainments will be shut off on November 1 and removed from Airbus A320-family aircraft when the planes undergo other maintenance. Movies are currently only shown on flights of at least 2.5 hours.

US Airways had initially hoped to replace the current entertainment systems with lighterweight, individual devices. In October they'll be testing a fiber optic system on one plane. However an 85% increase in the cost of jet fuel in the past year has changed those plans, and new Airbus planes delivered to US Airways will have no entertainment systems.

American Airlines flight 1908 from Miami to LaGuardia on Sunday night was delayed because the flight crew didn't show up on time, and when they did finally arrive, pissed off passengers began to boo. This hostile behavior on behalf of the passengers apparently proved to be too threatening, and the American Airlines crew refused to fly.

One passenger described the incident saying, "...and then they closed them behind glass doors, and they kind of threatened us that they weren't going to fly with the way people were acting. Some people got very agitated." Another passenger indicated that a few people were acting like a mob and using harsh language.

At this point, two American Airlines crew members refused to work in a "hostile" environment, and because they were unable to find another crew, the flight was grounded and cancelled.

Passengers on the cancelled flight were compensated and given a hotel for the night. When they finally arrived at LaGuardia the next evening, however, passengers found out that their bags had been sent to JFK.

Continental Airlines and United Airlines announced today that they had reached an agreement on a broad marketing alliance that would provide many of the same revenue benefits of a merger, but without financial and operational risks that have been made larger by the credit crisis and rising oil prices. The country's number two and number 4 airlines have been in talks about an alliance since late April.

Continental has been previously discussing a merger with United, but abruptly called all talks, stating that they'd be better off remaining independent. United had also been exploring a merger with US Airways, but called that off a month after Continental pulled the plug on their discussions.

As part of the agreement, Continental and United have agreed to link their networks and operations globally. Continental also agreed to join the Star Alliance, the world's largest group of airline partners, which United currently belongs to. In joining the Star Alliance, Continental will give up their membership with another airline group, SkyTeam.

The Transportation Security Administration is now permitting airlines to store the birth dates of their passengers. The people who will benefit most from this change are those who have similar names to one on a terrorist watchlist, and who are routinely confused for being a terrorist themselves.

The TSA says that by storing birth dates, the airlines will be able to more quickly verify that you are not the same person on the list.

Right now, TSA keeps two lists: a strict "no fly" list, and another list that flags passengers for special attention at airport check-in and security. Those with names that match those on terrorist watchlists are currently barred from checking in for their flights online. Instead, they must present themselves to an agent at their airport.

Canadian Martin Rooney is challenging a 1987 U.S. law which bans those with HIV from entering the United States. Rooney, from British Columbia, said that he was fingerprinted at the Washington state border and denied entrance to he US after he told an immigration official that he was on diability due to HIV.

Globally, there are just 13 countries that ban HIV-positive visitors and immigrants. That list includes the US, as well as other countries such as China, Iraq, Saudia Arabia, and Sudan. Under the US Immigration and Nationality, HIV is the only medical condition singled out as a basis for inadmissibility.

In a recent email, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) said that the restriction was ridiculous.

"This law was written when little was known about the disease and destructive stigmas often won the day. With new knowledge about the disease, we must make it clear that this discriminatory, Draconian law will no longer be tolerated."

Kerry had attached an amendment to the global AIDS relief bill which would end the practice. This month, it was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations committee, but still faces a full Senate vote before heading to the House.