FLYING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

A retired captain with 31 years of service has been charged with piloting an airliner while under the influence of alcohol. David Hans Arntson of California was arraigned in federal court on one felony count for two flights with Alaska Airlines.

Indiana may have lost as much as US $60 million in hotel profits, taxes and other revenue when a dozen groups decided against hosting conventions in Indianapolis last year due at least in part to the controversy surrounding the state's religious objections law.

A plane from Bangkok to Amsterdam made an emergency landing in Warsaw Saturday night, after a passenger tried to open the door during the flight. Three other passengers helped the crew overpower the man.

The Arkansas Department of Health says a person who recently travelled out of the United States has tested positive for the Zika virus. The department says that the person has a mild case of Zika, which is spread by mosquitoes. Brazilian officials have linked the virus with a rare birth defect.

The Obama administration is loosening the US trade embargo on Cuba with a new round of regulations allowing American companies to sell to Cuba on credit and export a limited number of products to the Cuban government.

Not the most upbeat news to absorb with your morning coffee, but here goes – a US government watchdog says there are too few fully qualified controllers at more than a dozen air traffic facilities stretching from Miami to Anchorage. And if you think they mean places like Boise or Duluth, guess again.

Newfoundland and Labrador's tourism campaign is one of the most recognizable and successful advertising campaigns in the country." This comment came from Christopher Mitchelmore, minister of business, tourism, culture and rural development. With the launch of the 2016 ad campaign it is reasonable for the province to expect more of the same.

Please find attached Air Canada’s Goodwill Policy relating to the Zika Virus Outbreak.

Singer Carrie Underwood starts a tour this weekend called The Storyteller. She will be meeting with, and performing for, military families as a result of her partnership with Carnival Cruise Line. Together they will work on an initiative to support US military families in a programme called Honour. Family. Fun.

Saturday will be a busy day for the people (and pirates) in Tampa Bay. There’s a flotilla invasion, the mayor will surrender the key to the city and then there’s the parade - it is a full day for a buccaneer. Tampa has been celebrating the Gasparilla Pirate Festival since 1904, an event that brings a hefty $23 million to the city's treasure chest.

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship travelling between Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel Mexico rescued Cuban refugees on a man-made raft in the Atlantic Ocean. Two weeks after the incident, a Canadian recalled the dramatic rescue mission of 17 people, one of whom was pregnant.