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E L L I O T T' S TRAVEL NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis

March 17, 2004

Norwalk Virus Strikes Casino Hotel
A virus outbreak linked to a Las Vegas casino hotel has sickened more than 1,000 people, most of them from Hawaii, in an episode similar to those that battered the cruise-ship industry last year, Nevada health officials said. Officials of the Clark County health district said 1,174 cases of illness from a Norwalk-like virus had been reported since Dec. 3, all among people who had some contact with the California Hotel and Casino, a downtown Las Vegas property with a largely Hawaiian clientele. The New York Times | Posted 6 a.m.
-- Star-Bulletin: Vegas virus cases quadruple
-- AP: Norwalk cases continue to grow

• As someone who has contracted Norwalk, I can confirm that it's absolutely no fun at all. Kind of puts a damper on your vacation. In the past, we tended to think of the virus as a cruise-ship sickness. But I got sick in an airport, and these travelers contracted Norwalk in a hotel. Maybe we should start calling it the traveling disease? Send us your comments.

El Al Gives Passenger a Gun
An air passenger was stunned to find a handgun in his luggage after a flight with Israel's national carrier El Al. The man discovered the weapon while unpacking in Israel after a visit to Germany, reports Israeli daily Haaretz. He immediately reported the find to the police only to be told that the weapon, which had been de-activated, was part of a security drill for airline staff. Security officers sometimes put replica guns in luggage to keep bag checkers on their toes, Haaretz says. BBC | Posted 6:20 a.m.
-- Reuters: Airline packs heat for unwitting customer

Passenger Screening Scrutinized
Congress, the Bush administration and major airlines all say they want the same thing: a computerized passenger screening program that will keep dangerous people off airliners. But not all are pleased with the way the two-year-old project is taking shape. The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, would rank all air passengers according to the likelihood of their being terrorists. But some say the project would violate privacy rights, while others are concerned it would cost the private sector too much money. The House aviation subcommittee scheduled a hearing on the status of CAPPS II on Wednesday. AP | Posted 6:30 a.m.
-- Bloomberg: Adopt 'voluntary' screening program

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• And finally ... just noticed that USA Today's Laura Bly did a story about travel blogs and, would you believe it, she even included Travel Notes in it. This is notable because USA Today dumped yours truly as an opinion columnist only a few months ago for absolutely no good reason. Is this a first effort to patch things up? I kind of doubt it, but the gesture is a welcome one, all the same. Posted 6:40 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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