Europe Travel: US Urges Its Citizens To Be Vigilant

The United States has issued a travel advisory cautioning its citizens traveling to or residing in European countries against potential for terrorist attacks there.

The State Department said on Sunday that European governments had initiated measures to guard against any terrorist strikes and some countries had spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions. However, it did not identify any particular country and did not urge Americans to avoid particular venues or avoid traveling.

Reminding U.S. citizens about the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure, the advisory said that these individuals might choose to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests.

The advisory pointed out that terrorists had targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services in the past and urged U.S. citizens to remain vigilant and to adopt best practices to protect themselves when traveling.

The State Department further said it continued to work closely with European allies on the threat from international terrorism, including al-Qaeda. In this regard, it said, information was routinely shared between the U.S. and its key partners in order to disrupt terrorist plottings, identify and take action against potential operatives, and strengthen U.S. defenses against potential threats.

The advisory came as Europe remains on a high state of alert following warnings that Islamist militants are planning commando-style attacks in the UK, Germany and France and had on their sight landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and Berlin's Central Station.

New delay rule comes too late for Virgin fliers

A new federal rule that is supposed to prevent travelers from being stranded on airport tarmacs will be implemented too late to help Virgin America passengers marooned for 4½ hours at a little-used New York airport.
Virgin America Flight 404 was forced to land at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday after fierce winds made it impossible to land in New York City. The jet originated in Los Angeles and was bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Once on the ground, the pilot and crew quickly found themselves in a pickle while they waited for permission to get back in the air.
Virgin doesn't normally operate out of Stewart, meaning it had no staff to bring the passengers food, unload their bags, or arrange ground transportation for the 90-mile drive to Kennedy.
Just getting people off the plane was a problem, airline spokeswoman Abby Lunardini said.
"There was nowhere for us to go to get to a gate," she said. The airline doesn't rent gates at Stewart and didn't seek immediate help from competitors who do.
As the hours ticked by, the airline periodically asked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, to give small groups of passengers rides to the terminal, but fliers were told that if they left they couldn't return.
There was also confusion about who was allowed to go and who had to stay aboard, said passenger David Martin, the CEO of a social networking site called Kontain, who posted live video updates on the ordeal as the episode unfolded.