The Week That Was #2

~ Welcome to my weekly collection of The Odd, The Useful, and The Downright Bizarre.

The Odd: Going to The Dogs! Four Reasons Pets Shouldn’t Fly

Christopher Elliott, in a recent post on Tripso.Com reports the following story: At just two pounds, Natalie Maldonado’s teacup Chihuahua weighs less than her purse. But on a recent AirTran flight from Tampa to Atlanta, as she tucked the dog under her seat, a crewmember stopped Maldonado because the pet had been improperly tagged, she says.

“I was surrounded by four agents, a gate agent, the flight attendants and another crewmember,” she remembers. “They demanded that I pay a $70 pet carry-on fee.” Read the full article here…

The Useful: Safety Tips for Female Travellers

Evelyn Hannon, editor of Journeywoman.com is an expert on women and travel. She is the consultant to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the author of 'Her Own Way, A Woman's Guide to Safe and Successful Travel,' a 32-page booklet available at all Canadian Passport offices. For her creative work on behalf of female travellers, TIME magazine chose this expert, 'one of this century's 100 most innovative thinkers.' Here are Evelyn's top safety tips for female travellers learned from personal experience over the last 25 years. Read more here…

The Downright Bizarre: “Standing Room Only” on Chinese Airline?

Pinch me! Is it April Fool’s Day already? Here’s my nomination for Dumb Idea of The Month: Rick Seaney reports that four year old Spring Airlines, based in Shanghai, is looking at the idea of “standing room only” for some of its passengers. Strap-hangers of the world unite - you have nothing to lose but your seats! Read more here…

Got a few strange stories of your own? Feel free to share them via the Comments box below.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Image courtesy of ABC News…