American Airlines has mobile boarding passes

Here’s something cool. I would certainly use it – mobile boarding passes. American, which I’ve had no shortage of bad luck with, is rolling out its Mobile Boarding Passes program, according to mobilecrunch.

American Airlines has hopped on board with the launch of their Mobile Boarding Passes program. If you’re flying out of Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), or Orange County (SNA), you’re given the option to send a digital boarding pass to your cell phone via e-mail. The boarding pass contains a QR-code-ish bar code – security will scan this, and you’re on your way.

Judging by the comments on the mobilecrunch site, other airlines – Alaska, Lufthansa – already have something similar in place.


Immigration lawsuit update

A federal judge Wednesday blocked enforcement of employer-related provisions of House Bill 1804, the state’s controversial immigration law.

The Oklahoman’s Jay Marks and Devona Walker report U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron in Oklahoma City ruled those sections likely interfere with federal rules regarding the hiring of unauthorized workers. In granting the injunction, she said a pending lawsuit against HB 1804 has “a substantial likelihood of success.”

Continental Airlines Inc. said today it is cutting 3,000 jobs and reducing capacity in the fourth quarter by 11 percent, citing record fuel costs that have pushed the airline industry into a “crisis.”

John Sutter reports the state secretary of agriculture asked the governor Wednesday afternoon to start the process of classifying the Oklahoma Panhandle as a disaster area because of an extreme drought. Here’s how it’s affecting farmers: Crops are failing in the western Panhandle, and farmers are running out of grass to feed their cattle.

Your OKC forecast: Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 90s. Southerly winds 25 to 35 mph. Twenty percent chance of thunderstorms, with some turning severe late in the afternoon.


Most popular travel sites

NY Times had a list recently of the Web’s most popular travel sites. As you might expect, the usual suspects top the charts.

I used TripAdvisor when searching for hotels in NY for my trip in December.

Site, Property, Time Spent
1. Expedia, 14.1, 14:26
2. Travelocity, 13.0, 14:11
3. Orbitz, 12.8, 11:38
4. Yahoo! Travel, 9.4, 3:30
5. Southwest Airlines, 9.2, 26:44
6. American Airlines, 8.0, 57:06
7. TripAdvisor, 7.9, 7:24
8. Marriott, 6.9, 16:22
9. Priceline, 6.8, 14:05
10. Hilton, 6.7, 18:09