The government imposes fines on three airlines for keeping passengers cooped up overnight on a Minnesota runway back in August. Continental Airlines, ExpressJet and Mesaba Airlines all get a financial slap on the wrist. "I hope that this sends a signal... that we expect airlines to respect the rights of air travelers," says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

As Thanksgiving approaches, travelers with a touch (or more) of the flu are faced with a dilemma. Do they fly, turning the plane into what one flight attendant calls a "petri dish in the sky"? Or do they get slapped with stiff cancellation fees from the airlines? A recent survey suggests 51 percent of travelers will choose to fly the germ-infested skies.

An international group of eight women begins a daunting undertaking: skiing 500 miles across the Antarctic to reach the South Pole by Jan. 1. The expedition's purpose is to mark the 60th anniversary of Britain grouping its colonies into a commonwealth.

A cruise ship that had gotten stuck in the Antarctic sea ice has started to move again and will soon reach clear water, according to Russian news reports. The Captain Khlebnikov, left, is carrying more than 100 tourists and scientists, all of whom are on a trip to see emperor penguins in the region.

It's a close call for the biggest cruise ship in the world. On its maiden voyage, the Oasis of the Seas barely makes it under a bridge in Denmark, clearing with less than 2 feet of room. The ship is five times bigger than the Titanic and has an ice rink, a golf course and four swimming pools. It can hold 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

Southwest Airlines apologizes after kicking a woman and her 2-year-old son off a flight because the child won't stop screaming "Go! Plane! Go!" and "I want Daddy!" Pamela Root, the boy's mother, will receive a full refund and a $300 travel voucher, an airline spokesman says.