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The skinny

By TIMES WIRES
Published March 20, 2007

THE SORRY SKIES

HER CONDITION DOWNGRADED, SHE'S UPGRADED

Paul Trinder sprang for a first-class seat on British Airways for his trip from Delhi to London. Upon awaking from a nap, he was surprised to see someone in the seat next to him. Especially when he learned she was dead. "The stewards just plonked the body down without saying a thing. I remember looking at this frail, sparrow-like woman and thinking she was very ill," Trinder told the Sunday Times of London. "When I asked what was going on, I was shocked to hear she was dead." The lady died in economy, which was packed, so attendants brought her and her family to first class where there was some room. The airline says about 10 people die in-flight each year, and each case is handled individually. It apologized to first-class passengers distressed by the incident.

Don't hold plane, but just hold it

Speaking of airlines apologizing for passenger distress, SkyWest Airlines has issued a free ticket to James Whipple after he urinated into an air-sickness bag at his seat on a flight from Boise, Idaho, to Salt Lake City. Now, don't think that this is a great new way to get free tickets. There were extenuating circumstances. Mainly that SkyWest wouldn't let Whipple use the cabin restroom during the hourlong flight. And that Whipple had two "really big beers" before takeoff in Boise. The captain had declared the restroom off limits for the short flight because a light was out. For his part, Whipple was discrete about the function.

APRIL'S WORST DAY

Be careful what you wish on a cop

April Bedell had the flu, was a little cranky and a little sloppy, and as a result, she'll serve 100 hours of community service, pay a $1,000 fine, serve two years' probation and take a tour of the local jail. Seems that an officer in Dover, N.H., gave her a parking ticket. When she sent in the fine, she included a note that said she hoped the officer got sick because she sneezed on the ticket. Then there was the powder in the envelope. Unexplained powder in envelopes gets people really nervous these days. That was muffin mix, she said, and assures that part was just an accident.

UPDATE

Free Alaska land

If you were hoping to claim some of that free real estate in Anderson, Alaska, forget about it. The 26 plots have been claimed by people from Oregon, Idaho, Florida, Wisconsin and Washington. "People are jacked," said Mayor Mike Pearson. "They're jubilant. It's like a mini festival." The town decided to give away 1.3-acre plots in the hope of boosting its dwindling population, currently at about 300. The deal requires winners to build homes on the land within two years. The idea was hatched in a social studies class taught by Daryl Frisbie. "This is insane," Frisbie said. "It's more than I ever imagined."

[Last modified March 20, 2007, 01:23:20]