In a brazen bid to attract more customers, United Continental (remember when the two airlines merged?) announced today a slew of customer upgrades ($550M worth of them to be exact), which comes as a bit of good news for the thousands of travelers who are destined to get stranded at the airline's biggest carrier, Newark Liberty Airport. more ›

MyFoxNY reports that a woman on a Continental flight from Tel Aviv to Newark says she was drugged and robbed by a fellow passenger: "The alleged victim says another woman, a stranger who was sitting next to her on the plane, spiked her soda and then stole her pricey Swarovski jewelry out of her purse. The Port Authority confirmed that the woman filed a report on Sunday. The Port Authority forwarded the case to the FBI, which would have jurisdiction. However, the FBI will not comment about whether it is investigating the case." Last month, a man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on a Hong Kong-to-Newark Continental flight. more ›

Residents in the vicinity of Newark International Airport were complaining about the smell of gas Sunday afternoon after a Boeing 777 dumped 170,000 pounds of jet fuel into the air while preparing for an emergency landing. The plane, carrying 269 passengers bound for Tokyo, returned to the airport less than an hour after takeoff yesterday because of a "hydraulic problem." But before it could touch down, it needed to lighten up by emptying its fuel tanks over the Garden State. more ›

According to Buffalo news stations, Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed in the town of Clarence, NY, which is about 20 miles east of Buffalo. The plane, which the FAA said had 49 passengers and crew (updated; there were actually 5 crew members) on it, crashed into an occupied home around 10:20 p.m. The Buffalo News says that 49 people—the plane's occupants plus a person on the ground—were killed. The flight had originated at Newark Airport and the Continental website said the flight was "operated by Colgan Air dba Continental Connection." Also according to the flight info, the flight was scheduled to land in Buffalo at 8:48 p.m. but was delayed with an expected landing time of 10:45 p.m. The plane is described as a Bombardier Q400. more ›