Travelers' Aid: The Sonic Cruiser, and an Airline Strike Note

Listen With Realaudio          Need audio help?

"It looks different than what most airliners look like. It's looks a little bit closer to a Concorde. And as a matter of fact it really resembles most paper airplanes a little bit closer than most airliners. I think it's a very attractive airplane."

The design is interesting: It's long and thin. Two large wings sit back on the plane, very close to the tail. Two smaller wings are added up near the nose.

Aeronautical engineer Ken Blackburn maintains that it will fly. But will it fly in the bottom-line business of commercial air travel?

Here's another airline strike note: Last week Northwest signed a tentative deal with its mechanics, which means one down, three to go. American, Delta and United still have potentially hazardous labor issues.