Travel Roundup: Allegiant Suspends Snowbird Flights, 30 Injured in Qantas Flight, Disney Cruises to Russia and More

Allegiant suspends St. Louis snowbird flights -- Allegiant Air suspended scheduled flights between MidAmerica St. Louis Airport and Florida until 2009 citing strong Southwest Airlines competition and rising fuel costs. The snowbird flights are seasonal, but usually resume for the fall and winter tourist seasons. Allegiant will continue to fly Las Vegas- St. Louis routes. [Source: Belleville News Democrat]

Turbulence injures 30 on Qantas flight -- About 30 passengers were thrown from their seats and injured when a Qantas Airways Airbus A330 carrying 303 passengers suddenly plunged 350 feet over Western Australia. Turbulence apparently was the cause as pilots made an emergency landing at a Royal Australian Air Force base. [Source: Herald Sun]

Disney cruises to Russia -- Disney Cruise Lines announced plans for a 12-night "Northern European Capitals" jaunt that includes St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Copenhagen, starting in summer 2010. Booking for the cruises starts Oct. 14. The cruise line also announced long-term cruises to the Mediterranean. [Source: San Jose Mercury News, Disney Cruise Lines]

Bill Gates invests more in Strategic Hotels & Resorts -- Bill Gates (yes, that Bill Gates) acquired 4.2 million shares of Strategic Hotels & Resorts through his investment firm, Cascade Investment. He and his company (he's the sole member) now hold a 5.6 percent stake in Strategic, up from 5.2 percent in August. A previous item on Strategic noted that the company recently dropped out of a downtown Chicago hotel project. [Source: Chicago Business News, BNET, SEC)

Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Lines