Travel Roundup: Carnival Employee Overboard, AirTran Boots Muslim Family, Atlantic City Recruits Airlines and More

(MoneyWatch)  Coast Guard searches for Carnival employee who fell overboard -- A week after a Florida woman was lost at sea when she reportedly fell from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, a Carnival Cruise Lines off-duty employee disappeared overboard during a New Year's celebration. The U.S. Coast Guard continued to search for the 26-year-old man who dropped into the water around 12:50 a.m. Thursday on the Carnival Sensation which was 20 miles off the coast of Vero Beach, Fla. Coworkers said they threw him a life preserver but he never came back up for air. The ship was heading to Port Canaveral after a four-day trip to the Bahamas.[Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Muslim family ordered off AirTran Airways flight -- A Muslim family ordered off an AirTran Airways flight on Thursday told reporters today they could not rebook or reboard with the airline after they were cleared by security officials. The family was removed after a couple of family members began talking about the safest place to sit on the plane flying out of Reagan Washington National Airport. Other passengers reported the conversation and all 104 passengers were taken off and rescreened. Family members blame racial profiling because the family is South Asian, with the women wearing traditional headscarves and men wearing beards. Of the nine passengers in the family group, six asked to be rebooked to Florida, an AirTran spokesman said. The spokesman claimed one member of the family was belligerent and local law enforcement officials escorted the passengers away. AirTran said they were all given full refunds and allowed on any AirTran flight once the investigation was complete. At least one family member threatened the airline with a lawsuit. [Source: Reuters, Orlando Sentinel]

Atlantic City seeks more airlines -- An Atlantic City coalition of city leaders and casinos wants more airline flights so they can promote the city as a gaming destination east of the Mississippi River. So far one airline, Spirit Airlines, will begin flights from Boston to Atlantic City May 1. The effort is mainly to lure new business to the gambling mecca because of the tough economy, a spokesman for the airport said. The New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority are also part of the coalition. [Source: Boston Globe]

Atlantic City Express Service begins Feb. 6 -- A weekend train service to Atlantic City from New York will begin Feb. 6. The Atlantic City Express Service will travel from Penn Station to Atlantic City with a whistlestop in Newark, N.J. Round-trip tickets are $50 for coach and $75 for first-class service, which means food and beverage service. The ticket includes shuttle service to casinos such as Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Caesars Atlantic City and Harrah's Resort. [Source: USA Today]