Travel Roundup: Continental Pilot Dies Midflight, Carnival to Drop Discounts, D.C. Limits Marriott Funds, and More

(MoneyWatch)  Continental Airlines pilot dies during flight -- A 60-year-old Continental Airlines pilot died of an apparent heart attack during a transatlantic flight Thursday night. Two co-pilots took over the controls while the flight crew looked for a doctor on board, not informing its 247 passengers on the Brussels-Newark, N.J. flight what was happening. A Belgian cardiologist said he attempted to revive the pilot, but the pilot appeared to have died of a heart attack. The flight landed safely and the deceased pilot's name was not released. [Source: Associated Press]

Carnival Cruise Lines' profits rise, will lose discounts -- Carnival Corp. reported a second-quarter profit and announced the "encouraging" trend for their Caribbean and European destinations in a conference call. A spokesman said that using discounts initially boosted bookings but that prices and reservations have risen since March and discounting is on the decline. The swine-flu outbreak and higher fuel costs ate into the cruise line's profits for the second quarter. [Source: Bloomberg]

Washington, D.C. limits funds for Marriott convention center hotel -- Washington D.C. officials plan to limit taxpayer funding for a $750 million Marriott Marquis hotel at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The D.C. Council and the Washington Convention Center Authority agreed to spend $80 million on the 1,167-room hotel, in addition to $187 million already given to Quadrangle Development and Capstone Development. The two developers will find other financing for the rest of the project. [Source: Washington Post]

JetBlue adds Dominican Republic to Boston lineup -- Today JetBlue Airways added three flights a week from Boston's Logan International Airport to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The flights, available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, will likely expand over the winter season. [Source: Hotel Interactive]