Travel Roundup: Maui's Airport Closed, Southwest Sells Planes, Carnival's Biggest Ship and More

Maui airport shut down because of runway short circuit -- A short circuit cut the runway lights at Maui's Kahului Airport, causing five flights to be redirected to Honolulu and others delayed. The lights were back on at 11:20 p.m Wednesday after being out for approximately eight hours. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport on Christmas Day. The 7,000-foot runway was the airport's longest runway and accommodates aircraft as large as a Boeing 757. [Source: Honolulu Advertiser]

Southwest sells planes for $175 million -- Southwest Airlines Co. sold five planes for $175 million and drafted a plan to lease back the planes for the next 12 years. The company will now make $7.8 million monthly payments for the Boeing 737-700 aircraft for first six months of the lease and then the payments will be reset every six months. The deal is scheduled to go into effect early next year. [Source: Houston Chronicle]
Carnival unveils largest ship, Carnival Dream -- Carnival Cruise Lines released renderings of its largest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, set to debut Sept. 21, 2009 on a 12-day Mediterranean cruise starting in Rome. The ship will then sail on in cruises to New York, Florida and the Bahamas, before settling into its intended year-round Caribbean service starting Dec. 12, 2009. The ship will feature a water park, a nine-deck atrium, a 23,750-square-foot spa and staterooms which include five berths and two bathrooms. [Source: Carnival]

Woman disappears from cruise ship -- A 36-year-old woman may have fallen from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the Norwegian Pearl, off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. The woman, Jennifer Feitz, had left from Miami on Dec. 21 for a seven-day Caribbean cruise due back Sunday. Her husband reported her missing around 3:50 a.m. Friday to cruise staff, who could not find her on board. Both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican government were notified and have sent aircraft and personnel to aid in the search. [Source: Sun-Sentinel]