U.S. highway travel rose 2.5 percent in September from a year ago, rising 5.8 billion miles (9.3 billion km) to 240.7 billion miles, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Friday.

U.S. carmaker General Motors will present a new viability plan for Opel in mid-December as it aims to reduce capacity across Europe by about 20 percent, a top executive said on Thursday.

Japan Airlines may have to pay about $1.1 billion to settle derivatives transactions, a newspaper said, but the struggling carrier said it did not expect to face such a charge.

Soros Fund Management, the hedge fund run by billionaire investor George Soros, increased its holdings in U.S. stocks to $6.2 billion from $4.2 billion and bought a stake in Ford Motor.

Japan Airlines' stock slid to a new low on Wednesday after the nation's transport minister declined to rule out a court-led bankruptcy and despite a report that private equity firm TPG may invest as much as $1.1 billion.

Ford's Fusion mid-size sedan was named Motor Trend magazine's 2010 "car of the year" Tuesday, adding to the perception that changes to the No. 2 U.S. automaker's vehicle lineup are gaining traction.

Steve Bierfeldt had a little tin box, packed in plain view in his carry-on bag, when he went through airport security in St. Louis last March. He often carried the little box, he later told me. But this time, the box would become a big deal.

The still financially troubled airline industry is experimenting with selling more products and services to fliers, the New York Times reports.

As the economic slowdown peters out and recovery shoots arise, governments are still making good on their promises of infrastructure spending in their massive stimulus packages. And it may be just the time for investors to make money off these government-initiated projects.

EADS unveiled a 77 percent drop in third-quarter core earnings on Monday, as it battled a downturn in civil aviation and damaging delays to its A400M programme.

The company is in a position to start paying back taxpayer loans, but still lost $1.2 billion in the third quarter.

Middle East tension is driving demand for military hardware at the Dubai Air Show which opened on Sunday, but recession means fewer orders for civilian jets.

Police say a low-flying pelican distracted a driver in Texas, causing him to veer off a road and drive his million-dollar sports car into a salt marsh.

General Motors reaffirmed on Friday it wants state aid to help overhaul European arm Opel after a newspaper quoted GM's chairman as saying the U.S. carmaker will not ask German taxpayers for help.

Japan Airlines, which is seeking a state bailout, said it sank into the red in the first-half year as the global economic slowdown hit travel and cargo demand and refrained from issuing annual forecasts.