United Airlines will cut 1,300 jobs and reduce flying in Houston after losing a fight to block Southwest Airlines from adding international flights there.

United uses Bush Intercontinental Airport to funnel passengers between U.S. destinations and to Latin America. On Wednesday, the city council ignored United's protests and voted to let Southwest offer international flights from Hobby Airport if it will pay the $100 million cost of adding new gates and a customs facility.

Southwest says its first flights to Latin America and the Caribbean won't leave Hobby until 2015, but United's reaction to the city council decision was much quicker.

Don't be surprised if the housekeepers look like characters out of CSI the next time you stay at a Best Western hotel.

In response to what it says is travelers' insistence on cleanliness, Best Western is equipping its housekeeping crews with equipment you'd most likely see on the forensic investigation TV series: black lights to detect biological matter otherwise unseen by the human eye, and ultraviolet light wands to zap it.

For possibly the dirtiest object in your room — the TV remote control — there will be disposable wraps.

Best Western says it's taking the steps partly because research from Booz & Company shows that travelers desire a hotel's cleanliness over customer service, style and design.

Beginning June 7, all Delta Air Lines flights with a first class and economy cabin will feature the airline's enhanced legroom "Economy Comfort" seating area.

Delta introduced Economy Comfort in 2011 on long-haul international flights. Now passengers can experience the seats on all flights — domestic or international.

Passengers seated in Economy Comfort enjoy three to four inches of additional legroom, as well as priority boarding. The seats are found in the first three to five rows of the economy class cabin.

"Our expansion of Economy Comfort gives customers more premium seats to choose from no matter where they fly on Delta," says Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president of network planning, revenue management and marketing in a press release .

Delta now joins American and United in offering a section of economy class with enhanced legroom.

If you like the comfort of booking your stay on a hotel-owned website and dealing directly with the property when something goes awry, then a new collaborative venture, RoomKey.com , should be on your radar.

Founded in January by Choice Hotels , Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt , InterContinental Hotels Group, Wyndham and Marriott , Room Key is designed to give the benefits of booking your room directly with the hotel and enough choice from these hotel chains and their partners that you won't be tempted to plunk your money down on an online travel agency site instead.

Terry Buchen gets to board his Delta flights early because he has elite status. In theory, he's assured a spot in an overhead bin for his carry-on bag.

In practice, even he has to compete for the coveted space.

Since airlines began charging passengers in 2008 to check their luggage, carry-on bags have multiplied in size and number. That's turned the boarding process into a free-for-all even for business travelers who've traditionally had high enough status to avoid such hassles.

"When a passenger moves my luggage with wheels or handle facing out, if the bin is too small, the bin door will not close," says the golf course agronomist from Williamsburg, Va. "I am very vocal to a passenger when they try and move my bag so theirs will fit because if I allowed it to occur the flight attendant could take my bag and check it."

It seems like every week there's a news story about an airliner being diverted. Or someone being booted off a flight, due to questionable passenger behavior.

This week's examples include a US Airways jet that was diverted to Bangor, Maine because a passenger claimed she had a surgically implanted device. She handed a flight attendant a note, written in French, seeking help and stated that she had an object in her body that was out of her control, according to reports.

The other example was a woman being told she couldn't fly due to her "offensive attire." The T-shirt she was wearing read, "If I wanted the government in my womb, I’d f--- a senator." The expletive was fully spelled out and pro-choice, political sentiment aside, American Airlines denied her boarding. American's contract of carriage allowed them to refuse transport of the passenger since she was, “clothed in a manner that would cause discomfort or offense to other passengers.”

A little common sense goes a long way. But it seems many people need a reminder of how NOT to act on a plane. Here are a few tips.

More than one third of American adults are currently obese, a number expected to balloon to 42 percent by 2030. There may soon be airline seats with more room to accommodate larger passengers, likely for a fee.

Airbus, a subsidiary of European aerospace mega-player EADS, must have had the stat in mind when the company decided to offer extra-wide seats on their new A320 aircraft, the AFP reports .

Currently, A320 economy seats are 18 inches wide, AirTransportWorld.com reports . Boeing's 737 seats by comparison are 17 inches across. With a bit of reconfiguration, the company is now offering two 20-inch seats on each side of the aircraft's single aisle in lieu of three 18-inch seats.

American Airlines on Wednesday announced routes for its new Boeing 777-300ER. The aircraft will feature cabin-space upgrades, including an all-new business class, and is part of American's larger strategy to refresh its international travel experience.

American anticipates taking delivery of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs beginning in December this year, and will operate them initially between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Early in 2013, the airline will expand service with the aircraft from both Dallas and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow.

The new business class cabin is the most exciting enhancement. It will feature fully lie-flat seating (as opposed to the angled lie-flat seats currently offered) and each seat will have direct aisle access.

Checking your bags just got a little more "do it yourself" for Alaska Airlines flyers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The airline debuted self-bag tagging for travelers flying out of Sea-Tac on Tuesday after a successful trial of the process in 2011 at Redmond/Bend Airport in Oregon. Seattle is Alaska Airlines' headquarters and largest hub.

"We are committed to making Alaska the easiest airline to fly on and self-bag tagging is another step toward that goal," says Jeff Butler, Alaska Airlines' vice president of customer service-airports in a press release .

Passengers will still be able to have their bags checked and tagged by an agent should they elect not to use this new self-serve option.

Southwest, which flies more domestic passengers than any other U.S. airline, is going international.

The airline is picking up AirTran's flights to Mexico and the Caribbean after buying its rival last year. It's getting a new reservations system to handle overseas bookings and is seeking to build an international terminal at Houston's Hobby Airport, where it says it could ultimately add 25 flights abroad a day.

Building an international presence is a significant shift for Southwest , which flew to success by focusing on reliable, low-fare service within the U.S. And it's another sign that the one-time niche carrier is increasingly competing on the same turf as the big network airlines, the so-called legacy carriers, such as United , Delta and American.