Eiffel Tower’s lights are to go out

Since January 1, 2000, every hour after dusk, the 20,000 bulbs twinkle brilliantly for ten minutes in what has become a tourist hit. But starting next month, Sete, the company subcontracted by Paris to run the tower, has decided to half the time the bulbs are on, cutting illumination from 400 to 200 hours per year.

American Airlines launches Aircell’s mobile broadband service Gogo

Customers traveling on American’s Boeing 767-200 aircraft can access complete coast-to-coast coverage on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami. American and Aircell have joined together to bring the first full inflight broadband service to the US market.

Aircell’s Gogo will be available to customers as a fee-based service in all cabins. Each paid Gogo session includes full Internet access. Cell phone and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services are not available.

They’re changing hats at Buckingham Palace to save the black bear

They have perched atop the heads of straight-faced soldiers for almost 200 years, been photographed by millions of tourists and generated countless protests, but now the controversial bearskin hats worn by the Buckingham Palace Guardsmen finally seem likely to be replaced with a more modern, humane alternative.

The hats commemorate the victory over Napolean’s Imperial Guards at the battle of Waterloo and were modeled after the hats that the French guardsmen wore.

Frommer’s travel guides now available for iPod and iPhone

Digital editions of Frommer’s 2008 guides to New York, San Francisco, London and Paris are $9.99 from Apple.com via the new Apple App Store and from iTunes.

Plane with blown tire lands safely at Los Angeles airport

An American Airlines jet carrying 135 people returned safely to Los Angeles International Airport today after blowing a tire during takeoff on a flight to Toronto. The Boeing 737 touched down without incident, a flattened tire visible on the inboard side of its left main landing gear. The outboard tire on the left side appeared normal.

Woman told to repay airline for diversion (Fake Bomb Scare Brings Real $23,000 Fine)

A New York judge ordered a disgruntled airline passenger who falsely claimed to have a bomb in her bag to pay JetBlue the cost of making an emergency landing.

She was trying to get the plane that left with her luggage and without her to turn around.