In Flight

TYRE, Lebanon -- The Israeli orders spread at dawn yesterday, by radio, leaflet and menacing cell-phone text messages: All civilians south of the Litani River should clear out immediately or risk death. Panicked by violence and the evacuation order, families piled into cars and poured north on one-lane dirt roads and bomb-pocked highways. Smoke boiled into the sky as bombs rumbled in the hills. Israeli jets flew overhead. As evacuating Lebanese sped past abandoned cars, they glimpsed corpses inside.

Gone are hot meals on most economy-class flights within the nation. But as the food became cold, nonexistent or even for sale aboard some major airlines, discount carriers that have never served anything on a plate have begun promoting their little edible extras. The airlines acknowledge that their offerings are not much -- about 25 cents' worth of upgraded peanuts and soft drinks per passenger. But they say they are ramping up, becoming more creative or at least guaranteeing passengers something when others are making cuts.

Coffee? Soft drink? A pair of sunglasses or half-pound box of chocolates? Travelers aboard United Airlines' Ted flights have a new set of choices. And, just like in-flight meals, choosing one of these new items will require reaching for a wallet or purse. The airline has begun offering its self-described "boutique in the sky" on Ted, the offshoot of United that serves vacation destinations such as Orlando, Fla.; Las Vegas; and Phoenix. "It combines fun, in-flight entertainment and convenience - things that are all part of Ted," said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski.

LONDON -- A major European airline's passengers could start flying free if onboard gambling takes off. Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Irish discount carrier Ryanair, told the Independent newspaper this week that the airline gave away about a quarter of its seats last year, and that the figure could easily jump to 100 percent if his plan for casinos at 30,000 feet proves successful. He said he hopes to launch a service by 2007 that would let passengers gamble using either their cell phones or BlackBerry devices provided by Ryanair.

As a United Airlines plane recently taxied toward its gate at Reagan Washington National Airport, a group of 15 excited school kids on board pulled out their cell phones to call friends. Friends on the same plane, that is. The chatter, permitted while the plane was on the ground, could at some point be allowed in-flight, something that flight attendant Valerie Walker said might be hard to take. Yesterday, she, along with officials from the Association of Flight Attendants and the National Consumers League, released a poll that found most travelers agree that lifting a government ban on in-flight cell phone use would jeopardize more than their safety and security.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA is expected to decide by next week which, if any, shuttle-repair techniques astronauts will test during Discovery's planned return to flight in May. Program managers are evaluating five potential repairs for the thermal protection system that shields the spaceship during its fiery plunge through Earth's atmosphere. Three of the repairs are for the heat tiles that primarily cover the shuttle's belly. Two are for the reinforced carbon-carbon, or RCC, material that protects the leading edges of the wings and other surfaces from temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

LONDON - In a move that could give new meaning to in-flight entertainment, Virgin Atlantic Airways has introduced double beds for first-class passengers on selected flights. "We are delighted that Virgin Atlantic is the first airline to offer this unique service" of what the airline calls "double suites," said Sir Richard Branson, the airline's chairman, in a written statement. "Now passengers can enjoy even `suiter' dreams next to their loved ones." The announcement marks the culmination of a five-year goal by Branson to let passengers get "closer together" on long-haul flights.

Airbus demonstrated a new technology this month that would allow travelers to make calls from personal cellular phones while in flight -- a major advancement in communications but a potential headache for those annoyed by the chatter of fellow passengers. The test, on an Airbus A320 above Toulouse, France, was the result of more than two years of research the European jet maker and its partners hope will bring affordable mobile phone calling to the skies. The key is a "picocell" inside the plane that transmits the mobile phone call through a computer server to the satellite networks of Globalstar, which pass on the call to cellular or land-line networks.

Flying is fraught with so many uncertainties these days: Will my flight be canceled by a terror threat? Did I forget to take the nail file out of my purse? Did that other passenger just walk off with my shoes? At least now you can be certain of one thing: what the food might look like on your next flight (assuming you're lucky enough to get any). A Web site, airlinemeals .net, posts photographs taken by passengers in flight, along with their ratings and comments. More than 300 airlines are represented, from Aeroflot to Yangon Airways.

When Aretha Kline traveled to West Africa last year to visit family, she was the envy of her fellow passengers on the 10-hour flight. The reason? She had packed a veritable feast to enjoy on board: crispy wings, gourmet potato salad, fresh fruit, homemade cookies and bottled water. "When I've taken day trips in a car, I pack my own food, but this was the first time I did it for a flight," says Kline, a professional photographer who grew up in Lochearn. "Because this was such a long flight, I didn't know what to expect.