Major U.S. airlines bumped more passengers -- voluntarily and involuntarily -- in the second quarter of 2006 than at any time since 2000 (a record bad year for getting bumped), says a recent report in The Wall Street Journal. These bumpings have resulted from the airlines’ cuts in flight schedules this year, which led to more overcrowded flights. The newspaper points out that the maximum compensation for being bumped -- $400 -- was set in 1978; adjusted for inflation, that amount would be more than $1,200 today.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department has continued installing e-passport readers in major airports around the country. The machines are now ready at Los Angeles, Newark, New York/Kennedy, and Washington/Dulles, among others. Oct. 26 is the deadline for having the readers in place to process passports held by travelers arriving in the U.S.A. from “Visa Waiver” countries that must now be embedded with digital photos and other stored security data. (The U.S. State Department just began issuing e-passports for American citizens two months ago.)