Man Removed From Northwest Jet After Making Anti-Semetic Threats

A man was taken off a Detroit-bound plane at Miami Airport after making anti-Semitic threats.

According to a police report cited by US media, Mansour Mohammad Asad stood up as Northwest Airlines Flight 2485 was about to take off  and shouted: “I am a Palestinian and want to kill all the Jews.”

The plane returned to the gate, where Asad and three traveling companions were removed. Police reportedly used a taser on Asad when he resisted exiting the plane, according to ‘NBC Miami’. The 43-year-old man from Toledo, Ohio was charged with threatening a public servant, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He also used racial slurs against police officers.

The 144 passengers cleared the plane and re-boarded it later, but were not required to undergo another security check.

2010′s Top Travel Destinations

Here are some top destination lists for travel as 2009 ends and 2010 begins.

Lonely Planet’s U.S. staff’s top picks for 2010: U.S., Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Thailand, Cuba, Italy, Philippines, Brazil, Costa Rica.

Conciegre.com’s 2010 “It List”: Marrakesh, Kyrgyzstan, Vancouver, Burma, Venice, Antarctica, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Colombia, South Africa.

Yahoo Travel’s most popular cities of 2009, based on consumer interest and activity: Las Vegas, Miami, Cancun, San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, New York City, San Francisco, Orlando, Honolulu, Paris.

Frommer’s top (dozen) destinations of 2010: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba; Florida Panhandle Beaches; Hawaii (the Big Island); Salta Province, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; Melbourne, Australia; Hanoi, Vietnam; Kerala, India; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Tunisia; Copenhagen, Denmark; Isles of Scilly, England. Frommer’s reader favorite destination for 2010, based on a contest: Paris.

Happy 450th Birthday Pensacola!

Long overlooked in favor of hot spots like Orlando and Miami, Pensacola hopes a yearlong 450th birthday bash will lure visitors to this city on the western edge of Florida’s Panhandle.

Festivals, parades, battle reenactments, art exhibits and other events will commemorate Spanish explorer Don Tristan de Luna’s 1559 arrival at Pensacola Bay.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain set the tone with a royal visit Feb. 19, touring the city of 60,000 and visiting Pensacola Naval Air Station, home of the world-famous U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels aerial demonstration team.

Sometimes derided as the gateway to Florida’s “Redneck Riviera,” — the stretch of Panhandle beaches and kitsch attractions long favored by Southern tourists — many native Pensacolans would rather play up the city’s history. Leaders dubbed Pensacola “The City of Five Flags” in the 1950s to recognize the Spanish, French, British, Confederate and American flags that have flown here.

Hurting Pensacola’s efforts to promote itself has been the difficulty in getting there. Pensacola Regional Airport now has six airlines offering service to Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, N.C., Houston, Memphis, Orlando and Tampa. But unlike other Florida tourists attractions, the city has never been an easy trip for visitors beyond the South.