There's a lot you're not supposed to do on an airplane these days, like run up and down the aisle yelling "Bomb!," join the mile high club, visit the cockpit, and other things that can get you arrested. None of that is going to change. But in the near future, you may be able to use your tablet or eReader during taxi, takeoff, and landing if the Federal Aviation Administration deems that a game of Angry Birds won't muck with a plane's flight system and send it crashing to the ground.

The next time you go to book a flight on American Airlines, you'll have to do it outside of Orbitz, the popular online travel company. That's because American decided to pull its flights from Orbitz over a dispute that could impact online flight sales as a whole, according to an AP report.

Online travel companies like Orbitz receive a commission for flight sales originating from their website. In addition, American also pays fees to the global distribution companies that provide the flight information, and that's where things went south.

American wants Orbitz to pull that information from the airline, which American said would cut costs and allow it to make more personalized offers to travelers. Derek DeCross, American's VP for sales, said the airline needs to be "free to customize its product offerings to improve the customer experience as well as distribute its products in a  way that does not result in unnecessary costs."

This was a costly move for Orbitz, which sought (and didn't receive) a court injunction to block American's departure. American tickets and related products accounted for around 5 percent of the site's total net revenue for the first nine months of 2010.

American Airlines tickets already purchased through Orbitz are still valid, the airline indicated in its related FAQ.

Google has a history of getting into the holiday spirit. Last year the search giant cut a deal with 47 U.S. airports to offer free Wi-Fi service, and this year Google Chrome is sponsoring in-flight Wi-Fi on select aircraft.

"This holiday season, Google Chrome has teamed up with AirTran Airways, Delta, and Virgin America to offer free Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi on every domestic flight from November 20, 2010 through January 2, 2011. These participating airlines have outfitted their entire domestic fleet with Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi, and we expect more connected passengers this holiday season than ever before!," Google announced.

It's really a win-win-win situation, with Google promoting its Chrome browser, select airlines getting a leg up on the competition, and holiday travelers able to stay connected as they take to the skies.

Forget about snakes, shoe bombs, and stale peanuts - it's lithium-ion batteries that you have to look out for when flying the friendly skies. According to a USA Today report, American Airlines recently confiscated 58 mobile phones, lithium-ion batteries, and charging units from a passenger trying to fly from New York to Buenos Aires.

As USA Today reports it, lithium-ion batteries are coming under increased scrutiny by airline officials. The reason? When these little battery packs short-circuit or overheat, they can burst into flames or explode.

"The frequency of incidents, combined with the difficulty in extinguishing lithium-battery fires, warrants taking strong action," Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, said of a Transportation Department proposal seeking to enact stricter rules for companies that ship lithium batteries in cargo holds.

Unlikely as it may sound, FAA data shows that lithium fires do occur on both cargo and passenger plans. From March 20, 1991, through August 3, 2010, the FAA reports some 113 incidents involving "smoke, fire, extreme heat, or explosion" on these typs of aircraft.

Lots more on the subject here.