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Branson dropped out of school at 15, but by 16 he had his own magazine, and by 21 he had opened his first business — Virgin Records. Today, he's the head of a global business empire. In Like a Virgin, Branson shares the story of his success.

It hasn't exactly been a barrel of fun flying American Airlines lately. The carrier, which is in bankruptcy, is in a bitter contract dispute with its pilots union. Its on-time performance has plummeted while cancellations are way up. Meanwhile, some of American's best customers are rethinking their loyalty.

Flying with lobsters is surprisingly easy, as long as the journey isn't too long. And this year's glut of Maine's soft shell lobsters means it's also cheaper than usual to bring them home alive.

Many travelers using United Airlines faced delays Tuesday, but they weren't connected to Hurricane Isaac. Instead, the airline's computer network crashed, leaving large parts of its system paralyzed for several hours Tuesday afternoon.

Happy retirement wishes to Ron Akana. After flying over the Pacific Ocean about 10,000 times, he made his final trip as a United Airlines flight attendant on a flight from Denver to Honolulu Sunday.

The plane sat at a gate with its door open for more than three hours, a violation of flyers' rights.

American is currently seeking to cut costs in bankruptcy protection so the flight attendants' union pushed hard for this vote — warning that rejecting the contract could mean even deeper cuts or furloughs. The company's trying to cut about a billion dollars in labor costs. Mechanics and other union workers had previously accepted new contracts but pilots rejected American's latest offer earlier this month.

As air traffic controllers were rerouting planes because of a storm, two aircraft were allowed to take off and head directly toward an incoming jet. Fortunately, the mistake was caught in time.

Years of research went into the development of a rejection-resistant trachea transplant. But a doctor wasn't allowed to board a plane with the specimen just hours before the surgery.

Across the U.S., temperatures are creeping higher, kids are out of school and the days are longer. This can only mean that summer is upon us. For many, summer also means travel season. Whether you're traveling by plane, train or automobile for that vacation, you're likely to feel the pinch of rising travel costs.