It was another big week in the world of travel. Passengers revolted when kept waiting on the tarmac, American issued a fare sale to the Caribbean, and I continued to wage my ongoing battle with US Airways. Now, with the weekend in sight, I’d like to take a little time to highlight some of the great travel stories coming from some of my favorite writers and bloggers:

Where Has All the Data Gone?

A few weeks ago, I talked about the EU and the US’ new data-sharing agreement. While there are different laws regarding the collection of data, one thing seems to be clear: the airlines aren’t really sure what they’ve done with all of your personal information.

The Practical Nomad takes a look at how EU airlines don’t seem to know the laws that they’re supposed to be following and how US airlines can pretty much avoid dealing with data issues due to the National Security policies that are in place. While this post might make the paranoid more paranoid, it serves as a reminder that the airlines themselves aren’t always crystal clear on the policies the government has established.

Must Ride Bike/Eat Pie Faster

If you’ve ever had a dream of combining two of your favorite past times, cycling and eating pie, Gadling has found the perfect place for you.

Their feature on the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition’s annual Biking Festival’s 6.5 bike race/pie eating contest proves that there is truly something out there for everybody. It also highlights the fact that even if you can’t head to Hawaii or take a trip overseas, there are countless fun, exciting, and original destinations right here at home.

Big Love for Southwest

Changes to the old Wright Amendment stipulations have proven to be exactly what Southwest hoped they would be. The airline has seen increased traffic out of Love Field and it has watched as American has slowly shied away from competition.

While Southwest has had to deal with other issues this year, their Congress-backed growth at Love is something they’ve been looking for for a long time. Visit Airline Biz for a breakdown of Southwest’s traffic increases since the beginning of 2007.

C is for Cookie…And Cost-Cutting

What’s that you say? You really like those 9oz. cookies that United gives you? Well, too bad. United will be cutting your cookie intake back to 5 oz. The Cranky Flier has a great post about one airline’s latest move to cut costs.

The Best of the Best

The folks at Forbes love to rank things, and this week they have put together a list of the World’s Best Airlines. But the Forbes list isn’t about things like on-time arrivals or customer service, it’s about important things like leg room, full bars, and First Class cabins that look like this:

Have a great weekend!