A roundup of other stories in brief.
'Fine style' in Irish country house hotels
Condé Nast Traveller magazine, the bible of the travel world, has recommended five modern Irish country-house hotels in its latest issue. The five named are Carton House, in Maynooth, Co Kildare; Monart House, in Co Wexford; Bellinter House, in Co Meath; Lisloughrey Lodge, in Co Mayo; and Capella Castlemartyr, in Co Cork.
Bootie Butler for check-in
If you dislike walking through airport security barefoot, help may be at hand. A US entrepreneur, Choolwe Kalulu, has invented a machine that puts a disposable cotton slipper around your foot. Called the BootieButler, it includes robotic arms that stretch the bootie for you to step into. Kalulu is hoping that Sacramento airport will let him set up the machine at the security line and charge users 50 cents.
Paris CDG terminal reopens
Four years after its roof caved in, killing four people, the boarding area at Terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is reopening, following a €150 million rebuilding project. The new terminal will have added capacity for 20 million passengers a year. A 30m section of the roof collapsed in May 2004, 11 months after 2E was opened. French judges are still trying to find out what caused the incident. The reopening marks a return to business as usual for Air France-KLM, which uses the terminal as part of its Paris hub.