Alitalia has launched a sale to more than 20 Italian cities, with round-trip fares beginning at $569 for travel between Rome and New York City, including taxes and fees. The Winter Escape to Italy fares must be booked by August 20 and are good for trips from October 29, 2007 through March 13, 2008. (Be warned that there's a $50 surcharge for weekend travel.)

Northwest Airlines still needs pilots. The beleaguered airline has been canceling and cutting flights by the hundreds thanks to a pilot shortage, and August may be the most trying month yet for passengers. While there are plans to hire another 250-350 pilots in the next year, for now, you'd be wise to steer clear of Northwest, if possible--and brush up on their flight delay and cancellation policies at nwa.com.

American Airlines is putting in-flight WiFi to the test. We learned via Gadling that American has partnered with the company AirCell and will begin testing high-speed broadband service in 2008 on some of its Boeing 767-200 aircraft transatlantic flights. (Get the details at aa.com). If they succeed, passengers might soon be able to pay a fee to check e-mail and surf the Internet on PDAs or laptops all flight long. A step forward or backward for the air travel experience? You tell us.