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United plane lands after engine-overheat warning

United says a flight from Costa Rica to Houston was cut short by an engine-overheating warning. Airline spokeswoman Erin Benson says the two-engine Boeing 737 circled to burn fuel, then returned Monday to the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica. She says the plane was over normal landing weight, so fire crews stood by at the airport. A reporter among the 165 passengers tweeted that it was a frightening experience. Aviation-safety consultant John Cox says Boeing 737s can't dump fuel but are designed to land slightly overweight. He says it sounds like the United crew did everything right, including throttling back and returning to Costa Rica on one engine. Benson says the passengers will get compensation and fly to Houston Tuesday.<br/>

Officials seek to ban city travel on United after dragging

Officials in a Massachusetts city are trying to ban employees from using public funds to fly on United after a passenger was dragged off a flight in Chicago. The Boston Globe reports the Cambridge City Council passed a proposal Monday asking the city manager to ban official city travel on the airline so long as there are alternative options. United came under fire when a video showed airport police drag a passenger down the aisle and off a plane this month after he refused to give up his seat to make room for an airline employee. United CEO Oscar Munoz has since apologized. Council members say United "does not reflect Cambridge's values." The airline says it no longer allows crew members to displace passengers who are already seated.<br/>

United investigates giant bunny death

United is investigating the death of a giant rabbit which was being transported on one of its planes. The 90cm-long bunny, called Simon, was found dead in the cargo hold when the flight arrived at Chicago's O'Hare airport from London Heathrow. Reports in UK media say the continental giant rabbit was being delivered to a new "celebrity" owner. United, which has has a torrid few weeks of bad publicity, said it was "saddened" by Simon's death. Animals dying on planes is rare but not unheard of. US DoT figures show that in 2015, the most recent data available, US airlines reported 35 animal deaths. Of those, 14 deaths were on United flights, with further nine creatures injured. Across the year, United carried 97, 156 animals, meaning there were 2.37 incidents for every 10,000 animals transported during the period. That was the highest rate seen any US airline, according to the data.<br/>In a statement sent to the BBC, United said: "We were saddened to hear this news. The safety and well-being of all the animals that travel with us is of the utmost importance to United and our PetSafe team. "We have been in contact with our customer and have offered assistance. We are reviewing this matter."<br/>

Air China sells flights to North Korea again

Air China is offering flights between Beijing and North Korea again after a brief halt. The state-owned carrier said April 14 that it was suspending flights to North Korea's capital Pyongyang because of poor sales. Less than two weeks later, Air China's website is offering flight bookings again from May 5. The announcement of the temporary suspension drew attention during a period of heightened tensions between the US and North Korea. But there was no official indication Air China's move had anything to do with political calculations in Beijing. An airline representative said at the time that it would "schedule flights on this route based on passenger demand." The flights weren't very frequent to begin with -- just three round trips a week between the two capital cities. That's going down to two a week from May 5 through October 27, according to the carrier's website.<br/>