Here's some recent happenings that make me wonder if the apocalypse of travel is upon us:

* A Japan Airlines jet was grounded at Los AngelesAirport (LAX) after it sucked a metal baggage cart into one of its four engines.

* A Continental Airlines flight from Newark to Buffalo lost a wheel as it landed at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Tuesday night.

* A Southwest Airlines plane landed in Houston, Texas with flamesshooting from underneath after one of its rear tires caught on fire.

* A Customs and Border Protection official said 19 pounds of meat fromslaughtered African animals was found in luggage arriving at theairport in Newark, N.J.

* Sea-Tac Airportthinks it's figured out a fail safe systemthat will get 100 percent of the bags it's responsible for sorting back intothe hands of the airlines.

* Approximately a dozen airports around the country now have self-changing seat covers in the restrooms.

* Penn & Teller are putting airport security to the test.

* The DOT recently reported that U.S. airlines' on-time performance during the first three months of2009 was the best for that period since 2003.