The new year has gotten off to a rocky start for air travelers. Since Christmas Day's attempted terrorist attack - I know, it seems like years - passengers have had to contend with terminal shutdowns, pat-downs, power downs and government showdowns. So much so that a big snowstorm that just causes delays and cancellations would probably be a relief. Here's a quick recap of travel news from the first few days of 2010.
* The CEO of Delta Air Lines squarely put the blame for the bomb plot aboard Flight 253 (operated by Northwest, which is owned by Delta) on the federal government. Richard Anderson said Delta followed all security measures in place. "Having this occur again is disappointing to all of us," he said, adding, "You can be certain we will make our points very clearly in Washington."
* Meanwhile, President Barack Obama laid the blame on al-Qaida, saying the terrorist network's Yemen affiliates ordered the attack on the U.S. plane. The Nigerian suspect in the bombing was trained and armed by al-Qaida, he said. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was in a terror suspect database, but not on the watch list or no-fly list. In the wake of the incident, the U.S. has added dozens of names to both lists. Farouk was indicted last week on six charges including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder.
* A Northwest flight from Detroit to Orlando was briefly diverted to Nashville on New Year's Day after a suspicious package was found onboard. The package turned out to be, ahem, a Christmas ornament.
* American Airlines is being closely monitored by the Federal Aviation Administration after three problem landings last month, including a jet that overshot a runway in Jamaica and broke into pieces. The FAA said it would review the incidents to see if a larger issue is at work, according to a statement.
* As of Jan. 4, passengers taking international flights bound for the U.S. face more screenings. The Transportation Security Administration said last week that passengers from "countries of interest" should expect pat-downs, full-body scans and baggage searches. The 14 countries include Afghanistan, Cuba, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.
* A security breach at Newark Liberty International Airport caused major delays last Sunday after a man walked the wrong way through a screening checkpoint to enter a terminal. TSA evacuated the terminal and searched for the man, who it turned out, had already left the airport. The shutdown resulted in chaos for many passengers, as flights were grounded for nearly six hours and the delays rippled across the globe.
* A power failure shut down Reagan National Airport in Washington for about an hour Monday. Flights and security screening were halted because of the outage, which was believed to have originated in an airport substation.
* Hazardous material found inside a bottle in a checked bag shut down the airport in Bakersfield, Calif. A hazmat crew and bomb squad were called in. The suspicious material turned out to be soft drink bottles filled with honey. Officials said the incident did not appear to be terrorist-related, but fumes from the honey sickened two TSA workers.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.