World Briefing

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No-Frill Zone
Singapore threw its weight behind the nascent Asian low-budget airline industry last month when it approved a new terminal at Changi Airport dedicated to discount carriers. There will be no bells and whistles: travelers will have to walk across the tarmac to board planes after the $26 million terminal opens in 2006. Low-fare carriers have been promised savings of about 20% on terminal-related costs. So far only Tiger Airways has signed on, but authorities hope the terminal will handle about 2.7 million passengers a year. Singapore, however, will face competition from neighboring Malaysia, which is finalizing plans for its own no-frills terminal. --By Hugh Chow

Wine by the Box
Throw away that corkscrew. This month U.S. wine producer Three Thieves releases Bandit Bianco, an Italian white, in a 1L brick. It is the first widely marketed varietal wine in the U.S. to be packaged in Tetra Pak aseptic cartons — layers of polyethylene, paper and aluminum foil more commonly associated with milk. Europeans and South Americans have been drinking wine from them for years. In 2003, packaging company Tetra Pak, based in Switzerland, sold 1.6 billion wine containers globally. They're cheaper than bottles to make, and unopened they keep everyday wine fresh for a year. The time may be ripe for more convenient packaging. Last year the average U.S. adult consumed 2.68 gal. of table wine, an all-time high. Plus, with the recent success of the Sofia Mini can from Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in nightclubs, it seems the younger crowd is open to bucking tradition. --By Kristin Kloberdanz