Travel category, Page 16
White House: New rule will show ‘true cost’ of plane tickets
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced a new initiative Monday that would eventually allow consumers to see a more complete price on airline tickets — including baggage and change fees — before they buy, as the White House continues to search for ways to lower costs for Americans amid persistently...
Canada won’t require masks on planes, drops vaccine mandate
TORONTO — The Canadian government announced Monday it will no longer require people to wear masks on planes to guard against covid-19. Transport Canada said the existing rules for masks will come off Oct. 1 “We are able to do this because tens of millions of Canadians rolled up their...
Airfares hit highest level in years despite falling fuel prices
LOS ANGELES — Jet fuel prices have been dropping dramatically since May, and the nation’s airlines now have more workers on staff than before the pandemic. So Americans preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel should expect lower airfares and fewer delays and cancellations, right? Don’t get your hopes up. Ticket...
Airbnb hosts are sick of Airbnb, too
Disgruntled Airbnb guests are taking to Twitter and TikTok to vent about everything from cleaning fees to misleading listings. But they aren’t the only ones with complaints: Airbnb hosts themselves have become increasingly disillusioned with the platform and its disrespectful guests. On message boards and Facebook groups, hosts are sharing...
New Orlando terminal is $2.8 billion bet on Florida tourism
ORLANDO, Fla. — Visitors to the new terminal at Orlando International Airport may want to wear sunscreen, shades and a floppy hat. Sun rays beaming through the windows of its soaring ceilings don’t just peck at the passing passengers — they practically smooch them as if they were spending a...
Island hopping the Aloha State: no kids, no car, no agenda
In my early 20s, I worked as a nanny for a Swiss billionaire, caring for his four children, seven dogs and 14 homes. For five years I was entrusted with those little kinder as if they were my own, so much that one day the parents said, “We thought perhaps...
Kennywood, Knoebels, Dutch Wonderland land national ‘Golden Ticket Awards’Video
On July 4, 1926, a small amusement park with a swimming pool and carousel and some food stands opened in Northumberland County. In 2016 that park celebrated its 90th anniversary. This weekend, the family-owned Knoebels Amusement Resort won a handful of Golden Ticket Awards from the publication Amusement Today, including...
Spirit cuts Fort Myers flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity
Spirit Airlines has eliminated its seasonal flights to Fort Myers, Fla., from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, on Tuesday confirmed the Unity airport’s lone commercial carrier has slashed the route that over the past half-decade carried passengers on three flights a...
Flying with children? Better plan ahead to get seats together
Earlier this summer, the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection issued a notice urging U.S. airlines to “do everything in their power” to keep children 13 and younger near their parents when flying. The office will begin to review all airline policies and consumer complaints four months after the notice is...
From trendy to historic, these Uruguay destinations are tops
Uruguay offers a wide menu of destinations that meets very different tastes. There are world-renowned beaches such as those in Punta del Este, towns with hot springs and cities with great historical legacies. Here are some of the best options for travelers looking for cultural and fun experiences in this...
Daycation destination: Coshocton, Ohio, America’s canal town
Coshocton, Ohio, is less than a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Pittsburgh, located between Columbus and Canton in the Ohio Valley foothills. And it’s the perfect place to take a “daycation.” Explore lush gardens and tour historic Civil War-era architecture in the once-booming port along the Ohio and Erie Canal. The first...
What should airlines offer you when flights are delayed and canceled?
LOS ANGELES — If your flight is canceled, you should be able to use your ticket to fly on a different airline to reach your final destination. If your trip is delayed, the airline voucher you receive should have no expiration date. If there’s foul weather or a mechanical problem...
Love Frank Lloyd Wright? Visit Pennsylvania for a house tour or 2
In 1935, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed what was to become his masterpiece, Fallingwater. Situated in the Laurel Highlands just south of Pittsburgh, it’s his most masterful melding of home and environment. It’s a bucket-list destination and, along with his other homes, a UNESCO World Heritage travel site. But...
Cruise ship covid rules are changing as unvaccinated passengers now allowed
The biggest changes to public health protocols on cruise ships since cruising restarted last summer during the pandemic are taking effect in early September, when most cruise lines leaving from U.S. ports will allow unvaccinated passengers. Many of them also are loosening coronavirus pre-boarding testing requirements. Consumers planning cruise vacations...
52 million tickets sold for ultra-cheap travel in Germany
BERLIN — About 52 million tickets allowing people to use local public transportation across Germany for just nine euros (dollars) per month were sold over the summer, a group representing transit companies said Monday, days before the project ends and amid widespread calls for some kind of successor. The “9-euro...
Colorado Democrats call for new national monument in Rockies
Top Colorado Democrats on Friday asked President Joe Biden to declare a new national monument in the heart of their state’s Rocky Mountains. In a letter to Biden, the state’s two Democratic senators, Democratic governor and Democratic congressman who represents the area asked for Biden to create a Camp Hale...
Laurel Highlands in running again for best fall foliage honors
For the third consecutive year, the Laurel Highlands region is in the running to be named the 2022 Best Destination for Fall Foliage in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The region finished eighth in last year’s voting and third in 2020. The contest includes 20 destinations across the...
American Airlines places deposit on 20 supersonic planes
American Airlines has agreed to buy up to 20 supersonic jets and put down a non-refundable deposit on the planes that are still on the drawing board and years away from flying. Neither American nor the manufacturer Boom Supersonic would provide financial details Tuesday, including the size of American’s deposit....
Smokies to require parking passes beginning next March
GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Beginning next March, visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park will need to purchase a parking pass to use the facilities. Park Superintendent Cassius Cash said in an interview the fee is needed to keep up with maintenance and staffing demands at the country’s most visited national...
Travelers are starting to get a break from higher airfares
DALLAS — Travelers got some welcome news in Wednesday’s inflation report from the government: Airfares are coming down, and at a faster clip. The price of the average airline ticket dropped 7.8% in July, to $311, after a 1.8% dip in June, the government said Wednesday. Lower prices for gasoline...
Easing into vacation aboard the Boston-to-Cape Cod train
BOSTON — Boston’s buttoned-up South Station doesn’t typically conjure images of fold-up beach chairs, straw hats and rolling Yeti coolers. But on weekend mornings during the summer, that is what you’ll see. Instead of frenzied passengers running to catch a train to another East Coast city, today’s throng of delighted...
Find quiet wilderness and a touch of luxury on water so treacherous, it’s known as the ‘River of No Return’
SALMON, Idaho — When Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery were in Salmon, Idaho, in 1805 looking for a river that could help speed their journey west, they hoped to find something akin to the Missouri with a slow, gentle flow. Instead, they found the Salmon River, a...
U.S. proposes to increase refund protections for air travelers
WASHINGTON — The Transportation Department is proposing to require airlines to offer passengers a refund if their flight schedule is changed significantly or the airline makes major changes to their itinerary. The proposed rule announced Wednesday would require airlines to give refunds if their departure or arrival time changes by...
Splendid Byzantine churches head Thessaloniki’s holy sites
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Under fluttering strings of Greek and Byzantine flags, three men raised a party tent on the terrace of the 5th century Osios David church one recent Saturday, hoping it would shelter festivalgoers from the heat that already shrouded the view of Mount Olympus across the gulf. That’s...
JetBlue-Spirit deal brings hope and concern for Western Pa.
Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said he’s hopeful a $3.8 billion deal for JetBlue to purchase Spirit Airlines ultimately will be a boon for local travelers. But there are no guarantees. The deal was announced Thursday. Spirit has been the sole carrier at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport...
