Travel category, Page 9
Pikes Peak getting ‘trashed’ by overuse, blatant disregard for environment
The lyrics to “America the Beautiful” were inspired by a trek to the summit of Pikes Peak via prairie wagon in 1893. But when Katharine Lee Bates penned a poem called “Pikes Peak,” which became an American anthem after it was set to music in 1910, she could scarcely have...
Airlines will now be required to give automatic cash refunds for canceled and delayed flightsVideo
The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation. The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled...
Work starts on bullet train rail line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles
LAS VEGAS — A $12 billion high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area has started construction, officials said Monday, amid predictions that millions of ticket-buyers will be boarding trains by 2028. “People have been dreaming of high-speed rail in America for decades,” U.S. Transportation Secretary...
The Northern Lights are expected to be spectacular. Here’s where to get a good view.
Still trying to decide where to vacation this year? A destination to view Northern Lights might be optimal for 2024 — as it’s the best time to see them in decades. The Northern Lights, known as aurora borealis, will be especially strong through 2025, according to Erica Grow Cei, a...
Istanbul airport provides anxious travelers with paw-sitive experience by hiring 5 therapy dogs
ISTANBUL — Five new hires are selflessly roaming the halls of one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs, hoping to provide a paw-sitively stress-free travel experience for anxious passengers. Meet Istanbul Airport’s therapy dogs — always ready to offer support with snuggles, belly rubs and sloppy kisses. The Associated Press...
Daycation: Pennsylvania Trolley Museum offers glimpse into transportation past
Have a trolley good time taking a Daycation Destination trip into the transportation past at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pa. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is a nonprofit educational organization sharing trolley-era history and depends on its hundreds of uber-dedicated volunteers for public operations and maintenance of the more...
United Airlines plane makes a safe emergency landing in LA after losing a tire during takeoff
LOS ANGELES — A United Airlines jetliner bound for Japan made a safe landing in Los Angeles on Thursday after losing a tire while taking off from San Francisco. Fire engines stood by at Los Angeles International Airport but weren’t needed, as the Boeing 777 made an uneventful landing and...
TSA unveils passenger self-screening lanes at Vegas airport as ‘a step into the future’
LAS VEGAS — Federal airport security officials unveiled passenger self-screening lanes Wednesday at busy Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, with plans to test it for use in other cities around the country. “How do we step into the future? This is a step,” said a system designer, Dimitri...
Miami Beach is breaking up with spring break — or at least trying toVideo
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach is trying to break up with spring break, but it’s not yet clear whether spring break will take the hint. After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing monthlong security measures aimed at curbing the chaos, including parking restrictions...
6 warning signs you’re falling for a travel scam
Planning a vacation can be an exhilarating experience, but amid the excitement lies the lurking threat of scams that are just waiting to prey on unsuspecting travelers. To help travelers navigate these treacherous waters, Byrd Bergeron, founder and CEO of The Travel Byrds agency, shared some conspicuous warning signs that...
Fans trekking to Zoo Atlanta for a glimpse of last pandas in U.S.
ATLANTA — Kim Chambliss drove six hours from Lexington, Kentucky, to take a last look at Atlanta’s pandas. “I knew they were leaving, and I couldn’t get to D.C. before they left there,” said Chambliss, a registered nurse. She stood peering through the glass at one of Zoo Atlanta’s indoor...
Where will you be for the April 8 total solar eclipse? There’s still time to grab a spot
NEW YORK — Where will you be watching the April 8 total solar eclipse? There are just a few weeks left to pick your spot to see the skies darken along a strip of North America, whether by land, sea or air. For those who live inside the 115-mile-wide path...
Daycation Destination: Fly high with a helicopter tour above Pittsburgh
Burrell High School junior Billy Kowalkowski had a sky-high experience for his 17th birthday. He took a private helicopter tour of Pittsburgh last month with veteran pilot Ron Spiker of Zelienople and his mom, Danielle Kowalkowski. Danielle Kowalkowski booked a mother-son sunset tour in February with Spiker Helicopters, which has...
Spirit Airlines to launch new Pittsburgh route to New York City
Pittsburgh is getting another flight to the New York City area. Spirit Airlines announced Thursday it will start nonstop, seasonal service between Pittsburgh International Airport and New York-LaGuardia Airport on May 8, according to the Allegheny County Airport Authority. A daily round-trip flight will operate through late October. The inbound...
Boeing given 90 days by FAA to come up with a plan to improve safety and quality of manufacturing
The Federal Aviation Administration is giving Boeing 90 days to devise a plan to fix quality problems and meet safety standards for building new planes. The agency said Wednesday that the directive follows meetings with top Boeing officials, including the company’s CEO at FAA headquarters in Washington. “Boeing must commit...
A decade after crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, planes still at risk of vanishing off the map
“Good Night. Malaysian Three Seven Zero.” Those six words were the last radio transmission from the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, less than an hour after the aircraft took off late at night from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Minutes later, the plane disappeared from air-traffic...
Date night strike: Thousands of U.S., UK delivery, ride-hailing drivers stop work on Valentine’s Day
Thousands of ride-hailing and delivery workers in the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike on Valentine’s Day, calling for fair compensation and other changes to their working conditions. In the U.S., Uber and Lyft drivers planned daylong strikes in Pittsburgh; Chicago; Philadelphia; Miami; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Hartford, Connecticut;...
In this centuries-old English pancake race, ‘you just have to go flat out’Video
OLNEY, England — Women in matching checkered aprons, headscarves and a rainbow of running shoes limbered up Tuesday as they prepared for the centuries-old pancake race in this English country town. They rolled their shoulders in unison, raised up on their toes and did squats before stepping to the starting...
Notre Dame cathedral’s spire revealed in Paris as reconstruction continues after fireVideo
PARIS — Scaffolding that shrouded the top of Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire in April 2019 is being removed, marking a milestone in its reconstruction. As the shell at the summit has been taken down in recent days, it has revealed the cathedral’s new spire for the first...
New Orleans’ Carnival season marks Fat Tuesday with celebrities and pretend monarchsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Festivities marking Mardi Gras, the climactic day of New Orleans’ Carnival season, hit full swing early Tuesday, with costumed revelers gathering on the narrow streets of the French Quarter and families and tourists lining major thoroughfares to watch parades. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club handed...
Ukraine needs nearly $9 billion to rebuild its cultural sites and tourism industry, UN agency says
PARIS — Ukraine will need nearly $9 billion over the next decade to rebuild its cultural sites and tourism industry following Russia’s invasion and war, the United Nations’ cultural agency said Tuesday. UNESCO estimated that the country’s interlinked culture and tourism sector have lost over $19 billion in revenue during...
Quick-moving winter storm brings snow to Northeast, disrupting travel and schoolsVideo
HARTFORD, Conn. — A quick-moving winter storm battered cities in the Northeast with snowfall, sending huge waves crashing into the New England coastline and forcing New York City schools into glitch-filled remote learning reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic. Airlines canceled or delayed flights while accidents were reported...
After a pandemic, flyers are facing a ‘new normal’ for travel
Travelers who sought vengeance after the pandemic halted plans for over a year have already rescheduled and gone on those trips, but now are looking to venture out to their next destination, according to travel experts. After two years of travelers making up for lost time during the pandemic, leisure...
CBP dog sniffs out something unusual in passenger’s luggage — mummified monkeys
BOSTON — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection dog sniffed out something unusual in luggage from a traveler returning from Africa — mummified monkeys. The passenger returning from a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo reported that the luggage contained dried fish, but an inspection at Boston Logan Airport...
Mardi Gras beads are creating a plastic disaster in New Orleans. Are there green alternatives?
NEW ORLEANS — It’s a beloved century-old Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of colorful beads or other trinkets to parade watchers clamoring with outstretched arms. It’s all in good fun but it’s also a bit of a “plastics disaster,” says Judith...
