Travel

DALLAS — Whether it’s a road trip to a nearby lake or jumping on a plane to explore a big city, Americans are expected to get away in record numbers over the long Memorial Day weekend even as economic and technical worries rattle the U.S. travel industry. Over 45 million...

Air traffic controllers in Denver lost communications with planes for 90 seconds earlier this week and had to scramble to use backup frequencies in the latest Federal Aviation Administration equipment failure. The outage at a control center that directs planes flying at high altitude between airports all over the country...

Pittsburgh International Airport opened its doors for tour of the nearly 90% complete terminal modernization, offering a look at the nearly $1.7 billion transformation. The terminal is set to reach “substantial completion” by the end of June, according to project officials, the final touches —will continue after the public opening....

A new software update prevented a third radar outage in the last two weeks at New Jersey’s busy Newark airport when a telecommunications line failed again over the weekend, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday. At a news conference, Duffy also said the recent problems that have led to hundreds...

ATLANTA — Hundreds of flights have been delayed at Atlanta’s airport — one of the world’s busiest — on Sunday because of a runway equipment issue. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it has temporarily slowed arrivals into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, while technicians work to address...

Tracy Moffat experienced only a minor hiccup with her Real ID as she used it for the first time Wednesday to fly from Boston to Pittsburgh. The identification requirement, which went into effect Wednesday, mandates anyone 18 or older present a Real ID or other acceptable identification — like a...

Travelers arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport Wednesday without a Real ID or another acceptable form of identification should prepare for possible additional screening. Starting Wednesday, federal Real ID requirement goes into effect and will be enforced by TSA agents at airports across the country. Anyone 18 years of age or...

WASHINGTON — Travelers who haven’t obtained a Real ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security they will be able to fly after additional identity checks. Her comments came Tuesday as people were waiting in long lines outside of government buildings from California to Chicago...

Pittsburgh International Airport is making changes to its security checkpoints. Travelers who are enrolled in TSA PreCheck and are ticketed to fly out of Pittsburgh should proceed directly to the main security checkpoint starting May 5. There, they will receive expedited screening benefits as PreCheck members. The alternate security checkpoint...

LONDON — Universal has chosen the homeland of Harry Potter to build its first theme park and resort in Europe, the entertainment company and U.K. officials announced Wednesday. The studio and theme park operator that has drawn millions to its Potter-themed wizarding worlds and other attractions said it would begin...

A direct route to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from Pittsburgh International Airport is launching this winter through American Airlines — for the first time in over a decade. The service will be once per week on Saturday only, and it will start Dec. 6, American Airlines said. The Allegheny County...

Southwest Airlines said Tuesday that it will begin charging customers a fee to check bags, abandoning a decades-long practice that executives had described last fall as key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals. Southwest, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up...

The countdown is on: In just two months, U.S. travelers will need a gold star on their driver’s license to fly domestically — the symbol of a Real ID. Starting on May 7, anyone 18 years of age or older will need a Real ID or another acceptable form of...

Five people were injured on a United Airlines flight Sunday amid turbulence so severe that multiple flights were diverted to Waco Regional Airport in central Texas. United 5690 had departed Springfield, Missouri, en route to Houston at 4:48 p.m. and made an emergency landing an hour and 40 minutes later...

MOSCOW — Russia has offered the United States to restore direct air links between the two countries during the latest round of consultations with Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday. Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss normalizing the operation of their respective embassies that...

ARLINGTON, Va. — An American Airlines plane arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport discontinued its landing, performing a go-around at an air traffic controller’s instruction to avoid getting too close to another aircraft departing from the same runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The maneuver involving American Flight 2246...

After a passenger died midway through a Qatar Airways flight, an Australian couple was forced to sit next to the corpse for the remainder of the trip. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on their way to Venice, Italy, from Melbourne when a woman onboard their flight walked out of...

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has taken a first step in redesigning the Breezewood interchange to provide a direct link for motorists who want to exit the turnpike and head south to Maryland on Interstate 70. Turnpike officials this week announced Alfred Benesch and Company, which has offices in Cranberry and...

WASHINGTON — Americans’ confidence in air travel and the federal agencies tasked with maintaining air safety has slipped a little from last year, following a recent crash in Washington, according to a new poll, but most still believe air transportation is generally safe. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center...

A passenger jet made a hard landing before it lost a wing, burst into flames and flipped onto its roof at Toronto’s airport, the fourth major aviation accident in North America in the past three weeks. Although 21 people were injured, all 80 people on board the Delta Air Lines...

Spirit Airlines plans to resume daily flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity to Myrtle Beach, S.C., in May, an airport official said Tuesday. The daily flights from the county airport to Myrtle Beach International Airport will resume May 7, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County...

The Transportation Department is stepping up enforcement of persistent flight delays with a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and a fine against Frontier Airlines. The agency said the U.S. District Court lawsuit it filed in California on Wednesday alleges that Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers’ travel plans....

BOSTON — A person on board a plane at Boston Logan International Airport that was taxiing for takeoff suddenly opened an exit door and was quickly restrained by other passengers, authorities said. The JetBlue passenger was expected to face charges and be arraigned Wednesday, Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Tim McGuirk...

NEW YORK — New York’s new toll for drivers entering the center of Manhattan debuted Sunday, meaning many people will pay $9 to access the busiest part of the Big Apple during peak hours. The toll, known as congestion pricing, is meant to reduce traffic gridlock in the densely packed...