In ‘junk fee’ fight, U.S. details airline family seating rules
The Transportation Department is rolling out a “dashboard” to let travelers see at a glance which airlines help families with young children sit together at no extra cost. The announcement Monday comes as the department works on regulations to prevent families from being separated on planes. It’s the latest salvo...
Daycation: Bedford offers bounty of history, heritage and hospitality
History and heritage collide for an educational travel destination in rural Bedford County. A daycation to the town of Bedford offers a variety of activities drenched in American history dating to the 1700s. Bedford is positioned near the crossroads of two ancient Native American trading routes and served as a...
Shoe polish stands begin to vanish, lose their shine
NEW YORK — On a recent winter weekday at Penn Station Shoe Repair and Shoe Shine, men hop onto shoeshine chairs and pull out newspapers and phones to read while shoeshiners get to work applying polish and elbow grease to loafers, boots and other leather shoes. When finished, these customers...
Record 6,542 guns intercepted at U.S. airport security in ’22
ATLANTA — The woman flying out of Philadelphia’s airport last year remembered to pack snacks, prescription medicine and a cellphone in her handbag. But what was more important was what she forgot to unpack: a loaded .380-caliber handgun in a black holster. The weapon was one of the 6,542 guns...
Breeze Airways adds 4 new nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport
Breeze Airways announced Tuesday it will begin nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport to Portland, Maine; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Long Island, N.Y.; and Jacksonville, Fla. Flights to Raleigh-Durham are set to begin May 18, while Long Island and Jacksonville will start May 25. Service to Portland will commence June 2. Breeze...
Disney planning ‘Avatar’ experience at Disneyland
The Walt Disney Co. is planning to add an “Avatar” experience to Disneyland and explore other opportunities at its theme parks as it looks for more ways to appeal to its guests. While Disney announced last week that it is cutting about 7,000 jobs as part of an ambitious companywide...
Preview a portion of Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic UniverseVideo
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – Universal Orlando Resort is building its fourth theme park, Epic Universe, to join Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and water park Volcano Bay. Although Universal executives have yet to share many details about this fourth park, one section under construction already displays a similar...
Pilot shortage puts pressure on airline operations
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Until last summer, Ashley Montano had never flown. Now she was preparing to land a small plane with three passengers after a previous touch-and-go that had been rough. “The plane is a bit heavy, so give it just a little more power to make a smooth landing,”...
Daycation: Things quiet down in winter in Ohiopyle
The streets of Ohiopyle bustle with visitors during the warm months, as people flock to the Fayette County community for its recreational opportunities, scenic views and dining options. In the winter, it’s a different story. Many days, there’s hardly a soul to be seen along Main Street in the tiny...
Calabrian Girl Tours allows Americans to live — and eat — like Italians
For several years, Ladles restaurant in Springdale has offered fine Italian food along with other homemade dishes. But now, Ladles owner Kathy Marsico is offering connoisseurs of all things Italian an opportunity to take a deep dive into the Italian way of life. Marsico is sharing aspects of her Italian...
Laurel Highlands Pour Tour 3.0 adds new craft beverage makers
Craft beverage makers in Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties usually join the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour to increase traffic and increase sales at their establishments. For Shane Hissem, owner of Tap-It Brewery & Grill in Mt. Pleasant Township, it was the other way around. As more customers found the new...
Punxsutawney Phil to be inducted into Meteorologist Hall of Fame
Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog will receive a big honor just before he gives his weather prediction on Groundhog Day 2023. The Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center will induct Punxsutawney Phil into the Meteorologist Hall of Fame on Feb. 1 - the day before Groundhog Day. The center said Phil will be...
Lunar New Year tourism hopes fizzle as Chinese stay home
BANGKOK — A hoped-for boom in Chinese tourism in Asia over next week’s Lunar New Year holidays looks set to be more of a blip as most travelers opt to stay inside China if they go anywhere. From the beaches of Bali to Hokkaido’s powdery ski slopes, the hoards of...
Are resort fees ever worth it?
The Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, a Hyatt resort on 15 beachfront acres in Hawaii, is far from a place to sleep. There are multiple pools, including a lagoon and three infinity pools. As part of the resort fee, you can also take a stand-up paddleboarding course, use the resort’s...
What to expect from Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios, including the Mario Kart ride
LOS ANGELES — Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood brings a lot of firsts to the theme park industry. It’s the first major land in North America themed entirely around a video game property and it contains the first serious implementation of augmented reality in an attraction. It’s also...
Hundreds of Salem Witch Trials documents get new home
BOSTON — Hundreds of court documents from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials are being transferred from the Salem museum where they have been stored for more than four decades to the newly expanded Judicial Archives facility in Boston. The 527 documents — which include transcripts of testimony and examinations, depositions,...
Newly restored house in Pompeii offers glimpse of elite life
POMPEII, Italy — The newly restored remains of an opulent house in Pompeii that likely belonged to two former slaves who became rich through the wine trade offer visitors an exceptional peek at details of domestic life in the doomed Roman city. On Tuesday, the House of Vettii, Domus Vettiorum...
Bigfoot sighting late last year in Pennsylvania?
Is Bigfoot out there somewhere roaming around? Well, the folks at The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization seem convinced the legendary creature exists, and if you check out their website there’s all sorts of interesting info. And, one of the most interesting features is the sightings section where you can filter...
Daycation: Palace of Gold in West Virginia on National Register of Historic PlacesVideo
There’s gold in the rural hills of West Virginia. Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold is a tourist attraction and part of the New Vrindaban Temple community, which houses more than 250 members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Listed on the National Register of Historical Places, the public are...
Southwest starts on reputation repair after cancellations
DALLAS — With its flights running on a roughly normal schedule, Southwest Airlines is now turning its attention to repairing its damaged reputation after it canceled 15,000 flights around Christmas and left holiday travelers stranded. The disruptions started with a winter storm and snowballed when Southwest’s ancient crew-scheduling technology failed....
As covid surges in China, U.S. begins testing more travelers
NEWARK, N.J. — Shubham Chandra knows how dangerous the coronavirus can be: He lost his dad during the pandemic. So when he cleared customs at Newark Liberty International Airport and saw people offering anonymous covid-19 testing, he was happy to volunteer. “It’s a minimum amount of effort to help a...
At Southwest Airlines, a day of recovery after week of chaos
Southwest Airlines returned to a relatively normal flight schedule Friday, as the focus shifts to making things right with what could be well more than a million passengers who missed family connections or flights home during the holidays, and many of whom are still missing luggage. The Dallas carrier, which...
Southwest hopes to return to full schedule Friday after canceling thousands of flights
The nightmare may be over soon for Southwest Airlines flyers whose holiday travels have been anything but smooth sailing. After canceling thousands of flights because of winter weather and a major technology meltdown, company leaders at Southwest told employees Wednesday that they hope to have a full schedule restored by...
Western Pa. to get new, upgraded Amtrak Airo trains
Amtrak is upgrading a select portion of its fleet and Western Pennsylvania passengers will benefit. The Pennsylvanian line — which runs from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and connects to Philadelphia and New York — will be getting new Amtrak Airo trains. These new, modern trains are coming to 14 Amtrak routes...
Southwest cuts 2,300 flights, schedule in sustained chaos
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines continued to extract itself from sustained scheduling chaos Thursday, canceling another 2,350 flights after a winter storm overwhelmed its operations days ago. The Dallas carrier acknowledged it has inadequate and outdated operations technology that can leave flight crews out of position when adverse weather strikes. Southwest...
