Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary: Here’s a look at the park then and now
Disneyland is celebrating 70 years of being “The Happiest Place on Earth.” The summerlong festivities in southern California include the opening of “Walt Disney — A Magical Life,” a show featuring a lifelike animatronic of the company’s founder that debuts Thursday and also marks Disneyland’s official anniversary. Walt Disney’s vision...
Pittsburgh travelers react as TSA ditches shoe removal at security
Traveler Katie Wethli knew before anyone at the airport had to tell her. Word got out through social media that she no longer had to remove her footwear when going through Transportation Security Administration screening on Wednesday at the Pittsburgh International Airport. “It was on social media,” the Cranberry resident...
Get ready to pass through airport security checkpoints with your shoes on your feet
For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports. The Transportation Security Administration is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports, according to media...
Pittsburgh region ‘staycation’ suggestions offer alternatives to traditional summer vacations
While a record number of people are traveling this Fourth of July holiday weekend — and travel appears to be increasing in general, year over year — costs have also increased. “Drivable beach locations have been strong,” said Ian Petrulli, vice president of Holiday Travel International in North Huntingdon. “Most...
Great Allegheny Passage ranked among best sunset spots in U.S.
The Great Allegheny Passage has been named one of the best sunset spots in the United States. Running from Cumberland, Md. to Pittsburgh in the Appalachian Mountains and through the Laurel Highlands, the Great Allegheny Passage consists of 150 miles of biking and hiking trails. The Great Allegheny Passage was...
Greenland has a message for the rest of the world: Come visit
NUUK, Greenland — Greenland has a message for the rest of the world: We’re waiting for you. “Come visit Greenland,” said Nukartaa Andreassen, who works for a water taxi company in the capital city, Nuuk. “Learn about it, learn about us. We love to have you. We love to tell...
Is Zyn allowed on airplanes? Passengers aren’t sure
After a Delta passenger was told to spit out his tobacco-free nicotine Zyn pouch on his flight, people are confused about airline policy on the smokeless products. Under Transportation Security Administration regulation, travelers can bring nicotine pouches like Zyn on both carry-on and checked luggage, according to the media website...
Traveling for the July 4th holiday? Here’s what to expect
Looking to travel for Independence Day weekend? So is the rest of the country. The AAA travel agency estimates a record 72.2 million Americans plan on traveling for the holiday, with 9.9 million travelers in the Mid-Atlantic region (including Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey) alone. Jim Garrity, AAA’s director...
Vatican unveils last of restored Raphael Rooms after 10-year cleaning that yielded new discoveries
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican Museums on Thursday unveiled the last and most important of the restored Raphael Rooms, the spectacularly frescoed reception rooms of the Apostolic Palace that in some ways rival the Sistine Chapel as the peak of high Renaissance artistry. A decade-long project to clean and restore...
North Korea will open its biggest tour site next week, though it still largely blocks foreigners
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea next week will open a signature coastal tourist site that it says will usher in a new era in its tourism industry, though there is no word on when the country will fully reopen to foreign visitors. The Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone has hotels...
London’s secret wartime tunnels are set to draw tourists with a spy museum and underground bar
LONDON — There is a history-rich part of London that few people have seen, where the city braced for the Blitz, James Bond’s creator got inspiration and secret Cold War messages passed between Washington and Moscow. It’s a network of tunnels 100 feet below the streets that was secret for...
Midway along the Appalachian Trail, weary thru-hikers find refuge and an ice cream challenge
GARDNERS, Pa. — Sam Cooper had just trekked 7 miles through a rain-sodden stretch of the Appalachian Trail when he sat down outside a little country store in Pennsylvania to take on its ice cream challenge. Nearly 40 minutes and 2,500 calories later, the dairy farmer from Chapel Hill, Tennessee,...
Smaller amusement parks hope for strong summer under shadow of tariffs
NEW YORK — The trade disputes involving global economic powerhouses such as the U.S. and China are being felt even in such distinctly local places as regional amusement parks. Families who balk at the cost of a summer vacation at big amusement parks like Disney World favor trips to regional...
Overwhelmed and understaffed, the Louvre shuts its doors — a warning sign for global overtourism
PARIS — The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, remained shuttered Monday — not by war, not by terror, but by its own exhausted staff, who say the institution is crumbling from within. It was an almost unthinkable sight: the home to...
CMU grads help Universal Orlando one-up Disney with Epic UniverseVideo
In an era when filmed entertainment is fragmented among thousands of choices — TV, streaming, cable, gaming, YouTube, TikTok — experiences offer a differentiator, a business where media companies don’t have to worry about ratings, ad sales, time-shifted viewing and the nonstop fight for eyeballs. Disney now leans more heavily...
Final boarding call for free bags at Southwest as airline abandons a cherished perk
It’s the last day to book a flight on Southwest Airlines without being hit with a fee to check bags after the airline abandoned a decades-long luggage policy that executives once described as key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals. The airline announced the change in March, saying...
Newark airport struggles with more delays over Memorial Day weekend
NEW YORK — Newark’s airport was again plagued by delays over Memorial Day weekend, with more than 150 flights in and 230 flights out delayed on Saturday, according to flight-tracking data. With more than 380 delays, Newark Liberty International Airport saw the second most delays in the nation Saturday, trailing...
Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to court papers filed Friday. Under the “agreement...
Summer gas prices drop, but economic uncertainty remains as travel season begins
After paying nearly $40 to fill his tank at a Springdale gas station, Davon Magwood will cancel his East Coast trip this summer if he has to. He doesn’t want to, but if gas prices aren’t in his budget, he’ll have to cut back on travel. Prices for regular unleaded...
With a massive ark and museum, he spreads creationism a century after Scopes trial. He’s not alone
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. — As the colossal replica of the biblical Noah’s Ark rises incongruously from the countryside of northern Kentucky, Ken Ham gives the presentation he’s often repeated. The ark stretches one and a half football fields long — “the biggest freestanding timber-frame structure in the world,” Ham says. It...
Despite economic concerns, Americans are set on getting away for Memorial Day weekend
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...
Denver air traffic controllers scrambled to use backup communications during outage
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...
Newark problems and recent crashes put focus on air traffic controller shortage and aging equipment
The recent chronic delays and cancellations at New Jersey’s largest airport have highlighted the shortage of air traffic controllers and the aging equipment they use, which President Donald Trump’s administration wants to replace. The Federal Aviation Administration is working on a short-term fix to the problems at the Newark airport...
A look inside nearly finished Pittsburgh International Airport terminal projectVideo
Pittsburgh International Airport opened its doors for a 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...
Software update keeps Newark airport radar online but network concerns and flight limits remain
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...
