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...
Hundreds of flights delayed by runway equipment issue at Atlanta airport
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...
Now boarding: Flights to Myrtle Beach, Fort Lauderdale resume at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Shawn and Mary McMullen didn’t expect hoopla Wednesday morning when they arrived at the ticket counter of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to purchase airfare for an upcoming trip to Disney World. “It is so convenient. This is the easiest place for use to fly out of,” Shawn McMullen said. The...
Little turbulence at Pittsburgh International as Real ID rules take effect
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...
What to expect at Pittsburgh airport with (or without) Real ID
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...
Homeland Security chief says travelers with no Real ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps
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...
Worries about flying seem to be taking off. Here’s how to cope with in-flight anxiety
NEW YORK — Adelynn Campbell’s last plane trip ended with a panic attack that she got through largely with the help of a kind flight attendant. That was last year — before 67 people died in January when an American Airlines jet collided with a helicopter over Washington, D.C., in...
Pittsburgh International Airport to adjust security checkpoints
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...
Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren SanchezVideo
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched his fiancee Lauren Sanchez into space Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included Katy Perry and Gayle King. It was the latest wave in space tourism, where more of the rich and famous than ever before — or lucky and well-connected — can enter...
50 years later, Vietnam’s battlefields draw retrospective veterans and other tourists
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Hamburger Hill, Hue, the Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh: Some remember the Vietnam War battles from the headlines of the 1960s and 1970s, others from movies and history books. And thousands of Americans and Vietnamese know them as the graveyards of loved ones who...
At a little known Rolls-Royce museum in Pennsylvania farm country, volunteers dote over iconic cars
MECHANICSBURG — Mike Fowler had been faintly aware that a museum of Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles existed near his boyhood home in the suburbs of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but the car enthusiast didn’t expect the experience he got when he started volunteering there. Fowler had oil on his hands within a...
Universal chooses a site near London to build its 1st European theme park
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...
Fewer foreign visitors are traveling to the U.S. in what some see as a sign of a ‘Trump Slump’
Olja Ivanic looked forward to welcoming some cousins from Sweden to her Denver home in June. Ivanic and the four travelers were planning to go hiking in Colorado and then visit Los Angeles and San Francisco. But then President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a February meeting...
