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...
Las Vegas, where the party never ends, prepares for its biggest yet: Super Bowl 58
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas proposed to the NFL in December 2021. “Let’s just marry these brands, and let’s bring the Super Bowl here,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, recalled telling a room of NFL franchise owners. They said yes. The betrothal...
NTSB says bolts on Boeing jetliner were missing before a panel blew out in midflight last month
Bolts that helped secure a panel to the frame of a Boeing 737 Max 9 were missing before the panel blew off the Alaska Airlines plane last month, according to accident investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the Jan. 5 incident Tuesday. The report included...
FAA tells Congress not to raise mandatory retirement for pilots until it can study issue
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is warning Congress not to raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots until the agency can study whether older pilots would raise safety risks. FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said in a letter to two key senators that pilot fitness is critical to safety,...
Boeing flags potential delays after supplier finds another problem with some 737 fuselages
Boeing discovered another problem in some of its 737 fuselages that may delay deliveries of about 50 aircraft in the latest quality gaffe to plague the manufacturer. Improperly drilled holes were discovered by Spirit AeroSystems, a major supplier that provides Boeing with fuselages, according to a letter from Stan Deal,...
Why Taylor Swift’s globe-trotting in private jets is getting scrutinized
PHILADELPHIA — For weeks, scrutiny over singer Taylor Swift’s travel in private jets has been bubbling up on social media, with people pointing out the planet-warming emissions of carbon dioxide released with every flight. The megastar is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, one of the NFL’s most...
Roberto Clemente exhibit honoring the late Pirates player makes stop at Caribbean Series in Miami
MIAMI — Some of Roberto Clemente’s most impactful career and life moments are on display at the Miami Marlins’ loanDepot Park. A traveling exhibit titled “3,000” — a nod to the day on Sept. 30, 1972, that the late Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder became the first Latin American-born major league player...
Laser strikes against aircraft including airline planes have surged to a new record, the FAA says
WASHINGTON — Laser strikes aimed at aircraft including airline planes surged 41% last year to a record high, according to federal officials. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it received 13,304 reports from pilots about laser strikes last year, erasing a record set in 2021. “Aiming a laser at...
Tropicana Las Vegas, a Sin City landmark since 1957, will be demolished to make way for MLB baseball
LAS VEGAS — The Tropicana Las Vegas, a Sin City landmark for more than six decades, is shutting its doors in the spring to make room for a $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium that will be home to the relocating Oakland Athletics. Bally’s Corp. made the announcement Monday, saying...
Universal Orlando reveals details about resort’s new theme park, slated to open next year
ORLANDO, Fla. — Universal Orlando Resort’s new theme park opening next year will feature lands devoted to Super Nintendo World characters, Universal film monsters, the “Fantastic Beasts” films and the “How to Train Your Dragon” film franchise. But at the center of it all will be Celestial Park, theme park...
The world’s largest cruise ship has 20 decks, 7 pools and would cover almost 4 city blocks
MIAMI — The world’s largest cruise ship — the size of almost four city blocks — is set to begin its maiden voyage Saturday as it leaves from the Port of Miami. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 meters) from bow to stern. The ship,...
How to book a unique all-inclusive vacation that’s not terrible
All-inclusive vacations can conjure images of food under heat lamps, too many poolside piña coladas, and being trapped on resort grounds. But sun-soaked packages are not the only type of all-inclusives. Sure, sprawling mega-resorts exist — and their numbers are growing. All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy has spent the last couple...
