New Pa. tourism slogan highlights the state as the ‘great American getaway’
Pennsylvania has invited tourists to pursue their happiness in the Keystone State since 2016 but now Gov. Josh Shapiro wants people to see it as more of an escape. On Monday, Shapiro along with Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and other officials unveiled the state’s new tourism slogan: “Pennsylvania. The Great...
Record Memorial Day travel numbers projected
Nearly 44 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Memorial Day travel period, AAA projects. That’s a 4% increase over last year and close to matching the record set in 2005. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is considered the five-day period from Thursday to...
The Mirage casino, which ushered in an era of Las Vegas Strip megaresorts in the ’90s, is closing
LAS VEGAS — The iconic Mirage hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip will shut its doors this summer, the end of an era for a property credited with helping transform Sin City into an ultra-luxury resort destination. The July 17 closure will clear the way for major renovations and construction...
U.S. airlines are suing the Biden administration over a new rule to make certain fees easier to spot
WASHINGTON — U.S. airlines are suing to block the Biden administration from requiring greater transparency over fees that the carriers charge their passengers, saying that a new rule would confuse consumers by giving them too much information during the ticket-buying process. The U.S. Transportation Department said Monday it will vigorously...
Disney receives key approval to expand Southern California theme parks
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Disney has received a key approval to expand its Southern California theme parks in its first push to make major changes to its iconic Disneyland in decades. The Anaheim City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the plan to transform Disney’s 490-acre campus in densely-populated Southern California...
Guatemala becoming tourism hot spot for young travelers
Adventurous travelers seeking beauty and budget thrills should look no further than Guatemala, a friendly country that remains largely unexplored by many Americans, but can be reached in as little as six hours from many cities in the U.S. A question I fielded several times before my late February trip:...
Daycation Destination: Mingle among the koalas of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood is home to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, but a daycation trip to another zoo in Cleveland offers encounters something one can’t visit in Pennsylvania — koalas. Only nine U.S. zoos offer koala exhibits and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is the closest to Pittsburgh at about two...
Biden expands 2 national monuments in California significant to tribal nations
President Joe Biden on Thursday expanded two national monuments in California following calls from tribal nations, Indigenous community leaders and others for the permanent protection of nearly 120,000 acres of important cultural and environmental land. The designations play a role in federal and state goals to conserve 30% of public...
George W. Bush’s portraits of veterans are heading to Disney World
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.— Walt Disney World will host dozens of portraits of service members and veterans from the nation’s Painter-in-Chief. The George W. Bush Institute will loan the 60 color portraits by the former U.S. president to the Florida theme park resort. The paintings of service members and veterans...
Pikes Peak getting ‘trashed’ by overuse, blatant disregard for environment
The lyrics to “America the Beautiful” were inspired by a trek to the summit of Pikes Peak via prairie wagon in 1893. But when Katharine Lee Bates penned a poem called “Pikes Peak,” which became an American anthem after it was set to music in 1910, she could scarcely have...
Airlines will now be required to give automatic cash refunds for canceled and delayed flights
The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation. The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled...
Work starts on bullet train rail line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles
LAS VEGAS — A $12 billion high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area has started construction, officials said Monday, amid predictions that millions of ticket-buyers will be boarding trains by 2028. “People have been dreaming of high-speed rail in America for decades,” U.S. Transportation Secretary...
The Northern Lights are expected to be spectacular. Here’s where to get a good view.
Still trying to decide where to vacation this year? A destination to view Northern Lights might be optimal for 2024 — as it’s the best time to see them in decades. The Northern Lights, known as aurora borealis, will be especially strong through 2025, according to Erica Grow Cei, a...
Istanbul airport provides anxious travelers with paw-sitive experience by hiring 5 therapy dogs
ISTANBUL — Five new hires are selflessly roaming the halls of one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs, hoping to provide a paw-sitively stress-free travel experience for anxious passengers. Meet Istanbul Airport’s therapy dogs — always ready to offer support with snuggles, belly rubs and sloppy kisses. The Associated Press...
Daycation: Pennsylvania Trolley Museum offers glimpse into transportation past
Have a trolley good time taking a Daycation Destination trip into the transportation past at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pa. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is a nonprofit educational organization sharing trolley-era history and depends on its hundreds of uber-dedicated volunteers for public operations and maintenance of the more...
United Airlines plane makes a safe emergency landing in LA after losing a tire during takeoff
LOS ANGELES — A United Airlines jetliner bound for Japan made a safe landing in Los Angeles on Thursday after losing a tire while taking off from San Francisco. Fire engines stood by at Los Angeles International Airport but weren’t needed, as the Boeing 777 made an uneventful landing and...
TSA unveils passenger self-screening lanes at Vegas airport as ‘a step into the future’
LAS VEGAS — Federal airport security officials unveiled passenger self-screening lanes Wednesday at busy Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, with plans to test it for use in other cities around the country. “How do we step into the future? This is a step,” said a system designer, Dimitri...
Miami Beach is breaking up with spring break — or at least trying to
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach is trying to break up with spring break, but it’s not yet clear whether spring break will take the hint. After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing monthlong security measures aimed at curbing the chaos, including parking restrictions...
6 warning signs you’re falling for a travel scam
Planning a vacation can be an exhilarating experience, but amid the excitement lies the lurking threat of scams that are just waiting to prey on unsuspecting travelers. To help travelers navigate these treacherous waters, Byrd Bergeron, founder and CEO of The Travel Byrds agency, shared some conspicuous warning signs that...
Fans trekking to Zoo Atlanta for a glimpse of last pandas in U.S.
ATLANTA — Kim Chambliss drove six hours from Lexington, Kentucky, to take a last look at Atlanta’s pandas. “I knew they were leaving, and I couldn’t get to D.C. before they left there,” said Chambliss, a registered nurse. She stood peering through the glass at one of Zoo Atlanta’s indoor...
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...
