Travel

Alaska Airlines has agreed to acquire its rival Hawaiian Airlines in a deal valued at about $1.9 billion, as the companies make a push to expand along the West Coast. The purchase values Hawaiian Airlines at $18 per share, and includes the inheritance of $900 million of the company’s debt, according to a news …

LONDON — The first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel departed London for New York on Tuesday as the industry seeks to prove the viability of greener air travel. Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787 is burning a blend of 88% waste fats supplied by AirBP, and 12% Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene …

Cyber Monday is here and retailers are offering notable discounts on travel items, as well as other sales on kitchen, fitness and more. We compiled the best deals on travel that we think you’ll want to know about. We’ll continue to update you about new savings opportunities throughout the next few …

Black Friday is officially here, and retailers are offering notable discounts on travel items and brands during the event. Many of these sales run through Cyber Monday, and you can also find deals on tech, fitness and wellness. We compiled the best deals on travel that we think you’ll want …

The late crush of holiday travelers is picking up steam, with about 2.7 million people expected to board flights on Wednesday and millions more planning to drive to Thanksgiving celebrations. Airline officials say they are confident that they can avoid the kind of massive disruptions that have marred past holiday …

The days before Thanksgiving, usually among the busiest for travel, are expected to see severe weather that could affect holiday plans for millions of Americans headed to see loved ones. A powerful system will move east over the next few days, bringing several risks including heavy rain, strong winds and …

This year’s post-pandemic travel boom is continuing into the holidays. Nearly half (48%) of Americans plan to travel between Thanksgiving and mid-January, up from 31% last winter, a recent Deloitte survey found. AAA expects 55.4 million travelers to venture at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving period alone, …

The New Orleans Coast Guard is searching a 200-mile area for a man who went missing Monday from a Louisiana cruise ship bound for Montego Bay, Jamaica. The 8th District Coast Guard in New Orleans received a report that a 28-year-old male passenger was missing from the Carnival Glory cruise …

United Airlines plans to make it easier for customers to earn elite status through co-branded Chase credit cards, the latest airline to tweak its lucrative frequent flyer program to reward big spenders. The airline isn’t changing overall requirements for elite frequent flyer status next year, a first for the carrier since the start of the …

Passengers who were on a flight when an off-duty pilot allegedly activated the plane’s emergency engine shutdown system say they are suing the airline for breaching passenger safety in order to prevent similar incidents. Three passengers said they have suffered emotional distress including “nausea on later flights, insomnia, anxiety, and …

A bear, prowling for pre-hibernation snacks, raided the kitchen of a luxury Colorado resort and injured a responding security guard, authorities said Tuesday. The late-night food run unfolded around 11 p.m. Monday at the St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen when the guard surprised the four-legged intruder in the kitchen, …

In general, travelers who booked to Israel on U.S. carriers on or before Oct. 6, the day before Hamas attacked Israel, are typically being offered the option to either cancel their trips and request refunds or to rebook in the same cabin and between the same cities on different dates …

Business travel is clawing its way back to 2019 levels as Covid-19 concerns largely recede. But as tighter abortion restrictions and anti-LGBTQ laws proliferate, some employers and event organizers are weighing a new set of threats to employees’ safety outside the office. Dozens of states have slashed abortion access since …

Spirit Airlines said it is canceling flights so it can inspect 25 of its planes, which will be out of service for several days. In a statement, the budget airline said it was going to “perform a necessary inspection of a small section of 25 of our aircraft.” Spirit said …

Delta Air Lines is trying to appease flyers who were angry about changes to its loyalty programs. But the company isn’t undoing the changes it announced in September. Starting next year, rewards will depend on how much money flyers spend on Delta flights instead of how many flights they take …

United Airlines will change its boarding order next week by letting economy-class passengers who have selected window seats to board before those with middle and aisle seats. The company said the change could shave two minutes off the boarding process. The new procedure will begin Oct. 26, according to a company …

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Joran van der Sloot bludgeoned Natalee Holloway to death on an Aruban beach and pushed her body into the water, in a stunning admission that solved this nearly two-decade mystery, court records showed Wednesday. Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance had long been linked to Van der Sloot, who …

Recent strikes by Hollywood talent and United Auto Workers union members are a “drag” on business travel demand, which is otherwise recovering, Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein said Thursday. Delta has an outsized exposure to the automotive and entertainment industries, with a more than 70% market share at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne …

The U.S. air travel system is huge and complicated, and it could show significant signs of stress in the event of a federal government shutdown. As the hours tick by without any indication of progress on a new funding bill, it looks more and more likely that the government will …

Room reservations and sportsbooks were still dark across swaths of Las Vegas on Friday as the community trudged through its fifth day of a battle against hackers who struck the city’s biggest hotel chain. As of 1 p.m. PDT, visitors to the “book a room” tab on the MGM Resorts …

Delta Air Lines is changing how customers can earn elite frequent flyer status and is making it harder for many American Express cardholders to get into the carrier’s airport lounges, the latest reality check for air travel’s era of mass luxury. Starting Jan. 1, customers will earn Delta Medallion status solely based on their …

At least 11 people were taken to the hospital after a Delta Air Lines flight hit severe turbulence as it approached Atlanta, the airline said. Both passengers and crew members were injured after Delta Flight 175 from Milan, Italy “experienced severe turbulence” before landing safely in Atlanta on Tuesday, the …

LONDON — Britain’s air traffic control system said it was hit by a technical issue on Monday that threatened delays and cancelations to flights in and out of the country on a busy national holiday. “We are currently experiencing a technical issue and have applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain …

Spirit Airlines has agreed to pay up to $8.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit by passengers who said the low-cost carrier blindsided them with surprise carry-on bag fees on tickets bought through third-party travel services. Lawyers for the passengers disclosed the deal in a motion late Wednesday in federal court …

At least three people were killed and others injured after a bus carrying as many as 50 people and a passenger vehicle crashed on a Pennsylvania freeway late Sunday night, authorities said. The collision unfolded just before 11:50 p.m. ET on Sunday on the southbound lanes of Interstate 81 in …

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister has ordered an investigation into how a bear escaped from its crate in the cargo hold of an Iraqi aircraft as it was due to depart from Dubai airport, leaving passengers disgruntled over the delay and causing a stir on social media. Iraqi Airways said …

Some airport directors had discussed expanding their child care offerings before the pandemic, but “it has now become a larger focus,” said ACI-NA’s Russo. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which in the 1960s offered an in-terminal nursery so parents could dine or shop kid-free before boarding flights, is now in …

WASHINGTON — With the summer travel season in full swing, a bipartisan duo in the Senate is introducing a bill that would crack down on hidden resort fees for hotel stays. The bill, called the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, would establish federal guidelines for pricing transparency that have, up until now, …

A Delta Air Lines flight out of Las Vegas was canceled Monday after several passengers and at least one crew member fell ill amid “uncomfortable temperatures” on the plane as they waited for it to take off during an unrelenting heat wave, the airline said. Multiple customers on Flight 555, …

MEXICO CITY — Deep in the Panamanian jungle, Venezuelan migrant Franca Ramirez was scrambling to reach higher ground as a rushing river broke its banks, he said, when something caught his eye: a group of young men, snapping photos of the landscape. The former police officer, who says he fled …

The Australian sailor who spent months drifting aimlessly in the Pacific Ocean thanked rescuers on Tuesday and vowed he’ll be back on the water, despite his terrifying adventure. While 51-year-old Tim Shaddock doesn’t have any high-seas adventures planned now, the fortunate sailor insisted that he’ll never give up the pastime. …

Amid an unprecedented surge in demand for U.S. passport processing, the State Department is expanding its application-processing call-center hours on weekends, as at least one U.S. senator says the agency should take additional measures to staff up. In a statement to NBC News, a Department official said the agency is …

As someone who travels frequently, Denise Smith, a San Francisco Bay Area resident, was thrilled to learn this spring about Frontier Airlines’ GoWild all-you-can-fly pass. For a flat fee of $699, the GoWild pass allowed her to fly anywhere — domestic or international — for three months at a time. …

WASHINGTON — Price transparency on airline tickets could be a thing of the past, as House Republicans push to roll back Obama-era rules that prohibit airlines from advertising anything but their all-in prices, including all required taxes and fees. But Democrats and consumer watchdogs are sounding alarms, saying the change …

It took a while, but people are just about done catching up on experiences lost during the pandemic. While a minority of high-dollar travelers are still confronting — and paying — four-figure airfares to Paris and Tokyo, prices are finally falling across the leisure economy, the last several months of …

An Alaska Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle was diverted to Spokane on Wednesday after a passenger made a “direct threat” to the aircraft’s safety, prompting a temporary shutdown of the airport in Washington State, officials said. Spokane International Airport was closed for over an hour after the Alaska Airlines …

Amid continued unprecedented demand for international travel, the State Department is advising Americans to submit applications for passports at least six months before their scheduled departure dates. A State Department official said in an email that current processing times are 10 to 13 weeks for routine processing. It takes seven …

HONOLULU — A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to Sydney hit severe turbulence, injuring seven people on board. The plane was carrying 163 passengers and 12 crew members on Thursday when it “encountered unexpected severe turbulence approximately five hours into the flight,” said a statement from the airline. Airport medics …

AAA’s estimates are supported by data from the Transportation Security Administration showing daily passenger screening numbers now consistently eclipse 2019’s pre-pandemic figures. Earlier this month, screenings hit a new post-pandemic daily high of nearly 2.8 million. It’s one of the clearest signals yet that pandemic-era restrictions are fully in the …

MOORPARK, Calif. — An Amtrak train carrying nearly 200 passengers struck a county water truck and derailed on Wednesday in Southern California, critically injuring the truck’s driver, authorities said. Three of the train’s seven cars went off the tracks following the collision in Moorpark, said Ventura County Fire Department Captain …

The feared repeat of last year’s summer travel woes began to materialize this week, with thousands of flights delayed or canceled amid inclement weather and staffing shortages. The troubles began last weekend, with nearly 2,000 U.S. flights canceled, according to FlightAware. Disruptions continued into Monday, when more than 11,000 U.S. …

Flights to D.C.-area airports were able to resume normal operations after being hit with delays and redirections Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop due to issues with a communication system at an air traffic control facility in Virginia. “The FAA has paused departures to D.C.-area airports …

A Delta Airlines pilot was arrested in Scotland after allegedly showing up drunk to a New York City-bound flight and forcing the journey’s cancellation, officials said Tuesday. Flight 209 normally leaves Edinburgh Airport at 10:35 a.m. SCT on a 7 1/2-hour journey to John F. Kennedy International Airport but it …

Are middle-seaters on flights entitled to both armrests? Should passengers check the row behind them before reclining their seats? Can shoes come off during a flight? Depends on who you ask — or, if you’re on TikTok, depends on which influencer you follow. Videos of creators sharing their do’s and …

Add stepping on some scales to the preflight routine. New Zealand’s national airline is asking passengers to weigh in after checking in for international flights from Auckland International Airport. Air New Zealand wants to weigh 10,000 passengers during the monthlong survey. But the numbers won’t be flashing up on scales …

SAN FRANCISCO — Two airliners aborted landings at San Francisco International Airport last week after pilots spotted a Southwest Airlines jet taxiing across runways on which the other planes had been cleared to land. An air traffic controller told the Southwest pilots they should not have been on the runways …

ORLANDO, Fla. — The largest LGBTQ rights organization in the U.S. joined other civil rights organizations Tuesday in issuing a travel advisory for Florida, warning that newly passed laws and policies may pose risks to minorities, immigrants and gay travelers. The Human Rights Campaign joined the NAACP, the League of United Latin …

The eruptive volcano named Popocatépetl continued to impact air travel in Mexico City on Monday after it caused weekend flight cancellations and delays. On Monday, AeroMexico, the country’s national airline, blamed the 17,887-foot volcano’s spring outbursts for affecting more than 100 of its flights across that nation. Sergio Salomón, governor …

Meg Foster, a justice fellow at Georgetown University’s Center on Privacy and Technology, said there are concerns about bias within the algorithms of various facial recognition technologies. Some have a harder time recognizing faces of minorities, for example. And there’s the concern of outside hackers figuring out ways to hack into …

The Biden administration on Monday announced plans for new regulations to require airlines to provide compensation and cover expenses for meals and hotel rooms to stranded passengers when the companies are at fault for travel disruptions. “When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the …