Travel

Passengers affected by the power outage that shut down London's Heathrow Airport Friday are not automatically entitled to compensation for their flight disruption, experts say. Instead, different rules will apply if a passenger was set to fly on a U.S. carrier into Heathrow. For travelers whose flights on U.S. carriers were canceled, each individual airline has its own separate rules about compensation and reimbursement — though there is usually little variation.And unfortunately, many carriers' stipulate that passengers are not entitled compensation or reimbursement for expenses if the delay was not within the airline's control. "If the delay is beyond our control, or you book your own arrangements without written authorization from American Airlines, you’re responsible to pay for your...

LONDON — From Las Vegas to Frankfurt to Dubai, hundreds of thousands of stranded passengers waited for news about flights to and from London's Heathrow Airport after it was closed by a massive fire at a nearby electricity substation. As firefighters tackled the blaze that took down Europe's busiest transport hub, flights came to a standstill, sending a wrecking ball through the delicate logistics underpinning global tourism and business travel.In the hotels around Heathrow, thwarted travelers reported skyrocketing prices as they scrambled for a place to spend the night. In Dubai, Sara Mehta told NBC's international partner Sky News that customers of Heathrow-headquartered British Airways are “extremely angry and upset.” In the Chinese city of Guangzhou, Charlotte Johnston told Sky News ...

British Airways, which is based at Heathrow, appeared to be the airline most affected by the closures, with at least 124 flights affected as of early Friday morning, according to data published by FlightAware.In a statement, an airline spokesperson said the closures had a "significant impact on our operation." It said that where possible, it had been redirecting inbound flights already on their way to Heathrow to other airports in the U.K.As of early Friday, other British airports were not yet heavily impacted yet by the changes, with a spokesperson for London Luton Airport saying its operations had not been affected.Meanwhile operations at London Stansted Airport appeared to be running smoothly."Departures here are no busier than normal this morning. If anything, security was actually ...

The preliminary report into the Delta Air Lines flight that flipped upside down in a crash landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport last month has been released, and shows the plane had been descending at a high rate of speed. Twenty-one people were injured in the botched landing on Feb. 17. The flight, which was arriving from from Minneapolis, was operated by Endeavor Air and had 80 people on board — 76 passengers and four crew members. The report, released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) on Thursday, did not disclose a cause for the crash.In the landing, “the aircraft impacted the runway, the right wing detached, and a fire ensued,” the report said. The aircraft then overturned — leaving passengers dangling upside down in their seats — and slid down the ru...

The wing of a passenger plane landing at LaGuardia International Airport in New York struck the runway surface Sunday as it attempted a “go-around” because of an unstable approach, officials said.There were no injuries, and the plane landed safely after the left wing struck the runway surface at around 10:10 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration and an airport spokesperson said Monday.Delta Connection Flight 4814, with 80 people aboard, was operated by Endeavor Air, which is a subsidy of Delta Air Lines, Delta said in a statement. It was flying from Jacksonville, Florida, to LaGuardia.“The Endeavor Air flight crew followed established procedures to safely enact a go-around at New York-LaGuardia,” Delta said. “The aircraft landed safely and proceeded to its arrival gate. We apologize...

​​Michael Mortensen was looking forward to spending two weeks in Hawaii with his family last month, but his patriotism wouldn’t let him.The Vancouver-based development consultant and urban planner said he’s refusing to spend money south of the border while U.S. President Donald Trump “levies idiotic tariffs and rains chaos” on Americans and Canadians alike.Mortensen, 58, had budgeted about $10,000 for accommodations, food and entertainment, but he’s now exploring alternative destinations that bypass the U.S. “without even a connection or layover.” He added that he wrote letters to Hawaii’s governor and the state’s tourism board explaining his decision.Trump’s escalating trade war against America’s closest allies and trade partners isn’t just rattling stock markets and drawing retaliatio...

A man who might've been the last person to see Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing last week while on spring break in the Dominican Republic, said he rescued her from drowning — only for her to vanish a short time later, according to a transcript of an interview he gave with local authorities that NBC News obtained.Konanki, a 20-year-old junior, went to Punta Cana on March 3 with five female friends for a spring break trip. She was last seen early March 6 at around 4:15 a.m. after going to the beach with friends.The man, who officials in Konanki's home state of Virginia called as a "person of interest," told local investigators that he and Konanki were on the beach "in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little," according to an interview transcript...

United Airlines is moving forward with a plan to offer free in-flight internet to its loyalty rewards members through a partnership with Starlink, the satellite internet provider owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.The technology has been added to a first aircraft, according to an announcement on X from United on Friday."The world’s fastest, most reliable Wi-Fi in the sky, @Starlink, has officially landed on our first aircraft, with the rest of our fleet to follow," the airline said.Over 40 planes a month are anticipated to have Starlink installed, according to the airline.Last year, United Airlines announced the partnership with Starlink, outlining its plans to implement technology to its entire fleet."The airline now expects to begin testing Starlink next month with the first commercial fligh...

The explosion of a huge SpaceX rocket above South Florida led to massive headaches for air travelers who were forced to endure unexpected delays due to the company's latest mishap on Thursday.The FAA had to halt air traffic around Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando in fear of "space launch debris,” following the SpaceX failure."After all my years of traveling, this is a first," wrote a Facebook user who identified himself as pharmaceutical executive Ray Peck after his flight to South America was forced to land in Miami.He quoted his flight's pilot as telling passengers: "Unfortunately, a SpaceX rocket just exploded in space over our flight, and the debris is falling back to Earth along our flight path. We are not in any danger, but we are going to need to turn around a...

Authorities in Belize have started an investigation into the deaths of three women from the United States whose bodies were found in a hotel room on Saturday.Patrick M. Keefe Jr., mayor of Revere, Massachusetts, identified the three in a statement Tuesday as Wafae El Arar, Imane Mallah and Kaoutar Naqqad. He described them as "daughters, friends, and contributors to our city."The Associated Press reported the women were found at a resort in San Pedro, Belize, and said their ages were 26 for El Arar, 24 for Mallah and 23 for Naqqad. Belize Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said at a news conference captured on video by Channel 5 Belize that three U.S. nationals, all women, were found in a hotel room on Saturday after housekeeping staff alerted management because there was no respon...