Travel

The Tropicana itself spent much of its life targeting middle-class guests. One of the first luxury properties on the Strip, the casino’s ties to organized crime and a shifting competitive landscape brought that flashy era to an end. It was sold to Ramada in 1979 and, despite ownership changes, was operated as a budget-friendly resort until it closed.Now, as Las Vegas visitors demand more high-end experiences, the city is competing less directly with longtime gambling hubs such as Atlantic City, New Jersey, or Laughlin, Nevada, some 90 miles south of Sin City, Belarmino said. Instead, “our guests are telling us they consider us at the same time they’re considering San Francisco and New York, which makes us a value in comparison to those types of destinations,” she said.Those $20 nights a...

A Turkish Airlines pilot died mid-flight, forcing the co-pilot into an emergency landing in New York City on Wednesday morning, authorities said.Flight 8JK landed safely shortly before 6 a.m at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to an FAA statement.Pilot İlçehin Pehlivan, 59, "fainted during the flight" and when "medical intervention to our captain on the plane was ineffective," the co-pilot opted to land, according to a statement from Turkish Airlines.Unfortunately, "our captain lost his life before landing," according to the airline. Pehlivan bad been with the airline since 2007.The Airbus A350 took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 7:02 p.m. PT on Tuesday, according to the tracking service FlightAware, and was headed to Istanbul before the emergency unfo...

October was supposed to be Gianna Carson’s busiest month of the year. Instead, she estimates she’s lost upward of $15,000 since Hurricane Helene hit her Bryson City, North Carolina, bakery and vacation rental a week ago.Now, in addition to the number of bakeshop transactions plummeting from 300 a day to around 50, she said she’s “experiencing mass cancellations” at her guesthouse as tourists who usually flock to the area for its rich autumn colors think twice about coming.Some local authorities have urged visitors to stay away as responders assess the casualties and repair critical infrastructure, including washed-out roads. But many small-business owners who were spared severe destruction in Swain County — nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains, where tourism brings the state more than $...

Travelers have been crowding into airports in record numbers this year — including on four legs and leashes.Tom Carpenter and his wife travel with their Havanese dog whenever they can. “His day care would be $350 for a 10-day trip, so paying hotel fees and $100 each way to take him on a plane is worth it,” the 67-year-old Anacortes, Washington, resident said. “Plus, Mori hates being left alone.”The Carpenters are among the many pet owners who are getting more comfortable bringing their animals on their journeys, adding to the broader demand for pet-related services far afield of veterinarian offices.Tom Carpenter’s dog, Mori.Tom Carpenter“I saw an uptick in people traveling with their pets early in 2024,” said Heather Eisenstadt, founder of Top Dog Pet Travel, a central Florida agency s...

Boeing workers went on strike Friday, the latest disturbance in what has proven a devastating year for the American aircraft manufacturer.But it is not clear whether the labor stoppage will have an impact for the flying public, although there are concerns about a potential effect on air travel next summer. U.S. carriers that rely heavily on Boeing planes include Southwest, United and Alaska Airlines. In a statement, Southwest said its operations were unlikely to be affected in the short-term by any production delays Boeing may end up suffering. “Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines took steps to address potential delivery disruptions," the carrier said. "As a result, we currently have the fleet needed to fulfill our upcoming schedules. We remain in close communication with Boeing.”So...

A Delta aircraft clipped the tail of another plane Tuesday morning at an Atlanta airport.The collision happened just after 10 a.m. at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while Delta Flight 295 was taxiing for departure and struck Endeavor Air Flight 5526, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. Video taken at the airport appears to show the Endeavor plane with its tail hanging off the side of the aircraft.There are no reports of injuries and maintenance crews are evaluating for damage, Delta Air Lines said. The Delta flight was headed to Tokyo and the Endeavor Air flight to Lafayette, Louisiana. Delta said it is working to re-accommodate both flights.The incident comes months after two separate near-collisions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. I...

Grand Canyon hotels were forced to shut down ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend because a half-century-old pipeline that brings water to the region ruptured, park officials said Wednesday.A "series of four significant breaks in the 12 ½ mile-long Transcanyon Waterline that supplies water from the canyon for use in the park" has resulted in no potable water "being pumped to either the South or North Rim," according to a National Park Service statement.Water shoots out of a pipeline that broke along the North Kaibab Trail at Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. , on Aug. 20, 2024.National Park Service via APThe El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, Phantom Ranch, Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village RV Park were all forced to turn away customers staying Thursday night.Hotels outsid...

Florida’s official tourism website quietly removed a landing page for the state’s LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations sometime in the past four months.The website for the state’s tourism marketing corporation, VisitFlorida.com, had an “LGBTQ Travel” section that no longer exists, according to archived versions of the site viewable on the Internet Archive. The landing page previously featured blog posts and videos related to the state’s gay-friendly beaches, Pride events and LGBTQ road trip ideas.“There’s a sense of freedom to Florida’s beaches, the warm weather and the myriad activities — a draw for people of all orientations, but especially appealing to a gay community looking for a sense of belonging and acceptance,” the landing page used to read. “Whether you’re a couple seeking a rom...

LONDON — Travelers in Europe can now take unlimited flights for 499 euros ($550) a year under a new travel subscription service from budget carrier Wizz Air.The annual “all you can fly” pass, which allows passengers to book one-way and roundtrip flights throughout the year, will be available for the introductory fee until Friday before the price rises to 599 euros.Details on the airline’s website show passengers can book flights with “no limits” to any of its international destinations — including Athens, Greece, Madrid, Paris and Reykjavik, Iceland — up to three days before departure, with the booking window opening in September.Each booking is subject to an additional flat fee of 9.99 euros and luggage beyond one personal item will be charged as extra.The airline said it initially pla...

Held off on taking a summer vacation? You may still be able to squeeze in one on the cheap.Record numbers of travelers have been flooding airports since the pandemic, but U.S. airlines now face a surplus of empty seats after racing to add capacity. Many are slashing prices to fill them, making bargain flights more readily available than they have been in years, travel agents and industry experts say.“Deals are easier to find this summer since prices are already so low,” said Hayley Berg, lead economist at the travel booking site Hopper.Flights overall were at least 5% cheaper as of June than the year before, government inflation data shows. Hopper estimated domestic airfares for August are down about 6% since a year ago, and it flagged supercheap domestic round-trip deals this month — l...