Travel

Southwest Airlines is ending open seating and will offer extra legroom seats on its airplanes as mounting pressure on the carrier to increase revenue prompts the biggest changes to its business model in its 53 years of flying.The airline plans to start selling the first flights that will offer extra legroom next year, it said Thursday. It also plans to begin overnight flights, starting in February.Southwest executives have said for years that they were studying such changes and hinted in April that the airline was seriously considering assigning seats and offering pricier seats with more legroom. The airline currently puts customers in one of three boarding groups and assigns a number, setting off a mad dash to check in a day before the flight. Customers can get earlier boarding though ...

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was placing Southwest Airlines under a heightened safety review after a string of recent near-miss safety incidents involving the low-cost carrier.In a statement, the agency said it was increasing oversight of Southwest "to ensure it is complying with federal safety regulations."“Safety will drive the timeline,” the agency said. The development comes amid ongoing jitters about the state of U.S. aviation first sparked in January, when a door panel on a Boeing-manufactured aircraft blew out midair. That incident prompted the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation of Boeing, and led to the ouster of its leadership. A planned rollout of Boeing's latest-generation 737 Max line was also suspended.Since then, United Airlines ann...

Dozens of Delta Air Lines flights were canceled and more than 200 delayed Wednesday as the Atlanta-based carrier continued to recover from last week's global CrowdStrike-Microsoft IT outage.But in a statement, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the carrier had largely recovered from the outsized impact it experienced from the incident.Data from FlightAware on Wednesday morning showed 47 canceled and 242 delayed Delta flights, though it was not immediately clear how many were attributable to IT issues, as a major storm system moved through the southern United States.Dallas-based American Airlines was seeing similar cancellation and delay numbers.Separate data from the aviation intelligence group Anuvu showed 16% of scheduled Delta flights were canceled, with just 18% departing on time.In his stat...

Delta canceled another 400 flights Tuesday as its troubles in the wake of the global CrowdStrike-Microsoft IT outage dragged on for the fifth consecutive day.The Atlanta-based carrier also saw more than 300 flights delayed Tuesday. The ongoing issues have prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection to open an inquiry into Delta, citing “the high volume of consumer complaints” it has received about issues at the carrier. “We have made clear to Delta that they must take care of their passengers and honor their customer service commitments,” DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “This is not just the right thing to do, it’s the law, and our department will leverage the full extent of our investigative and enforcement power to ensure ...

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian apologized and offered frequent flyer miles to travelers for thousands of flight cancellations as the carrier struggled to recover from Friday’s globe-spanning IT outage, disruptions that sparked criticism from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.The Atlanta-based airline canceled more than 4,600 flights from Friday through Sunday, more than any other airline, according to aviation data firm OAG.On Monday morning, Delta had already canceled another 700 flights, or 18% of its mainline operation, making up the vast majority of cancellations in the U.S.The delays and cancellations have put Delta in a rare spotlight for the carrier whose leaders pride themselves on reliability and punctuality.“We continue to receive reports of unacceptable disruptions and ...

An American Airlines flight was canceled after it experienced a tire issue while attempting to take off in Tampa Wednesday morning, the airline said. Flight 590, which was set to head to Phoenix, "experienced a mechanical issue on the runway prior to taking off," American Airlines said in a statement. The Tampa International Airport said the incident occurred just before 8 a.m.The statement added the issue was with some of the plane's tires. There were no injuries reported in the incident, and all 176 passengers safely deplaned before being bussed back to the terminal, the airline said. Six crew members were also board. Passengers were rebooked on a new flight from Tampa that has since taken off, according to the airline. "We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologi...

Millions flock to Barcelona every year to enjoy a sweet taste of idyllic European life. But over the weekend, thousands of locals marched through the streets and sprayed visitors with water guns in outrage over mass tourism.Protesters were seen clapping and chanting, “Tourists go home!” and carrying signs with anti-tourist slogans, arguing that the flood of visitors has driven up living costs for residents. About 2,800 people participated in the protest according to the Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona, the municipal city police force, Spanish paper El País reported. But members of the protest group, the Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic, which translates to the Neighborhood Assembly for Tourist Degrowth, say as many as 20,000 joined, the paper reported. “The tourism and hotels i...

Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge tied to the 737 Max crashes, months after a near-catastrophe in January prompted the Justice Department to revisit a 2021 settlement that protected Boeing from prosecution.The plea deal, outlined in a filing late Sunday, requires the approval of a federal judge. Under the deal, Boeing would pay a $243.6 million fine, equal to the amount it paid in the 2021 settlement.“We can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle on terms of a resolution with the Justice Department, subject to the memorialization and approval of specific terms,” Boeing said in a statement.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Cathy Balestriere was expecting “especially low” bookings last month at Crane’s Beach House, the boutique hotel she manages in Delray Beach, Florida. Instead, they jumped 12% from the year before. “It feels like a miracle based on where we were sitting just a few weeks ago,” she said.It’s not a miracle. It’s the weather.The surge coincided with a sweltering mid-June heat wave across the Midwest and the Northeast, putting over 80 million people under heat alerts — the latest run of unseasonably extreme temperatures fueled by a global climate that is warming at a record pace.There is no question that we are seeing a growing preference for destinations with more comfortable summer temperatures.Jesse Neugarten, CEO of Dollar Flight ClubFlorida might not be the first destination that comes t...

All Amtrak services between New York Penn Station and Boston South Station have been suspended for the remainder of Saturday, the company said, citing power outage issues. Amtrak said in a service update posted to its website at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday that trains would be canceled due to a "a malfunctioning circuit breaker" that has caused a widespread power outage on all of its tracks stretching between Penn Station and New Haven Union Station in Connecticut. The company said it would continue to update customers as new information becomes available.Those with affected train tickets will "typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day," Amtrak said, adding that the company will waive any additional charges for those looking to change their train tickets ...