Yahoo! Buzz: Top Travel Stories

Earthquake Update: Travel in China

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:00:00 PDT

With parts of Sichuan Province in southwest China in ruins following a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that is already blamed for 19,500 confirmed deaths, travel is discouraged. But for those who have no choice, travel service Abercrombie & Kent has this report.

Record gas prices expected to curb holiday travel

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:26:08 PDT

Record-high fuel prices and a slowing economy will shrink travel in the United States over the coming Memorial Day holiday for ...

Summer travel takes a hit from high oil prices

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:28:00 PDT

Record oil prices and the lagging economy are taking a bite out of summer travel. Officials from travel club AAA said Thursday that 37.8 million Americans plan to travel over the Memorial Day holiday weekend – a decrease of 1 percent compared to a year ago.

Hawaiian Airlines picks up United

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:12:57 PDT

After Aloha Airlines went out of business March 31, United Airlines lost its code-share partner in the Islands. Now, Hawaiian Airlines will work with United, a real boost for Hawaiian. Hawaiian already has seen a 26 percent increase in passengers in April post-Aloha. This will add some more. In the United announcement, Hawaiian Airlines senior vice president of marketing and sales Glenn Taniguchi said: This new marketing partnership between the largest carrier to Hawaii and the largest carrier within Hawaii strengthens our franchise as the airline of choice between the Hawaiian Island. We look forward to providing United's customers with a new level of service and seamless connections throughout our home state." United said it expects to begin putting its code on Hawaiian flights by the end of summer.

AirTran drops Rochester-Las Vegas route

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:58:05 PDT

AirTran Airways will end daily nonstop service between Rochester, N.Y., and Las Vegas. The route will end July 12, though AirTran's Rochester customers can still fly the airline to Las Vegas through the carrier's Atlanta hub. AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver...

Soaring oil, sagging economy hurting summer travel

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:40:02 PDT

12:27 PM CT Online surveys of more than 2,000 adults nationwide and from the 10 states with the most travelers, including Texas, show travelers cutting back on plans. Interactive graphic: 55 day trips on a tank of gas

Iraq banks on religious travel

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:42:17 PDT

These days, tourism in Iraq is a matter of faith. Literally. Five years after the U.S. invasion, nearly all its tourists are ...

Rumors of AA's offer to TWU

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:58:27 PDT

American Airlines isn't saying anything about what it has offered the Transport Workers Union, but an online forum, US Aviation, has a poster with some alleged details, with the language slightly cleaned up: Two year contract with NO RAISES Two year pay freeze $3100 bonus after first year $2500 bonus after second year One more sick day for a total of six All sick days at full pay 3 of the five vacation days a year returned to be used as "floaters" 2 holidays with Holiday pay at 2x In the words of the poster: "So in other words nothing." AMR chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey supposedly told union leaders that the airline would try to do something for the TWU but that the current industry situation made it difficult to offer much.

Dallas Cowboys announce ticket prices for new stadium in Arlington, Texas

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:35:17 PDT

Fans will be able to buy tickets for the new $1.1 billion stadium for as little as $59, only $9 more than the cheapest seats at Texas Stadium.

OAG sees drop in U.S. flights

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:43:05 PDT

Official Airline Guide says that the number of domestic flights have dropped 3 percent this month in the United States, off 22,900 flights and 1.51 million seats. On the other hand, low-cost carries will increase their flights and capacity by 4 percent, up 6,661 flights and 752,392 seats. We can extrapolate from that that the large network carriers are cutting their flights and capacity more than 3 percent. OAG says growth in flights worldwide in May will be 3 percent compared to May 2007. In April the growth rate was 5 percent year over year. Like in the U.S., the low-cost carriers are growing, up 14 percent in flights and seats. OAG chief operating officer Steve Casley said in OAG's press release: Financial burdens caused by economic uncertainties and rising fuel prices are starting to take their toll. For those reasons we have seen a higher than usual number of airlines folded in recent weeks and we are seeing several other carriers looking to restructure, find partners or even consolidate with competitors to ensure their long-term survival. Yet, OAG's statistics indicate continued and growing consumer demand for air travel, albeit at a slower rate than previous months, and the airlines are responding with increased capacity in many markets. Airports, too, are reviewing their operations to cope with this demand. So far this year, we've seen at least four major international hubs expand their facilities, namely Singapore Changi T3 in January; Beijing T3 and Shanghai Pudong T2 in March, and Heathrow T5 last month. If you combine this with the 35 percent increase in aircraft orders, it indicates that despite current financial pressures, the industry as a whole is gearing up its investment for long-term sustainability.

Weekend in New York | Jewish Arts: Loosen Your Borscht Belt and Raise Your Highbrows

Thu, 15 May 2008 08:41:34 PDT

The city’s Jewish population defies definition, from secular to Orthodox, from the Upper West Side to Borough Park, from Ashkenazi to Sephardic. The art scene is hardly less diverse.

When We Go, We Always Stop

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:23:17 PDT

On the long drive to a weekend place, the same grocery, restaurant or gas station is a comforting pull-off that says, “We’re almost there.”

It's a small world, thanks to Google Earth

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:30:51 PDT

Starting this month, you can tour realistic re-creations of Disney's Florida theme parks and resorts simply by clicking your ...

Power snorkel off Hawaii’s Big Island on Sea Rockets

Thu, 15 May 2008 08:48:37 PDT

Used to be that all a snorkeler needed to get around was a mask, a pair of fins and a sense of adventure. Seems so quaint. Now you can zip through the ocean on “sea rockets” – battery-powered underwater propulsion...

Why everyone should bike to work, and the wonders of Highway 35

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:30:59 PDT

By Amy Wolf, Sunset travel editor Did you ride your bike to work today? You’d better have answered yes. It is national Bike to Work day, after all. But even if it weren’t, biking to work is simply the cool...