Winter brings Yellowstone wildlife close to road

We were expecting to see plenty of wildlife on a winter outing to Yellowstone National Park, but — silly us — we thought we might have to get through the entrance first. But as we drove through the gateway community of Gardiner, Mont., toward the Roosevelt Arch, the century-old ceremonial north entrance to Yellowstone, we [...]

Italian railway launches Rome-Milan high-speed

Just outside Milan, the countryside starts to blur as the Italian Railway’s new Red Arrow high-speed train reaches its maximum velocity of 186 miles an hour. Dario Rigamonti, a consultant traveling to Florence, moved to an empty window seat, and looked outside. “It is impressive,” he said. The speedier service shaves an hour off the [...]

Airline traffic fell 8.4 percent in September

The number of passengers on U.S. airlines fell 8.4 percent in September, a decline of 5 million passengers from the year-earlier month, the Transportation Department said Thursday in the latest evidence of weakening travel demand. The department said preliminary findings indicate that 54.2 million passengers rode on domestic or international flights operated by U.S. airlines [...]

New interstate road map takes shape for bicyclists

At first glance, everything seems out of place on the map of a new interstate road system taking shape across the nation. Interstate 95 runs down the stunning sweep of the Pacific Coast, not the congested blandness of the Eastern Seaboard. Route 1 meanders along country roads, not strip malls. And you’ll get your kicks [...]

Major airlines ready to cut more flights in 2009

Executives of major U.S. airlines, already seeing signs of slumping travel demand, said Tuesday they were ready to cut more flights, and Delta hinted at more job losses as the carriers jockey to survive the deepening recession. U.S. airlines have been helped by a sudden drop in jet fuel prices, and they already cut capacity [...]

Roads, skies to be less crowded over Thanksgiving

Despite plummeting gas prices and unusual last-minute holiday deals on airplane tickets, more people are expected to stick close to home this Thanksgiving. In fact, the Automobile Association of America says the 41 million Americans expected to take trips at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving is about 600,000 less than traveled last Thanksgiving. The reason, [...]

Bangkok airport chaos deals blow to tourism

Thousands of bleary-eyed tourists mingled with yellow-clad protesters who brought flights to a halt at Bangkok’s international airport Wednesday, dealing a major blow to Thailand’s tourism industry during its peak season. The tourism industry, which makes up 6 percent of the economy and employs about a million people, was already flagging after protesters in late [...]