Travel News

A British parliamentary committee recommended Friday that the government permit an expansion of Heathrow Airport, rather than allowing the construction of a new airport east of London. Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports, and expanding it has long been a contentious political issue in Britain. The aviation industry has lobbied for a third runway for years, but opponents say the plan would damage the environment, worsen noise pollution in the city and lead to a loss of homes. Parliament's Transport Committee said that after studying the government's aviation strategy, it has decided that allowing Heathrow to build a third runway was better than creating a new airport. Louise Ellman, the chairwoman of the committee, said Heathrow has been short on capacity for a decade. "We conclude that a third runway at Heathrow is necessary, but also suggest that a four-runway proposal may have merit, especially if expanding to locate two new runways westwards from the current site could curb the noise experienced by people affected under the flight path," she said in a statement. The committee ruled out an airport east of the capital in part because it could not be done without public investment in ground transport infrastructure and because of impact on the wildlife habitat in the Thames Estuary. The decision is not legally binding on the government, but House of Commons committees carry great weight because they are composed of members of all of the parties.

Budget airline easyJet PLC says it has acquired a ton of ash from Icelandic volcanoes for use in an experiment to test ash detection technology.

If you fly, chances are you have a story to tell about an uncomfortable airline seat.    

The measure is intended to keep the air traffic control system operating at a normal pace by preventing further furloughs through Sept. 30.    

The fishing trip off the rugged north coast of St. Lucia was supposed to last all day, but about four hours into the journey, the boat's electric system crackled and popped.

(Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration gave formal approval on Thursday for a new lithium-ion battery system for Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner, ending a three-month ban and clearing airlines to fly the plane with passengers again.

San Francisco ChronicleWhite House says it's open to 'looking at' flexibility on budget cuts to avoid FAA Washington PostWASHINGTON — The White House now says it's willing to consider legislation that would give the administration the budget-cutting flexibility to avoid furloughs of air traffic controllers. Those furloughs could result in widespread air traffic delays.Sequester slams air-traffic control systemExaminer.comall 43 news articles »

General Motors says the battery-powered version of its Chevrolet Spark mini-car can travel up to 82 miles on a single charge, putting it among the leaders in mass-market electric vehicles sold in the U.S.

NEW YORK -- A sharp decline in the price of oil this month is making gasoline cheaper at a time of year when it typically gets more expensive. It's a relief to motorists and business owners and a positive development for the economy.Over the past three weeks, the price of oil has fallen by 9 percent to $89 a barrel. That has helped extend a slide in gasoline prices that began in late February.    

Some drivers have expressed doubts about the viability of using the vehicles, arguing that any charging break would undercut earnings.    

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.'s stock surged in its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Flight cancellations and delays continued to bedevil American Airlines customers on Wednesday -- a day after a major glitch crippled the carrier's reservation system, leading to the grounding of its fleet for several hours."These computer system can get hung up waiting for data. If it never gets it, the system can get overloaded and leads to a shutdown," said Dr. Bill Curtis, chief scientist at C    

South African officials say an elephant has overturned a vehicle carrying two tourists, injuring one of them. A statement from Kruger National Park says the tourists are of "Chinese origin." The statement says an elephant in the park attacked the vehicle on a road at 6:30 a.m. Monday, and a medical team in a helicopter rushed to help the injured male driver. He was taken to a hospital for further treatment. Park spokesman William Mabasa says it is unclear why the elephant became aggressive. But he is appealing to the public to be alert in the park and try not to get too close if they see an elephant approaching on the road. The vast Kruger park lies in South Africa's northeast, next to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.