Washington DC

Peak bloom for cherry blossoms moved up

A continuing streak of warm weather means the famed cherry blossoms in the nation’s capital will reach their peak bloom earlier than expected.

New screening procedures for air travelers over 75

Some air travelers over the age of 75 will soon get a break at airport security checkpoints under a test program that could allow them to keep their shoes and light jackets on and skip pat-downs at certain airports.

Florida: Birding & Photo Fest

For the birders

Travel briefs

A newer ship will replace the fire-damaged Costa Allegra in the Mediterranean, Costa Cruises announced Tuesday. The Italy-based cruise operator said it had not determined how long it would take to fix the ship and bring it back into service following the Feb. 27 generator room fire. The Costa Allegra was set adrift and eventually towed to the Seychelles.

Washington, D.C.: Cherry blossom season

Blooming big

New York: Rafael Barrios sculptures

Northern exposure

Rhode Island mom says family was kicked off flight

A Rhode Island family traveling with two toddlers was removed from a JetBlue flight after their 2-year-old daughter refused to sit in her seat on a flight to Boston.

Spring break: Time to score a travel steal?

With gas prices soaring, this is not the best year to book a last-minute international Spring Break flight. But if you’re lucky enough to score a cheap ticket to another continent, you might be surprised how far you can stretch a dollar. With global markets in perpetual flux, the euro crisis did a lot to help the U.S. dollar in cities across the world.

Air travel

FAA forecast: High airfares most of this decade

Airfares are likely to stay high throughout this decade, as passenger travel grows but airline capacity shrinks, according to a government forecast issued Thursday.

Falkland Islands dispute

Pricey South American cruises marred by politics

One of the world’s most exotic and expensive cruise ship circuits is being threatened by political strife, as Argentina’s dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands and social protests in Chile prevent thousands of passengers from going ashore along the tip of South America.

Florida theme parks

Spider-Man ride reopening at Universal Orlando

As Universal Orlando theme park prepares to open a new and technologically eye-popping version of its iconic 3-D Spider-Man ride this week, creator Stan Lee says it’s sort of a fluke that the costumed web-slinger ever came into existence at all.

Cruises

Replacement called in for disabled Costa Allegra

A newer ship will replace the fire-damaged Costa Allegra in the Mediterranean, Costa Cruises announced Tuesday.

Air travel

Overhead bins get bigger to fit more carry-on bags

Fliers can stop sharpening their elbows. Overhead bins are getting bigger.

Travel briefs

Federal officials are proposing to increase the minimum requirements to become an airline co-pilot to the same threshold as a captain, but they’re also carving out some large exceptions.

Pennsylvania

The Boss is back

Puerto Rico

Spanish treasures

Florida

Hot wheels

New Disney ship christened in NYC

Singer Mariah Carey helped christen the new Disney cruise ship Fantasy at a Hudson River pier in Manhattan on Thursday night and promised to bring her twins back to enjoy some Disney hospitality.

Washington

100th season ahead for DC’s cherry blossom trees

As Washington gets ready to celebrate 100 years of its famous cherry blossom trees, the trees’ head tender said Thursday that peak flowering season is expected at the end of March.

Travel

As fuel prices rise, airlines push fares higher

Airfares are up and headed higher this summer.