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Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has agreed to sell its most prestigious hotel, Manhattan’s Waldorf Astoria, for $1.95 billion to a Chinese insurance company, the hotel operator said Monday. The sale price is among the highest ever for any hotel and represents the latest sign of intense international demand for luxury hotels and other trophy properties in major global cities. The Waldorf Astoria’s price of $1.3 million a room is also among the highest ever paid in the U.S. on a per-room basis. The acquisition is the first major deal in the U.S. for Anbang Insurance Group Co., which beat out...

The executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons states that restricted entry to the United States will be necessary to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. “The potential for devastating loss of life is real,” wrote Dr. Jane M. Orient on the website of AAPS. “The disease must be stopped before there are millions of persons exposed instead of 100.” Orient said that restricting entry to the United States means that travelers from areas affected by Ebola must be “carefully screened and quarantined when indicated.” Additionally, she warned that to contain the spread of Ebola,...

The federal government is not considering a travel ban to the United States from Africa, thanks to a “sophisticated multi layer screening system" at airports in Africa, according to the White House. “If we can screen through the transportation system to ensure that individuals that are exhibiting symptoms don't have access to a transportation system, then you can keep the transportation system secure,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest explained to reporters aboard Air Force One. A travel ban would make it more difficult for professionals to reach Africa to help end the Ebola epidemic, he explained.

People who contract Ebola in West Africa can get through airport screenings and onto a plane with a lie and a lot of ibuprofen, according to healthcare experts who believe more must be done to identify infected travelers. At the very least, they said, travelers arriving from Ebola-stricken countries should be screened for fever, which is currently done on departure from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. But such safeguards are not foolproof. "The fever-screening instruments run low and aren't that accurate," said infection control specialist Sean Kaufman, president of Behavioral-Based Improvement Solutions, a biosafety company based in Atlanta. "And people...

Thomas Eric Duncan case raises questions about U.S. preparedness to stem deadly virusThe first case of Ebola diagnosed within the U.S. is prompting calls for heavy travel restrictions between the U.S. and those West African countries hardest hit by the outbreak — and one advocate is even warning against the possibility of “Ebola tourism” by patients seeking better care here. Thomas Eric Duncan, the first diagnosed case, remained in isolation in a Texas hospital Thursday after having traveled from Liberia last month, leaving health officials to try to track down up to 100 persons he may have come in contact...

Looking for Riders on Two Flights Believed to Have Carried U.S. Ebola Patient.

Purpose: To give information to airlines on stopping ill travelers from boarding, managing and reporting onboard sick travelers, protecting crew and passengers from infection, and cleaning the plane and disinfecting contaminated areas. Key Points: ** A U.S. Department of Transportation rule permits airlines to deny boarding to air travelers with serious contagious diseases that could spread during flight, including travelers with possible Ebola symptoms. This rule applies to all flights of U.S. airlines, and to direct flights (no change of planes) to or from the United States by foreign airlines. ** Cabin crew should follow routine infection control precautions for...

The White House said Wednesday it will not impose travel restrictions or introduce new airport screenings to prevent additional cases of Ebola from entering the United States. Spokesman Josh Earnest said that current anti-Ebola measures, which include screenings in West African airports and observation of passengers in the United States, will be sufficient to prevent the “wide spread” of the virus. The chances of a U.S. epidemic are “incredibly low,” he said. “The reason for that is that it is not possible to transmit Ebola through the air. ... The only way that an individual can contract Ebola is by...

Me and a few friends will be spending 3 weeks in Europe Early next summer.... Has anyone here been over there? What are a few things "We shouldn't miss"?

Daughter is traveling to Mexico City, and I am looking for some useful travel references...some first-hand Freeper info/advice, or books/websites that have a "step-by-step" account of what to expect when she arrives at the airport. She has never traveled to a Mexico (or any other country forthat matter), and it has been a long time since I traveled to Mexico, so I am looking for the latest information to provide to her. Thank you for your help.

A Canadian airline has sent a warning to its pilots to stop bringing pornographic material into the cockpit. In an internal bulletin to staff, Air Canada threatened to sack and/or pursue criminal charges against pilots who were caught displaying ‘inappropriate material’ on a flight. The warning was sent to employees after obscene material was discovered while an official with Transport Canada, the national industry regulator, was seated in the cockpit. The bulletin was issued a year ago, but has recently been obtained by CBC News. In the notice, Rod Graham, Air Canada’s chief pilot and director of fleet operations and...

**SNIP** The three-term senator on Friday apologized for the mistakes that she blamed on “sloppy bookkeeping" and said that on Sept. 1 she put new procedures in place. “I take full responsibility,” Landrieu said. “They should have never happened, and I apologize for this. A new system has been established that has been successfully used by a number of Senate offices to provide a safeguard from this happening in the future.” The 11-page report shows 104 flights. It also states the campaign spent $202,330 for separate flights for campaign travel over the period in question, that the $33,727 repaid is...

When the controversy surrounding Senator Mary Landrieu's (D-LA) use of taxpayer funds to pay for campaign travel first broke back in August, her Senate office spokesperson Matthew Lehner promised Landrieu would produce a full report of her travel activities "by the time" the Senate returned from its August recess and returned to session in September. By Thursday, the fourth day since the Senate's September session began, Landrieu has produced diddly squat. Efforts to contact Lehner, who made that promise on her behalf, resulted in an automatic email saying that, as of September 2, he no longer worked in her congressional...

Students can wave goodbye to being driven to university by embarrassing parents in an overloaded car – and pay to arrive in style instead. Launching on Monday, The Very Important Fresher package offers those with the budget the option to travel to campus by helicopter, private jet, Ferrari or Aston Martin. Other luxury options include a Rolls Royce Phantom, Mclaren P1 – and even a horse and carriage - which will set buyers back up to £25,000.

Squeezed into tighter and tighter spaces, airline passengers appear to be rebelling, taking their frustrations out on other fliers. Three U.S. flights made unscheduled landings in the past eight days after passengers got into fights over the ability to recline their seats. Disputes over a tiny bit of personal space might seem petty, but for passengers whose knees are already banging into tray tables, every inch counts.

So a few weeks ago, my Wonderful Wife got a bug in her bonnet to see Niagara Falls.

Windowless planes could be the future of cheaper air travel as a government technology centre develops a proposal to help airlines save on fuel. In place of windows, plastic display screens projecting the sky outside could line the cabin of an aircraft. It is hoped the technology will significantly reduce aircraft weight and cut fuel costs without worrying nervous passengers. The display screens will function using a technique called printable electronics, which involves the use of conductive inks to carry electric current in cardboard and plastic for just a few pence per unit. The technology could be rolled out in...

Westboro Baptist Church, the hate group that masquerades as a religious organization, is known for their publicity stunts, but they may have bit off more than they can chew with this one. After a comedian offered to pay for them to fly to Iraq so they can protest real Christian persecution at the hands of Islamic militants, the group tweeted that they have accepted his offer. They want to take their picket signs and head over to a country currently occupied by a group that beheads Christian children without hesitation – this ought to go well. To bring you up...

The number of people traveling to Switzerland to commit suicide has doubled since 2009, a new study shows. These "suicide tourists" are largely from Germany and the United Kingdom, although they also come from other countries including the United States and Canada, and nearly half suffer from nonfatal neurological conditions, such as paralysis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, the study suggests. Saskia Gauthier, MD, from the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Zurich, and colleagues report their findings in an article published online August 20 in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Assisted suicide is restricted in many countries, but in...

Delta is the best airline in the U.S., that is, if you are looking for fewer canceled flights or mishandled bags and on-time arrivals. "Of course, we don't have a measurement for the widths of flight attendants' smiles or other intangibles, but if you look at the numbers, Delta comes out on top this year," said George Hobica, founder and president of Airfarewatchdog, which puts together the annual list.