Free Republic

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Illinois residents might not be able to use their driver's licenses at airports starting in 2016. The Daily Herald reports the licenses don't meet requirements set by the 2005 Real ID Act that were meant to increase security. Illinois doesn't require a birth certificate to get a driver's license, which Illinois Secretary of State spokesman Henry Haupt said is one of the law's mandates. Haupt said state legislators would have to approve funding for changes to driver's license requirements. He said he's not sure how much it would cost, but the Secretary of State's office previously estimated...

Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney each finished second in their party’s primaries when they ran for president in 2008, but they took dramatically different routes to arrive at the same result — literally, in a way. A deeper look into the candidates’ campaign expenditures reveals that Clinton spent more than nine times as much as Romney did on private jets during the 2008 race. An analysis of public documents by National Review Online shows that Clinton took more than $19.2 million worth of private flights during the primaries before dropping out when then-senator Barack Obama finally built an insurmountable lead....

Dubai airport has soared ahead of London's Heathrow, riding a boom in long-haul flights between Asia and the West to become the world's top international travel hub, it said Tuesday. Traffic at the airport increased 6.1 percent last year to 70.47 million passengers, Dubai Airports said, adding that it expected a further surge in traveller numbers in 2015. Dubai International is home to Emirates, the Middle East's largest carrier, which along with Abu Dhabi's Etihad and Qatar Airways has seized a significant portion of travel between the West, Asia and Australasia.

The travel company Expedia conducted a poll asking fliers to name the most annoying types of airplane passengers. Jimmy was going to just read the list, but he thought it would be more interesting if the great Sir Patrick Stewart acted it out.

Dubai leapfrogged Heathrow to become the world's busiest airport for international passengers in 2014, the head of the Gulf hub said on Monday. Dubai International airport dealt with about 71m international passengers in 2014, according to chief executive Paul Griffiths, surpassing the 68.1 million that passed through Heathrow. "Heathrow is losing a lot of traffic to Dubai because we're able to cater for the connections that Heathrow no longer has the capacity to service," said Mr Griffiths, referring to how the UK's largest airport is operating at near full capacity on its two runways.

A study prepared by University College, London says severe restrictions on the use of fossil fuels are needed to prevent a forecast 2º centigrade increase in temperature over the next 100 years. Lead researcher Dr Christophe McGlade asserted that “decreasing the global consumption of fossil fuels is both essential and attainable. Humans can survive without these polluting commodities. In colder climates people can wear more layers of warmer clothing. We can drastically reduce the amount of combustion used to keep warm.” “In warmer climates people can let their own bodies’ sweat evaporation process keep them cool,” McGlade pointed out. “I...

San Francisco to Los Angeles in 35 minutes flat—that was the dream of the Hyperloop. Back in 2013, Elon Musk introduced the world to this dream a 60 page white paper. The paper caused a stir. The idea—a levitating, solar-power supersonic train—was both pure geek porn and a transportation revolution in the making. It definitely captured people’s imagination. But would it ever get made—now that was the question. Musk himself said he was too busy to take on the project, but if other people wanted in on the cause, well, that was just fine with him. As it turns out,...

Saudi Arabia's national airline is allegedly planning to separate male and female passengers on its flights, in accordance to strict rules enforced by the Gulf kingdom. Gulf media report that Saudia will keep men and women segregated onboard, unless they are close relatives. The move follows a spate of complaints from male fliers unwilling to allow other males to sit next to their wives and other female family members.

Government employees can enjoy luxurious overseas business trips on the taxpayer’s dime thanks to generous foreign per diem rates established by the State Department. Per diem rates include the cost of lodging, meals and incidental expenses that the government is willing to give civilian federal employees for their official foreign travel. The rates are meant to cover lodging at “adequate, suitable and moderately-priced facilities” and meals at “facilities typically used by employees at that location,” according to the State Department's office of allowances. All federal employees traveling to foreign countries on official business can get reimbursements from the government at...

Miami businessman Gino Bertuccio is one of the world’s luckiest flyers – and one of the most thoughtful as well. The 52-year-old became the first person to fly in Etihad Airways’ £14,000 ‘penthouse in the sky’ at the weekend, and he shared the one-of-a-kind experience with friends and strangers. While flying from London's Heathrow Airport to Abu Dhabi Mr Bertuccio opened the three-room private suite to first-class passengers, who were in an adjacent cabin, and invited a traveller from economy into the exclusive cabin, which boasts the world’s first in-flight butler.

A young computer whiz from New York City has launched a site to help people buy cheap plane tickets. But an airline company and its travel partner want to shut him down. United Airlines and Orbitz filed a civil lawsuit last month against 22-year-old Aktarer Zaman, who founded the website Skiplagged.com last year. The site helps travelers find cheap flights by using a strategy called “hidden city” ticketing. The idea is that you buy an airline ticket that has a layover at your actual destination. Say you want to fly from New York to San Francisco — you actually book...

United Airlines wants to clip the wings of a 22-year-old Manhattan computer whiz ​who found a loophole that saves travelers big bucks ​on airfare. Aktarer Zaman founded Skiplagged.com, which finds cheap flights by using “hidden city” ticketing, in which travelers ​purposely ​buy tickets with layovers​ for a lower fare, using the layover city a​s their ​intended destination, CNNMoney reports​, and never go on to the itinerary’s final destination​.​ He started the site last year.​ United Airlines ​joined discount travel website Orbitz last moth ​to file a lawsuit in Chicago federal court against Zaman, calling his site “unfair competition” and accusing...

Campaigns and political committees spent more than $1.5 million on private jets to fly in Bill and Hillary Clinton to stump for various candidates during the 2014 midterms, campaign filings show. The tally includes $44,360 the final weekend of the campaign for a plane in Iowa. That was when Bill Clinton did a fly-around for failed Democratic Senate hopeful Bruce Braley. There was also a $21,801 charge that weekend to Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu’s unsuccessful reelection campaign, a POLITICO review found. More than 60 payments were made to a New York-based company called Executive Fliteways over the course of 2013...

Online searches for trips to Cuba are up a staggering 95 per cent following US President Barack Obama's plans to re-develop relations between the two countries. Tourists are being warned that if they want to see 'the real Cuba' they should book their trips now, before the Caribbean country becomes 'Americanised.' President Obama announced a 'new chapter' in US relations with Cuba, with plans announced by the White House include easing access for US citizens, lessening financial restrictions, and lifting the 54-year-old trade embargo.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Cuba was once a haven for sun-seeking American tourists. Beautiful beaches, lively casinos and late-night dancing made it the perfect getaway, only an hour's flight from Miami. But the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro and the subsequent Cold War embargo of the communist island nation put an end to that.

Just two weeks ago a sole gas station in Oklahoma swept headlines for dropping gas prices below $2 a gallon. Today, 13 states have joined that list and the trend is expanding. Gas for less than $1.90 a gallon can be found in at least one station in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Ohio, according to CNN. CNN cites ten additional states– Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas and Virginia– that now have gas below $2 a gallon. “What we’re seeing is markets at work,” Heritage Foundation economist Nick Loris said. “Significant increases in supply and a relatively...

It's the city's largest, and most diverse, borough. Now it’s … the best tourist destination in the nation? That's the word from Lonely Planet tour guides, which has anointed Queens as the Best U.S. Destination for 2015. "Queens is finally emerging from the shadows of Manhattan to take its place as one of New York's most fascinating boroughs," the guidebook’s writers said. True, there are only five boroughs, but still. "I've watch it change from forgotten to an exciting destination," said Regis St. Louis, Lonely Planet’s coordinating author — and a resident of Brooklyn. St. Louis said Queens has the...

The New York borough of Queens has been given top spot in a list of the best places to visit in the US next year. The sprawling suburb, traditionally off the tourist map, has beaten a host of America's most famous destinations in an annual 'Best in the US' ranking compiled by Lonely Planet. The list praised Queens' microbreweries, beaches, global food offerings and ‘world-class’ art scene.

Graham Hughes, 33, used buses, taxis, trains and his own two feet to travel 160,000 miles in exactly 1,426 days - all on a shoestring of just $100 a weekYesterday he trudged into Juba, the capital of South Sudan, to end the epic journey that began in his hometown of Liverpool on New Year's Day 2009Spent four days 'in a leaky boat' to reach Cape Verde, was jailed for a week in Congo, and was 'saved from Muslim fundamentalists by a Filipino ladyboy'His lowest point was when his sister, Nicole, died of cancer two years agoHe says: 'I think...

'Tis the season to see the family, which means you're probably about to spend some quality time -- maybe too much time -- in an airport. The following are the worst airports for holiday flight problems on arrivals, according to a Bankrate analysis. Bankrate determined the frequency of holiday flight problems -- delays, cancellations and diversions -- at the United States' 100 most active airports, using Bureau of Transportation Statistics data for the months of November to January over the past 10 years. The rankings for busiest airports are based on total arrivals over the same time period.