Travel News - AP

ATLANTA - His mane bristling, the roaring lion bares his teeth as he pins down a defiantly hissing snake, every hair and rippling muscle in the big cat's body faithfully captured in bronze.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The museum exhibits are taken from the Old Testament, but the special effects are pure Hollywood: a state-of-the-art planetarium, animatronics and a massive model of Noah's Ark, all intended to explain the origins of the universe from a biblical viewpoint.

WASHINGTON - Federal officials are pushing ahead with an experiment to reduce rampant flight delays around the nation by auctioning off takeoff and landing times at New York City-area airports, where most delays begin.

CHICAGO - A World War II-era air traffic network that often forces planes to take longer, zigzagging routes is costing U.S. airlines billions of dollars in wasted fuel while an upgrade to a satellite-based system has languished in the planning stages for more than a decade.

TOKYO - Most Japanese inns and hotels that didn't have foreign guests last year don't want any in the future, according to a government survey released Thursday.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - The interior minister says Argentina will soon charge visitors from the U.S. and 21 other countries a fee to enter the country.

EAGAN, Minn. - Northwest Airlines Corp. said on Thursday it is reducing its fuel surcharges on cargo flights in some markets because of the declining cost of jet fuel.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Chunks of granite crashed to the Yosemite Valley floor in a cloud of dust Wednesday, injuring at least three people and destroying several cabins and trees at one of the park's most popular lodging areas, officials said.

GALVESTON, Texas - The coast here doesn't have the whitest sand or the clearest water, but to millions of Houstonians and other Texans, this is the beach. And thanks to Hurricane Ike, it's also a mess.

HONOLULU - Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings is considering plans to enter the Hawaii interisland air market in partnership with a local carrier.

MINNEAPOLIS - United Airlines said on Wednesday it will lay off 414 mechanics at its San Francisco maintenance base.

GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands - Tourism is returning to Grand Turk as the island recovers from Hurricane Ike.

FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines says it will filter an in-flight Internet service to block pornography sites, reversing course after complaints from flight attendants and passengers.

VAIL, Colo. - Vail Resorts say it's offering a $50 credit to some skiers to offset fees airlines are charging to check baggage.

ASPEN, Colo. - The head of Frontier Airlines says he's pleased with the business generated by a Denver-to-Aspen service launched in April by subsidiary Lynx Aviation.

Q. Since oil prices have fallen off recently, why haven't airfares fallen too?

DALLAS - An exhibit showcasing items buried in the Egyptian tomb of King Tut is back in the United States.

ST. LOUIS - From hot-button issues in the newspaper to the fermented beer in the fridge, Americans are surrounded by science all the time. The St. Louis Science Center is launching a festival this week to help people better understand, and enjoy, the ways that science plays a role in everyday lives.

PARIS - When Velazquez painted a 17th century Spanish princess, he gave her wispy hair, pale skin and a cautious gaze. Three centuries later, Picasso turned the girl's face into a Cubist maze of green and purple, yet he captured her essence — that same mysterious gaze.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. - Got room for two more people at your Thanksgiving table?

NEW YORK - A government agency, an airline, a bus company and several Web sites were among the recipients of Budget Travel Magazine's annual Extra Mile Awards, honoring "noteworthy innovations, large and small, that make travel easier, more enjoyable, and/or more affordable across all aspects of the industry."

HARLINGEN, Texas - The weather is cooling off and that means birds are heading south. One of the best places to watch the migration spectacle is southern tip of Texas for the 15th Annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, scheduled for Nov. 5-9.

WASHINGTON - The National Trust for Historic Preservation is accepting nominations for its annual list of endangered places, which identifies examples of America's architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk.

NEW YORK - If Zack and Cody's new show "The Suite Life on Deck" inspires your family to book a cruise, Disney Cruise Line is offering a number of new destinations to choose from in 2010, including St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tunisia.

BARCELONA - A coalition of 27 organizations called the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria Partnership on Monday issued criteria for sustainable tourism at a conference in Barcelona.

FORT WORTH, Texas - The idea of paying a single, simple fare to fly on an airliner is becoming as quaint as stewardesses in short skirts.

LINTHICUM, Md. - Just in time for spring break, AirTran plans to offer new flights to Cancun, with roundtrip nonstops from both BWI and Atlanta.

BEIJING - Tourists are continuing to give Tibet a miss, more than six months after deadly rioting in the regional capital of Lhasa, China's official Xinhua News Agency said Monday.