Chicago Travel Alert: Major Delays at O'Hare Due to Computer Outage

Update: United Airlines’ computers are back up and running at O’Hare International Airport. Ticket agents are able to check in passengers and the self check-in kiosks are working. Passengers are encouraged to check flight times online before heading to the airport in advance of their holiday weekend travel plans. In an effort to apologize for the delay, United Airlines is offering travel waiver on Chicago flights leaving today only.

A "computer outage" at Chicago O’Hare has caused major flight delays and left many travelers unable to check in for flights.

San Francisco Int’l Airport Plans to Add Hotel Terminal

Nobody likes a long layover. Not even you. San Francisco International Airport knows that, and is trying to remedy the problem for sleepy travelers everywhere.

Sleeping facilities in hotels are common when you book flights to Europe and Asia, but have yet to really catch on in the United States. Soon though, according to USA Today, Northern California’s airport plans to add a place in their international terminal for fliers in need of rest.

Finally, Direct Flights to Branson

Branson, Missouri is mostly known for welcoming families on vacation. A little out of the way, a lot of country music, and even more kitschy attractions for fun-loving types, Branson is now coming out of its shell and beckoning more traveler to see what the fuss is about.

Branson Airport, a privately owned establishment set in the Ozark Mountains isn’t funded by the government. It doesn’t take federal, state, or tax money, and therefore exists solely as a for-profit business that costs approximately $155 million to build and maintain. The runways are small, but that isn’t stopping Branson Airport from spreading its wings.

Good Things Come at Small Airports in Big Texas

The small Dallas airport, Love Field, will be making waves this summer. Closest to downtown, the smaller, lesser known airport will become much busier when Delta starts bumping up its now three daily flights to Memphis up to cross-country and international flights.

Regional jets, operated by Pinnacle Airlines (but under the guise Delta Connection) will run 50-seat Bombadier CRJ200 planes. Long ago, the Wright Amendment banned nonstop flights from Dallas Love Field, including routes to nearby states like Tennessee, but these newer, smaller planes burst that rule. First established for planes with more than 56 seats, the rule now faces a challenge, with the smaller 50-seat aircrafts.

LAX to Potentially Redesign Runways

Los Angeles sure does know how to do a good makeover.

This time, the potential makeover is not on an aging blonde, however, and instead focuses on its enormous international airport, LAX. Known for some time as one the nation’s most dangerous airports for near-collisions during landing, the California airport is being reassessed.

Some say the safety solution lies in moving the northernmost runways further apart, but this view has caused quite a stir among political opposition, according to USA Today. Neighbors of LAX are already fed up with the nearness, noise, and pollution, and aren’t looking forward to any more of it.

Boston Logan Expands Terminal C

Soon, you’ll be able to board your Boston flight in half the time than you’re used to. In an attempt to speed up the security screening process for passengers, Boston Logan International Airport has announced plans to expand Terminal C. The project, costing an estimated $30 million aims to consolidate security checkpoints and add a few more lanes to the terminal, according to USA Today.

Carriers like United Airlines, JetBlue, Midwest Airlines, and Cape Air use the terminal, and when the project is over, passengers on Boston flights that need to transfer to another airline will be able to do so without leaving the secured zone.

Jackson Hole Airport to Close in May for Runway Work

If you're planning travel to Jackson Hole, get out your flight confirmations and double check these dates: the Jackson Hole Airport will close for about four days starting Memorial Day, May 25.

The airport will close to perform work on the runway, thanks to a $5 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. Airport officials claim the Jackson Hole Airport will reopen by June 2.

AirTran Pilots to Picket at Atlanta Airport on Monday

AirTran Airways pilots plan to picket Monday outside the North Terminal of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the biggest airport in the nation and an AirTran hub.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, pilots are protesting what they claim is “a pattern of threats and intimidation” by the airline against the pilots.

Can You Bare It? Whole-Body Imaging Machines in Airports

Every time you fly, you wonder: Do you pack the liquids you need, and check your luggage, or do you agonize over the 3.4 ounce rule, and use a carry-on? For travelers who wish to bring their normal-sized bottles of shampoos, lotions, and things along with them without checking a bag, there is hope. The question now is: How much are you willing to bare?

A newly developed machine that has been tested in 19 airports all over the nation can detect explosive materials in liquids from safe materials, like cosmetics. The only catch is that the machine also detects an image of your naked body.

BWI Gets $15M Government Grant; Plans to Improve Airport Tarmac

It’s not a sexy project, but it’s important.

Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) just got a $15 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration that it will use to reconstruct the concrete pavement on the aircraft ramp and taxi lane located between Concourses C and D. Lighting and marking costs are included in the $15 million. The upshot: a better airport.