Travel

Over the past 44 years, flights have become bumpier. According to a new study, they're now set to get even worse as climate change affects the jet stream. An analysis by scientists of the impact of global warming on weather systems over the next four decades reveals that climate change will lead to bumpier flights caused by increased mid-air turbulence.

The increased air turbulence is a result of the impact of climate change on the jet streams, which are the mile-wide winds that swirl around the planet at the same altitude as airplanes.

Some of the other unexpected impacts of climate change include spottier WiFi and mobile phone signals, and even slower marathon race times for runners.

The new research was led by Paul Williams at the University of Reading, who states:

"Air turbulence does more than just interrupt the service of in-flight drinks. It injures hundreds of passengers and aircrew every year. It also causes delays and damages planes, with the total cost to society being about £100m each year."

Williams found that the frequency of turbulence on the numerous flights between North America and Europe will double by 2050. It's intensity will also increase by 10 to 40%.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport first launched curbside valet parking service a few years ago, and has since seen the service explode in popularity.

Last year, the service parked a record 20,000 cars and brought in nearly half a million dollars. In the valet parking service's first full year of operation in 2009, the service parked just 2,600 cars. Now, it's a 24-hour operation that travelers are increasingly making use of.

The service is operated by a private company, but the airport gets a share of revenue. According to airport officials, revenue generated from the valet parking goes back into airport operations. It reduces the landing fees paid by airlines, which in the end results in lower fares for passengers.

For a very brief period of time in history, the RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat in the world. During its short time on the open waters, the Titanic managed to attract thousands of wealthy passengers, and then kill most of them off when the ship tragically collied with an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. Now, Blue Star Line cruise-ship company is seeking to test fate by building a exact replica dubbed the Titanic II that will likely set sail in 2016.

More than 100 years after the original Titanic sank, plans for a replica have reached a new milestone. Australian billionaire Clive Palmer and Blue Star Line held a news conference in New York this week about progress on the ship, which was originally announced in 2012. The ship is now nearing its building phase with CSC Jinling Shipyard Company in Nanjing, China, agreeing to build the ship. CSC has already begun updating its facilities to accomodate the massive vessel.

As an exact replica of the Titanic, the Titanic II will be 883 feet long and 174 feet high, and will feature 840 cabins. It will also feature amenities such as Turkish baths, a swimming pool, squash court, and gymnasium.

One thing the makers of the Titanic II will do differently than its ill-fated predecessor is make sure that there are enough lifeboats for everyone on board.

Frequent, trusted travelers coming through Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will no longer have to remove their shoes and belts, or wait in long security lines beginning April 1.

The Transportation Security Administration announced on Thursday that Cleveland and four other airports would be joining 35 other airports across the U.S. that already have an expedited screening process in place and allow approved travelers to skip the final airport security checkpoint.

TSA says that this allows them to focus on travelers that they know less about.

At Hopkins, an isolated check-in lane for pre-check members will be added at the airport's south checkpoint. The program is free for those who are frequent fliers on one of the five participating airlines - Alaska, America, Delta, United and US Airways. If you're not a frequent flier, but still want the luxury of by-passing the final security checkpoint, you can pay $100 to enroll in the program for a period for five years.

For the third consecutive year, the Akron-Canton Airport has welcomed a record number of passengers. In 2012, 1,838,083 people flew out of the regional airport which marked a 10% increase from 2011. Needless to say, the brass at airport are pleased with the turnout.

“By every standard, 2012 was incredible for CAK,” said Rick McQueen, president and CEO. “A double digit increase in traffic and welcoming Southwest make the year particularly memorable. Plus, we are optimistic about our future. We offer the lowest average air fare in the state and a relaxing airport experience. Customers come from all over the region for that combination and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

Each airline that operates out of CAK saw an increase in fliers last year. Southwest and AirTran grew 10%, Delta saw 9% growth, US Airways welcomed 11% more customers, Frontier Airlines sales grew 7%, and United Express saw a modest increase of 1%.

The Cleveland Clinic has teamed up with the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to offer healthier room accommodations. Fourty-one of the hotel and casino's 5,044 rooms have been designated as "Stay Well Rooms" by Delos, a New York real estate developer.

Delos designed the rooms following four years of research, as well as the input from doctors at Columbia University Medical and the Cleveland Clinic's chief wellness officier, Dr. Michael Roizen, who is also on the Delos advisory board.

Roizen said that "the goal was to create an example of how you can make predominantly healthy choices" while on the road. The rooms will reportedly "improve sleep, reduce allergens and promote healthy eating."

The Stay Well Rooms will carry an extra $30 per night charge over the standard room and suite rates. Some of the rooms' features include:

• LED nightlights to allow a guest to find his or her way to the bathroom.
• Dawn simulator alarm clocks that will gradually awaken guests with light, instead of loud buzzers or music.
• Room lighting designed to aid in the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep.
• Shower water that is infused with Vitamin C " to neutralize chlorine."

The Transportation Security Administration has issued a warning for anyone travelling by air this holiday season: leave your gifts unwrapped. If you pack wrapped presents, TSA's airport screeners will rip them open and examine the contents.

It's easy to see why the TSA won't let wrapped gifts slide -- it'd be too easy for terrorists to slip threats onto airplanes. But it's not just terrorists looking to use wrapping paper to sneak things past screeners; last week screeners opened gift-wrapped packages at LAX and found 35 pounds of marijuana.

The TSA has published a "3-1-1 for Holiday Trave" guide on its website, offering travelers tips for traveling. TSA gives advice on how to dress to avoid setting off metal detectors, and even warns travelers against irreverent humor, telling them to "save jokes for after the checkpoint."

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson will be in Toledo to make an announcement regarding the Powertrain Plant Tuesday in the city. A press release reads:

Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Where: GM Toledo Transmission Facility, 1455 West Alexis Road, Toledo, Ohio. 43612

When: 1:30 p.m. EDT (Please arrive no later than 1 p.m.)

Who: General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson

United Auto Workers Vice President - GM Department Joe Ashton

GM Vice President Labor Relations Cathy Clegg

Ohio Governor John Kasich

Toledo Mayor Michael P. Bell

Local, State and Federal elected officials

What: Positive news announcement for Toledo Transmission

If you plan on making the trip down to Kings Island this year you will have a new attraction to see. The Cincinnati area park is opening up what they call "the world's largest animatronic dinosaur park."

Dinosaurs Live will feature 60 life-sized dinosaurs in a 12 acre setting. The new exhibit will be an additional $5 admission on top of the regular park entry fee.

On Sunday, the United States urged its citizens to get out of Egypt as quickly as possible as President Hosni Mubarack's regime increased pressure on hundreds of thousands of protesters continuing to assemble in the streets, flaunting the state-imposed curfew.

The unrest took on new deadly dimensions as well, as gangs attacked at least four prisons, freeing thousands of convicts. The official death toll stands at 97 after five days of protesting, but witnesses report that hundreds more have died.

State Department officials in the US were hastily arranging for Americans to fly to "save havens" in Europe.

A majority of the demonstrators have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square along with Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradi. There were also members of the Muslim Brotherhood present, who want Egypt to become an Islamist state.

Murabak further enraged protesters by closing roads around the city with tanks, and by sending F-16 fighter jets on menacing overflights of the square.

Cairo's airport was flooded with foreigners and tourists trying desperately to catch a flight out of the country, as countries around the world sought to fly in planes to remove their citizens from the dangerous situation.