Direct flights from MSP to Nassau this winter

Delta Air Lines has made it easier for Minnesotans to fly to Nassau, the Bahamas, during the dead of winter. The airline added nonstop Saturday service from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the island beginning Feb. 15 and running through March 29, 2014. No other airline flies direct. Nassau is home to Sandals, Atlantis and other resorts.

Kerri Westenberg

Tech-savvy fliers take heart: rules may change

The Federal Aviation Administration could decide as soon as this week to relax the ban on some personal electronic devices at low altitudes. Currently, all devices are to be turned off at altitudes below 10,000 feet. New guidelines might allow reading e-books, listening to podcasts and watching videos. Activities needing Wi-Fi and cellphone calls are expected to remain off-limits. The changes could take effect next year, although the FAA said in a statement that "No changes will be made until we are certain that they will not impact safety and security."

John Ewoldt

Fresh look at height of Mount McKinley

North America's tallest peak, Alaska's Mount McKinley, might have been taken down a notch. An effort to update decades-old maps using airplane-mounted radar technology showed the mountain, called Denali by locals, stands at 20,237 feet. That's 83 feet shorter than an estimate of 20,320 feet from the early 1950s.

Associated Press

New theater to open in Vegas' Cosmopolitan

The Las Vegas Strip's newest concert space ­­— a 3,000-capacity theater called the Chelsea — will open its doors at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas just before the new year. The Eastern European glass factory-themed venue features glass chandeliers, brick walls, a grand staircase and a vintage wooden bar. Pop star Bruno Mars will open the venue with shows on Dec. 29 and 31.

Associated Press