By DAVID KOENIG (AP Airlines Writer)

Congress gave final approval Wednesday to a $105 billion bill designed to increase the number of air traffic controllers, add more safety inspectors at aircraft factories, and require airlines to automatically pay refunds to travelers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed.

The House passed the measure to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs by a 387-26 margin and sent it to President Joe Biden. The Senate passed the measure last week.

Supporters called the provisions of the legislation a key step in improving aviation safety after a number of close calls between planes at U.S. airports in the last two years.

“This bill recognizes while our aviation system is safe, we have to continue raising the bar for safety,” said Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, which produced the first version of the legislation 10 months ago.

The Republicans and Democrats who lead the key aviation committees in the House and Senate negotiated over the bill’s final shape last month, then fought off amendments that might have slowed the measure’s passage.

One of the most contentious issues turned out to be the addition of 10 long-haul flights a day to and from Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C. Lawmakers from Virginia and Maryland tried to kill the provision.

Rep. Donald Beyer, D-Va., said the extra flights would “aggravate dangerous conditions” and cause more flight delays at the busy airport across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital. But lawmakers from Western states, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, fought for the flights, as did Delta Air Lines.

The final version of the law authorizing FAA and National Transportation Safety Board programs for the next five years checked in at more than 1,000 pages. Congress has been critical of the FAA since it approved Boeing 737 Max jets that were involved in two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.

The bill’s major provisions include directing the FAA to hire more air traffic controllers and safety inspectors, to increase the use of collision-avoidance technology at airports and to improve access for passengers with disabilities.

It also bans airlines from charging fees to let families sit together and requires them to issue automatic refunds when flights are canceled or delayed for several hours.

Airlines are suing the Biden administration to block a new Transportation Department rule on the automatic refunds, and inclusion of the provision in law could help the administration’s legal case. Graves said the issue could lead to higher fares or result in refunds to travelers who would prefer being booked on another flight, but it didn’t prevent him from supporting the bill.

Travel stats have soared in the last year, and they’re poised to soar more. According to a recent survey and data crunching from Tripadvisor, 95 percent of U.S. travelers are planning to travel as much or more this summer than last. And some 85 percent will make “experiences” a priority — with a third describing themselves as art lovers and museum-goers, another third planning food and wine tours and a similar number aiming for amusement park-centric vacations. (The trifecta being art-loving foodies at Disneyland?)

So where are we all going? If you’re heading abroad, chances are high that you’ll be going to sunny shores such as Cancun, which notched the No. 1 spot, and the four Caribbean islands on the list — or to glitzy European cities.

Sticking to the U.S.? Las Vegas, baby — although beachy destinations, including San Diego, accounted for six out of the top 10.

Here are the hottest international and domestic destinations for summer 2024 among U.S. travelers. Find more details at Tripadvisor.com.

Most popular international destinations for summer

1. Cancun, Yucatan Peninsula

2. London, England

3. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

4. Paris, France

5. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

6. Rome, Italy

7. Bavaro, Dominican Republic

8. Palm – Eagle, Aruba

In Spain, Barcelona’s enormous Park Güell offers expansive city views and architectural elements designed by renowned Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudí. (Getty Images)

9. Barcelona, Spain

10. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

Most popular domestic destinations

1. Las Vegas, Nevada

2. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach in South Carolina is one of the most popular summer destinations in 2024, according to a Tripadvisor survey. (Getty Images)

3. Orlando, Florida

4. Honolulu, Hawaii

5. New York City, New York

6. Chicago, Illinois

7. Key West, Florida

8. Ocean City, Maryland

9. San Diego, California

Museum-goers flock to historic Balboa Park in San Diego, California. (Getty Images)

10. Boston, Massachusetts

Up and coming destinations for 2024

If you’re looking for something a bit more off the beaten track, Tripadvisor also parsed “fastest growing destinations,” basing their rankings on on year-over-year increases in search traffic. Cusco, Peru, is apparently hot once more, and islands — including three destinations in Maldives — and beaches figure prominently here. But there are some surprises, too. College Station, home of Texas A&M University and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, took the No. 2 spot on the domestic list. And Pennsylvania’s Pocono Manor sits at No. 4, ahead of Waimea, Hawaii.

Here are the top 10 spots — international and domestic — stirring new interest among U.S. travelers this summer.

Fastest growing international destinations

1. Maunabo, Puerto Rico

2. Puerto Rico, Spain

3. Playa Avellana, Costa Rica

4. Cusco, Peru

5. Iru-fushi, Maldives

Iru-fushi island in Maldives is a popular tourist destination. (Getty Images)

6. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

7. Aguas Calientes, Peru

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8. Male, Maldives

9. Fasmendhoo, Maldives

10. Andros, Bahamas

Fastest growing domestic destinations

1. Yosemite National Park, California

2. College Station, Texas

3. Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

4. Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania

5. Waimea, Hawaii

6. Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Florida’s Fort Myers Beach is a popular destination all year round. (Getty Images)

7. Tavernier, Florida

8. Sandusky, Ohio

9. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

10. Mackinac Island, Michigan

Maybe it’s just me, maybe it’s the times we’re living in, or maybe it’s a post-Hollywood strike malaise, but the summer TV lineup is looking unimpressive. I wish I had more enthusiasm for the coming slate of premieres, but the studios are in the midst of a pipeline problem and decision-makers appear to be unwilling to take chances on the new and unfamiliar. At the very least, you can be assured these shows will be competently made. But where are the big swings?

On the bright side, I’m expecting the return of “The Bear” to be as satisfying as it has been in seasons past (haven’t seen a lick of the new episodes, I’m just going on track record alone). New and unfamiliar athletes will become household names as the Summer Olympics kicks into gear, which is one of my favorite traditions. And “Couples Therapy,” back for a fourth season, remains one of the best unscripted shows on television.

Here’s a look at what’s on the schedule:

From left: Gaby Hoffmann and Benedict Cumberbatch in “Eric.” (Ludovic Robert/Netflix)

“Eric” (May 30 on Netflix): Benedict Cumberbatch returns to television as a children’s show puppeteer whose life falls apart when his preteen son goes missing. Netflix marketing describes the six-episode limited series as a thriller about a desperate father battling demons as he takes to the “vibrant, dangerous and intoxicating streets of ’80s New York.”

Dr. Orna Guralnik in the midst of a session in Season 4 of “Couples Therapy.” (Showtime)

“Couples Therapy” (June 2 on Showtime; begins streaming May 31on Paramount+ ): Consistently absorbing and enlightening, “Couples Therapy” may be the least cynical reality show in existence. That’s thanks to the producers as well as the calming, thoughtful approach taken by psychoanalyst Orna Guralnik, who helps couples recognize the patterns — often shaped in childhood — that can make building a life together as adults so difficult. I always feel smarter about human beings and our struggle to connect after watching this show.

“Clipped” (June 4 on Hulu): “Winning Time” on HBO took a sprawling look back at the rise of the LA Lakers. Now Hulu (via FX) narrows its focus to LA’s other NBA team, the Clippers and, specifically, the team’s notorious former owner Donald Sterling (played by Ed O’Neill), who was banned for life by the league and forced to sell the team after making racist remarks. Laurence Fishburne also stars as coach Doc Rivers.

From left: Jacki Weaver as Shelly Sterling, Ed O’Neill as Donald Sterling and Cleopatra Coleman as V Stiviano in “Clipped.” (Kelsey McNeal/FX)

“Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” (June 7 on Hulu): I’m skeptical of these kinds of biopic TV projects (Apple’s “The New Look,” about Coco Chanel and Christian Dior, was embarrassing for its Nazi apologia) but hope springs eternal. This time the designer du jour is Karl Lagerfeld, who would ultimately become the longtime and influential creative director at Chanel. Despite his impressive professional standing, Lagerfeld had a less than stellar reputation as a human being, with accusations that he was fatphobic and misogynistic, among others. The Hulu series, starring Daniel Brühl, is set in 1972, long before those allegations came to light.

Dionne Brown stars as the title character in “Queenie.” (Hulu)

“Queenie” (June 7 on Hulu): Adapted from the 2019 novel by Candice Carty-Williams, the series revolves around a 20-something Black British Jamaican woman named Queenie who is weathering a quarter-life crisis that involves messy breakup, questionable rebound hookups and just trying to find her way in the world. Reviewing the book, The Guardian called it a “smart and breezy comic debut.”

“The Trial of Socrates” (June 13 on Lakeshore PBS WYIN): A mock trial starring Chicago native John Kapelos (“The Breakfast Club”) as the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, who was tried and convicted for impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. That’s recreated here with testimony from Socrates and real attorneys playing the prosecution and the defense. The broadcast “invites audiences to consider anew the fragility of democracy, the limits of freedom, and the imperfection of human justice.”

“Presumed Innocent” (June 14 on Apple TV+): Scott Turow’s Chicago-set legal thriller was first adapted for the screen in 1990 as a star vehicle for Harrison Ford. Now it’s being rehashed as an eight-episode limited series starring Jake Gyllenhaal as prosecutor Rusty Sabich, who must investigate the murder of a colleague with whom he was also having a secret affair. Messy! If the recent multi-episode TV adaptation of “Fatal Attraction” is anything to go by, expanding a decades-old movie into a TV series runs the risk of draining much of the story’s snap and crackle. We’ll see how this one fares.

Rishi Nair joins the cast of “Grantchester” as the new vicar in Season 9. (Masterpiece/PBS)

“Grantchester” (June 16 on PBS Masterpiece): The longrunning 1950s-set series about a handsome young vicar who helps solve murders had grown steadily tedious in recent seasons. Perhaps casting a new vicar will freshen things up for Season 9, which takes place in 1961. Rishi Nair steps into the role beginning in Episode 3 (the show contrives a reason to get him shirtless within the first 10 minutes; I laughed but he is legitimately dashing and makes the show watchable again). Nair replaces Tom Brittney, who himself replaced James Norton, making him the series’ third vicar to team up with Detective Inspector Geordie Keating.

Tom Glynn-Carney in Season 2 of “House of the Dragon.” (Ollie Upton/HBO)

“House of the Dragon” (June 16 on HBO): I was deeply unimpressed with this Targaryen-focused “Game of Thrones” prequel when it premiered. For my money, it plays like a knockoff: Gayme of Throans. Drink every time someone says “your grace”! But to each their own, and if you were eagerly awaiting the show’s second season these past two years, here’s your Sunday night viewing for the summer months.

Krysten Ritter stars in “Orphan Black: Echoes.” (AMC)

“Orphan Black: Echoes”(June 23 on AMC): I liked the original “Orphan Black” primarily for Tatiana Maslany’s hilariously varied performances playing clones of herself, but the story itself ultimately became too convoluted for my taste. Krysten Ritter takes over the lead role in this reboot that purports to take “a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence.”

From left: Ricky Staffieri as Ted Fak, Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto and Matty Matheson as Neil Fak in Season 3 of “The Bear.” (Chuck Hodes/FX)

“The Bear” (June 27 on Hulu): The Chicago-set hit series from FX returns for Season 3, following the restaurant trials and tribulations of Carmy & Co., who ended last season with the opening of their fine-dining revamp of the old Italian beef sandwich shop.

“Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer” (July 11 on Hulu): A three-part docuseries about Dr. Ann Burgess, who helped develop serial killer profiling and was the inspiration for a character on the Netflix series “Mindhunter.” The series is based on her book “A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind” and looks into some of her most famous cases, as well her efforts in the anti-rape movement.

“Cobra Kai” (July 18 on Netflix): I watch this “Karate Kid” TV sequel mainly for the oddball chemistry between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, aka the one-time underdog karate kid (Ralph Macchio) and his one-time nemesis (William Zabka) who are still in each other’s lives all these years later and now somehow actually friends. I love their mismatched energy! Can’t say I’m as engrossed by anything to do with the show’s teenage contingent, who are never half as interesting. The show returns for its sixth and final season, and Netflix is dividing that into three parts. Part 1 premieres in July, Part 2 in November (November?? Yes, November) and “the final event” premieres sometime after that in 2025.

“Lady in the Lake” (July 19 on Apple TV+): A seven-part thriller starring Natalie Portman as a 1960s housewife-turned-journalist in Baltimore who investigates the death of a Black mother.

“Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” includes archival footage of the late actress. (Frank Worth/HBO)

“Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” (Aug. 3 on HBO): A new documentary about the Hollywood legend who died in 2011 that uses her “own voice to narrate her story, accompanied by personal photos, home movies and clips from her iconic roles that mirror her real-life challenges and triumphs, while also challenging audiences to reconsider Taylor’s legacy.”

Other notable dates: The 77th Tony Awards hosted by Ariana DeBose (June 16 on CBS) and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (July 26 to Aug. 11 on NBC).

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.