Travel Blog

Virgin Atlantic Airways plans to launch services to Jamaica following successful bilateral air services talks earlier this month in Kingston between the UK and Jamaican governments. Subject to final approval from the Jamaican government Virgin Atlantic plans to launch two services a week between London Gatwick and Montego Bay. Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Atlantic, said:

The article was good, and I recommend you reading it. But, since I am at 35,000 feet typing this on my B-Berry I can not tell you the web address. On that note, when is American Airlines going to have WiFi? And where is the web address for the magazine? How hard can that be?

The national rail system in America is called Amtrak, the train pictured here is the "California Zephyr" which runs from Chicago to San Francisco, and it's reckoned to be one of the worlds outstandingly scenic rail journeys. Today is April 29th 2004, and I am planning to take this train myself in less than a week.

Bankrupt United Airlines has asked its home state of Illinois to cap the tax it pays on fuel at 2004 levels — a move that could save United $8 million. Other airlines that refuel in Illinois would also benefit. Experts disagree over whether the cap — if approved — should be a short-term or long-term measure. Read more.

My trip began Friday night on a late flight (10:45 p.m.) on Delta Airlines. First stop: Atlanta, Georgia. After a one-hour layover there, I was back on the plane for my final destination: Fort Meyers, Florida. Here is a picture of the view from up above. The clouds sure are pretty!

i discovered through chryde and hoaxbuster, that this is not less not more than a fake ad by SNCF to promote they flight between NY and Paris. Smart Marketers: if i was not so curious about reading other blogs i would have never discovered the truth and the buzz around your ad would have been a total flop on me. At any moment there is a possibility to understand who is the advertiser: it could have been air france/ easy jet/ lastminute.com. So think twice : a hoax can be good if it can be related directly and simply to the advertiser and its brand...

An ABC-TV affiliate in Las Vegas broadcast images of a UFO summoned by a self-styled "prophet" who predicts many more will be seen throughout the area next week.

American Airlines’ pathetic campaign to protect its monopolistic practices in Dallas-Fort Worth has reached a new low with this jaw-droppingly asinine press release that actually accuses Southwest of monopolistic behavior.

In an airplane hangar north of Fort Worth, technicians are preparing to mount a fire-hydrant-shaped device onto the belly of an American Airlines Boeing 767. It is an effort that could soon turn into a more than $10 billion project to install a high-tech missile defense system on the nation’s commercial planes.

United Flight Attendants Forced to Sell T-Shirts: This is how pathetic United Airlines is to its workers. I already reported on the attack on the workers' pensions and how a judge gave permission to United to terminate pensions for 134,000 workers. To dramatize their plight, a group of flight attendants put together a calender where...they don't wear a whole lot. They are also selling T-Shirts. While it's truly sad that workers have to resort to this, the flight attendants have got a political mission in mind. Here's what they say is their mission:...

Today Northwest Airlines announced that effective June 9th they would no longer offer pretzels for free in their coach sections. This move, not serving pretzels, will save Northwest $2 million dollars a year. Northwest is currently in bankruptcy and lost $458 million last quarter. A 3 oz bag of trail mix will be available for $1.

But despite this, France remains the most popular holiday destination for Britons, with 83 per cent of people having visited the country, followed by Spain at 77 per cent. The USA is the third most-visited country for people in the UK, with Italy and Greece making up the rest of the top five.

But while European destinations dominate the top 20 most-visited countries, Canada, Australia, Tunisia, Thailand and Malaysia also make it on to the list. Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, Egypt, South Africa, the Dominican Republic, India and Jamaica are all in the top 30.

Continental Airlines has flown about a dozen Florida funeral directors to its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport "to show us how they track and handle the deceased," says Bart Way, director of operations at Southerland Family Funeral Homes in Panama City, Fla.

One of the nice things about flying Jet Blue is DirectTV at every seat. But I have a suggestion for whoever is in charge of program selection: don’t show National Geographic’s Air Emergency. It’s just probably not a great idea to show programs—well-done ones at that—about fatal airplane incidents while flying.

Perfect hotel location - Located at Lafayette and Canal, this Holiday Inn is right smack in the middle of SoHo, Chinatown and Little Italy, and a five-minute walk from the LES or East Village. Walk maybe 10 or 15 minutes up Broadway and you're at Union Square. Walk 15 minutes the other way and see TriBeCa and Ground Zero. The rate averaged about $240/night, but the savings on cab fare is substantial.

Avoid doing business with people who demand government-issued ID — including, where possible, banks (you may want to get an offshore account), federalized mass transit services such as Amtrak and the airlines, etc. Use cash, gold or electronic currencies where you can. Buy a pre-loaded debit card that can be reloaded on the Internet or at local kiosks — and buy it before you’re required to present your new internal passport for the privilege of doing so. If possible, get it with a fake name (if you’re doing that, don’t...

Other than Messenger, I recommend playing with FareChase beta — I’ve used it to buy airline tickets for a couple trips and it has some unique features for a travel application.

Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa is Europe’s #3 passenger airline. It is also the world’s #2 cargo airline behind FedEx. Including code-sharing agreements, Lufthansa serves about 330 destinations in more than 90 countries. It flies about 370 aircraft. With hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, the carrier is part of the Star Alliance that includes United Airlines, Air Canada, and All Nippon Airways. Lufthansa also has interests in travel-related businesses, including ground services, catering, and leisure travel services. Lufthansa owns a stake in Amadeus, one of the world’s largest computerized airline reservation systems.

Our dates are somewhat flexible, and since there’s no such thing as a direct flight there from Hawaii anyway we’re trying to evaluate what city is best for a stop-over (“best” = cost effective since there’ll be four of us). Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego ... too many choices ...

On a final footnote, I would have taken the Amtrak train to Washington Dc because I like the roominess on the train and the ability to walk and relax and get a bite on the train. Sine I was on a time crunch and needed to get their ASAP, I had to take Greyhound. As for taking another trip next time, I will take Amtrak more often and I will take Amtrak more than Greyhound.

And all I can say is “I hate American Airlines, and I hate Boeing’s stupid S80 aircraft.” Goddamn, that thing is the worst. The 737, that’s a fine plane, I can ride in that plane. The S80, it’s murder. It’s incredibly cramped, and by cramped I mean that a Baka pygmy could not stretch out in these seats. I had to take a red-eye out of LAX, and fly all night in this damned plane. In fact, just to rub it in, I had a stop in Chicago to change planes, and hope against hope, I prayed for a different aircraft for the...

On Tuesday night, it was off to wave goodby to my mate John from Scotland - that's him with me above. I hadn't seen him in about a year, so I went out to Heathrow to see him, as he'd jetted in before going off to live in Perth, Australia. It was really good to see him again - he's a very good mate, and very funny, but it was a shame I was just seeing him to say cheerio ! However, I have enough miles now with American Airlines to fly out to Australia first class (woo hoo!) so I feel a bit of a holiday coming on later in the year! Hopefully we'll be able to spend some time in Japan as well. John did let himself down a bit in typical fashion though by re-inforcing his love for all things Radio 2. You can see it for yourself here - Download john_and_radio_2.3gp . I felt a bit sorry for John 'cos it's a big move, and I always find things like that a tad unsettling. That was until I saw where he was staying anyway! Rent free I might add !

While UAL Corp. was getting approval this week to dump United Airlines' pension woes on the federal government, Congress was working to make that a harder act to follow for other companies with underfunded pension plans. In dealing with the growing problem, though, legislators face a tough balancing act.

As Larry points out, in the airline industry, the airlines in bankruptcy or on the brink of bankruptcy are not hedging, but the profitable Southwest Airlines (my "hometown airline") is profitable, and so is able to hedge. Because it is able to hedge, it becomes even more profitable. The airlines who cannot afford hedging programs incur more losses.

From a disgruntled Southwest Airlines employee.... "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight XXX, to YYY. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt, and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more. Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, noboby loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."

Hedges also cost money, like any insurance. Some cash-strapped carriers, like Delta Air Lines, have sold their hedges to raise money. Other U.S. carriers, including Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways Group, are opting to forgo hedges and pay market prices for fuel this year. Profitable, low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines still hedges aggressively, however.

Northwest Airlines (NW), and Continental Airlines (CO), are the two major American carriers to order the 787. With teh 767 fleets operated by Delta (DL), American (AA), US, and UA pushing retirement, the airlines need new airplanes. The next round of 787 v A350 is coming up, with about 30 airlines around the world expected to announce new fleet choices.

Air France KLM, the world’s largest airline by revenues, posted a 20.7 percent rise in full-year operating profit, exceeding market expectations despite the increased impact of high oil prices.

We changed rooms after checking into the Tobu Narita Holiday Inn last night, because the first room was too loud. The bellboy came to our room to help us move to the next room. He pulled the bed covers straight, even though we never touched the bed. He checked the bathroom amenity kits for completeness and put the room information literature back in the exact position on the dresser. Only after doing all this, was he ready to carry our suitcases to the next room.

When I was 5, my dad - who is a pilot for Delta Airlines - came home from a trip late one Christmas Eve and told me and my brother that there wasn’t gonna be a Christmas this year because he hit Santa with his plane and he was dead. I mention this because Lindsay Lohan is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend and I’ll be forced to watch it and I was trying to think of something as tragically unfunny as SNL these days. NBC could probably save a lot of money and just show a live feed of a little kid with cancer in bed while he cries and hugs...

Flickr user, Talker, posted this Delta Airlines outdoor board to his photostream recently. He doesn't like it much.

For the first time in at least four or five months, Delta Airlines (DAL) has been upgraded by one of Wall Street’s big firms…

Picked this up off the news wire. The point of the release is that more and more "boomers" are turning to travel sites like Travelocity, Expedia, etc., for their travel needs, and abandoning travel agents in the process.

It was the second time in less than a week that a Boston-bound European flight was diverted to Bangor. On Thursday, an Air France flight from Paris landed there because someone on board had nearly the same name and birth date as a person on the list of suspected terrorists.

Every July 9th, Laguna Niguel locals get together and moon passing Amtrak trains. The Amtrak trains usually fill to capacity on the day of the show.

Earlier this spring, Travelocity launched AARP Passport, an online travel-booking site that claims to offer AARP members exclusive travel discounts plus access to all of Travelocity's regular deals. The site does provide members with some exclusive deals and easier access to certain long-standing AARP discounts, but Passport is still a work in progress.

Jamaica is the ultimate vacation spot. It’s charm comes from the untouched beauty of the island and the warmth of the people. Tourism is Jamaica’s biggest industry but the island is not ruined by over industrialization. Because of this, visiting certain parts of the island will take you back in time. The cane fields, the animals, the houses, the guy on the donkey selling his goods, almost everything is done the same way as years ago. The Economy in Jamaica is not so good. Most of the people are poor but, as you will see, are very...

On the cutting edge of this trend, Continental Airlines took the first step a year ago toward eliminating paper tickets by terminating more than 50 of its interline agreements with airlines that don't plan to convert to compatible e-ticket systems..

In an effort to stem huge losses, the big U.S. airlines increased their domestic ticket prices heading into the weekend by $10 to $20 round trip, depending on the length of the flight. … another by Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways Group, America West Airlines and Continental Airlines …

While there is technically no smoking in DFW airport, if you are a member of American Airlines Admirals Club (~$350 per year) there is a smoking room in the Terminal A club. The Admirals club also allows smoking at several other clubs throughout the country.

At a Senate hearing, David Gunn, Amtrak’s president warned that bankruptcy was possible unless the federal government provides subsidies. Amtrak’s premium Acela service has been derailed for a month because of cracks in brake discs and Amtrack could lose up to $1 million per week without Acela service. Amtrak requested up to $1.8 billion in federal subsidies — but so far a Senate subcommittee has refused to approve any subsidy plan until Amtrak makes changes that would reduce its dependence on federal subsidies in the future....

If the act's mandates take effect in May 2008, as expected, Americans will be required to obtain federally approved ID cards with "machine readable technology" that abides by Department of Homeland Security specifications. Anyone without such an ID card will be effectively prohibited from traveling by air or Amtrak, opening a bank account, or entering federal buildings.

Please read this. When you're done, ask yourself this. Why would you pay someone to write stuff like this? Why would you allow your company to be portrayed in this way? Why would anyone think that African-Americans, women, or anyone else would feel anything but disdain for a company who thought the best way to communicate with them with was through inane prose and images like these?

In an effort to stem huge losses, the big U.S. … losses, the big U.S. airlines increased their domestic ticket prices heading into the … increases was launched by American Airlines, which increased ticket prices systemwide Wednesday …

(By the way, if you you want to go but haven’t booked your trip yet, Expedia has a $100 off coupon right now for flight + hotel trips booked on American Airlines. Use coupon code SAVE100 when you’re getting ready to check out. I know it helped to tip the scales for me being able to go.)

United Airlines and its ramp workers and machinist unions are reportedly near a deal to settle their disputes over lowering costs on existing union contracts. No details on the purported agreement are available. If a deal is reached, it would settle the matter that is currently at trial before Judge Eugene Wedoff and get United Airlines that much closer to exiting bankruptcy.

Every day, millions of travelers research fares and hundreds of thousands buy airline tickets over the Internet, sometimes with just a few clicks of the mouse. They could be forgiven for not knowing that air-fare searching is an astonishingly complex computer task ÷ or that it took a small software company, founded a few years ago by a procrastinating graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to help simplify the process.

Really now, how likely is this company to effectively compete with the likes of rabidly lean, entreprenurial, price-slashing, and profitable Jet Blue (which, by the way, has earned repeated accolades for customer service)? Southwest Air is already eating US Air’s lunch at Baltimore-Washington and is steadily chomping away at US Air’s traditional stranglehold in Philadelphia. Against these and other trim, agile, hungry, low-fare "roadrunners", how in the world is a US Air/America West "wile e. coyote" supposed to attract a bevy of new customers with profitable growth?

I also finished "Running Money". It was a good read, and I've placed the author's other books on my Amazon wishlist. I also managed to finish my slides for tomorrow on the plane, so I should be hitting the sack soon. However, I might take a really steamy shower, in hopes that the steam might be able to mute the crazy cleaning agent smell in this room. Oh yeah, Holiday Inn put me in a special handicapped room, so the strange proportions of the room are really wigging me out. The bathroom is huge.

Low-cost airlines are likely to double their market share in the US over the coming decade, capturing 50 pct of the domestic market, a study by Standard and Poor’s said. … traditional carriers, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, US Airways …