Jaunted

Airlines / New Routes / Low Cost Carriers / LCCs / Tiger Airways / Jetstar / → All Tags

Finally We Can Fly KL to Singapore On The Cheap

So much action in the flight routes of Australasia, so little time to fly every one of them. Big news this week came as Singapore and Malaysia finally opened up a route between the countries to competition. Until now, this flight has cost around $320, a crazy amount for just 55 minutes in the air.

There are plenty of potential takers for budget flights on the KL to Singapore route, with Tiger Airways (a 49% subsidiary of Singapore Airlines) and Qantas offshoot Jetstar already putting their hands up. AirAsia, a Malaysian low cost carrier, is also part of the market, with two flights per day on the route. It's now possible to grab tickets for only the cost of the airport taxes and charges.

And while the liberalization of this route is only partial--just four flights per day have been allocated to the budget carriers--the experts are predicting the traffic will triple within the next two years. The good news is that more openings of Southeast Asian routes should follow by the end of this year, which means we can fly more often and more cheaply. We're going to need some more time off work.

Related Stories:
· Win-Win As KL-Singapore Air Route Opens Up [The Age]
· Flash Mob and Shop at KL's Petronas Towers [Jaunted]
· Will Lion Air Roar Into Australia? [Jaunted]

[Photo: S J photography]

It's Summer Somewhere / It's-Summer-Somewhere / Asia Travel / Flash Mobs / Crowds / → All Tags

It's Summer Somewhere: Flash Mob and Shop at KL's Petronas Towers

With an average high temperature of about 90 degrees year-round, you'd be safe to say that it's always summer in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. KL is modern and full of interesting sights to see and a whole lot of shopping, plus it's home to the tallest twin buildings in the world: the Petronas Towers.

And it's at the base of the Towers, home to one of KL's numerous shopping centers, that tourists might have been confused by a recent flash mobbing. Word of the sudden public meeting was spread by bloggers and at the appointed time, one of the mobbers tore up a newspaper in protest against a mainstream media mogul. Hundreds of people were suddenly there, and just as suddenly gone. (Reminds us of that hipster swarm in NYC.)

But if flash mobbing isn't your idea of a good time, then take a ride to the top of the Petronas Towers for a fantastic view over the city. If you get one of the free passes (1,700 per day), you can cross the Skyway that joins the two towers at the 41st floor. Of course that's only half way up--it's 88 floors tall--but you don't want to get greedy.

Related Stories:
· Malaysia's Foreign Tourist Arrivals Hit High [Forbes]
· Kuala Lumpur Gets a Metblog [Jaunted]
· Flash Mob in KL [Metroblogging]
· Flash Mobs coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: superciliousness]

Air Asia X / LCCs / Low Cost Carriers / Asia Travel / → All Tags

Asia Air X About To Leave Nest

We were there when new low cost carrier Air Asia X was first born, but it's only just now about to make the maiden flight from the nest.

Air Asia X is a long-haul budget airline born of Air Asia and Fly Asian Xpress, and their first flight is due to take off on November 2, flying between Kuala Lumpur and the Gold Coast in Australia. Word is that routes from KL to Melbourne will start up in March 2008 and that London Stansted is also on the cards. China, Korea, India and the Middle East are also future destinations.

Air Asia X is still such a close spin-off of Air Asia that it doesn't even have its own website yet; the pages it does present, however, are full of not-very-funny uses of their name's final letter, like "X-citing low fares" and "X-emplary levels of safety". While we wait to see if this Malaysian-based LCC starts up a few more interesting routes, right now we're just keen to see if it's X-tremely cheap and X-tremely punctual.

Related Stories:
· Asia Air X is Born [Jaunted]
· Airports Gear Up For LCCs [news.com.au]
· Air Asia [Official Site]

[Photo: jubeiz]

Malaysia Airlines / Airlines / → All Tags

Malaysia Airlines Staff Heart All Passengers

We normally just complain about airline service but it was just announced that Malaysia Airlines has won a major award for having the World's Best Cabin Staff. This was the result of a major UK-based survey that questioned over 3 million passengers of 90 different nationalities: that's a lot of questions.

Now putting up with grumpy passengers can't be an easy job, so hats off to the ever-smiling attendants on Malaysia Airlines, who apparently did especially well with "soft service" (that means they're friendly, enthusiastic and attentive). We've had our own Malaysia Airlines experiences and can't complain about anything, except that transitting in Kuala Lumpur airport is really, really boring: maybe it's the contrast between KL Airport boredom and the flight attendants' lovely soft service that makes people vote for them.

Related Stories:
· Malaysia Airlines Crew Voted World's Best [Malaysia Star]
· Malaysia Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: superciliousness]

Amazing-Race-11 / Amazing-Race-All-Stars / Chasing Racers / Television Travel / → All Tags

Amazing Race All-Stars: "Those Dirty Pirate Hookers"

Click Here To Go Straight To Chasing Racers Map

Chasing Racers is back, with a brand new Amazing Race All Stars mashup. This map will update the morning after every new episode. Send along tips, rumors, gossip, locations and spoilers to our map editors, become a member and comment on the stories below, and add to the Jaunted-Flickr photo pool to get in on the fray.

Remember to zoom in, out, and around on the map - with so much happening in each episode, it's easy to miss a map point.

With five teams left in the race for a million dollars, the race is really heating up. Will Charla and Mirna manage to annoy their way to another first place finish? Will Danielle "do something besides bitch" and keep Eric happy? Will the Beauty Queens be able to make up the time they lost on last week's Intersection with Charla and Mirna? All is revealed on a swing through Malaysia, after the jump.

more ›

Blogs / → All Tags

Kuala Lumpur Gets a Metblog

Get ready to weep with pride. Kuala Lumpur has arrived. Not only is it getting a Tune Hotel, but there's a new Metblog to go along with that lodging. Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur launched this month. Already they're lamenting road closures, sticking it to the man, and celebrating their city's parks. Not a bad start. They're also looking for contributors, so drop them a line if you live in KL. Time for us to sit and wait for the Malaysian foodporn posts to roll in.

[Photo: g-hat]

Related Stories:
· Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur [Official Site]

Adventure Travel / → All Tags

If In Doubt, Bungee Further

New Zealand used to be the land of the long white cloud, of pure relaxing nature and hot baths. In recent years, it's become the place to go to satisfy your extreme sport desires, and so it's no surprise that as a country it produces more than its fair share of dare devils. One of them, crazy Kiwi AJ Hackett, is talking up his next big thrill now: the world's longest bungee jump.

Apparently new bungee cord technology will enable the 48-year-old bungee pioneer to do a jump from a helicopter on a cord that can stretch almost a whole mile--double the previous record. At the bottom he'll get ripped back up 1600 feet, and bounce around until he gets sick of it. The plan is to try this jump later in the year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, presumably because despite its love of extreme sports, New Zealand doesn't want to go around picking up bodies. We wish Mr. Hackett luc, but would still encourage him to perhaps learn to play chess or simply surf the internet instead.

[Photo: Chris Brookes]

Related Stories:
· Extreme Bid to Stretch Bungy Record [SMH]
· Bungee Jump Pioneer Plans Ultimate Swan Dive [FOX News]

Food / Food Porn / Blogs / → All Tags

Durian Cupcakes Are the New Pot Brownies

Ah, durian, scourge of the Singapore hotel. Not only is this magical fruit of Southeast Asia banned from most upmarket hotels in Singapore, it's even hated by culinary demigod Tony Bourdain. (The dude eats seal eyes; it must be bad.) But in case you were wondering how one might approach the otherwise unapproachable durian, here's a suggestion from KL foodblogger Babe in the City. She took an ordinary peanut butter cupcake recipe and swapped some pungent durian pulp for the peanut butter. If you're lucky (and your neighbors unlucky) enough to have access to both durian and a kitchen at the moment, there's an interesting worldly food adventure to be had.

[Photo: Babe in the City - KL]

Related Stories:
· Durian Cupcakes [Babe in the City]
· Eight Minutes of Durian [Jaunted]