Normally we'd let something as dry as a British budget speech coast under our radar, but this year the pollies said something we didn't like: They're making every flight out of Britain more expensive.

The departure tax that they call "air passenger duty" was already doubled last year, but now it's going up again. Low cost carriers like Ryanair are complaining that the last thing the travel industry needs is even higher charges for cost-sensitive customers.

Rather than applying just two taxes--short and long haul--the British government is now dividing destinations up into four zones depending on distance and applying higher charges for further distances. Australians for one are not happy about being on the D-list, which means an extra £85 ($130) for flights longer than 6,000 miles.

And the worst bit: The UK government is pretending it's all a green tax. Which means when we whine about it, we sound like we don't care about the polar bears. But we do!

Related Stories:
· Green Tax Is the End of Low Cost Flights [UK Times]
· Australia on D-List for New Flight Tax [SMH]
· Britain Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Abraham C] ]]> amandak 2008-12-01T09:15:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/20/171511/75

We know, we know, no one likes the phrase "new London pub." When we go out for a pint in London, we certainly aren't looking for some spiffy new lounge; we want greasy meat pies, floors that are sticky with spilled beer and that dank but homey lived-in atmosphere.

But give us a chance here! Farringdon pub The Hat and Tun--it's on Hatton Street, get it?--is a brand new entry to the scene, but it somehow has all that old-pub goodness. There's a genuine pub grub menu (with the requisite meat pies, along with Scotch eggs, sausage rolls and the like), along with plenty of quality brews on tap and a homey vibe complete with fireplaces, antique lounge furniture and an awful lot of taxidermy.

OK, so there are no sticky floors, but we're sure those are coming soon.

Related Stories:
· The Hat and Tun [Official Site]
· London Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: The Hat and Tun]]]> BS 2008-11-21T13:30:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/21/83459/634

Two days ago we wrote about actress Winona Ryder's taking suddenly sick on an LAX-LHR British Airways flight. Now rumors are surfacing that Ryder didn't get the flu or food poisoning--it was the Xannies! Unless it's just a bunch of Heatheresque media outlets trying to ruin her life, that is.

Ryder, who was headed to London to work on the new "Star Trek" prequel (in which she plays Spock's mom), was released after she had her stomach pumped, but according to Gawker--who would know--that's a common treatment for a Xanax overdose or taking it in combination with something you shouldn't, like alcohol. Of course, if Winona truly hates flying, the tranquilizers could have been a big help in surviving that long-haul flight, but they're a double-edged sword.

We're not airplane-drug experts, so let us just say: See your doctor. Ryder has turned up quite well in Madrid where she attended a Marie Claire event on Thursday night.

Related Stories:
· Winona Ryder Gets Sick On British Airways Flight [Jaunted]
· Beam Me Up! Winona Ryder Is Spock's Mum [Lost in Showbiz]
· Winona Ryder, Maybe Slow Down On The Xanax [Gawker]
· Winona Ryder Collapse Attributed To Xanax Overdose [Celebitchy]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Gaming Today]]]> egw 2008-11-21T09:15:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/20/5212/5109

Long haul and low cost is the kind of combination cheapskates like us have been craving when it comes to airfares, and Air Asia X has been hinting at cheap London to Asia flights for ages now.

And while they're still not admitting that those kind of flights are going to happen, they've planned a press conference in London for November 25. Boss Tony Fernandes will be there, and he's promising "massive news for London."

The punters are predicting £350 ($525) London to Kuala Lumpur fares to start in early 2009. We're thinking cheap legs like these will be the new way to travel round-the-world. Just imagine: All the joys of low cost travel like no legroom, no food and no entertainment, but for 10 or 12 hours at a time. Sounds fantastic!

Related Stories:
· Air Asia X Set For London Launch? [Alternative Airlines]
· All We Want For Christmas is Long, Cheap Flights [Jaunted]
· Air Asia X coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Christophe Ramos] ]]> amandak 2008-11-20T09:30:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/19/14296/997

There's your urge to purge: Actress Winona Ryder was taken off a LA-London flight today by medics after getting sick on the plane.

Ryder was on British Airways Flight 282 when she fell to an unspecified illness, which led the pilot to request to be bumped up in the landing queue so she could get medical attention. She was taken to a hospital but discharged a few hours later. Get well soon! We don't want to dream of a world without Winona.

Related Stories:
· Hollywood Star Winona Ryder Taken Ill on Flight To London [Sky News]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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Every smart city's jumping on the bike sharing bandwagon these days, usually comparing their plan to Paris's Velib scheme (although they're rarely as big or as good).

This time it's London's turn to announce a bike sharing system, which might make it practically compulsory for other Olympic cities in the future. London's version doesn't have a cool name yet (or even an uncool one)--they're just at the stage of finding companies who want to run it. But keen cyclist and mayor Boris Johnson is promising to start off with 6,000 bikes with 400 different "docking stations."

They're proposing a sensible deposit for using a bike (presumably a credit card swipe will do) but also an annual fee, which isn't very tourist-friendly. It also won't be too friendly if the bikes aren't ready for the 2012 Olympics; mayor Boris wants bikes circling London by 2010 but they've got a long way to go.

Related Stories:
· London Cycling Campaign [Official Site]
· 6,000 Bikes in 400 Locations [Guardian]
· Bike Sharing coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Vagamundos]]]> amandak 2008-11-19T09:30:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/17/82953/617

Dieters have the cookie jar. Spendthrifts have the Target sale. And this weekend, Kanye West and Lindsay Lohan proved they can't go to clubs in Europe without triggering an incident. In Lindsay's case, it wasn't her fault, but it still got ugly.

Lohan was accompanying girlfriend Samantha Ronson to the VIP Room Theater where she was DJing when animal rights activists flourbombed her on the red carpet. Lohan wasn't too shaken up, but Ronson later wrote on her MySpace page criticizing the, er, broad view of free speech the perpetrators demonstrated with Lindsay.

Meanwhile in Newcastle, England, Kanye West was arrested for hitting a paparazzo... again. Apparently upset at being caught outside the Tup Tup Club with four lovely ladies; West claims he held up his hand to keep a cameraman from shooting him, but the photographer says otherwise. On his blog, West cites Princess Diana and warns that the media who chase him are out of control. Oh Kanye, you go on with your bad self.

Related Stories:
· Kanye Arrested... Again! [YBF]
· Lindsay Lohan Attacked by Animal Rights Activists [The Superficial]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Celebitchy] ]]> egw 2008-11-17T09:15:15-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/