From time to time planes are forced into emergency landings. Sometimes the reasons are real emergencies, like a bird strike or cracked windshield. Sometimes the reasons are still real, but are only a smell of smoke in the cabin or an unruly passenger. In all cases, the crew make the executive decision to bring the bird down in the interest of safety. In many cases, the problem is detected, rectified and the passengers are on their way with a bit of a delay. They'll be a little late, but no major dramas ensue.

Over the weekend, a Qantas aircraft had such an emergency where the crew smelled smoke on board. Naturally, alarms were raised and the captain decided to divert to an alternate airport. The Boeing 767, en route from Darwin to Brisbane, safely landed in the small outback town of Mt. Isa.]]> jetflyboy 2012-01-31T08:55:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/19/52948/658

Most tourists to Australia visit the more popular cities, like Sydney and Melbourne or the iconic tourist spots like The Great Barrier Reef or Ayers Rock. However, the nation's third largest city is finally getting it's moment in the spotlight.

You may recall our previous stories about Brisbane that involve either devastating floods or the Royal visit, but now we're going to tell you about the hot spots of the River City.

Situated on the east coast just over an hour's flight north of Sydney, the state of Queensland mostly specializes in rugby, the freshest produce and surfing. Brisbane, or "Bris-Vegas" to locals, is the state capital and boasts more than just beaches, pineapples and sport. The city is flourishing as a laid-back alternative to Sydney and a warmer choice over Melbourne.

Brisbane has near perfect weather year-round, with Queenslanders often selling their state with "Queensland weather: beautiful one day, perfect the next." Since the seasons are flipped from the Northern Hemisphere, this could be an ideal winter get-away. But be cautious since Summer is traditionally the wet season; it is sub-tropical after all. ]]> jetflyboy 2011-12-20T14:20:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/14/54831/389

From repainting planes to overhauling terminals, Virgin Australia has had their plates full trying rebrand their entire operation, while changing the image from an all-economy service to a full-service airline. From the looks of things, the livery is flying all over Australia with more planes to come and re-Virgin-ized airport spaces. This goes for new airport lounges in major cities.

We took advantage of the fact that Virgin allows lounge access to Gold and Platinum Velocity Rewards members without actually flying, and checked out the Brisbane lounge for lunch. Yea, we went to the airport just for lunch. On first impression, the design is slick and the check-in fast and friendly, as expected from the brand.

One thing worth mentioning are the new staff uniforms, done up in a sultry, yet professional, red with Virgin-purple color pops in the form of neck scarves. So super glam. ]]> jetflyboy 2011-12-15T09:36:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/1/24/24855/4260

Flooding has really hampered tourism in Queensland, Australia. But not the actual floods. Although it was one of the continent's worst natural disasters, none of the main tourism spots—including Cairns, Port Douglas, the Whitsundays, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast—were affected by the floods, which occurred more than 620 miles away.

And while tourism officials tried to let travelers know they were open for business, tourists canceled trips Down Under en masse. That means now's the time to book that trip to Australia you've been meaning to take.]]> Jennifer Kester 2011-01-24T09:06:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/1/19/111849/814

In the wake of the devastating floods that have impacted dozens of communities in Australia, including the city of Brisbane, the country's third largest city, Queensland has put out a call for voluntourists who would be willing to help with the clean up.

So far, there has been a great response from volunteers around the world, but it will take months before Queensland is back on its feet. If you're game to go Down Under and lend a hand, here's how to get involved: ]]> cmb 2011-01-19T12:12:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/9/3915/94444

The now very-well-known tourist board campaign which recruited Ben Southall for the Best Job in the World—experiencing and blogging about life on the paradise of Hamilton Island in Queensland, Australia—apparently earned the state about $360 million worth of publicity (not bad for a $2.2 million outlay). Now that everyone knows that Queensland is a great place to go thanks to Ben's twitter pictures and blogs, there's one big problem: nobody's going.

Despite the massive interest in Queensland, international tourist numbers dropped by almost 8% over the last year, and almost 14% fewer international business visitors arrived. Of course, the global economic crisis can probably take a fair bit of the blame for that, but Queensland is still worried.]]> amandak 2009-11-13T09:14:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/22/8010/4847

When we're on vacation, being set alight or jumping off tall buildings is not exactly high on our list of must-dos. But everybody's different, and if you've dreamed of performing stunts like you see in the movies, then on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, you can find just the right place to spend a day.

The Movie Stunt Experience is a day out that still has the thrills and spills of a typical Gold Coast theme park, but you're the one doing the spilling. If you book the A$299 ($275) full day program, experienced stunt people will first teach you and then let you try film fighting choreography, flying on a wire, commando-style abseiling, falling from a pretty great height and, perhaps scariest of all, being set on fire. So far, every tourist has come out alive. See if you can break the record.

Related Stories:
· Movie Stunt Experience [Official Site]
· Move Over Lara, This Is My Scene [The Age]
· Queensland Travel Guide [Jaunted] ]]> amandak 2009-10-22T14:05:11-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/