Jaunted - Ballparks

It's British Airways, Alaska Airlines and Frontier Up and Away with New Routes

kjb — 2012-02-10T09:21:46-05:00

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
All that Starbucks has them buzzing about the nifty fifty, and that’s why Alaska Airlines is looking to expand towards the East Coast. The carrier is launching a nonstop option to Philadelphia all the way from Seattle beginning on June 11.

The flights will run each and every day of the week, and the planes leave from Seattle and in the morning and depart from Philadelphia in the evening—no red-eyes needed. Alaska Airlines is also connecting to one other new spot, as they’ll also be sending jets back and forth between Seattle and Ft. Lauderdale each and every day of the week. These Florida flights start up on July 16, and if you book before February 13 there’s even some introductory fares where you might just score a deal.

· Air New Zealand:
If you’re looking to head to Bali you might as well stop over and check out New Zealand first, as the airline is launching some new nonstop service between Bali and Auckland a couple times per week. It will just be seasonal service for them between June and October, and the new options will all get done thanks to some of the airline’s Boeing 767-300s. The flight will take about eight hours or so, and that should save you a decent amount of time by not needing a layover. Tickets for the new flights go on sale later this month, so if you’re thinking about adding on a little bit of paradise to your Kiwi adventure now’s the time to do it.

Like Many Other Things at JFK, the New Hilton Hotel is Delayed

JetSetCD — 2012-02-09T18:47:15-05:00

Our sis site HotelChatter does a bang-up job of covering the latest news and trends in the hotel world. We're also including a few links from VegasChatter, the newest member to the family. So check in and stay awhile.

HotelChatter:
· Wait a little longer for the new Hilton at JFK Airport
· The newer new tallest hotel in the world
· A champagne bar at the Hilton Maldives? Of course.
· Atlantic City needs another hotel like...like what?

VegasChatter:
· Um, Canadian food in Vegas. Hmm.
· A cheap and easy way to start playing craps
· March Madness! March Madness! March Madness!
· Vegas history: The Stardust

[Photo: wikia]

Going to The Great Wall of China and Resisting the Urge to Get a Subway Footlong

juliana — 2012-02-09T18:03:30-05:00

There may no longer be a Starbucks at The Forbidden City in China but there is a Subway sandwich shop at The Great Wall. Seriously.

You can find the footlong mecca at the entrance to the impressive 2.5-kilometer stretch of the Great Wall in Mutianyu. From here you can walk in, out and around several of the 22 watchtowers that were built during the early Ming dynasty.

Some of the steps are steep and tiny and, as to be expected, you need to watch where you're going.There are no handrails and very few informational signs. It's just you, the wall and silence (well, when the other tourists aren't chattering that is. We managed to grab a quick little video on our iPhone of the Mutianyu section. Enjoy!

You Guys, Delta Just Did a Flashmob

JetSetCD — 2012-02-09T16:14:05-05:00

Oh my god. Well if it wasn't obvious before, it is now: airline/airport flashmobs are the new black.

Latest on the travel flashmob trend is Delta, who just barely released a 5-minute dance, incorporating flight crew and operations peeps from ATL, JFK, DTW and TOC (Technical Operations Center).

It starts off corny, but stay with it. It gets...cornier, but omg do we want to hug everyone involved. See the full video:

Awesome Blog Alert: 'I Am Packed'

JetSetCD — 2012-02-09T15:30:26-05:00

What'd you pack? It's not a question you ask your friends and family when it comes time to zip up the bags and head on out on a trip; it's a question asked by a curious traveling public, of every traveler ever. Yeah, we want to see inside your suitcase or duffel, and though it's true that most of the time it's to compare packing prowess, it's also because the world enjoys stuff.

Without further ado, let us introduce the Air New Zealand-backed photoblog I Am Packed, which has one purpose: to feature the well laid-out contents of a traveler's bag, plus minimal information about the person (name, age, hometown, destination). It's beautifully simple, oddly inspirational and—best of all—'they take submissions.

Their archives only go back as far as August 2011, so you won't while away the entire day scrolling down the site. We had a similar series that started in September 2011, but ended with the year (here's a post from it). This way, the magic of peeking into other people's bags continues.

[Photo: screenshot]

Nassau: Where to Smoke, Drink and WiFi When Flying Out of Nassau

MsRebecca — 2012-02-09T13:45:43-05:00

Work on the new international arrivals hall at Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport is still underway—but the departures areas are looking pretty nice and, as far as we could tell when flying out on Monday, functioning faster than they did in the past.

One improvement you may be interested in if you like a cigar or a stiff drink before waving goodbye to the Bahamas is the Graycliff Divan Airport Lounge.

This spinoff of the Graycliff hotel, restaurant and cigar company opened its double lounge—one smoking, one non-smoking—last spring opposte Gate C41 in the US departures terminal.

You may not realize it's an airport lounge at first because it looks like a tschotske-filled boutique—and in fact it is. To register for access to your lounge of choice, you must enter through the gift shop.

Helsinki: Angry Birds in an Airplane! Kinda Sorta.

jetflyboy — 2012-02-09T11:40:02-05:00

We're not going to lie, but Angry Birds might still be our favorite game to play on a plane. It can be played when in airplane mode (ahem, Alec Baldwin) and is the only game that makes us occasionally laugh aloud, all while flinging birds towards mean little pigs. Well, the creators of the game have already announced opening up theme parks designed around the game, but there's more (of course).

If you're huge fan and you've already got Angry Birds flip flops, hoodies, keychains and all those little tchotchkes, our recommendation for your next layover in Helskini is to stop pulling the slingshot and hit the new shop for your favorite characters. The Finnish masterminds behind the game have opened up a little plane-shaped Angry Birds kiosk-shop in the middle of Helsinki International Airport.