Earlier this year we were attempting to cash in some miles from Midwest Airlines accumulated over a lifetime of visiting Mom and Dad, when we noticed something weird: Along with gift certificates and logowear, we were presented with the option of using our surplus miles to buy Amtrak tickets. Well, that's weird: Why would an airline that still handles a generous amount of short-hop regional flights want to remind us that for short distances we could get a guaranteed outlet and more legroom?

Common wisdom holds that frequent-flyer miles just aren't what they used to be, thanks to high occupancies and rampant blackout dates. Not to mention, if you have trouble committing to one airline you probably have a few thousand miles sitting unused with a variety of different companies, with whom you will never fly enough to get the elusive free ticket. So why not cash them in for something wacky instead? With our guide, you'll never forget that trip to Acapulco so long as you have the electric doggy-door opener you bought with its mileage.

After the jump, we break it down by airline ]]> egw 2009-11-18T08:54:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/11/22272/146

Continental Airlines has made a pretty smooth transition over to the Star Alliance. We’ve been talking about them dumping their former pals at SkyTeam for some new friends for quite a bit, but now the airline might just be rekindling an old flame.

Rumors from the past have once again been brought to the surface regarding Continental Airlines shacking up with United Airlines. Apparently now that the two major carriers are all cozy with one another in their new alliance they might just want to take their relationship to the next level. The head honcho over at Continental said last week that the airline hasn’t totally ruled out a merger with United Airlines. It looks like US Airways might become the third wheel in this potential airline love triangle. ]]> kjb 2009-11-12T08:39:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/26/121432/30

In case you had any lingering doubts, the airline industry wants you to know that the Summer Of Low Fares is officially over. Continental may have dumped Delta for Star Alliance partnerships - and in case you're wondering that's still a total mess - but the two airlines seemed simpatico last week when they simultaneously announced price hikes.

Those increases, which functionally included airlines in two out of three alliances, caused other companies to take notice. That led to another round of industry-wide fare hikes, making this the second time in as many weeks that ticket prices have increased:]]> Omri 2009-10-26T14:09:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/19/132516/18

SAS Airlines has joined the growing list of airlines allowing customers to check in with paperless 2D bar codes stored on their mobile. Passengers can have the boarding passes delivered either by SMS or via the SAS mobile site. The service will be available on domestic flights within Scandinavia and Finland, Intra Scandinavian flights, flights to Europe and Asia, and even some flights back from Europe:

SAS Scandinavian Airlines is now offering its passengers the convenience of mobile boarding passes. This means SAS customers can now travel using only their mobile phone and with an ID card/passport... The mobile boarding pass contains a 2D bar code that can be read electronically at the airport. The 2D bar code can be used to get baggage tags from the SAS Self Service kiosks, at security screening, duty-free shopping, entering SAS lounges and when boarding.

]]> Omri 2009-10-19T16:03:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/14/8948/2840

Good in-flight entertainment can make even the most uncomfortable flight bearable. Even if it’s just a loop of a couple movies we’ve already seen, as long as there is something flickering on the back of the seat in front of us we’re pretty happy. That’s why we’ve been pretty eager to follow the progress of Continental Airlines’ installation of DirecTV service across much of their domestic fleet. Now, even before they’ve finished, they are already adding a few improvements.

Apparently not happy with an already awesome amount of channel offerings, they’re upping the ante with nearly 100 different channels. LiveTV, the company that supplies the TV magic, reached a deal with Viacom for some additional channels. That means Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and MTV will all be yours for the viewing from the comfort of your middle seat. We’ll probably book flights for Tuesday evenings just so we won’t miss the double feature of The City and The Hills. ]]> kjb 2009-10-14T09:28:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/12/81355/159

We thought this would happen, and we’re not too thrilled about it: The holiday surcharge that was introduced last month on some airlines has slowly crept into new dates as well. At first it was just Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day; however, now it seems like every major holiday except for Flag Day is associated with a $10 each way fee.

According to fare tracking website FareCompare, some airlines have now added additional dates in which these holiday fees apply. November 30; December 19, 26, and 27; March 14, 20, 21, and 28; April 11; and May 28 all now may increase your airfare cost by about $20 round trip when the surcharges are tacked on. ]]> kjb 2009-10-12T09:11:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/5/7582/46093

Remember last week when the airlines wanted to punish us for wanting to travel home for the holidays? Well, one of the few fee holdouts has caved and is planning to join the holiday fee club. Continental Airlines announced that they too would be adding a $10 surcharge for flying on the Sunday after Thanksgiving as well as January 2 and 3.

So far the holiday fees are just hanging around Turkey Day and New Year’s Day; however, we wouldn’t be surprised if they slowly start to creep into the days leading up to Christmas as well. When the airlines start to cut into our Christmas present spending budget, we’ll be sure to let you know. ]]> kjb 2009-10-05T09:07:37-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/