Last week we told you about the slurry of airlines using this year to refresh their aircraft cabins and service. Not a few days later, American Airlines dropped some major news as well, and they supplemented it with Instagram shots of the goods.

AA will take delivery of their first Boeing 777-300ER late this year and, from photos posted on Instagram last week, the big birds will look pretty flash on the inside. Since the airline is the first US carrier to take delivery of the shiny, new aircraft type, the introduction will surely be huge. ]]> jetflyboy 2012-01-30T08:45:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/20/17148/8714

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

This is how you usually spot The Singapore Girl: whizzing through an airport in a swirl of color, turning heads with her poise, polite smile and designer luggage. And then, just like that, The Singapore Girl has vanished beyond the security check and you're left wondering...who is she? where is she off to next? how does she keep her figure?

Naturally there are answers to all these questions, some of which we've discovered over the last few days in Singapore, both from flying for 20+ hours with them on the inaugural Singapore Airlines A380 flight on the route JFK - FRA - SIN and from visiting the official SIA Training Facility near Changi Airport.

Spoiler alert: The Singapore Girl keeps her figure thanks to "extracurricular activities..."]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-20T17:14:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/19/15142/9956

On Monday, January 16, the massive Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 took off on its inaugural flight for the epic route JFK - FRA - SIN. This is flight number SQ 25, and we'll be sharing tons of details and photos from it for the next several days.

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

We're going to be totally straight with you; jetting off into the sky onboard an Airbus A380 makes our eyes well up a bit. No, it's not quite tears, but it is being overwhelmed by the thoughts surrounding what exactly is happening right then. It's the fact that one can be cozy in an engineering masterpiece, a double-decker airplane, which can lift off from the ground as gracefully as any tiny aircraft and then manage to fly to places it once took weeks of travel to reach by uncomfortable boat.

On this route, the famous SQ 25 running New York-JFK to Frankfurt to Singapore, Singapore Airlines has now traded the 747 for this fresh A380, an upgrade on every level and totally deserved by passengers who spend over 20 hours traveling on it. Just before zipping away on this first run, we quickly snooped around the plane, peeking into all the leather-lined nooks and meticulously clean crannies to discover just why the Singapore A380s have been causing a hubbub since debuting in 2007.]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-19T15:38:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/10/222724/993

Next week, the massive Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 will finally begin regularly scheduled flights from New York-JFK. It only makes sense, then, to have Singapore upgrade some smaller things to go along with this literally superjumbo change. Namely, they are also introducing a new amenity kit in First Class and the Suites, on SQ flights from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston.

The products—five travel-sized formulas to work against dry airplane skin—are from NYC's Kiehl's Since 1851. And no, this isn't the entire First Class amenity kit; it's just the skin care portion, as there's plenty other goodies on your seat if you're traveling in the fancy classes.

Curious what other brands airlines will have you slather on your face mid-flight? United has Murad, Delta has Korres, LAN goes with Bulgari, British Airways gives D.R. Harris & Co. in First, Cathay has Dermalogica and American has recently switched theirs from Burt's Bees to Dermalogica as well.]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-12T10:05:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/20/132137/86

How do you make flying to the Cote d'Azur even more glamorous? By taking a helicopter transfer from Nice International Airport to Monaco, of course.

We were lucky enough to hop this speedy leg of a long journey from the U.S. to Monaco on a recent work trip, and we can't recommend it enough. Sure, the drive from Nice to Monte Carlo doesn’t sound bad at around 30 minutes (or, we’re told, 20 minutes by scooter). But why not reduce that trip to seven minutes and throw in staggering views and the inimitable glamour of helicopter travel?

Heli Air Monaco has over 20 daily flights between the airport in Nice and the Principality—from 110 euros each way. For this price, you get the aforementioned speed, views, air of fabulousness, and the ease of checking your bags straight through from the helipad in Monaco to wherever your final destination may be. ]]> MsRebecca 2011-12-22T10:50:43-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/19/132826/98

The French, suffice it to say, are not a nation renowned for their devotion to industry. Retirement ages are low, work weeks are short, and benefits are plentiful. The stereotype is that French workers will erect barricades in the streets for a month before they agree to increase the retirement age by a day.

And that, boys and girls, is how stereotypes can sometimes be misleading. It turns out that some Frenchmen are very industrious indeed. Take for example the main character in this simply insane story. A French thief managed to steal $13,000 worth of goods—"airline napkins, glasses, plates, blankets"—from the first class cabins of Air France flights. He was at it for a full three years apparently. Just imagine all the hard work and dedication that took.

When he was finally caught it was red-handed with a carry-on full of trinkets from the Air France flight, which landed in the tiny Indian Ocean island of Réunion.]]> Omri 2011-12-19T15:25:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/13/53417/114

This is some next level stuff. First Class in-flight meals on Etihad—the Abu Dhabi-based airline—are now being prepared by a qualified chef. No, really; one person is dedicated to cooking, preparing and plating the meals served in the front of the plane. Yes, you read correctly: cook!

Etihad announced the hiring of 110 restaurant-caliber chefs to fly back and forth from Abu Dhabi to a handful of cities while preparing the menu for the Diamond Class cabin. The chefs will also be responsible for contributing to the evolution of the menu and meal choices both in-flight and on the ground in the each of the airline's lounges. Each chef will need at least 6 years experience in a 5-star restaurant to be welcomed aboard, and there are even some Michelin-starred restaurants that have lost their chef to the airline. ]]> jetflyboy 2011-12-13T13:13:57-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/