Jaunted - Tag: Flight Delays

It's Official, Just Blame Your Airline Delay Squarely on New York City

kjb — 2012-02-02T09:08:24-05:00

The next time you’re stuck in the terminal—or on the tarmac—with nowhere to go, there’s now officially someone to blame for your delay and disturbance. It’s actually not a person but more of a place, as it’s New York City that’s likely the spot causing all of the trouble.

The New York Times looked into the causes behind a lot of these airport and airplane inconveniences, and they found that the city’s busy air traffic and multiple airports are the places to blame. There’s been different flight plans from the FAA and even less planes overall thanks to the dip in the economy, but that still hasn’t helped the congestion up in the skies above the greater metropolitan area. Apparently the city’s three major airports—along with the airport in Philadelphia—accounted for around 12 percent of all the country’s domestic flights, but those few flights created like half of all delays.

Los Angeles: Is a Canceled Flight to Blame for Julianna Margulies' Odd Emmys Gown?

cmb — 2011-09-19T12:12:00-05:00

Though she looked calm, cool, and collected at last night's Emmy Awards, Julianna Margulies had some drama getting from New York City to Los Angeles on Saturday.

During a red carpet interview, the Emmy winner told Ryan Seacrest, "There's a long story of how I got here, our flight was canceled, my husband (Keith Lieberthal) and I ended up in coach, sitting in the middle, away from each other...but we made it, and now we're having a good time." In an attempt to pay The Good Wife actress a compliment Ryan said, "You look as if you flew first class" and Julianna quickly replied, "no I like to fly coach...but y'know what, that should be everyone's problem."

Dallas: Five Things to Do on Your Layover at: Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

kjb — 2011-01-12T09:06:07-05:00

We’ve all had layovers that were a little longer than initially expected. Mechanical delays, weather emergencies, and all kinds of other issues make that tight 45-minute connection turn into something extraordinary. We can’t get promise your flight will depart on time, but we can offer some time killers at the airport.

Five picks for spending a few extra hours within the terminals of DFW Airport:

· Hit The Club:
For the extended layover it might just be worth it to plop down a few bucks to gain access to the airport’s very own club. The Club at DFW doesn’t require a pricey annual membership or elite frequent flier credentials, because as long as you’re willing to pay the entry fee you’re welcomed like a VIP.

Just $35 will get you access to the lounge, and you’ll be living the comfy life of a white collar corporate drone. Expect a lot of the usual airline lounge offerings here, including free drinks—both soft and hard—as well as snacks, newspapers, televisions, WiFi, and computers. There are even some shower facilities if you’re hanging out before or after a long-haul transatlantic flight. There’s even a separate smoking section within the lounge, which might be worth the price of admission if you’re dying for a smoke.

The Worst Travel Experience Of 2010 Is...

Jaunted10 — 2010-12-30T13:07:47-05:00

It's that time of the year again, the time when the year just plain ends. Alas, we can't just let 2010 go that easily, especially since travelers spent it both up in the air and up in arms over a crazy range of topics, encompassing everything from nudie scans to tarmac delays. Needless to say, we're ready for 2011, but first we're taking a brief look back at the best of 2010 with the Jaunted Travel Awards,—or as we fondly refer to them—The Jauntys.

Nobody likes spending 7 hours on an airplane only to end up going nowhere. But that's exactly what went down in late 2009, and the public outcry over conditions inside airplanes stuck between their gates and the sky was loud enough to get the Tarmac Delay law passed, which officially went into effect in April. So in 2009, the worst travel experience would have been enduring an 8-hour-plus tarmac delay, but in 2010 it's the runaround of on-the-tarmac, back-to-the-gate, on-the-tarmac caused by the resulting delay law.

Although it's designed to help passengers essentially help captive in cramped conditions on planes, occasionally it's quite the nuisance. We've experience it firsthand when, while on a flight that sat for 3 hours at JFK, we had to return to the gate although the go-ahead for take-off came not 10 minutes after the plane went through the trouble of heading back. And what's more is that any passengers who wanted to get off, would be off for good. That's no good.

Detroit: Five Things to Do on Your Layover at: Detroit-Metro Airport

kjb — 2010-08-25T10:29:42-05:00

Five picks for spending a few extra hours within the McNamara terminal at Detroit-Metro Airport:

· Sushi Stop:
Delta uses Detroit as a gateway to the East, so it’s not surprising that you can start your vacation or business trip with a little sushi right in the terminal. Sora has all your sashimi favorites, but they also have plenty of noodle bowls for those long cold Michigan winters. Prices are somewhat reasonable, but the best thing is that the place isn’t gross. There’s no prepackaged fake crab rolls here, and we’d even say it’s actually pretty darn good considering its location. It’s near gate A35 near the gates typically used for Tokyo-bound flights.

· Work On Your Fitness:
DTW's McNamara terminal makes the airport one of our favorites, but you still might want to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of the terminal. During longer layovers make your way to the Westin hotel that’s right in the airport. It has its own entrance not too far from the center of Concourse A, and they’d be happy to have you inside to test out their treadmills, weights, and elliptical machines. Along with providing an escape from the terminal the hotel offers day passes to the gym for just $15. It’s worth it if you’re a little more ambitious than us—we’re usually the ones in line for a cookie and frappuccino.

St. Paul: Five Things to Do on Your Layover at: Minneapolis-St. Paul

kjb — 2010-07-28T10:04:10-05:00

Five picks for spending a few extra hours at Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport, Terminal 1:

· Waking For Bacon:
For some reason we really enjoy breakfast at the airport, and it’s not just because there it’s more socially acceptable to drink a Blood Mary at 5:30am on a Tuesday. We’ve had our share of costly bacon and eggs, but one of our favorites is at French Meadow Bakery Caf�. Grab a seat facing airport traffic so you can watch people run to their gates and reunite with long lost business associates. Most of their options here are organic, so you can feel a little bit better about downing that order of eggs benedict.

Chicago: Five Things to Do on Your Layover at: Chicago-O'Hare

JetSetCD — 2010-07-08T13:15:42-05:00

Five picks for spending a few extra hours at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport:

· Hit the Gym
Thanks to airportgyms.com, we know for sure that the Hilton Hotel attached to the airport (and accessible via a direct walkway from Terminal 2) offers a $15 day pass for use of the hotel gym. This includes their "very good weight room," an indoor pool, your typical gym machines and the sauna and steam room. Plus, the gym is open from 4:30am to 11pm on most days, meaning that even those with the most inconvenient layovers should be able to squeeze in some workout time here.