Jaunted - Tag: LHR

London: Airport Photo Shoot: A Celebrity Pack in the Wild

egw — 2008-10-09T08:45:41-05:00

Left to its own devices, the American celebrity (celebritus Americanus) finds its own kind and moves among them in a herd of Blackberrying fingers and venti skinny lattes. Here, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Gwyneth Paltrow stick to their own kind at London Heathrow.

Last week we knocked Mary-Kate's oversized and understyled luggage, but she was probably hauling around her ideas for the clothing line she shares with her twin, Elizabeth and James.

It didn't make it into London fashion week this year, but maybe next season!

Related Stories:
· Airport Photo Shoot: Seriously? A Duffel? [Jaunted]
· Comic Con 2007: No Costume For Gwyneth Paltrow [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]

London: Will Richard Branson Buy Gatwick?

pbb — 2008-09-02T12:30:21-05:00

He's clearly crazy enough to make a go at commercial space travel, but is billionaire Richard Branson really gonna buy up an English airport? Maybe!

A government agency will soon decide whether BAA, the Spanish-owned subsidiary that runs Gatwick and six other British airports, is acting against consumer interest, and most everyone is betting that its holdings will be broken up. If that happens, says the Telegraph, Gatwick, Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports will be sold off. Branson says he's trying to secure funding to make a bid for Gatwick, where Virgin Atlantic could spruce things up to compete against British Airway's T5 at Heathrow.

Other bidders are also interested, and it will be months before we even find out when Gatwick could go up for sale. That should give Branson enough time to scrape together the £2 billion ($3.6 billion) it might cost!

Related Stories:
· Branson Weighs Bid for Gatwick [Telegraph]
· Gatwick coverage [Jaunted]

Virgin Atlantic, BA Squabbling over Heathrow Slots

pbb — 2008-08-18T15:45:12-05:00

Now that British Airways, American Airlines and three other carriers have announced their merger-which-isn't a merger, Virgin Atlantic is making a serious stink. After all, Richard Branson's baby holds just three percent of the slots at Heathrow, while BA and its newest pals control 47 percent of the landing rights at the airport.

This is actually the third time that British has tried to link up with American, but it's the first such attempt since the latest Open Skies provision was enacted, ostensibly to improve competition in the transatlantic market. But Branson says that hasn't yet happened--and won't if a tie-up between BA and AA is approved:

Open Skies has not delivered the greater competition that was promised because Heathrow is full. BA/AA and Iberia would still be unacceptably dominant, with nearly half of all of the slots at Heathrow, leaving competitors powerless to take them on.

For his part, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh says his airline doesn't plan to give up any market share to appease regulators. The UK Times asked him if he'd consider giving up any slots, which can sell for as much as �20 million ($37 million) a pair. His response?

I won't

London: Travel Ads: London's T5 Now Functioning Like an Average Airport Terminal

pbb — 2008-08-07T13:35:05-05:00

After the horrible first few days that spawned YouTube videos and Flash games, it seems the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow is finally starting to function like your average airport terminal. So what's the play for British Airways? Hype that mediocrity in some new ads!

The campaign involves photos of real passengers using T5 combined with reasonable statistics that explain how "Terminal 5 is working." Among the ho-hum stats featured: "Yesterday at T5 average time through check-in was 8.5 minutes."

The airline is also posting the snaps on its T5 website. We're waiting to see if the carrier posts a photo of passengers crying over lost luggage: BA still mishandles an average of nine bags per jumbo jet flight.

Related Stories:
· BA Launches New Heathrow T5 Campaign [UK Travel Weekly]
· First-Person Airport Review: So Is T5 Really That Bad? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Travel Weekly]

London: First-Person Airport Review: So Is T5 Really That Bad?

pbb — 2008-07-22T15:00:20-05:00

The opening of T5 at London Heathrow was so outrageously botched, sometimes "shambolic" didn't seem good enough to describe it. But in the months since, have things changed? And, more importantly, can you fly there and hope to see your checked bags ever again?

NewYorkology blogger Amy Langfield transited the terminal three times during a recent European trip, and described one experience in T5 as "flawless." Really?!

London: Airport Photo Shoot: Makes 'Em Easier to Spot

egw — 2008-07-09T08:45:13-05:00

A common luggage trick is to attach a brightly colored belt or tag to your generic checked bag. But did you know the trick also works on kids? No way are Cruz and Romeo Beckham going to be able to evade mom Victoria while they're both sporting those yellow polos. Well, the bodyguard behind them probably helps too...

Beckham told a reporter she turned down a role in the "Sex and the City" movie because it was being filmed during rehearsals for her Spice Girls world tour. Now that the tour is over, Posh is focusing on her dvb fashion line as well as sporting the designs of "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano all over creation. Sources close to the family say Cruz and Romeo find fashion "yucky."

Related Stories:
· Victoria Beckham Parties At That Hot LA Club "DMV" [Jaunted]
· Sports Travel: Another Season, Another Chance To See David Beckham [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: JustJared]

Celeb Travel: Jake Gyllenhaal Flies Virgin Atlantic

egw — 2008-06-24T08:45:01-05:00

One of our good tipsters spotted Jaunted fave and soon to be star of the live-action "Prince of Persia" adaptation Jake Gyllenhaal on a flight from LAX to Heathrow this weekend. Our spy could have patted the "Jarhead" and "Brokeback Mountain" actor on the head, but refrained:

He kept a hoodie up the whole flight. It appeared to be hiding long hair for the Princely role. He also desperately needed to buy and use a touché éclat from duty free.

Then again, maybe he's just flying to get closer to the space travel! Hopefully when he earns a seat on Virgin Galactic, he'll take his trusty backpack with him (shown here in a 2007 photo, and also by his side this weekend).

Seen a star on your flight? Won't you whisper in our ear?

Related Stories:
· Virgin Atlantic Announces Credit Card With Stellar Reward [Jaunted]
· VS024 LAX-LHR 18 Jun 08 (Upper) [V-Flyer.com]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: I Can't and I Won't]