The UK's second busiest airport— and a perennial frustration for delayed London travelers having to fly in and out on its single runway—Gatwick Airport is about to come under new management. BAA, which owns six British airports and is in turn owned by the Spanish firm Ferrovial, has sold the facility to Global Infrastructure Partners. Final price: a lot:

BAA has agreed to sell its 100% interest in Gatwick Airport Limited to an entity controlled by Global Infrastructure Partners for £1.51 billion. Of the sale price, £55 million is conditional on future traffic performance and the buyer's future capital structure... Colin Matthews, BAA's Chief Executive, said... 'BAA is changing and today's announcement marks a new beginning for both Gatwick and BAA. We wish Gatwick well for the future and are confident that the airport will flourish under new ownership.'

]]> Omri 2009-11-03T08:46:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/24/151554/661

· Hong Kong
Where can you find tables upon tables of discount books in Chinese, Japanese and English? It's a librarian's dream, and ours as well, and it's this weekend at the Hong Kong book Fair. Last year, some 830,000 avid readers turned out to peruse the stacks of 485 exhibitors, and the numbers just keep growing. Technically the fair lasts from July 22-28 and not just this weekend, but of course attending on a weekend means more activities. Buy cookbooks, self-help books and plain old fiction, but you won't find manga here as, according to Wikipedia, that's now become a separate Comics festival.]]> JetSetCD 2009-07-24T17:19:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/17/101555/626

The latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, broke records on Wednesday when it made $104 million in worldwide box office sales during its first day in theaters. Obviously Harry Potter mania is in full swing again, and fans are dying to get close to anything related to the boy wizard, including locations where the movie was made and spots where the stars have hung out. Lucky for you, we know a few:

Where to Stay:
Just last week, the cast of Harry Potter gathered at the Claridge's in Mayfield to take photos and celebrate the premiere of Half Blood Prince. Its not surprising Claridge's is a favorite of celebs like Justin Timberlake, as they offer a butler service for guests staying in their suites and promise that "your wish list will be complete and your every whim will be catered for." Of course, that kind of service will cost you. A one bedroom suite starts around $1400 a night. ]]> cmb 2009-07-17T11:22:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/19/143532/439

While we were off flying on Jetblue's Inaugural LAX route, a few lucky folks in Britain were taking their newest transportation toy for a spin, the high-speed Javelin Train. The Japanese-built Shinkansen superfast trains will be the country's frirst high-speed domestic commuter service, cutting travel time immensely (think from 80 minutes down to 37) and preparing for the 2012 London Olympics.

When the 140-mph service hits the tracks on June 29, it will run on the newly-built Channel Tunnel raillink tracks between London's St. Pancras station and the towns of Ashford and Ebbsfleet. This way, the bullet trains need not lean like Virgin's Pendolino service; the raillink route was built for speed, with gentle curves and updated signaling.

Although commuters will totally benefit from the time saved, their wallets will nonetheless be hit by the upgraded service; Yahoo UK reports that a single fare from Ashford to St Pancras which now costs £22.20 ($37) will go up to £26.60 ($44). Let's hope they don't have to commute too often.

For the Olympics in 2012, the train will add a stop at the Olympic Village at Stratford, which, on the Javelin, will only be a 7-minute train ride away from central London. If we give in to our minor fascination for the Shinkansen trains, we just might see you there in 2012.

Related Stories:
· Javelin Train Service Launches [Yahoo UK]
· The Javelin, from point to point [BBC News]
· Train Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: RMTBristol]]]> JetSetCD 2009-06-19T15:24:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/16/103110/291

Tired of paying the extra fee for a museum's audio guide, when you've got something in your pocket that can run circles around any hunk of plastic piece of crap? Yes, we're talking about making use of your iPhone as an audio guide, specifically in the case of London's National Gallery.

Just released as an iPhone application is 'Love Art,' a pictorial and audio tour of 250 works in the museum. If you aren't looking up at the works of Botticelli on the wall, then you're looking down at the zoomable hi-resolution images of the same on your phone, complete with artwork information, videos, and commentary on the pieces.

Best of all, the app is free and instantly downloadable from the iTunes app store and even works on your iPod Touch. No more clunky audio gizmos or even iPod guides; we're on to the next generation of museum tours.

Related Stories:
· 'Love Art' Puts National Gallery In Pockets [PSFK]
· iPhone Travel Apps Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: PSFK]]]> JetSetCD 2009-06-16T12:52:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/12/11551/9874

· 70 Cities Around the World: One time during our travels, we had the (mis)fortune of crossing paths with a World Naked Bike Ride. This Saturday, 70 cities in the northern hemisphere (the southern hemisphere does theirs in March) will host bicyclists in the buff to protest oil dependence. To join in or just station yourself along the route, check out the WNBR's Google map featuring all of the cities and links to their wiki pages for information. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-06-12T16:44:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/11/73148/3582

It's a crazy world out there, complete with wild animals on planes and trains racing each other through tunnels; all stuff which once belonged to action films.

We recently mentioned that Europe's high speed train systems are deregulating—which should lead to more competition and cheaper train fares for zipping across Europe. Well, there's even more good news for the budget traveler now.

The High Speed One track, which links London's St Pancras Station to the Chunnel, is about to be sold off and it's expected that the new owner will open up the track to more than just Eurostar. The word is that at the least, both Air France and Germany's Deustche Bahn are keen to set up rival trains to make the crossing between Britain and continental Europe.]]> amandak 2009-06-11T11:12:55-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/