Jaunted - Tag: Recessionomics

Germany Cracking Down On Recession-Friendly Brothel 'Flat Rates'

Omri — 2009-07-29T16:16:29-05:00

Everyone is suffering during this recession, even and perhaps especially the honest, hard working ladies of the Vegas stripper community. Our hearts go out.

The tragedy extends far beyond Nevada however. In many German brothels the only things that have been going down lately are the profits. Brothel owners are trying to cope by introducing creative new marketing and pricing arrangements, such as the Pussy Club's "flat rate" special.

For a single payment of 60 pounds gentlemen can avail themselves of the establishment's wares, which involve women and beer and women, for the entire day.

Open Skies Nixes Amsterdam Route

BS — 2009-07-27T08:59:25-05:00

The all-business-class model of running an airline seems to be about one recession-induced nail away from a full coffin. Premium transatlantic carrier Open Skies announced this weekend that it will no longer offer its New York to Amsterdam route.

The announcement is a shame—especially after a Jaunted reader recently pointed out that the $900 roundtrip fare was one of the best biz class bargains to be had. But it’s not much of a surprise—rumors have cycled for months that the British Airways-owned Open Skies was nearing the end of its run.

The airline will offer flights to Amsterdam only through August 16, after which it’s only remaining route will be JFK to Paris. We’re taking bets on how long that one will last.

[Photo: shazari]

British Pub Crisis! UK Losing 52 Bars Per Week

BS — 2009-07-23T08:46:53-05:00

Here in the states, we’ve been keeping a close eye on what restaurants and bars are having trouble making it through the recession, but we figure not too many consumers are shedding tears, since it’s high-end eateries that seem to be having the most trouble.

But we’re hearing some frightening news from across the pond, where the hardest-hit businesses in Britain are also one of the country’s prime tourist draws: good old-fashioned pubs. Local pubs in the UK have been having such a rough go of it that a new report indicates they’re closing at the rate of 52 per week. Yep, that’s an astonishing 2,377 pubs lost in the past year!

Continental Asking Flight Attendants To Stay Grounded

kjb — 2009-07-06T09:04:17-05:00

Most people would gladly leave their jobs for the opportunity to do something else for a few months. However, taking a sabbatical is a tough choice when your company is the one initiating the leave.

Continental Airlines is asking their 9,500 flight attendants to think about taking voluntary leaves starting in September. Obviously the airline is looking to cut costs and save some cash during this period of slow travel and reduced spending.

Workers who opt to take a leave of absence can choose from five or nine month time periods—which is a long time to be away from the skies, considering all of the safety details and more that an attendant must have memorized. During their absence, the flight attendants will still maintain travel privileges, health insurance, and will accrue vacation time, but just won't be paid.

Clearly it’s hard to voluntarily give up your paycheck, but with an abundance of empty seats on planes across the globe, now might be a great time to take some time off to travel. The airline is looking for about 650 volunteers, and although the economic situation is bleak, we’re thinking they’ll have no trouble finding some folks willing to hang up their wings for a few months.

Related Stories:
· Continental Asks Flight Attendants to Consider Leaves [Houston Chronicle]
· Continental Celebrates 75th Anniversary By Buying Their Own Present [Jaunted]
· Continental coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: 787 Dreamliner]

Columbia: Baltimore's Virgin Mobile Festival Drops Ticket Prices To Free

BS — 2009-06-25T08:47:16-05:00

There’s been a lot of talk about 2009 being the year the music festival died, (see Summercase, Langerado and the San Francisco Blues Festival), and the long-rumored next casualty has been the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore. Despite being a hit in its first three years out, concert organizers have waited forever to announce any details on dates or lineup, leading many around the music blogosphere to assume the fest wouldn’t be able to pull it together this year.

Well our old billionaire buddy Richard Branson must have taken those nasty rumors personally, because Virgin has announced that not only will the show go on, but they don’t need to make any stinkin' money on it anyway. That’s right, this year’s concert is 100-percent free.

Airport Renovations Get Scaled Back as Airlines Cut Routes and Passenger Traffic Wanes

juliana — 2009-06-23T17:04:24-05:00

Oakland Airport's Southwest terminal during its renovation of 2006.

No surprise here but with the travel industry taking a hard hit this year, airports across the U.S. are having to put their massive renovations plans on hold or in some caese, just settle for just quickie face-lifts.

At Oakland International Airport in California, for example, a $1 billion plan to build a third terminal was shelved last summer after ExpressJet withdrew from the market, Aloha Airlines went out of business and other carriers, especially Southwest Airlines, cut back on flights. Passenger traffic fell by 30 percent, creating a ripple effect at the airport’s restaurants and car rental operations, which also generate cash. Food and beverage revenue dropped by 25 percent; car rental revenue by 20 percent.
Instead of building a new terminal, Oakland is doing a $200 million facelift of an existing terminal.

On the bright side(?), having less passengers allows the construction crews to get their work done faster. A very minor consolation to the airport indeed.

About a dozen other U.S. airports have cancelled or delayed their improvements but Kansas City International Airport is doing something different. The airport is taking advantage of the drop in construction costs to pursue its airport improvement projects which will cost about $161 million. Guess that's what happens when someone calls you a Hot Destination for 2009.

Thank God, JetBlue did their T5 overhaul before the economy crapped out!

Related Stories:
· Oakland Airport Under Construction [Jaunted]
· Airport Projects Delayed or Canceled [NY Times]

Washington: National Mall Film Festival Gets a Bailout

BS — 2009-06-11T09:17:09-05:00

When we said DC's favorite film festival deserved a federal bailout, we were half-joking, but it looks like someone heard us, because the Trust for the National Mall has responded to Washingtonians' angry cries all over the interwebs and banded together with sponsors HBO and Comcast to save Screen on the Green.

Visitors to the National Mall won't be out of luck when the museums close this summer after all. The classic film festival will be back, with movies shown on the 40' by 20' outdoor screen every Monday at sunset, from July 20 through August 20.

Screen on the Green kicks off next month with a showing of Steven Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi classic, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Related Stories:
· Screen on the Green shows will go on [Washington Biz Journal]
· The Recession Puts a Kibosh on DC's Outdoor Film Festival [Jaunted]
· Film festival travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: voteprime]