A couple years ago United decided to ditch Starbucks as the preferred supplier of their in-flight java, but now Starbucks is coming back with another airline buddy. Alaska Airlines just announced that they’re bringing some improved in-flight coffee to the skies above the nifty fifty.

Starbucks might not be brewed in Alaska, but both Alaska and Starbucks sure enjoy spending time in and around Seattle. The coffee machines were flowing with the new brew as of last week, so if you’re flying anytime soon aboard an Alaska Airlines flight you might just want to wait until 35,000 feet before getting your caffeine fix. Alaska Airlines’ airline partner Horizon Air has been serving Starbucks since like 1990, so it was only a matter of time before both carriers shared the same coffee supplier. So what if it took 20 years. ]]> kjb 2012-02-08T08:55:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/14/101346/353

We may have just spotted what could be the most exotic Starbucks food item ever. It's a traditional Thai mooncake, but Mon Thong durian-flavored and with an egg baked inside. And you thought "cake pops" were weird!

This treasure was found at a regular Starbucks in Bangkok, so regular that it was in the ground floor of a new mall. The basket of mooncakes—each imprinted with the Starbucks siren logo—is a limited-time deal, however; mooncakes are eaten this week to celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival which took place on Monday.

The Moon Festival is a "time for giving thanks for the Earth’s bounty and to remember the ancestors," so it's a quiet event where families come together to go pray at a temple or at home, but the mooncakes must be on the table. Since 7-Elevens even sell them, far be it for Starbucks to miss the train. The fact that they're durian-flavored and extremely limited make it all the more special.

[Photo: Jaunted]]]> JetSetCD 2011-09-14T15:26:47-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/7/27/994/00045

Those Nordic countries better watch out, as Starbucks is about to invade. Residents of Sweden have already started to add Mocha Frappuccinos to the cup holders of their Volvos, and now it looks like Norway and Finland are next on the list. Awesome local coffeeshops need not be too threatened; for now the expansion seems to be limited to just the airports.

It all goes down in 2012, so if you have a plan to visit next summer to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and long, long days you’ll be able to do so with an overpriced latte. Starbucks officials have already announced their plan to add a location at the Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway. Their most recent announcement reveals that they have plans for two locations at the airport in Helsinki, as there will be one place to grab a coffee after security and one welcoming passengers in the arrivals hall. ]]> kjb 2011-07-27T09:36:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/6/15/9480/73685

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of Virgin Atlantic flights to Miami, and to celebrate it, Virgin CEO Richard Branson will walk out along the wing of one of his planes and party it up. It's just a typical day for Branson, jetting around as he does to check on his multitude of Virgin brands and still somehow chipping in to lend a hand in the world.

So where does he get all the energy to do this? Well, it probably helps that Branson has the money and personal assistants needed to pull off a packed schedule without a hitch, but let's not forget good old coffee.

Recently when we had a chance to sit down with Branson, following the very first Virgin America flight to ORD, we noticed he was toting quite the sizeable Starbucks cup. So what does a billionaire jetsetter order? ]]> JetSetCD 2011-06-15T10:43:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/5/22/193856/030

There may be a Starbucks around every corner, but that’s not always the case when you’re stuck flying around the globe. Don’t worry—airlines know that you need your caffeine fix, so there’s plenty of airplanes where you can grab a cup of caffeine from the comfort of 12B. Here’s just five airlines where you can get a little bit of Starbucks up in the air:

· United Airlines:
They might be merging into the world’s biggest and baddest airline, but that doesn’t mean that they are forgetting about the small stuff. United has been offering up Starbucks coffee aboard pretty much every one of their flights for a few years now, and we hear that Continental will also be getting the new brew once the whole merger and transition is complete. Unfortunately there’s no lattes or fancy stuff, but when you’re stuck at 35,000-feet above the ground you take what you can get—especially since it’s one of the free beverage options.

· Porter Airlines:
Clearly we haven’t hid our love for Porter Airlines, and their coffee selection is just another reason why we are ready to join their fan club as soon as it includes an official membership card. Both in their free-for-all lounges—at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Ottawa International Airport—and in the air Starbucks is an option. They just began brewing Starbucks Pike Place Roast up in the skies a few weeks ago, and apparently they’re the only one in the world to do so—no generic Starbucks flavors for these guys. ]]> kjb 2011-05-25T09:00:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/4/4/13226/18949

When we're away from home, we take a perverted pleasure in sauntering into places we recognize, and noting differences. For example, checking out the "Shaka Shaka Chicken" on the menu at McDonalds in Tokyo, or swinging by the "World's Nicest Taco Bell" on a beach in California. Okay, so most of this involves fast food, but then there's always Starbucks.

Do you think you pay a lot for Starbucks coffee in the States? Well, then avoid going to Starbucks in countries that rank high on the quality of life scale. For example: Switzerland. Starbucks is celebrating its tenth anniversary of being in the country, and their shiny signs convinced us to come in during a recent visit to Zurich. Hold on to your wallet... ]]> JetSetCD 2011-04-04T15:01:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/3/15/164840/527

So, like any city-dweller, we're mildly flustered over Starbucks' changing their food selection. What are these Petites? For a few days, we actually thought they were called "Petities," which made us giggle everytime we passed an Sbux (which happens about every 10-15 minutes in New York City).

Since a substantial portion of Starbucks' customers in Midtown are foreign tourists, we happened to share a table with a group of three teenage boys from Italy, each of whom were holding up those cake-on-a-stick things to their face and looking around them as if they were science experiments, before popping them into their mouths. Having experienced the different food in foreign Starbucks ourselves (what are "Lamingtons," exactly?!), we wondered how others perceive the USA's coffee-side treats. So we asked them. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-03-15T16:48:40-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/