President Bush made his now-annual announcement today that "military airspace" would be opened up to commercial traffic to ease Thanksgiving travel in the US this year.

Of course, as was pointed out last year, the move doesn't guarantee a trouble-free holiday travel season. Still, the announcement gave the outgoing president the chance to try out a joke:

The past eight years I have not seen a traffic jam, waited for an airplane or had my bags lost.

Hilarious.

Related Stories:
· President Bush Tells a Joke [Airline Biz Blog]
· Bush Opens Military Airspace [WaPo]
· Bush Opens Airspace for Thanksgiving Travelers [Peter Greenberg]
· Bush Moves to Open More Flight Lanes for Holiday [AP, via Google]

[Photo of JFK: Carl Puentes Photography]]]> pbb 2008-11-18T17:34:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/13/152553/33

Short answer: Probably not. While the European Union said Wednesday that a group of new investors could take over the money-hemorrhaging airline, Alitalia will also have to pay back a €300 million ($377 million) rescue loan it received from the Italian government. No one's quite sure where that money's going to come from.

Meanwhile, some staff are organizing impromptu (i.e. wildcat) strikes at airports, delaying departures and forcing flight cancellations. Italian newspaper La Repubblica says even the corpse of a woman headed to Albania can't get where its going, languishing instead at Fiumicino. While Italy's labor minister has suggested the strikes are illegal, that's of little consolation to stranded fliers.

The new Alitalia is supposed to debut on December 1. Will it be ready to fly by then? And will Ryanair's allegation that this takeover is against EU rules further stall the much-needed makeover? We're not planning to find out.

Related Stories:
· EU Backs Proposed Alitalia Takeover [AP, via Google]
· Alitalia Protests Continue, Government Eyes Options [Reuters]
· Ryanair to Appeal EU's "Corrupt" Support [AFP, via Google]
· Fiumicino: Even a Corpse, Delayed for Days [La Repubblica, in Italian]

[Photo: Alessio85]]]> pbb 2008-11-13T15:30:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/10/94042/469

Let this be a lesson to you laptop-toting travelers: Marginally famous Cheetah Girls singer Adrienne Bailon had some semi-nude snaps stolen from her computer after she misplaced it while transiting JFK last month.

The internet's authority on sex tapes, TMZ, has details:

She filed a report with the Port Authority--but later that day her record label received an anonymous phone call from a man saying he had her laptop and would return it for $1000.

A meeting was set up at JFK with the anonymous man, where he was given the money, and in turn gave up Bailon's missing laptop.

Bailon's misfortune--she was just trying to thrill boyfriend Robert Kardashian!--is a good reminder to always password protect your files and keep an eye on that laptop, especially when going through frequently hectic security checkpoints. Computers aren't lost as often as you might think, but some solid encryption on your hard drive should keep your sexy photos out of enemy hands.

Related Stories:
· Cheetah Girl Cheated Out of Semi-Nude Pics [TMZ]
· Travel Referendums: Keeping Your Laptop and Data Secure [Jaunted]

[Photo: IMDb]]]> pbb 2008-11-10T09:50:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/2/21812/75552

Usually unspoiled romantic trips to Thailand have been messed around this past week as anti-government protests close down airports and roads. Although the Phuket Airport has been reopened and thousands of stranded vacationers are now on their way home, it's far from being over--a State of Emergency has been announced.

People's Alliance for Democracy protesters are now threatening to blockade not just Phuket, but seven airports across Thailand unless the Prime Minister resigns. Tourist hotspots like Krabi, Samui and Phuket are among the seven.

There's a good way and a bad way to experience airport shutdowns like this. The good way is what hundreds of tourists on Phuket just experienced--four extra days on a tropical island at the airline's expense. That's what we're rooting for.

Related Stories:
· PAD Warns of More Airport Closures in the South [The Nation]
· Aussies Tell of Thai Airport Scramble [SMH]
· Thailand Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: adaptorplug]]]> amandak 2008-09-02T09:00:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/3/123541/6783

It's not going to be a very happy Fourth of July weekend for anyone in the Big Sur area or anyone headed there. A slow-growing fire has been waging war on the scenic coastal region for nearly 12 days. On Tuesday, things got much worse, prompting a major evacuation.]]> juliana 2008-07-03T13:00:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/17/235929/905

Naomi Campbell certainly chose an, uh, original response to her arrest at London Heathrow after allegedly hitting and kicking flight attendants: She wants a boycott of British Airways, the airline she was flying at the time of her arrest.

One might think a boycott would be unnecessary after an act that supposedly got her banned from BA, but Campbell wants the world to know "There was a complete disrespect for the passengers" on her scheduled flight to Rio de Janeiro.

The airline would not confirm or deny the ban, but the supermodel claimed BA officials later begged her to fly with them again--but she haughtily refused. Plausible pissed-off passenger or crazy concocted crap? You decide.

Related Stories:
· Supermodels Go Through Baggage Hell, Too [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Travel Hell coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Hollywood Grind]]]> egw 2008-04-18T09:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/11/15126/2609

This week witnessed American Airlines' PR meltdown as the megacarrier canceled thousands of flights due to safety concerns. So you're single and stuck in a hub city far from friends and family... what's a seasoned traveler to do? Make the best of it by making a connection at one of these national hot spots, even in your most wrinkled suit.

In Dallas: Try not to stare at Twisted Root Burger Company (2615 Commerce St.) which serves its juicy hunks of meat with in-house root beer. More Dallas Missed Connections.

In Chicago: Put on your Juicy Couture perfume and order up some margs at the Frontera Grill (449 N. Clark St.), "Iron Chef America" competitor Rick Bayless' Mexican spot. More Chicago Missed Connections.

In Miami: Just try to get some work done at Barnie's Coffee and Tea (169 Flagler St.) More Miami Missed Connections.

In St. Louis: Interrupt someone else's work at the Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester Ave.), perhaps the last restaurant in the world to ask "Smoking or non?" (Or, just hang around at baggage claim.) More St. Louis Missed Connections.

Related Stories:
· Missed Connections coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: wd502]]]> egw 2008-04-11T15:29:52-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/