It seems that a good number of airlines have decided to use this brand-spanking new year to freshen up their cabins and revamp service offerings. With a few recent announcements from various global carriers such as Cathay Pacific, Brussels Airlines and Virgin Australia, 2012 will be the year to make air travel look snappy and smell fresh...again. Here's who's doing what:

· AirBerlin:
As the second largest German air carrier and a member of Oneworld, Air Berlin will be upgrading the entire long-haul fleet of Airbus 330s. New business class seats that recline to just about flat and thinner, more user friendly economy seats will be aboard their planes. The new interiors will be ready for the summer travel season.

· British Airways:
With all our hoopla from recent BA flights, it seems that the airline is not only upgrading service. Starting at the front of the plane a few years ago, overhauls have finally made it to World Traveler Plus and World Traveler. That's premium economy and economy for the uninitiated. ]]> jetflyboy 2012-01-24T13:30:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/10/55017/7521

The whole of Australia is consumed with the Summer tennis circuit currently touring around the country, and the pinnacle of the tennis season down under is marked by the Australian Open played in Melbourne. As the only grand slam tennis tournament held in the Southern Hemisphere, the city is showcased not only as a sport capital, but the cultural capital of Australia.

Melbourne is located on the southeastern Aussie coast and it boasts a vibrant cafe society and an avant garde fashion scene. Originally established during the Australian gold rush, Melbourne's rich history and causes it to be called the "Paris of Down Under." If your plans bring you to the city for tennis, plan to soak up more experiences than just seeing top seeded Novak Djokovic or Caroline Wozniacki. ]]> jetflyboy 2012-01-11T12:18:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/9/62354/30638

We know there’s plenty of people saving—or even hoarding—those frequent flyer miles in hopes of the next great redemption or value. Now just might be the best time to cash some in, as United Airlines is running a decent sale on redeeming MileagePlus miles for an award ticket.

The airline is offering up to a 25% discount on "free" flights—plus taxes and fees of course—to most destinations in Europe as well as Central and Southern Africa. The biggest savings are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as you’ll only get a 20% discount during other days of the week. There’s probably all kinds of permutations and calculations involved with your dream ticket, but a basic 60,000 mile coach ticket to Europe from the United States can now be had for as little as 45,000 miles round-trip. ]]> kjb 2012-01-09T09:50:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/10/20/8260/4493

There are plenty of awful ways to redeem your frequent flyer miles, but United Airlines is partnering up with PayPal to add another. We might be a little harsh in our assessment, but seriously, you're going to get the best value redeeming for a flight—so keep saving up for the trip to Tahiti.

Anyway, beginning next year PayPal users&3151;thanks to some help from ezRez Software—should be able to utilize United MileagePlus miles at pretty much any retailer that accepts PayPal for payment. The plan is that you'll buy your stuff directly through online retailers and that your frequent flyer account will be deducted upon placing your order. You won't have to go through United or their online shopping mall, so it should be at least a more streamlined experience.

Like we said initially it might not be the ideal place to burn some frequent flyer miles. However, if you're just dying for the latest iPad—and already have completed your travel bucket list—having another option might be a good thing. Happy shopping!

[Photo: United Airlines] ]]> kjb 2011-10-20T13:00:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/8/25/101249/758

We’re still feeling a little lightheaded over all the Boeing 787 news that we talked about yesterday, but that doesn’t mean that we’re done talking about the latest airplane to hit the skies. Boeing still owes a lot of planes to a lot of people, so it’s full steam ahead once the very first 787 arrives in the hands of pilots and passengers at All Nippon Airways.

If everything goes as planned this week, Boeing will get the final stamps, seals, and approvals related to certification of its new bird. There’s like $16 billion in inventory just hanging out at the factory outside of Seattle, and some of the 35 almost-finished planes are awaiting interiors, windows, and those always important engines. Some of the planes even have concrete blocks hanging off the wings—rather than engines—to ensure the planes don’t get tipsy due to weight balance issues. ]]> kjb 2011-08-25T15:35:38-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/7/15/23552/0401

Alright we’re not really complaining—hey, we’re always pleased when we get bumped to the front of the plane when a free meal is involved—however, in-flight sausage and eggs on a domestic United Airlines flight are a far cry from the breakfast options found on international carriers like Virgin Atlantic.

We were headed into Chicago-O’Hare not too long ago, en route to somewhere in the nifty fifty when we were lucky enough to be served a little in-flight breakfast. It beats our usual choice of whatever granola bar type foodstuff we tossed in with the laptop, and when the flight attendant actually put a white “tray-table-cloth” on our tray table, we began the drooling. ]]> kjb 2011-07-15T09:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/6/17/84118/6729

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Virgin Atlantic:
Unfortunately we’ll be waiting a little bit for this new route to take flight, but we’re still pretty excited that Virgin Atlantic is looking to head into Mexico. The new option will link London with Cancun, and this will be the airline’s 33rd destination around the globe. Things are scheduled to start up on June 12 of 2012, and the new flights will run just two times per week. They’ll be using Boeing 747s to get the job done on this new route, and they’re planning on splitting things into three different cabins—start saving up your pence for a chance to ride in one of the upper class suites.

· Southwest Airlines:
They’re busy gobbling up AirTran, but that doesn’t mean that Southwest Airlines doesn’t have a little time to add some new options to its route network. The free checked baggage airline just added three nonstop options into and out of Denver from Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, and Newark-Liberty. None of these cities are new to the Southwest family, but the ability to connect a little closer to the West Coast should improve the trip for those looking to make the journey across the country. After all, one connection is always way better than two. ]]> kjb 2011-06-17T08:41:18-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/