We have our doubts about group buying sites like Groupon, especially when we're getting emails for discounts on laser hair removal 80% of the time, but occasionally great deals do pop up, and one such sale starts today.

The deal: Pay $39, get $100 towards round-trip flights between Chicago-ORD and San Francisco-SFO or Los Angeles-LAX. Included in that $39 is also a code to redeem for a free session of Gogo in-flight WiFi, itself worth $12.95. The $100 you get can be used to purchase any class of travel...so you're that much closer to one of the big seats in First Class. ]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-31T10:56:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/20/55838/9639

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 America:
We’ve already mentioned the big new route news of the week, but we can’t resist discussing the newest option from Virgin America once again. They’re heading to the land of cheesesteaks and rowdy sports fans, as Virgin America is planning nonstop flights to Philadelphia from both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some of these will start doing their thing as early as April, so if you’re looking for a delayed Spring Break—either on the west coast or east coast—give this new route a little consideration.

· Southwest Airlines:
They’re continuing to move in all their belongings at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, but Southwest Airlines is already planning another new option to and from the airport. They’ve decided to a do a nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Atlanta beginning on June 10. This is in addition to the options that are already offered up by their best friends—and soon to be family—over at AirTran. The initial route boost from Southwest in Atlanta begins next month and continues through March, so we expect plenty of more comings and goings from ATL as 2012 chugs along. ]]> kjb 2012-01-20T09:16:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/16/205757/154

Hollywood screenwriters rejoice. When you are needing an authentic cheesesteak to relieve writer's block you can hop on Virgin America and take one of three daily nonstops to Pat's (or Geno's if you swing that way) starting April 10th.

Furthermore, Virgin America will be offering two daily nonstops from SFO to PHL. So if Niner fans want to make a pilgrimage to the Rocky statue if and when they complete their improbable Super Bowl run, now they can. Here is what the Cusher had to say about the latest VX destination:

When more airlines compete, consumers win – with lower fares and better service. Travelers deserve more options than just the typical legacy airline cattle car, and we hope our unique brand of low fares and inventive service will be a breath of fresh air for Philadelphians.

Here is an interesting line in the release, possibly foreshadowing things to come:

Currently, only legacy carriers serve the West Coast-PHL routes nonstop.  When entering markets that offer little low-fare competition, Virgin America has historically seen fares drop by up to one-third.

Hmm, sounds like a direct assault on US Air and other lagging legacy carriers. We see a possible 2012 scenario where VX launches in CTL (US Air), ATL (Delta), and Houston...all direct to SFO and LAX of course...stay tuned...

In honor of its newest city, Virgin America is also launching a system-wide “The City of Brotherly Love: Just Got Lovelier” fare sale, with PHL-LAX fares from $129 and PHL-SFO fares from $149* (restrictions, taxes and fees applying).  Tickets are available for purchase now at www.virginamerica.com and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN.

Btw, if you guessed the right city on Facebook, start planning your trip because you just won yourself 20 percent off a flight! ]]> juliana 2012-01-17T12:04:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/9/93521/61861

Without a doubt, the one huge travel story today is the scramble to plan for Coachella 2012, the music festival in the desert outside Palm Springs, CA. For the first time, the massive 3-day party will be split in two—two weekends, that is. If you can't make it April 13-15, there's now the option of catching the same acts, on the same stages, with a different crowd around you, on April 20-22.

Headliners of the fest are: The Black Keys, Radiohead and, most anticipated by far, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg who will close each weekend with a Sunday performance. Other acts due to hit the many stages include Bon Iver, Cat Power, The Arctic Monkeys, Feist, La Roux, Girl Talk, Santigold and really so many others we don't feel like typing them out. (But here's a Spotify playlist to get you in the mood). ]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-10T11:54:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/2/223148/2638

You know what they say about the best days to book airfares, right? That the magical weekdays are Tuesdays and Wednesdays for deals...but those are also the best days to fly on cheap rates, too. Now that the winter holidays are over, airlines have rolled out massive fare sales for travel that, in some cases, goes all the way through the end of spring.

There's 6 sales we think are worthy today. 5 are from the US, and one is from the UK. GET ON IT:

· AirTran sale
(Book by Thursday, January 6 for travel on Tuesdays & Wednesdays through May 15, 2011)
Sample fares (not including taxes & fees):
New York-LGA to Orlando $86 each way
Chicago-Midway to Atlanta $89 each way
Los Angeles-LAX to Fort Lauderdale: $129 each way
Baltimore-BWI to Key West: $126 each way]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-03T12:28:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/27/103135/46

And just like that, social photo sharing app Instagram is super hot. Sure it's only just celebrated its one-year anniversary as an iPhone app, but recent contests and exposure given to it by brands and influential figures in social media have pushed it over the edge. Heck, we jumped in head first! And we're freaking loving it. (Follow us by searching "jaunted" & "hotelchatter" in the app).

It's not just people posting images of their kids eating birthday cake or close-ups of kitty paws, either; Instagram seems to be spreading most rapidly among those interested in design, architecture, analogue photography, nature and—of course—the rest of the world. This is where travel images enter the game, and the airlines are paying attention.

We ran a fine-toothed comb through Instagram to find the airlines you need to follow now, and who else to watch: ]]> JetSetCD 2011-12-27T13:09:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/11/27/213259/89
This could be yours

In the only bit of "Cyber Monday" news worth mentioning (you won't hear us say those words again today, by the way), Virgin America is working together with Gilt City to offer private flights on their Airbus A320s to anywhere they fly (in the US).

That's right—you can have the plane to yourself or bring along 145 friends, so long as you've got $60,000 (inclusive of taxes and fees) to shell out for the round-trip experience. But that's not all! Virgin America will also throw in the naming rights to one of their planes, in-flight catering on your trip, and flight crew (duh) while Gilt City passes out an amenity to each passenger. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-11-28T10:00:22-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/