Delta's marketing sensation, flight attendant Katherine Lee, made a huge splash when she appeared in the airline's new safety video. And now she's back, prettying up the carrier's newish Flickr page. (That's "American Idol" singer Josh Gracin at right.)
You can also get more of Katherine on Delta's YouTube channel, where she hosts a new video guide to Atlanta. Something tells us it might rack up more views than this marginally useful guide to Paris. Check it out post-click.]]>
The men who are allegedly responsible for orchestrating the plot to blow up transatlantic flights with liquid explosives are currently on trial in Britain--and they say the whole thing is a big misunderstanding.
Abdulla Ahmed Ali, the accused ringleader of the would-be bombers, says he and his terrorist homies were simply working on a "publicity stunt." Ali told a British court that the videotaped confessions police found with him and his fellow terror suspects were just supposed to be part of a video for YouTube.
Even if Ali really is guilty of nothing more than dreams of internet celebrity, his bomb plot is the reason air travelers now have to deal with all those complicated liquid rules, which are pretty much the worst thing ever. Terrorist or not, there's no forgiving him for that.
Related Stories:
· Airline Plot Was "Publicity Stunt" [The Sun]
· Airport Security coverage [Jaunted]]]>
Ah, Eurovision. Such a quirky invention, and the world might not have ABBA if it wasn't for the quirky contest. The 2008 Eurovision scene is starting to heat up, with the semi-final allocations taking place last month. This year's Eurovision will be held in Belgrade with 43 competing nations: San Marino and Azerbaijan are new, but Austria's decided to pull out because they reckon the whole thing's unfair.
And unfair it probably is, but we just love seeing the weird things that countries vote as their best song. In Ireland at the moment, one of the frontrunner candidates is a turkey. Unfortunately not a live turkey that they've taught to sing--that would actually be cool--but this sad looking puppet instead. His name is Dustin and he's from a kid's TV program, and he's our secret tip to be a Eurovision finalist this year. Watch this space.
Related Stories:
· Puppet Gives Two Fingers to Eurovision [news.com.au]
· Eurovision Coverage [Jaunted]]]>
How did we not already hear about this?! Apparently a couple that met on a Virgin America flight on New Year's Eve is now vlogging their relationship. (That or the pair is virally marketing the airline!)
The initial video introduces them, and then things start getting weird. A still-frame clip set to "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is from what looks to be a creepy road trip to Santa Cruz. The pair goes camping in Joshua Tree National Park. And things start getting really strange when Alexandria drives Harlan to an airport on "Day 26." What's next? WHO KNOWS??
UPDATE: We just got off the phone with Sir Richard Branson himself as he's about to step on for an interview with Jimmy Kimmel. The big man assures us that these videos are real and not produced by VA.
Related Stories:
· We Met on Virgin [Official Site]
· In-Flight Dating on SkyEurope [Jaunted]
· Airline Dating Tested by Lisa Loeb [Jaunted]
· Global Warming Travel: No Joshua Trees National Park [Jaunted]]]>
Passengers have all sorts of takes on Southwest's new fare system and its new boarding procedure, and though the reaction so far doesn't sound too, too critical to us, maybe CEO Gary Kelly hears something we don't.
To preemptively stamp out passenger concern--and show how hip to technology he is--Kelly's taken to YouTube to explain why Southwest is shaking things up. Luckily for him, the video isn't an emotional apology for massive service disruptions.
Related Stories:
· Flight Review: Southwest's New Boarding Policy [Jaunted]
· Southwest Airlines coverage [Jaunted]]]>
The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau is jumping into the YouTube game with an update from agency president David Peckinpaugh. San Diego is "ready and open for business," he says. Also on camera is a family of three visiting from Dayton, Ohio that hasn't had any trouble due to the fires.
We have to hand it to the SDCVB for embracing technology to get the word out, and tourism dollars can certainly help recovery efforts. But the video has that classic tourism marketing sheen that says, "Fires? What fires?" A deeper look at SoCal's post-wildfire situation might leave us feeling a little more informed.
Related Stories:
· San Diego Attractions Reopening As SoCal Recovers [SDCVB]
· Is Amanda Bynes a Hotel Diva? [HotelChatter]
· US Airways Eyeing Colombia Flights [USA Today]
· Visitors Too Fat For "It's A Small World" [Consumerist]
· Leisure Travel and Costs on the Rise [AP, via Mercury News]]]>
And we thought it was tough enough visiting the US, getting strip searched by customs and waiting in endless passport control lines. Now you can also be bored to tears by the new video Disney has donated to US Customs and Border Protection! (They've disabled video embedding on YouTube, which explains the still above.)
The idea is to introduce visitors to the United States with something a bit more lighthearted than getting fingerprinted and photographed. The video is on view at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Washington Dulles, which together served almost 11 million international arrivals and departures in 2005.
There's plenty to poke fun at, but watch for the smirking guy in a suit at the 1:20 mark; he's like a low-rent Gordon Gekko. Visitors from more conservative cultures will surely appreciate the Vegas showgirl in her dressing room and the shots of babes in bikinis. And the panorama of Niagara Falls is a true classic. (You know, since the falls are in Canada.)
Also, everyone in the video speaks English--just like in the States!
Related Stories:
· The Welcome to America Video [Budget Travel]
· Welcome: Portraits of America Video [YouTube]
· The United States: Not As Bad As You Think [Jaunted]
· United States Travel coverage [Jaunted]]]>