Jaunted - Tag: air france

In-Flight Cell Phones: Not Great for So Many Reasons

pbb — 2008-04-21T11:30:01-05:00

Airphones are so 2007.

The test results are in from the first in-flight cell phone experiments on Air France. Trouble connecting and bad sound quality were among the annoying technical glitches reported--which should mean a few more months of solitude!

Other issues reported? The per minute charge of €3 ($4.75) and the fact that only six passengers at a time can chat. A rep from OneAir, the company responsible for the in-flight technology, claims that the number could more than double in the coming weeks. Uh, terrific?

Still, even with a kink-free in-flight calling experience, the question remains: Who wants to endure a Chatty Cathy for eight hours? Apparently Air France is hoping, the answer is a bunch of European travelers.

Related Stories:
· Europe Begins Testing In-Flight Use of Cellphones [NYT]
· Cell Phones coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: mikemacadaan]

In-Flight WiFi: No Phones for You!

pbb — 2008-03-10T11:13:29-05:00

Besides open skies, in-flight WiFi stands to be one of the biggest travel storylines of the year as heaps of carriers add the service to their fleets in 2008. That means its time for another look at the etiquette of airborne VoIP calls--and what airlines are doing to stop them.

In the US, where Virgin America, Southwest and JetBlue plan to launch web access, phone calls won't be allowed. VA's Charles Ogilvie explains:

An airborne environment is a confined environment. You don't want 22B yapping away or playing a boom box.

But Europeans, as we know, love their cell phones:

Air France, which plans to start allowing cellular calls through (service provider) OnAir within months, said it would see how people use such services before crafting rules.

What could be even more interesting than the debate over blocked or unblocked phone calls is what sort of filtering software airlines choose to use in the air. Sadly, it'll probably end up being as draconian as DIA's web nanny.

Related Stories:
· Are Airlines and Travelers Ready to Surf the Skies? [AP, via Orlando Sentinel]
· In-Flight WiFi: Going International [Jaunted]
· In-Flight WiFi coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: i'm george]

In-Flight WiFi: Going International

pbb — 2008-02-07T09:49:28-05:00

With all the excitement over on-board WiFi announcements here in the United States, it's easy to forget that carriers abroad have already wrapped up their testing of in-flight Internet. More than a couple airlines have had passengers successfully texting their sucker friends "Guess where I am right now?!" Among them are Qantas, Ryanair, Air France, Singapore Airlines and Emirates.

These carriers are using a satellite technology developed by a company called EMS Technologies. Because the system is space- rather than land-based, passengers can use cell phones, PDAs and laptops over the ocean. That's a major plus for carriers like Qantas and Singapore.

While pricing is still, ahem, up in the air, we can't imagine it will be that much. And for a lot of people, EMS's CEO realizes, the cost won't really even be a factor:

If I'm flying from Paris to New York and Air France lets me use my Blackberry in-flight while United Airlines doesn't, which one do you think I'm going to choose?

Related Stories:
· International Carriers Pressure US Rivals [American-Statesman]
· In-Flight WiFi coverage [Jaunted]

Delta Now Flying to Heathrow and France

pbb — 2007-10-17T15:00:01-05:00

It must be airline expansion day here at Jaunted. After word of Skybus' new international route, now Delta and Air France have formally announced their new trans-Atlantic service, which starts March 29, 2008. The airlines will partner to provide four new flights: Atlanta to London Heathrow, JFK to LHR, JFK to Paris-Orly and JFK to Lyon. Boeing 767s will fly the routes to England, and 757s will handle the traffic to France.

Air France and Delta have been working together since the late '90s, but they're still independent airlines. The cross-continental partnership will boost trans-Atlantic frequency and could lead to lower prices. (But don't bet on that last part just yet.) The deal also gives Delta an "in" at LHR, connecting it to the busiest airport in the world, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson.

Delta has announced introductory fares to the new non-stop destinations, good through October 31. The airline says flights between JFK and ATL start at $398 round trip, but we found prices slightly higher for a March 29 departure and April 4 return. The base fare was $428, and with taxes and fees the price was $564. Fares are a bit higher between Atlanta and LHR, and tickets between JFK and Orly start at $1,000.

Related Stories:
· Heathrow Fare Wars in the Works? [Jaunted]
· Skybus Going International [Jaunted]
· Delta coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Drewski2112]

London: Heathrow Fare Wars in the Works?

pbb — 2007-10-15T11:00:01-05:00

Just as we were turning our attention to the fare war in the Bay Area, London Heathrow is set to see some fierce competition that could lower airfares. Long protected from trans-Atlantic competition, routes between LHR and the U.S. will be up for grabs starting in March.

And according to the London Times, things will be heating up:

Delta is likely to serve New York, Atlanta and one other American city, with Air France studying a Los Angeles service.

At this point, the airlines haven't officially announced these routes, but if Delta and Air France get going, you can bet Continental and Northwest will want to fire up service through their own hubs, too.

What remains to be seen is if passengers actually prefer Heathrow. While a new terminal sounds like a pleasure, it's for British Airways flights, not American carriers. And plenty of discount carriers fly to London's other, less congested airports. If people aren't clamoring for tickets on the new routes, you can be sure fares to LHR won't fall.

Related Stories:
· BA Facing Fierce Fight at Heathrow [Times Online]
· The Good News About London Heathrow [Jaunted]
· Bay Area Fare Wars Continue [Jaunted]

[Photo: Damek]

Mistake Web Fare Sale Alert: Air France Is On The Clock

markj — 2007-05-17T15:04:01-05:00

A tipster informed us one of those super-secret-only-available-for-an-internet-minute mistake web airfare sales is in play over on Air France.

According to The Paris Blog:

If you book now through May 31, for travel to happen before the end of the year, you can get 10% off a round-trip flight from the US on Air France jaunts to Europe and Asia. The discount code is FTLAX09.
My fare for a trip from L.A. was just over $900, taxes included

Step by step details are available on The Paris Blog.

You know the deal. If you bag one of these fares before they disappear into the ether let us know in comments below. Paris in springtime people, get clicking.

[Photo: pandemia]

Related Stories:
· Airline Discount Alert [The Paris Blog]
· Air France [Official Site]