Last night in New York City's Bryant Park, SkyMall got together with Southwest Airlines to host a big, public party to celebrate fall and the newest edition of the SkyMall catalog, this one already filled with kooky Christmas items. We only stayed long enough to ogle one of the cheesiest products ever made, but for some reason we want it so much: the $150 "Brobdingnagian Folding Sports Chair."

This chair, which is basically like your typical folding outdoor chair but with elephantitis, is a true novelty product. Is it a travel necessity? Nope. Is it practical at an outdoor event? Probably not. Do we irrationally crave it? Yep. This makes us wonder what else from the SkyMall catalog people out there secretly desire.

So, this weekend, we want to know: What have you always wanted from SkyMall, but are maybe too embarrassed to buy and actually own? Let us know in the comments!]]> JetSetCD 2010-09-24T16:57:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/6/1/95216/62221

For the second time in the last two months, a sleeping passenger has been left behind onboard the plane, even after the flight attendants and crew had locked up and the plane returned to the hangar. First it was a man onboard Air Canada from London to Vancouver, and now it's a woman on United, flying from Washington DC to Philadelphia...and she's suing.

After waking up more than three hours after the United plane had emptied, the woman says she "paced the aisle for about 15 minutes until the locked door opened and police demanded identification.” So that was all it took to get rescued? Someone in the hangar saw movement onboard the aircraft and it only took 15 minutes? That's not so bad actually; we'd have imagined that a passengers in such a situation would be calling 9-1-1 or something to alert anyone of their whereabouts. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-06-01T09:52:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/4/15/8321/94593

Wow, locking luggage feels like something the traveling public stopped doing ten years ago, when in reality it's a practice that goes on, albeit in much decreased numbers since the TSA kicked into high gear with their TSA-special locks.

These days, if you're flying in the United States, it's either a TSA lock or no lock at all for checked baggage, since they must check every bag and non-approved locks can be cut. As we typically go completely carry-on luggage only (even for a two-week stint in South Korea and the like), luggage locking is something we fortunately no longer have to consider. So who out there, in the year 2010 when airport security makes you do everything short of stripping naked to go through the metal detector, is still dutifully turning the combination on little orange, TSA-approved locks?

Are you holding onto your locks? Do you see them as theft deterrents or is it really just for peace of mind?

Related Stories:
· Baggage Locks [TSA.gov]
· Should You Pack a Gun to Make Sure the TSA Takes Care of Your Baggage? [Jaunted]
· Luggage [Jaunted]

[Photo: elPadawan]]]> JetSetCD 2010-04-15T10:37:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/3/24/121022/476

What do you if you're a rockstar and you find yourself buying so many hours on private jets that it's about time you buy your own, but the things are so darned expensive? Well, if you're Vince Neil, frontman of band Mötley Crüe, then you go ahead and buy a few planes and turn them into a private aviation business.

Yes, that's right; Vince Neil now owns Vince Neil Aviation, which has a Hawker 700, a Lear 35 and a Gulfstream available for rental out of Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. Aside from the "VN" logo near the door of the planes, Vince told Robin Leach that they've got all a rocker could want:

The planes are now all finished, they are all tricked out exactly how you think a rocker’s tour plane would be, complete with painted flames on the fuselage and the zebra-striped interior furnishings!

A picture of Vince Neil toasting the plane, after the jump!]]> JetSetCD 2010-03-24T14:05:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/3/2/84651/80150

We’ve all been there, and unfortunately it’s just part of the whole traveling experience—the reclining airline seat. Some seats recline more than others, and a lot of it depends on your choice of carrier and where you’re headed. Overseas travel might bring a necessity to recline or even an invitation to do so, especially if you aren’t in coach forced into relaxation thanks to prescription medication.

Thankfully, Cathay Pacific has hard shelled seats in their economy section, and this helps the person in front of you from getting into your personal space. For those that think reclining is a must, this probably is the airline for you. Unfortunately they aren’t really the ideal domestic carrier, so you better start planning that trip to Asia.

Shuttling around the US is a little more difficult, as there aren’t really any airlines that take the discomfort out of the reclining airline seat. Weber Aircraft sells seats to American Airlines and Delta, but we haven’t seen their fancy “high pivot point recline system” during our travels. The unique design makes the bottom of the seat move forward to give the illusion of a little more recline. ]]> kjb 2010-03-02T09:44:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/1/26/222940/776

Help! This is for all the travelers out there who confront a currency exchange booth at the airport or on the street and shake their heads at the unfavorable rates, only to give in anyways because they just need more cash.

We're wondering what is the best way to exchange your money? We've been through it all—ordering foreign currency from American Express, shuffling up to the Travelex booth in the airport arrivals hall, taking and taking more from foreign ATMs, and even making the walk of shame to a booth in tourist trap. But our indecision really worked against us last week in London, when we discovered that by choosing to exchange cash at a booth rather than just withdraw from an ATM, we had lost something like $30 that wasn't the fault of the high value of Sterling.

Currency exchange is one of those unavoidable, frustrating tasks that must happen during travel, and it can quickly reach eye-gouging annoying levels when you're pressed for time or facing shady dealers.

So please, help out us and everyone who reads this, and share you best tips for currency exchange in the comments. Care to take this remaining 15 pence off our hands for your time? No, we didn't think so either.

Related Stories:
· London Field Trip [Jaunted]
· Money travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: ganessas]]]> JetSetCD 2010-01-27T09:37:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/1/5/03221/51048

Are you afraid of the TSA? Do your palms sweat when you're waiting in line for airport security, even though you've got nothing to be worried about? Do you fear being profiled at the security check and sent to "enhanced" security, which makes you late for your flight?

Maybe we've got a guilty conscience or maybe it's just residual trauma from the time we tried to carry-on a Tunisian hookah and the security officers did everything short of put us on the no-fly list, but we get a little spooked when we head through airport security, and we're wondering if we're alone in this. It's the combination of the idea that maybe the TSA won't catch a terrorist in line with us and the fact that even going through all the security is like "you're guilty until proven innocent."

The security jitters continue, after the jump.]]> JetSetCD 2010-01-05T10:26:04-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/