This might become the year for electronic boarding passes. Sure, there have been plenty of airlines offering airplane access via smartphone for some time, but it’s no longer just for elite flyers leaving from some of the nation’s busiest airports. Especially now that United Airlines is the latest to ditch the paper and head to the promised land.

Last week United starting using mobile boarding passes at Chicago's O’Hare International Airport, and they've quickly expanded their offerings to other major markets including Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco—among a few other locations. As long as everything works out well, they plan to be in about 30 different cities by this summer, so maybe you can flash that new iPad to board the plane as you begin your summer vacation. ]]> kjb 2010-03-18T12:37:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/3/5/1714/43170

Let's talk new airline routes! Because we all love some variety...

· United begins direct Ghana flights
The rush to Accra, Ghana is on as both Virgin Atlantic and British Airways announced recently that they'd begin direct service to the African capital from London. Taking the lead in American is United, who will launch direct a direct Accra flight from Washington-Dulles airport on June 21, pending government approval. Next up, United would like to add Lagos, Nigeria to their route map, but we'll see how Accra goes first.

More new routes, after the jump!]]> JetSetCD 2010-03-05T11:45:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/18/134830/394

If you followed our less than smooth attempts to book a European vacation last year, you'll know the staggering importance of one-way awards bookings. So useful is this option that at one point we recommended you make it a top criteria when choosing where to pool frequent flyer miles. It's great news, then, that United has followed American Airlines' May policy change and launched one-way bookings.

One-way awards are currently limited to online purchases, so you'll have to go to the Mileage Plus site if you want to book them. Customers are also limited to a single award level across their itinerary, and the only available levels are Saver Awards and Standard Awards. Stopovers are verboten, which has caused consternation in some quarters. Everything else works more or less how you'd expect: tickets are changeable but not transferable, Standard Awards give you more flexibility than Saver Awards do, and so on. ]]> Omri 2010-02-18T17:00:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/1/20/82357/6252

Honestly we have enough trouble dealing with checking just one piece of luggage, so it’s difficult for us to imagine dealing with anything unique at the check-in counter. Surprisingly, airlines are pretty welcoming when it comes to your oversized bags, sports equipment, musical instruments, and anything else you might need to bring with you. However, it’s going to cost you a few extra bucks.

If you’ve got a big track and field meet coming up or just want to bring a nice present to Bruce Jenner, no need to worry about bringing your javelin on the airplane—it’s totally cool. It will need to be checked—no carrying it on please—and if you’re flying on Continental Airlines it will cost you the same as any other checked bag. American Airlines isn’t as friendly to javelin throwers, and they’ll charge $100 in addition to their usual checked bag fees. Vaulting poles aren’t allowed on American, but United will take up to two poles in a case for $175—at that point it might be worth just driving. ]]> kjb 2010-01-21T09:35:04-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/1/18/8351/49785

We’ve all purchased airfare without really thinking, but sometimes the buyer’s remorse is just a little too much. Despite the chance at an incredible fare there’s always something that makes it seem not worth it—like hitting the limit on your credit card. Thankfully there are still a few airlines that allow you to cancel your reservation within 24 hours. We’ve rounded up some of the policies below to ensure that you can fire first and ask questions later.

· Delta
As long as your make your purchase through Delta or Expedia—that means no Orbitz or other booking engines—you can cancel your ticket up to midnight the following day. Just make sure that your trip is originating from the United States, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, or Canada. You don’t even need to call them, because you can just head to their website and take care of everything.

More ways to get your money back after the break... ]]> kjb 2010-01-18T11:30:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/1/15/05958/8456

WHEN WILL IT STOP?! Probably never, and that's our final answer.

This week's big airline news has been the abrupt increase in fees for your first checked bag, going from $20 to $25 on two airlines; first went Delta, then Continental, and now we add a third and fourth airline—United and US Airways. American is the last legacy carrier holding out and of course it probably won't take long for them because once there's blood in the water...

The United announcement was made late on Wednesday, and it took affect yesterday, with United charging $25 to check one bag at the airport and $35 for a second bag on flights within the United States, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Canada. You can shave off a few measly dollars by checking it online and doing the airport bag drop for $23 for the first bag, and $32 for a second. What a rotten deal.

Now that we've been seeing these fees creep up over the last six months or so, we're no longer taken by surprise, but we can't say the same for leisure travelers and those who roll up to the airport with their bags, thinking that nothing has changed. These are the folks who will be hardest hit by the baggage fees, and who will be the most frustrated with check-in agents, so avoid waiting in line behind someone with lots of baggage of check, who maybe is also wearing Juicy Couture sweatpants. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-01-15T08:40:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/17/03742/540

Let 2009 be known as the year that the airlines embraced the internet. Whether through Facebook and Twitter or web-only specials, they really put themselves out there. But the most revolutionary change to come was the proliferation of In-Flight WiFi. The seeds of connectivity were planted in 2008 and they budded this year, but 2010 will see the bloom and boom of airlines with WiFi. Already we have eleven carriers that are either already online or signed up to start very soon. And that's not counting the international airlines with their grand long-haul plans.

Let's look at the status of the WiFi on each of these airlines, but first you'll need to know a quick bit about the major providers of in-flight WiFi, and there are three:
· Gogo, a terrestrial-based service that relies on signal towers on the ground. This is the most popular choice.
· Row 44, a satellite-based service that allows for uninterrupted browsing, even over bodies of water.
· LiveTV, used only by Jetblue and sadly lagging behind with extremely limited internet access.

And now, without further ado, Jaunted's 2009-2010 Airline In-Flight WiFi Status Update... ]]> JetSetCD 2009-12-17T10:02:49-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/