Tag: Business Class Travel

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Virgin Atlantic's Big News: Sexy New Clubhouse, Sexy New Seats, Sexy New S & P Shakers

February 8, 2012 at 12:20 PM | by | Comments (0)

When some sweet airline news comes down the pipeline, we get a little shiver of a thrill. The latest carrier to give us those goosebumps of expectation is Virgin Atlantic, as they've got a slew of updates hitting the sky later this year:

· New Upper Class seats, coming Spring 2012.

100 million GBP. That's how much Virgin Atlantic is laying out to get you all laid out in "enhanced" Upper Class seats and enjoying all their spring 2012 upgrades. While we don't yet know specifics like seat width, gadgets or even the design, we do know that the seats will debut on the airline's London-New York route in just a few months. Following this, VS planes will get the Upper Class refresh throughout the world, over a period of three years. Stay tuned, since details can't be kept secret much longer.

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Inside Dragonair's G16 Lounge at Hong Kong International

February 6, 2012 at 4:20 PM | by | Comment (1)

We've given you a glorious tour of the unbelievable Cathay Pacific airport lounges at the Hong Kong International Airport from The Wing to The Pier but today we're taking you inside the less-exciting G16 Lounge of Dragonair, a regional carrier of Cathay Pacific.

Located at, as its name indicates, Gate 16, the lounge overlooks the gate area up on high—sort of like a Loft Lounge. The seating areas are very traditional (no Solus pods here) although plentiful. The self-service refreshment counter features plenty of drinks and finger snacks (both Western and Asian, alcoholic and non) as well as coffee and cappuccino.

There's also a kitchen with an on-site chef to prepare Hong Kong specialties like fishball noodles. (We were hoping for some Dan dan noodles like the ones we ate at SFO but alas, we were out of luck.)

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Inside the Oasis Lounge at New York-JFK's Terminal 4

Where: JFK International Airport [map], New York , NY, United States
February 6, 2012 at 10:24 AM | by | Comments (2)

So you're flying Business Class on the Singapore Airlines A380? Or maybe you're heading out in business class on any of the other airlines that call JFK Terminal 4 home, among them Aer Lingus. After checking in for your flight but before heading through security, you'll be directed to chill in the Oasis Lounge on the mezzanine above the main hubbub of the terminal.

On your walk over to the lounge, you'll see the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (don't get too jealous; it's going to be replaced by an even better Clubhouse soon) and you'll pass near the four prayer rooms of JFK. That's about the end of the excitement, however, as the Oasis Lounge is pretty standard lounge fare with the exception of free booze and stellar views of the tarmac.

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Two Minutes of Time-Lapse from a Hall at Houston Airport

Where: JFK International Airport [map], New York, NY, United States
January 30, 2012 at 10:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

While we freely admit that when it comes to airport time-lapse videos, ones of airplanes zipping around that tarmac are definitely our favorite. Recently, however, YouTube user Ross Johnson, aka Tumbles94—whose tilt-shift videos from Frankfurt Airport featured before—turned his camera inside an airport to capture the bustle of a busy terminal.

Travelers toting carry-ons and last-minute purchases in plastic bags littler the scene. Ross had some nerve sitting in the middle of a busy hall at Houston-George Bush International's Terminal E for 30 minutes, capturing all this.

We love it for what it reveals about the average traveler on (mostly) Continental Airlines flights from IAH: the vast majority are solo travelers, with duos here and there. Many men wear "dad jeans," but few ever stop and look lost. Cameos from the golf cart!

Enjoy. (And thanks again to Ross Johnson for spending his layovers taking these vids!)

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American Airlines Shows Off Upcoming New Seats Via Instagram

January 30, 2012 at 8:45 AM | by | Comments (0)

Last week we told you about the slurry of airlines using this year to refresh their aircraft cabins and service. Not a few days later, American Airlines dropped some major news as well, and they supplemented it with Instagram shots of the goods.

AA will take delivery of their first Boeing 777-300ER late this year and, from photos posted on Instagram last week, the big birds will look pretty flash on the inside. Since the airline is the first US carrier to take delivery of the shiny, new aircraft type, the introduction will surely be huge.

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Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380: The Little Things

January 26, 2012 at 3:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

1. The Grand Tour
2. The Singapore Girls
3. Eating (and drinking) all the way to Singapore
 4. Everything you ever wanted to know about Business Class
5. Design details

Reaching the end of our series on flying the Singapore Airlines A380, it's time to look back and well...just look closer.

Paying attention to the design details means that the airlines will have to pay attention to them as well. And, let's face it, when recounting a particularly great flight, you'll utter a sentence something like this: "Oh, it was so nice...I slept and ate well and they had [detail], [detail] and [detail]!" Personally for us—on the SQ A380—we'd fill those spots with "Givenchy linens," "the cutest stackable salt & pepper shakers," and "an onboard sommelier."

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Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380: All About Business Class

Where: Singapore
January 25, 2012 at 11:04 AM | by | Comments (0)

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

1. The Grand Tour
2. The Singapore Girls
3. Eating (and drinking) all the way to Singapore
 4. Everything you ever wanted to know about Business Class
5. Design details

First, let us begin by saying that although we flew this baby in biz, we would absolutely go for it in economy as well. Or in Suites Class? You know the answer to that question. Still, Singapore Airlines is known for their business class product—there's the leather seats so wide two people can comfortably sit and chat, the Givenchy china and linens, the flight attendants who greet you by name even when you're away from 25D, and (of course) the fact that they blow other airlines' First Class out of the water. We're just stating facts here.

And actually, it's this better-than-first-class-business-class on Singapore which makes the JFK-FRA-SIN route so famous among frequent flyers. Sure, there are other airline options for flying from New York to Frankfurt, but if you can expense it or redeem miles, business on SQ is typically top choice among those who know about these things.

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Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380: In-Flight Dining and Drinking

January 23, 2012 at 4:36 PM | by | Comments (0)

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

1. The Grand Tour
2. The Singapore Girls
3. Eating (and drinking) all the way to Singapore
 4. Everything you ever wanted to know about Business Class
5. Design details

One time we actually attempted to cook a recipe straight from the Singapore Airlines cookbook. We're amateurs, but after watching the firsthand preparation of a service previously, we had some confidence. Truth be told, what we accomplished on land in a large kitchen will never equal what's enjoyed by passengers at 37,000 feet.

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Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380: The Iconic Singapore Girl

January 20, 2012 at 5:14 PM | by | Comments (0)

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

1. The Grand Tour
2. The Singapore Girls
3. Eating (and drinking) all the way to Singapore
4. Everything you ever wanted to know about Business Class
5. Design details

This is how you usually spot The Singapore Girl: whizzing through an airport in a swirl of color, turning heads with her poise, polite smile and designer luggage. And then, just like that, The Singapore Girl has vanished beyond the security check and you're left wondering...who is she? where is she off to next? how does she keep her figure?

Naturally there are answers to all these questions, some of which we've discovered over the last few days in Singapore, both from flying for 20+ hours with them on the inaugural Singapore Airlines A380 flight on the route JFK - FRA - SIN and from visiting the official SIA Training Facility near Changi Airport.

Spoiler alert: The Singapore Girl keeps her figure thanks to "extracurricular activities..."

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Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380: The Grand Tour

January 19, 2012 at 3:38 PM | by | Comments (4)

On Monday, January 16, the massive Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 took off on its inaugural flight for the epic route JFK - FRA - SIN. This is flight number SQ 25, and we'll be sharing tons of details and photos from it for the next several days.

The Jaunted Singapore A380 Series:

1. The Grand Tour
2. The Singapore Girl
3. Eating (and drinking) all the way to Singapore
4. Everything you ever wanted to know about Business Class
5. Design details

We're going to be totally straight with you; jetting off into the sky onboard an Airbus A380 makes our eyes well up a bit. No, it's not quite tears, but it is being overwhelmed by the thoughts surrounding what exactly is happening right then. It's the fact that one can be cozy in an engineering masterpiece, a double-decker airplane, which can lift off from the ground as gracefully as any tiny aircraft and then manage to fly to places it once took weeks of travel to reach by uncomfortable boat.

On this route, the famous SQ 25 running New York-JFK to Frankfurt to Singapore, Singapore Airlines has now traded the 747 for this fresh A380, an upgrade on every level and totally deserved by passengers who spend over 20 hours traveling on it. Just before zipping away on this first run, we quickly snooped around the plane, peeking into all the leather-lined nooks and meticulously clean crannies to discover just why the Singapore A380s have been causing a hubbub since debuting in 2007.

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Virgin Australia: Now with Sexy, Sexy Business Class

Where: Australia
January 18, 2012 at 11:40 AM | by | Comments (0)

Last time we checked in with the happenings of Aussie aviation, Virgin Australia was opening up new lounges all over their network, repainting planes and re-branding airports. It seems, however, that they may have saved that best for last. This week was the official launch of Virgin's business class cabin across their entire fleet of Boeing 737s and Airbus 330s.

Rewind to April 2011, when Virgin Australia was still Virgin Blue, and very busy refreshing itself to become a new airline capable of going head-to-head with rival, Qantas. Since the collapse of Ansett in 2001, Qantas has been the sole player in the domestic business class market. Fast forward to now, where Virgin Australia is sparkly and shiny, and has eliminated their low-cost model to become a premium airline contender.

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How to Follow Us on Singapore Airlines' First A380 Flight from New York-JFK

January 16, 2012 at 5:59 PM | by | Comments (0)


Our first glimpse of the A380 at JFK, hiding behind the Aer Lingus jet

We type this from the bowels of the Oasis Lounge at New York-JFK Terminal 4, where the WiFi is achingly slow and our fingers jitter from a combo of excitement and the cold air leaking in.

Tonight marks the first scheduled departure of a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 from JFK, and we'll be onboard...on flight SQ 25 all the way from New York to Frankfurt International, and on to Singapore-Changi International.

Although we'll be flying above your head for the next 22-ish hours, the fun doesn't have to stop. Quite the contrary! Here's how to follow along for all our hot and bothered Singapore A380 excitement:

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