Jaunted

Space Shuttle / NASA / New York City / Museum Travel / Enterprise / → All Tags

Construction Begins on the Hurricane Sandy-Damaged Space Shuttle 'Enterprise' Pavilion

The new enclosure, in progress

It opened to the public on July 19, 2012. It closed only a few months after, in late October, when Hurricane Sandy swept through New York City and, well, huffed and puffed and blew its house down. We're speaking of the Space Shuttle Enterprise on the Intrepid aircraft carrier, of course, and the latest image showing progress on the reconstruction of the exhibit hints at exciting things to come.

Compare the construction of the new structure (above) to the old tent-like one (below). First observation? It's not a tent! Hallelujah, break out the champagne because now the exhibit may actually have a chance of surviving the next huge storm to hit NYC (knock on wood). Secondly, we notice increased space. Perhaps the single staircase to view the nose of the shuttle (through scratched plexi glass, mind you) will mercifully be replaced by an actual viewing platform? And perhaps it won't all feel like some temproary, low-budget exhibition, which is definitely is not.

more ›

Hurricane Sandy / Frankenstorm 2012 / Hurricanes / Delays / Weather / Airports / Airport News / Space Shuttle / Enterprise / → All Tags

Even the Space Shuttle Couldn't Escape the Force of Hurricane Sandy

Commercial airplanes may have escaped damage from Hurricane Sandy by canceling flights early enough on Sunday and Monday to get themselves off the east coast tarmacs to safer (and mostly warmer) climes, but one bird that's no longer able to fly sat scarily exposed on the deck of the Intrepid Museum aircraft carrier, floating in the Hudson River at Manhattan's west side docks.

She's the NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise, and though Sandy seems to have spared her dock-neighbor, the British Airways Concorde G-BOAD, the spacecraft didn't fare so nicely.

more ›

Rental Cars / Cars / Dangerous Travel / Road Trip Travel / Avis / Dollar / Thrifty / Hertz / Budget / Alamo / National / Enterprise / → All Tags

Rental Car Companies Finally Forced to Do Right Thing about Recalled Cars

There’s been an on-and-off battle over recalled rental cars for quite some time, one which has been in and out of the new for at least the last few years. Basically, car rental companies haven’t been doing their best when it comes to pulling recalled cars off the lot or sending them in for the necessary repairs. Obviously this isn’t a good idea, and that’s especially the case when it results in injuries, accidents, or other bad stuff.

Obviously there’s certain rules and regulations that have to be followed, but the basic premise is that rental car companies need to yank recalled cars off their lots as soon as possible. The new legislation requires the companies to stop renting out vehicles no later than 24 hours after getting the official recall notice, but the time period stretches up to 48 hours if the recall affects more than 5,000 cars within their garage.

more ›

Alaska Airlines / Travel News / Airline News / Enterprise / Washington Travel / Wine Travel / Booze Travel / → All Tags

Pack Up and Drink Up: Alaska Airlines to Check Wine for Free

Vineyards and wineries just haven’t been the same ever since liquids at the airport became illegal contraband. Sure you could always check your souvenir bottles, but there’s always those pesky baggage fees—not to mention you need to pack it up all snug and tight. Alaska Airlines isn’t going to pack your bags for you, but if you’re flying out of certain cities they’ll be happy to check all your wine bottles and they’ll do it for free.

As part of a clever tourism campaign known as “Taste and Tote,” Alaska Airlines will be offering to check one case of wine at no charge to its passengers. Participating airports are in Washington State and include spots like Walla Walla, Yakima, and Pasco/Tri-Cities.

more ›

Rental Cars / Enterprise / Green Travel / Electric Cars / Cars / → All Tags

Enterprise Will Be Your First Shot at Scoring a Chevy Volt Rental Car

If you’re dreaming of going green with your next car rental you might get your wish by the end of the month. Keys to the Chevrolet Volt are just beginning to fall into the hands of drivers across the country, and that means that rental car companies are also getting to spend some time behind the wheel.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is putting out the claim that they’re going to be the first to offer the Volt as a daily and weekly rental car before February rolls around. Just don’t expect be able to pick one up at your neighborhood airport or rental office, as it looks like the very first Volts will be arriving at Enterprise's Mark Christopher Auto Center in Ontario, California. It sounds like they’re already hard at work installing the new charging stations, so reserve your spot in line now!

more ›

Rental Cars / National Rental Car / Enterprise / Hertz / Travel News / Cars / → All Tags

Hit the Rented Road: The Country's Best Rental Car Companies

If you’re less than enthused about waiting in security lines for your chance at a free frisking, then driving to your holiday dinner table might be an option. Since you’ll be battling against other holiday travelers along the country’s interstates, it might be worth choosing a rental car. Just ensure you pop for the optional insurance, and you’ll be worry free as you block other cars from merging into your lane as you spread a little bit of holiday cheer.

There are so many different companies offering their vehicles to the masses, but JD Power and Associates has just released their picks for the best companies in the country according to customer satisfaction. This year Enterprise Rent-A-Car—they’re the ones that will pick you up—came out on top. One of our personal favorites, National Rental Car—we always get a thrill about picking our own car through their Emerald club—came in second. National, along with Alamo, are owned by their big rental car brothers over at Enterprise.

more ›

Rental Cars / Enterprise / Electric Cars / Green Travel / Cars / Road Trips / → All Tags

Electric Cars Are Coming To An Enterprise Rent-A-Car Near You

Car rental companies have been promising the electric slide at the rental car aisle for many months now, and now it looks like another vehicle will be making an appearance next year. Enterprise is teaming up with CODA Automotive to put about 100 of the all-electric automobiles into the hands of everyone from the crunchy-granola-type to those in business suits.

These new cars might not have the same brand recognition of the forthcoming Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt, but they definitely know how to do their thing for quite a bit of time without a need to swing by the pumps. Full charges usually take around six hours, but if you’re short on time, just two hours on the charger will result in a 40-mile range.

more ›

Rental Cars / Cars / Enterprise / Green Travel / Travel News / → All Tags

Enterprise Rental Car Gets Charged Up over the Nissan Leaf

If you’re trying to save the earth but still can’t stand the thought of using public transportation on your next trip, give Enterprise car rental a call. Besides offering to pick you up, they’ll also sign you up for an electric vehicle. The rental car firm plans to offer up plenty of Nissan Leaf cars starting early next year.

By January 2011, the rental car company will have signed the papers on 500 of the eco-chic cars, and eventually they’ll thrown down the cash to get some other alternative vehicles from other manufacturers. We’re thinking that means the Chevy Volt, but we’ll have to wait and see.

more ›

Rental Cars / Cars / Enterprise / Alamo / National Rental Car / Travel Safety / → All Tags

Check That Rental Car for Recalls Before Driving Away

Yet again, this has been a year stuffed with auto recalls, a notable one being those pesky Toyotas with over-aggressive gas pedals. But now that it seems like the hysteria has died down and cars are getting fixed, we have more bad news: apparently no one has been reminding the rental car companies to bring their vehicles into the shop for a checkup.

ABC News was doing a little bit of investigative journalism, and they discovered that companies like Enterprise, National, and Alamo rent out cars under safety recalls prior to them being fixed. The car company shared this little secret during a court case in California that involved the death of two women due to a malfunctioning PT Cruiser. In one affidavit, an Enterprise manager pretty much said that if there is demand, the cars are rented out regardless of any safety issues.

more ›

Rental Cars / Cars / Travel News / Hertz / Enterprise / Alamo / Green Travel / → All Tags

Hybrid Rental Car Prices Will Take You for a Ride

When we look to score a rental car these days, there’s pretty much only one major factor—price. Sure comfort and coolness are high on the list, but as tempting as that Michael Scott-style Sebring convertible is, we just don’t want to pay the extra $20 per day to enjoy the wind in our hair. The same is true for hybrid cars, because apparently they are fetching quite the premium.

The New York Times has been checking out hybrid rental options in the San Francisco area, and they found that the eco-friendly vehicles could be marked up between 30 and 70 percent. It’s not just one car company either, as Hertz, Alamo, and Enterprise were all guilty of green-gouging potential customers.

more ›

Rental Cars / Hertz / Alamo / Enterprise / Florida Travel / Cars / → All Tags

Rental Cars for $3 a Day? Yes, If You'll Drive Them Out of Florida

If you missed your flight out of Florida due to a little much fun on spring break—don’t worry—you can still get home, but you’ll have to drive. There’s too many rental cars in Florida right now, and companies like Hertz, Alamo, and Enterprise want their cars elsewhere across the country. That’s why they’re offering deals to rent cars, and return them anywhere besides The Sunshine State.

Fly into any city in Florida and plan your own road trip back to where you call home. Alamo is offering rental car rates as low as $10 a day for a mid-size or compact car, and you can keep the car for up to 21 days. Just rent between April 5 and May 21 and return the car by the end of May. Apparently Alamo is allowing a return at any location around the continental US as long as it’s outside of Florida.

more ›

Rental Cars / Cars / Driving / Hertz / Avis / Enterprise / Zipcar / → All Tags

Toyota Recall Means You Might Not Have A Rental Car

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Toyota is having a little bit of trouble with many of their cars. Sticky accelerator pedals are the main problem, and the car maker is busy issuing a recall whilst figuring out how to fix this big issue. Most rental car companies have at least some Toyota vehicles in their fleets, and now companies are pulling them from the lots as they try to ensure that travelers stay safe.

Last week Hertz, Enterprise, and Avis announced that they’d be pulling affected Toyota models from their fleets. The Pontiac Vibe shares many similarities to certain Toyota models, and this car will be taken out of the mix as well. Hertz is chatting with Toyota to work things out, and they’re looking to get things fixed as soon as possible. Avis is pulling about 20,000 vehicles, and Enterprise admits that this recall might cause some limited availability.

more ›