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Six US Airports for Stalking the Airbus A380

Korean Air and Lufthansa A380s snuggle up at JFK Terminal 1

Look, if you're an airport and you want to have the superjumbo Airbus A380 flying in and out, you can't just be like "hey, airlines, bring that big thang on over." Nope. Instead certain preparations must be made to accommodate an airliner of the A380's size and heft. To effectively manage each plane's 500+ passenger load, more jetways are needed, plus support vehicles to reach the upper deck. In some cases, airport runway indicator lights may need to be moved and the tarmac reinforced.

In other words, A380s can't just fly anywhere and, although the massive planes have been in the air since Singapore Airlines took delivery of the very first in 2007, not all that many airports around the world are treated to them. At least some of those are the United States...

US airports where you'll find A380s:

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Airline News / IAD / ORD / United / Continental / Airlines / Airline Mergers / → All Tags

Even More Planes Move to IAH as the United-Continental Merger Continues

We already knew that they have new signs and new advertisements, and this week brings even more news in the United-Continental merger. Things continue to chug along until the day when the airline will operate is one big happy family—that’s supposed to be like the middle of next year—but until then, there’s going to plenty of small steps to help them get there.

One thing that has arrived at plenty of airports—as in like 80 or so—is new software for the Continental and United airport kiosks. Plenty of airports will now let you check into your flight from either airport counter, but just don’t call United to flip out about your Continental flight being delayed. The telephone systems and other reservation technology are far from being integrated.

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Travel Rants / Lost Luggage / DCA / CLT / IAD / LAX / Travel Hell / US Airways / American Airlines / Luggage / Baggage / Airline Hell / Checked Baggage / → All Tags

Travel Rant: US Airways' Incandescent Incompetence with a Single Checked Luggage

Some old school US Airways planes

Who doesn't love a good travel rant? Well we're here to make you day with a sweet little rant from Jaunted writer Omri, who had the pleasure of checking a bag and having it lost in transit. It sucks, sure, but then it became a nightmare. Now let's get to the ranting...

Welcome to Part I of our two-part series on the borderline comedic but mindblowingly frustrating experience we're having with US Airways. Last Sunday they were supposed to get us from Washington DC to Los Angeles on a couple of morning flights, with everything being wrapped up by about 10am. Fast forward to 7:30pm Sunday night and we've gone through four flights at three airports on two airlines, all over 14 hours...and the airline lost our luggage. The emphasis is on lost because—had they merely delayed our luggage—we wouldn't need two different posts to peel back the many layers of airline incompetence on display.

But we do need two posts, because this has been such a learning experience and—if we here at Jaunted are about anything—we're all about learning. So today we'll go over what happened and the things we learned about the airports we "visited." And on Friday we'll dive into our in-depth investigation of their baggage recovery policy, complete with stonewalling by US Airway's press people. Preview: outsourcing baggage recovery services to India is fun for everyone, except anyone who loses baggage.

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Snowpocalypse 2010 / Winter Travel / New York Travel / New York / DCA / IAD / JFK / EWR / LGA / PHL / BOS / Airports / Travel News / Delays / → All Tags

Snowpocalypse! East Coast Blizzard Causes Epic Shutdown

We thought Midwest (not to mention UK) air traffic two weeks ago was a total mess, and that things couldn't get much worse. Turns out we called that putt a little too early. If you're reading this right now, you're not suffering power outages like the 60,000 people in Massachusetts or the 16,000 people in New York or the 2,300 people in Rhode Island or the 40,000 people in Canada. So congratulations on that we suppose.

You're also not reading this from a New York airport, since those have been shut since last night. JFK, EWR, and LGA aren't projected to reopen until 4pm EST today, at which point they will have been offline for about about 24 hours each. That shouldn't be a problem, since it's not like a lot of people live in that region or like this was a weekend where lots of people were vacationing.

Ditto for the wave of airport cancellations that hit all three DC airports, plus Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia, etc etc. Amtrak between New York and Boston is also shut down, so if you were desperately hoping to get to Logan and take the train into New York—which you probably couldn't do anyway—that won't work either.

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Airfare Deals / Turkey Travel / Istanbul Travel / Turkish Airlines / IAD / IST / LAX / → All Tags

$751 All-in on Turkish Airlines Direct to Istanbul. You In?

Every so often, we go through serious destination crushes, and we bet you do too. When it was summer in New York City, we were all about looking up airfares to Iceland, but now that it's cold and getting dreary, the exotic entrances. Which means that we've got our eye on Istanbul, and umm yea we're totally going to spend the weekend wasting hours on Wikipedia pages and Netflix documentaries about the city's history and landmarks. Or we could just book a flight and be done with it. That could also happen.

Luckily for travelers who also need a serious escape, Turkish Airlines just launched a sweet fare sale to coincide with the beginning of direct flights between Washington DC, Los Angeles and Istanbul. If you book before December 31 and travel before March 31, 2011, then flights on the DC route are $751 including taxes & fees and $999 on the LA route, same deal.

It's almost as good as that mindblowing Lufthansa sale that ended last week, but with the Turkish Airlines flights, you don't have to switch planes in Germany. These are direct, baby!

Here are all the details on the flights, and we'll (maybe) see you at the Blue Mosque.

[Photo: Bulent-LtBaSpotter]

JetBlue / LGB / IAD / LAX / AYCJ 2010 / AYCJ / → All Tags

AYCJ 2010 Begins to Wind Down

In an effort to avoid a repeat of the insane disaster from our last AYCJ 2010 trip, which involved what ought to have been a straightforward IAD to JFK to LAX itinerary, we booked a direct flight between IAD and LGB last Thursday. Sure Long Beach is a lot farther from Jaunted's Los Angeles HQ than is LAX, and sure the drive is that much more annoying.

But as we pulled into the gate into the quaint aviation-related outpost that is LGB, the CNN feed on JetBlue's wonderful Direct TV announced that there were five-hour delays at JFK because of the torrential downpour. Suddenly the extra drive seemed kind of charming. Veritably scenic, in fact.

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Airports / Cigarettes / Smoking / Airport News / CVG / TPA / DEN / IAD / ATL / → All Tags

Five US Airports That Still Have Smoking Lounges

We’re not here to give you a lecture on what’s best for your health, as we realize after a stressful flight the only way to make things better might be with a cigarette. Smoking is a big no-no at most airports across the US, but there are still some where smoke in the terminal doesn’t require a police investigation. Here are five airport smoking lounges where you can still light up:

· Denver International Airport:
Colorado seems like a pretty healthy place, but they still have a spot for cigarette smoking at the airport. Don't hesitate to bum a smoke off a fellow passenger at The Aviator's Club on the west side of Jeppesen Terminal. If that’s not convenient for your layover, there’s the Mesa Verde smoking lounge within the A gates on the mezzanine level of the airport. The B gates have a smoking lounge as well, and the Smokin’ Bear—awesome—is located in the center of the C gates. Just keep track of time if you decide to try out more than one lounge, as your flight is not going to wait.

· Tampa International Airport:
Airports in Florida have the best smoking areas in the United States, as they usually have outside options so you can get some kind of fresh air at the same time as you ruin your lungs. We’ll pick Tampa International Airport as the best, since it boasts observation decks that double as smoking lounges on the airside of A, C, E and F. There are plenty of benches and ashtrays to make you more comfortable, as well as plenty of taxiing airplanes to check out. Although we're non-smokers, we kind of want to check this one out on or next trip to the Sunshine State.

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After 15 Years, Washington-Dulles Airport Has a Working Aerotrain

We’re kind of looking forward to our next layover at Washington-Dulles. It’s a little strange to say that, but we want to check out their shiny new underground trains. The AeroTrain has been a work in progress for almost 15 years, but a couple weeks ago construction finished and passengers hopped aboard.

In the past, the airport has been using those mobile lounges things—which we like solely because of their history. However, in practice the old buses didn’t really do too well or offer too much convenience. We’re thinking that most travelers won’t be shedding any tears over their departure, and will be looking forward to gliding to the next concourse at about 40mph.

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Airports / T5 at JFK / T2 at RDU / ORD / SEA / LAS / IAD / → All Tags

Why Are Passengers Footing The Bill For All These Shiny, New Terminals?

Chicago O'Hare, Washington Dulles and Seattle-Tacoma are all paving new runways. The airport in Detroit just opened a new terminal, as did JetBlue, of course, with its long-awaited T5 at JFK (pictured). Since airlines seem to perpetually do the exact opposite of what’s good for them, we have to wonder whether pouring money into cushier digs on the ground really improves the process of flying for those who matter: Us.

Since congestion seems to be easing on its own, what with the increasing popularity of the delusional "staycation," it seems a bit frivolous for struggling airlines to continually unveil glistening, futuristic new terminals every few months. Passengers end up paying for these sweeping structures filled with interlocking corrugated iron and panoramic views of the tarmac. Whereas landing fees were less than $5 per ticket a few years ago, now they’re up to about $8. At the airport in St. Louis, with one of the most underused terminals anywhere, passengers end up paying an extra $13.

Executives at Southwest Airlines, which slowed its terminal expansions in the late 1990s, are particularly critical of the trend. Bob Montgomery, Southwest's VP of Properties, argued that the third terminal planned for McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas will basically screw over struggling consumers with unnecessary fees. The projects are "spending other people's money," added the company’s CEO, Gary Kelly. You tell ‘em, Gary.

Related Stories:
· US Airports Grow Apace, but the Timing Seems Off [IHT]
· New Terminals Travel: A Sneak Peak at T2 at RDU [Jaunted]
· New Detroit Terminal React-O-Matic [Jaunted]

[Photo: interpolactic]

JetBlue / Airfare Sales / Airfare Deals / IAD / → All Tags

Marketing Stunt Travel: JetBlue's New Dulles Sale

JetBlue continues to lead the pack in original ways to convince recession-era passengers to spend their last couple dollars on a flight. First it was eBay ticket auctions; now it's a ticket sale-slash-happy hour for DC-area travelers.

The catch--and it's a big one--is that you have to trek out to Northern Virginia for an afternoon to see what fares are being offered. And of course you have to fly from Dulles. But if you're in desperate need of a last-minute fall Florida trip, it might be worth the time.

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Architecture / Architecture Travel / Eero Saarinen / Eero-Saarinen-Travel-Map / IAD / → All Tags

Eero Saarinen Travel: Leaving on a Jet Plane

If you've been paying attention, then you would know that our architect of the week, Eero Saarinen, designed the TWA terminal at JFK that's soon to become JetBlue's flagship hub. But did you know that Saarinen also designed the main terminal at Washington Dulles International Airport?

He did! And we like it, even if some people don't. Designed by Saarinen in 1958 and dedicated by President Kennedy in 1962, the airport was the first to be specifically created for the jet age. In fact, some design elements such as extended runways were created in hopes of a future for IAD as a spaceport. Although that hasn't happened yet, the design supposedly inspired the construction of the airport in Taipei.

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Celeb Travel / Vanessa Hudgens / Airport Photo Shoots / IAD / → All Tags

Vanessa Hudgens Doesn't Need Your SmarteCarte

If you don't know who Vanessa Hudgens is, congratulations! You're probably old enough to drive. But the "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2" star is famous with teens and tweens everywhere. Too bad none of them were around yesterday as she flew out of Washington Dulles Airport, carrying everything and the kitchen sink (including her teddy bear).

If you missed her at the airport, you can catch Hudgens on the "High School Musical 2" DVD out today or performing in TNT's "Christmas in Washington" special alongside "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee and Ne-Yo.

Related Stories:
· Vanessa Hudgens: Bye-Bye Washington! [Just Jared]
· Airport Photo Shoot: The Ashley Tisdale Collection Debuts at LAX [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Just Jared]