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How to Catch a Baggage Thief: An Interview with an Airport Good Samaritan

Where: JFK International Airport [map], New York, NY, United States
July 14, 2010 at 2:33 PM | by JetSetCD | 1 Comment

Did you check your bag onto a flight only to find that it didn't arrive with you and—horror of horrors—it's gone completely missing? Unfortunately, baggage theft at airports is problem and the issue hit home this week for our frequent traveling friend Dan S., who not only recently lost a bag but who caught a JFK Airport janitor red-handed stealing bags and had him arrested.

We were thirsty for the whole dramatic story, and Dan was nice enough to take a few minutes out from jetting around the country to answer our questions, so enjoy:

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Qantas' CEO Alan Joyce Raves to US About Their A380s

June 11, 2010 at 10:53 AM | by EricRosen | 0 Comments

A funny story for you: while we were at the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) in Adelaide last week, we had a chance to talk with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce regarding the airline's decision to invest in so many new A380’s, along with what new services Qantas passengers can look forward to soon. We also didn't neglect to inquire about just what makes those first class “suites” (don’t call them seats) so darn expensive!

Though he runs an airline that is practically synonymous with Australia, Joyce is actually an Irishman, and he appeared at ATE, Australia’s major annual travel convention, to make two major announcements in his charming native brogue. Here there are:

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'The Points Guy' Shares His Secrets for Maximum Frequent Flyer Miles

May 24, 2010 at 5:00 PM | by EricRosen | 0 Comments

A few weeks ago, we dished over at HotelChatter about our friend Brian Kelly, who successfully made a transition from lowly desk jockey to jetsetting superhero with the Ryan Bingham-esque moniker, The Points Guy. He dished on the best hotel reward points programs, told us which ones to avoid, and shared his favorite tricks for getting suite upgrades.

This week, we queried him on airline loyalty programs to discover his picks of the moment, where he sees the industry trending in general, and what you, the average traveler, can do to fly business class while everyone else is getting stuck in coach. Here’s what he had to say.

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What a Continental Pilot Told Us Over Drinks in Punta Cana

May 10, 2010 at 10:45 AM | by JetSetCD | 1 Comment

So something funny happened to us on our brief field trip to Punta Cana, DR this past weekend. A pilot for Continental Airlines bought us a drink in the lobby of the hotel and made with the flirty chit-chat, but soon found this pretty girl only interested in grilling him about his thoughts on the airline industry and the coming merger with United.

He surprisingly knew his stuff in regards to the merger, and it was quite refreshing to see the business through the eyes of one who'll be directly affected by it. So what does a Continental pilot think of everything from the new livery to the safety of his job? Find out, after the jump

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How 'Travel Tuesday' Took Over Twitter: Katy of 'Where I've Been' Talks

April 20, 2010 at 4:37 PM | by JetSetCD | 1 Comment

Today is not just any Tuesday. It's our favorite date of the week, because it's known as #TravelTuesday on Twitter, where thousands and thousands of people trade travel tips, stories and search for help in planning their own journeys. This day marks the one-year anniversary of Travel Tuesday, a mini-movement begun by Katy Lynch, the Community Manager at Where I've Been.

You might know Katy—and Where I've Been—already, especially if you've added their popular map app onto your Facebook, MySpace, or bebo pages, or if you follow her @whereivebeen on Twitter. Managing over 9 million fans, Katy has her hands full, but she made time for us this week to sit down and chat about her favorite destinations and what made Travel Tuesday such a runaway hit. Where I've Been is based in Chicago, so we went for smoothies at the John Hancock Center.

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Virgin America Going to Mexico and More? :: Our Chat With CEO David Cush

March 18, 2010 at 11:14 AM | by JetSetCD | 4 Comments


Best photo of Cush ever?

We weren't the only ones waking up early this morning, anxiously awaiting the now-released news that Virgin America is adding routes from SFO and LAX to Orlando and Toronto this summer; Virgin America CEO David Cush was up bright and early too, and he gave us a call to see how we were taking the news that our favorite city for a new route—Vancouver—didn't win...yet.

While chatting wtih Cush, we learned some exclusive new details about Virgin America's plans not only for the rest of 2010, but on into 2011 as well. And things might get a little more international than just Toronto...

Find out what's in store for Virgin America, after the jump

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Virgin America Will Begin Flying to Toronto and Orlando This Summer

March 18, 2010 at 8:03 AM | by JetSetCD | 8 Comments

Who wants to hear some awesome news this morning? Alright, then! Virgin America, the sexy domestic carrier that's all about free in-flight wifi, mood lightning and actual good food onboard, just announced the new routes that they'll be flying with six new aircraft this year. This summer, Virgin America will begin flying to Toronto and Orlando direct from LAX and SFO. They are Virgin "America," after all, and not "Virgin USA," so it's time for a little expanded continent love. Now let's talk timeline...

The first new move will happen when Virgin America goes over the border to land at Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) with daily flights from LAX and SFO as early as June! We gave Toronto a 60% chance of being their new spot in our betting pool, but imagine Vancouver would beat it to being their first Canadian destination. Guess not! Virgin America is now daydreaming about shopping at Eaton Centre and walking on the glass floor at the top of the CN Tower, apparently.

Also arriving this summer is a destination we didn't see coming, because Virgin already flies to Fort Lauderdale. They'll be kicking in to Orlando-MCO on August 19 and tickets are already on sale at virginamerica.com—perhaps to shuttle in west coasters for a taste of the opening season of Universal Studios' new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park? Perhaps! But then everyone just likes to go to Florida, so the move makes sense.

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From Famous Kitchens to the Skies: How Singapore Airlines Develops Their Menus

Where: 12 East 12th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10003
February 8, 2010 at 1:26 PM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Porcini-crusted sea scallop with black trumpet mushrooms, yellowfoot chanterelles, leek, roman cauliflower and a frothy white wine reduction topper: that is what you are eating 39,000 feet up on a Singapore Airlines flight. And that's just the appetizer.

On Friday, we had the opportunity to stand back and observe as Chef Alfred Portale of New York City's Gotham Bar & Grill reviewed his newest menu for Singapore Airlines with the airline's chefs. This is their bi-annual tasting session, when the chefs trade ideas on in-flight presentation and preparation of some thirty meals that Portale has devised for the airline's US flights.

Curious to see exactly what the process is for creating an in-flight menu, especially one for the precise and exacting tastes of the passengers who fly in First and Business Class on Singapore, we took plenty notes and pictures as Portale and the Singapore chefs taste-tested an appetizer, an entree and two desserts from the upcoming summer menu. See the goodies after the jump!

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What To Expect From Virgin America In 2010 :: We Chat With CEO David Cush

December 11, 2009 at 12:57 PM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

This morning, Virgin America released their third quarter financials, and things look on the up-and-up for the young low cost carrier with a sexy side. However, we're still anxious for them to draw more lines on their route map so that in-flight WiFi and mood lighting are options for travelers around the country. Plus, it's been a few months since we talked with them.

Hungry for any information on when we can expect new destinations, we gave VA CEO David Cush a call to talk about Christmas plans, Vegas' hotness, 2010 hopes, and of course Chicago. Read on to hear Cush's take on the future of Virgin America.

On the desire to add flights Chicago:
It seems like Virgin America has had the roughest time with cracking slots at Chicago's O'Hare airport, and yet Cush is optimistic that Chicago will be Virgin America's next destination: "We're still focused on Chicago as our next city; we'll be securing four new aircraft in the second quarter of 2010, with 2-to-3 of those allotted for Chicago."

On plans for cities after Chicago...

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What You Missed When Travel Media Took Over Tribeca Last Night

December 4, 2009 at 8:57 AM | by JetSetCD | 7 Comments

Last night in New York City, the best and the brightest in travel media got together at the 92Y Tribeca to discuss the ever-changing world of online travel and how social media is changing the way travel is bought, sold, reviewed and experienced.

It was a pretty packed house to hear our panelists speak; we had Matt Gross, aka the Frugal Traveler at the NYT, Bowen Payson, Manager of Online and Digital Marketing, and Adam Wallace, New Media Director for Roger Smith Hotel in addition to the founder of this here site and our sister sites HotelChatter and VegasChatter.

So what did you miss? Well, finding out how sexy we are, for one, and the opportunity to check out our hunky panelists. Kidding! Not really. Maybe! Anyway...

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Talking Trends And Cheap Trips With LastMinuteTravel.com

November 9, 2009 at 11:46 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

When you're gearing up to hit the web and book a trip, or at least search for airfares and daydream, what travel booking site is your go-to bookmark? We've been known to use Priceline for rental cars, Kayak and CheapOair for airfare, and a myriad of sites for hotel rooms. Sure, we could stick with one and use it for everything, but each site seems to have its own specialty and they often differ in terms of cancellation policies, booking fees and the like.

So to help sort out the major differences in booking sites, we got our mitts on Lauren Volcheff, Director of Marketing over at LastMinuteTravel.com. To listen to the two major factors that LMT has going on versus other sites, check out the video above (pardon the hot jazz background--a hotel lobby isn't always the best meeting room). Still, we also gossiped a bit about travel trends.

Our chat with LastMinuteTravel.com, after the jump.

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What Andrew Zimmern Thinks About In-Flight WiFi

October 27, 2009 at 9:14 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Why is Andrew Zimmern's favorite flight the one to Tokyo? This is just one of the many questions we asked the chef, author and Travel Channel show host when we caught up with him at the Travel Channel and Chase Sapphire card party at the Top of the Rock in New York. The answer to that of course, is because the flight to Tokyo is a string of uninterrupted hours of calm. But what we're more interested in right now is one of the hottest topics in aviation today, and that's the issue of In-Flight WiFi.

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