Jaunted

Travel Contest / Space Travel / KLM / Space Expedition Corporation / Space Miles / → All Tags

Awesome Contest Alert: Win a $95,000 Space Flight from KLM

On April 22, KLM will launch a high-altitude balloon from the Nevada desert. It's all Felix Baumgartner-style, but instead of a capsule containing a person, the balloon will instead lift a capsule containing a ticket to space...to be won by you.

Enter to win on their official site, but give yourself a couple minutes to complete the process. Just as with space flight, it's not as simple as it seems.

First, there's a snazzy intro animation to the entire project, after which you must predict the max height the balloon will reach and how far it will travel from its launch point. We just did it, and there's no point in keeping your choice a secret since each altitude & drift combination is unique. As in, no one else can choose your same altitude & drift guess. If the balloon comes closest to that bit of space you've virtually claimed, then you win the Grand Prize of a flight to space on the SXC Lynx, a trip worth $95,000.

more ›

KLM / Airlines / Airline News / Boeing / Airplanes / In-Flight Comfort / Seats / Business Class / Skyteam / → All Tags

KLM is Gonna Get You Laid All the Way to Amsterdam

We’ve been squished, squeezed, and smooshed into all kinds of economy seats during our long haul travels, so when a new business class product comes along we get pretty darn excited. It’s not just because it makes flying for long periods of time that much better, but it gives us something to dream about when we’re crammed into the coach cabin.

This week it’s KLM revealing some big news, as they’re planning a revamp of their World Business Class seating options. These days it seems like everybody and their moms want lie-flat seats, so KLM has decided to get in on the fun as well.

more ›

Green Travel / Biofuels / KLM / Delta / AMS / JFK / Airport News / Airline News / Travel News / 777 / Boeing / Amsterdam Travel / New York City / SkyTeam / → All Tags

How KLM is Turning Used Cooking Oil Into Flights Between Amsterdam and New York

"It really isn't smelly!"

That's the assertion given by KLM to press and passengers on Friday, as the first-ever series of biofuel-powered intercontinental flights was inaugurated.

All is normal inside the aircraft, and indeed passengers may have no idea they are flying on a history-making jet, unless they see the proud "we fly on biofuels" statement painted on the side. Outside, two fueling trucks pump the plane's tanks full of a mix of regular kerosene and biofuel manufactured from used cooking oil. According to the AP, the process to make this magic fuel goes a little something like this: "the waste oil from frying up crawfish, cracklins and other Cajun specialties is refined at a Louisiana plant, then trucked to JFK." Sounds simple, huh?

more ›

Baggage Fees / Airline News / Airlines / KLM / Europe Travel / Luggage / Baggage / Checked Baggage / → All Tags

Ugh, KLM Adds Checked Baggage Fee For European Travelers

Besides those pesky low cost carriers it seems that once you crossed the pond you were somewhat safe from the dreaded checked baggage fees and charges. For the long-haul flights you’re probably still okay checking a bag for free, but now when your fit hit the ground over in Europe you might need to take out the credit card.

It looks like KLM is going to be one of the first traditional carriers over in Europe to start charging for checked baggage for travel within Europe. The charges hit the airport ticket counters beginning on April 22, as it will be in effect for tickets booked on or after that day. It’s going to be 15 euros for those checking a bag in advance, but it doubles if you’re paying at the airport—that’s roughly $40 if we converted things correctly. Other carriers like Air France, Alitalia, and British Airways don’t seem to be interested in this kind of thing just yet, but now we’re getting a little nervous.

more ›

Jaunted Interviews / SXC / Space Travel / Private Jets / Formula 1 / Racing / Lynx / MHV / Curacao Travel / Michiel Mol / Space Expedition Corporation / KLM / Flying Blue / Space Miles / → All Tags

Space Flight, Done Right: A Chat with SXC CEO Michiel Mol

Space. The final frontier. Or, more likely, the next logical frontier for travel.

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Michiel Mol, Founder and CEO of Space Expedition Corporation (SXC), a Netherlands-based company pioneering affordable and sustainable commercial space flight.

Mol has dreamt of traveling to space for as long as he can remember and is a self-described nerd. It was at the age of 11 that he caught his first glimpse of space, through a telescope he built himself. In 1993 Mol and friends established Lost Boys, now known as LBI, to develop software. Getting in on that industry's frontier has thus paved his way towards this ultimate goal of breaching yet another.

SXCs first operational spacecraft, the Lynx (built by XCOR Aerospace), is due to perform its test flight from SXC’s Mojave spaceport as soon as April this year, marking SXC's first solid step towards the goal of rocketing willing, paying travelers nearly 65 miles up and into the blackness above Earth. A year of testing will then ensue, with the first commercial flights scheduled for the latter half of 2014. SXC-built spaceports at both Mojave, CA and Curaçao are also due to open in 2017.

more ›

KLM / Airlines / Airline News / Twitter / Facebook / Social Media / Maps / → All Tags

KLM Once Again Does Social Media Right with Their 'Must See Map'

When it comes to airlines and social media stuff, it seems like KLM is always on the shortlist for carriers who actually utilize it in a useful and slick manner. We’ve mentioned before how they kill it on Facebook, and now it looks like they’re just going for a place in the airline social media hall of fame with something called "Must See Map."

Basically the idea is to rely on your friends and internet pals to help you plan your trip in one way or another. Head over to the map website, select where you’re going and then give the itinerary a slick name. After that you’re free to start adding your own tips and notes to your online map. We did a little sample visit to Paris and we added the Eiffel Tower as a must-see—haha.

more ›

New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / Interjet / American Airlines / Alaska Airlines / OpenSkies / KLM / → All Tags

American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Interjet are Ready with This Week's New Routes

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
The paint is hardly dry on the salmon-thirty-salmon, but it’s already time for Alaska Airlines to pick a new city to serve. This week it sounds like the carrier has its eyes on Salt Lake City, as they’re planning nonstop flights over to Utah from Seattle.

The new flights are not doing their thing just yet, but the fun is scheduled to begin on April 4 of next year. It sounds like things will run a couple times per week, and to celebrate the new options one-way fares can be had for as little as $99. Just be sure to get those credit card digits ready, as the special offer only runs for bookings completed by November 8.

· JetBlue:
Despite the disturbance of Hurricane Sandy earlier in the week, JetBlue fleet's is back on turf in time to begin their nonstop from JFK to Cartagena, Colombia TODAY (November 2). Believe it or not, this is the only straight route from the New York area to Cartagena, the cultural capital of Colombia. On an A320, the flight is scheduled to leave JFK at 8:25am and land at CTG at after noon, three times a week (Tues, Fri, Sat), meaning breakfast at the airport and lunch on the Caribbean. JetBlue already flies to Bogota from both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

more ›

New Routes / KLM / Dragonair / Alaska Airlines / Copa Airlines / Icelandair / Airlines / Airline News / → All Tags

Icelandair, Alaska Airlines and Dragonair Fly Out Some New Routes

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
We might have mentioned this one in the past, but now it’s time to finally start flying. Alaska Airlines is now ready to start the newest nonstop flights between San Diego and Orlando. We’re not sure if the “salmon-thirty-salmon” will be an option between the two cities, but we do know that flights will run back and forth on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The timings of the flights mean red-eyes over to the east coast, and 8am departures back to California. To celebrate the new city pair they’re even offering up double frequent flyer miles between the two cities, but just ensure that you register for the promotion before booking and flying.

· Copa Airlines:
If you’re looking to head somewhere warm and sunny just check out the latest option available from Copa Airlines. They are increasing the number of flights available between their hub over in Panama and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.

The flights over to Jamaica will start running four times per week beginning around December 17, and it sounds like the flights will do their thing on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It’ll be Boeing 737s completing all the flying fun between the two cities—and two countries—just so you know.

more ›

Social Media / Airlines / KLM / SkyTeam / Travel Ads / → All Tags

Meet Flynt, a Lesson in Airline Social Media Gone Wrong

Meet Flynt.

Flynt is a puppet. But not just any puppet. He’s a “Very Interactive Puppet” who’s the new face of social media for an airline. Which is a shame, because it’s hideous and patronizing, and all rolled into one ginger puppet.

Which airline could come up with such a hideosity? Spirit? Ryanair? Carpatair? Sadly no. The culprit is KLM—yes, KLM, who we lauded just a few weeks ago as killing it on Facebook.

more ›

Duty-Free / Duty Free / Shopping Travel / Lufthansa / Eva Air / KLM / Air Canada / Finnair / → All Tags

Duty-Free Shopping Must-Haves: Airline Exclusives

If you're anything like us, you probably think that the in-flight duty-free shopping catalog can eat up a good chunk of time on long-haul international flights and provide a few giggles or unique gift ideas. This week, we'll dive into the pages of some favorite airline shopping magazines and highlight our picks for the just-can't-live-without items.

Most airlines have a thorough understanding that including some exclusive merchandise in their duty-free catalog will prompt passengers to hand over their cards in exchange for the unique products. In our travels, we have come across a number of items that we had to take a second to think if we actually needed it or had enough room in our carry on. Here are some highlights from our mile high shopping.

more ›

Duty-Free / Duty Free / Shopping Travel / KLM / Iberia / Alitalia / JAL / → All Tags

Duty-Free Shopping Must-Haves: Souvenirs and Keepsakes

If you're anything like us, you probably think that the in-flight duty-free shopping catalog can eat up a good chunk of time on long-haul international flights and provide a few giggles or unique gift ideas. This week, we'll dive into the pages of some favorite airline shopping magazines and highlight our picks for the just-can't-live-without items.

When browsing an in-flight shopping magazine and flipping past all of the pages of meh watches and perfumes, you may be missing plenty of amazing finds that make for great souvenirs (if only to show that you were actually thinking of your friends and family while away). Many catalogs actually have some items that rival what can be found in typical tourist shops, so let's explore a few:

more ›

Airline News / Airline Food / Hawaiian Airlines / Air France / KLM / US Airways / Scoot / Air Asia / TUI / → All Tags

Which Airlines Want Your Food Order Before Boarding

For those of you that are flying coach, the days of chicken or beef might finally be coming to an end. Airlines are realizing there is a market for premium meals even in the back of the plane and they're willing to take some cash and cook it up for you. But, only if you give them ample notice.

We have told you about a few airlines that have been upgrading their menus to offer coach flyers an improved flying experience, even giving a sample of the foreign land's cuisine. Here is the rundown of the pre-order meals options, by airline, but keep in mind this is really only the start.

more ›