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Island Travel: Budget Airlines Hit Solomon Islands

October 9, 2008 at 11:30 AM | by amandak | 3 Comments

We get excited whenever a low-cost airline launches flights to a new and exotic destination, and the start of Pacific Blue flights from Brisbane to the Solomon Islands sounds like something to jump up and down about.

We admit to knowing little about the Solomon Islands (although we know they sometimes get tsunamis), but anywhere in Melanesia with a thousand islands has got to have something attractive. But we're not so sure that Pacific Blue's new flights are actually cheap: A return flight from Brisbane will cost you A$498 ($347) at first, soon rising to A$758 ($529).

On the other hand, if you fit some very specific criteria and promise to fly on a Tuesday, the national carrier Solomon Airlines will get you to Brisbane and back for A$436. Unfortunately it's only for locals and Aussie tourists, but it's a whole lot cheaper than the "budget" airline.

Related Stories:
· Pacific Blue Launches Services to Solomon Islands [Peanuts]
· Solomon Airlines [Official Site]
· Solomon Islands Tsunami [Jaunted]

[Photo: Graham Crumb]

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Overly-Trendy Travel: MTV Teams up with Vueling

May 20, 2008 at 12:01 PM | by pbb | 1 Comment

Spanish LCC Vueling has co-branded two of its A320s with MTV, covering the exteriors with street-inspired art. Inside, the in-flight entertainment systems have been stocked with MTV shows--including "True Life" and "Super Sweet 16"--and some new audio playlists.

The project obviously has a complementary microsite, where there's talk of on-board DJs and parties in Athens, Barcelona, Ibiza and Rome. There's also a newsletter advertised, but you can't seem to sign up for it just yet. Maybe things don't start till later this summer?

While we wait for the extras, the two planes are already flying. One was decked out by Pepa Prieto; the other was done by 3ttMan.

Related Stories:
· Vueling by MTV [Official Site]
· MTV Flies High with Vueling [Diario del Viajero, in Spanish]
· Vueling Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Javier Ortega Figueiral]

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First-Person Flight Review: Vueling's True to Form

April 30, 2008 at 10:00 AM | by CourtScott | 0 Comments

Last year, Spanish LCC Vueling, was getting solid ratings on luxury, friendliness and value. But passengers also warned that late flights were a sure bet, too. Seems old habits die hard.

We booked a solid €122 deal to Barcelona on Vueling's user-friendly website but a few weeks later an email arrived saying our departure would be delayed due to "operational circumstances." The first delay was 25 minutes, then a month later we got an email with another 1 hour delay, making the estimated departure from Venice 10:10 pm.

At the airport, all systems seemed "GO" but just before boarding, the flight was delayed another 30 minutes making the total delay from our original reservation almost 2 hours. That put us at our digs in the grittier section of El Raval at about 1:30 am, apparently the hour for horny Spaniards and prozzies.

Despite the trouble, we're still major fans of Vueling's short check-in lines, cushy leather seats and bright-eyed flight staff. The carrier also recently announced a connection between Madrid and Malta, making it the only Spanish airline to have regular routes between the two destinations.

Related Stories:
· Vueling Airlines Flight Review: Luxury on a Budget [Jaunted]
· Flight Reviews coverage [Jaunted]