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Tags: Airport News / London Travel / London / British Travel / Airports / LGW / → All Tags
How Much Would You Pay For One Of London's Airports?
The UK's second busiest airport— and a perennial frustration for delayed London travelers having to fly in and out on its single runway—Gatwick Airport is about to come under new management. BAA, which owns six British airports and is in turn owned by the Spanish firm Ferrovial, has sold the facility to Global Infrastructure Partners. Final price: a lot:
BAA has agreed to sell its 100% interest in Gatwick Airport Limited to an entity controlled by Global Infrastructure Partners for £1.51 billion. Of the sale price, £55 million is conditional on future traffic performance and the buyer's future capital structure... Colin Matthews, BAA's Chief Executive, said... 'BAA is changing and today's announcement marks a new beginning for both Gatwick and BAA. We wish Gatwick well for the future and are confident that the airport will flourish under new ownership.'
Tags: Events / Hong Kong / Literary Travel / Washington DC / London / → All Tags
This Weekend In the World: HK's Book Fair and Buckingham Opens Up
· Hong Kong
Where can you find tables upon tables of discount books in Chinese, Japanese and English? It's a librarian's dream, and ours as well, and it's this weekend at the Hong Kong book Fair. Last year, some 830,000 avid readers turned out to peruse the stacks of 485 exhibitors, and the numbers just keep growing. Technically the fair lasts from July 22-28 and not just this weekend, but of course attending on a weekend means more activities. Buy cookbooks, self-help books and plain old fiction, but you won't find manga here as, according to Wikipedia, that's now become a separate Comics festival.
Tags: Movie Set Travel / London / Harry Potter / British Tours / Scott's / Claridges / → All Tags
Visit Harry Potter's Favorite Haunts in London
The latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, broke records on Wednesday when it made $104 million in worldwide box office sales during its first day in theaters. Obviously Harry Potter mania is in full swing again, and fans are dying to get close to anything related to the boy wizard, including locations where the movie was made and spots where the stars have hung out. Lucky for you, we know a few:
Where to Stay:
Just last week, the cast of Harry Potter gathered at the Claridge's in Mayfield to take photos and celebrate the premiere of Half Blood Prince. Its not surprising Claridge's is a favorite of celebs like Justin Timberlake, as they offer a butler service for guests staying in their suites and promise that "your wish list will be complete and your every whim will be catered for." Of course, that kind of service will cost you. A one bedroom suite starts around $1400 a night.
Tags: London 2012 Olympics / Javelin Train / Train Travel / London / → All Tags
London's 2012 Olympics Already Have a High-Speed 'Javelin' Train
While we were off flying on Jetblue's Inaugural LAX route, a few lucky folks in Britain were taking their newest transportation toy for a spin, the high-speed Javelin Train. The Japanese-built Shinkansen superfast trains will be the country's frirst high-speed domestic commuter service, cutting travel time immensely (think from 80 minutes down to 37) and preparing for the 2012 London Olympics.
When the 140-mph service hits the tracks on June 29, it will run on the newly-built Channel Tunnel raillink tracks between London's St. Pancras station and the towns of Ashford and Ebbsfleet. This way, the bullet trains need not lean like Virgin's Pendolino service; the raillink route was built for speed, with gentle curves and updated signaling.
Although commuters will totally benefit from the time saved, their wallets will nonetheless be hit by the upgraded service; Yahoo UK reports that a single fare from Ashford to St Pancras which now costs £22.20 ($37) will go up to £26.60 ($44). Let's hope they don't have to commute too often.
For the Olympics in 2012, the train will add a stop at the Olympic Village at Stratford, which, on the Javelin, will only be a 7-minute train ride away from central London. If we give in to our minor fascination for the Shinkansen trains, we just might see you there in 2012.
Related Stories:
· Javelin Train Service Launches [Yahoo UK]
· The Javelin, from point to point [BBC News]
· Train Travel Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: RMTBristol]
Tags: iPhone Travel Apps / Museum Travel / Art Travel / London / National Gallery / → All Tags
Ditch Audio Guides With London's National Gallery iPhone App
Tired of paying the extra fee for a museum's audio guide, when you've got something in your pocket that can run circles around any hunk of plastic piece of crap? Yes, we're talking about making use of your iPhone as an audio guide, specifically in the case of London's National Gallery.
Just released as an iPhone application is 'Love Art,' a pictorial and audio tour of 250 works in the museum. If you aren't looking up at the works of Botticelli on the wall, then you're looking down at the zoomable hi-resolution images of the same on your phone, complete with artwork information, videos, and commentary on the pieces.
Best of all, the app is free and instantly downloadable from the iTunes app store and even works on your iPod Touch. No more clunky audio gizmos or even iPod guides; we're on to the next generation of museum tours.
Related Stories:
· 'Love Art' Puts National Gallery In Pockets [PSFK]
· iPhone Travel Apps Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: PSFK]
Tags: Events / London / Cycling / Naked Travel / Street Art / Dublin / Art Travel / Banksy / → All Tags
This Weekend In the World: Bloomsday, Banksy and Biking In the Buff
· 70 Cities Around the World: One time during our travels, we had the (mis)fortune of crossing paths with a World Naked Bike Ride. This Saturday, 70 cities in the northern hemisphere (the southern hemisphere does theirs in March) will host bicyclists in the buff to protest oil dependence. To join in or just station yourself along the route, check out the WNBR's Google map featuring all of the cities and links to their wiki pages for information.
Tags: Train Travel / Eurostar / Air France / Deutsche Bahn / London / Chunnel / → All Tags
Beware, Ryanair: Everyone Wants A Piece of the Chunnel
It's a crazy world out there, complete with wild animals on planes and trains racing each other through tunnels; all stuff which once belonged to action films.
We recently mentioned that Europe's high speed train systems are deregulating—which should lead to more competition and cheaper train fares for zipping across Europe. Well, there's even more good news for the budget traveler now.
The High Speed One track, which links London's St Pancras Station to the Chunnel, is about to be sold off and it's expected that the new owner will open up the track to more than just Eurostar. The word is that at the least, both Air France and Germany's Deustche Bahn are keen to set up rival trains to make the crossing between Britain and continental Europe.
Tags: Airport Transportation / LHR / London / Airports / → All Tags
On the Road Again: How to Reach London-Heathrow
Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.
· The Underground, aka The Tube: If you're a typical London tourist, you'll be going underground many times during your visit, so why not start early by getting familiar with the system from the airport? Catch the Tube at any terminal, and it'll run you right into town, with usual stops at places like Victoria Station, Kensington, West End, and Paddington Station.
Total cost: £4.00 ($6.19) per person, each way
Total time: 45 minutes
Tags: New Routes / Las Vegas / London / British Airways / Airline News / LAS / LGW / Virgin Atlantic / → All Tags
British Airways Ups the Ante With New Las Vegas Route
Las Vegas may have a fake Venice, New York and Egypt, but perhaps they should start thinking about installing a replica Trafalgar Square now that British Airways has announced plans for a new non-stop route from London.
Due to go direct from the land of fish and chips to the city of all-you-can-eat buffets starting this fall, the once-daily roundtrips from London-Gatwick to McCarran will join Virgin Atlantic in shipping over the Brits and their pounds sterling to drop in casinos. According to info obtained by the Las Vegas Sun, England is already "the No. 3 provider of foreign tourists to Las Vegas behind Canada and Mexico."
This whole business with the added flights is also about to give "Triple 777s" a new meaning, as BA's arrival on VA's route means that their planes will be going head-to-head for a jackpot win on Vegas supremacy. As if the BA thorn in Richard Branson's side wasn't in deep enough already. And just like everyone else on their way to the "Sin City," all British Airways wants to do is score.
Related Stories:
· British Airways to Start Daily Service to Las Vegas [LV Sun]
· Las Vegas Travel [VegasChatter]
· British Airways Coverage [Jaunted]
[BA photo: griffs0000; Triple 7s via AskGamblers]
Tags: British Airways / Airline News / Travel Promotions / London / → All Tags
Hop a Free London Cab with British Airways, But It'll Cost Ya
Not content with having four separate classes of service aboard their planes, the focus on hierarchy continues at British Airways with their new complimentary London taxi service from Terminal 5.
From May 18 on through August 15, passengers on BA who arrive in London on a First Class or Club World Business Class ticket are eligible for totally free transfers in a classic black cab within 100 miles of the airport. Perhaps you can make sense of this offer, because we are unable to fathom why, when a First or Business Class passenger can easily furnish their own luxury transportation without batting an eye, BA would want to put them into a taxi.
Perhaps this would work better for those who have sprung for full-fare, or Y-class, economy tickets, since they might not be upgraded and may have to endure a transatlantic flight squashed in with other who paid half their fare and want to spend all seven hours bragging about that fact. A free taxi would help ease the annoyance and give them a taste of what it would be like to travel in Club World. But whatever—we're not about to tell British Airways what to do; we just hope they feel proud of all those empty cabs.
Related Stories:
· Enjoy a Complimentary Taxi Service [British Airways]
· British Airways Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: a_trotskyites]
Tags: Events / New York City / Prague / Orlando / Paris / London / → All Tags
Surfing, Drinking and Anarchy On Schedule for Weekend Events Around the World
· Orlando: Technically on Cocoa Beach, the 45th annual Ron Jon Easter Surf Fest is an entire weekend of hanging ten, going shoeless and using words like "cowabunga" and "radical." Kicking off tonight at 8pm with a free al fresco film screening of a surf movie, the festival even includes an Easter egg hunt at 11am tomorrow. Check out the full schedule for info on every awesome event.
Tags: Events / New York City / Flash Mobs / Paris / London / → All Tags
What's Happening This Weekend in World Capitals
· New York City and almost everywhere else: Set your jammies aside and warm up your biceps for some serious public pillow whomping as the world celebrates International Pillow Fight Day on Saturday. We already let you in on the fact that New York City will host their massive stress-relieving event at 3pm on Wall Street, but be sure to check out the official site for details on how to get in on the fun in your city, whether that be Cardiff or Seattle.
