Jaunted

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Have a Sneak Peek Inside Fiji Airways' Fancy New Flying Machine

It's not only American Airlines that's got a shiny new toy to play with this month. Nope—wave goodbye to Air Pacific and say "Bula" to Fiji Airways, as this week they officially received the keys to their newest baby: a brand spanking new Airbus A330. Let's have a look!

Yesterday we showed you the slick paint job on the outside of the newest ride for Air Pacific's rebranded airline, Fiji Airways. Today we take you inside, to check out the cabin, sit in the seats and otherwise give you a peek at what passengers can expect on their way to paradise.

It's worth mentioning again, the entire design for the aircraft is cool. We mean, like, super cool. Not only have they gone back to the original name of the airline, but the livery showcases Fiji through the artwork of their traditional designs, called Masi. The graphics and colors are only the start, as passengers are going to get a taste of the islands inside as well.

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Onboard American Airlines' First Boeing 777-300ER: The New Hotness

The AA 777-300ER

There's something new in the air. Smell it? That's the scent of a refreshed American Airlines and their shiniest new toy: the Boeing 777-300ER. AA is the first US airline with the plane and we just stepped off one of its first flights. So let's talk about it.

The Jaunted Series on American's Shiny New Toy

This is an American Airlines plane?! NO WAY.

WAY.

From the fresh paint job in the "new American" livery to the mood lighting and seatback touchscreen TVs, it's hard to believe that this 777 belongs to an airline whose biggest headlines of recent swirled around its bankruptcy. Well, we've flown bankrupt airlines before (cough Alitalia cough) and we've flown the old American a bunch, and what we just experienced is so completely unlike those that it's shocking (in a good way).

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What to Eat in Hong Kong: 21 Foods That'll Rock Your World

All this week we'll be answering the Who, What, Where, When and Whys of Hong Kong. Of course the answer to "WHO should go to Hong Kong" is YOU. Whether you've never been or you're a regular through Chek Lap Kok, this no-visa-required peninsula hanging off of China should absolutely your next stop.

WHAT 21 foods you absolutely have to try
WHERE to escape the skyscrapers for a breath of fresh air.
WHEN to visit
HOW to get out on the Harbour
WHY

Put down the Chinese take-out menu and learn the words "cha chaan teng." Pronounced just as it looks, a cha chaan teng is the term for the Hong Kong-typical casual restaurants serving up cheaply priced, richly flavored eats at all hours of the day. Yeah, they're kind of like diners—diners with specialties like roast goose, pineapple buns and hot ginger Coca-Cola—and they're a lifeline to locals and adventurous travelers willing to step outside malls and Michelin-starred restaurants.

One more thing? Remember this mantra: If it looks ugly, it tastes awesome. Now you're ready to have your world rocked.

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Inside Cathay Pacific's 'The Arrival' Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport

Flying Cathay Pacific or Dragonair in Business or First Class to Hong Kong? Lucky you, not just because you'll be kicking back in bigger seats on what is a very long flight, but you're heading for one of our absolute favorite places in the entire world. Sure, Hong Kong is excellent, but we're talking about the airport itself!

Cathay Pacific, being the flag carrier and largest airline at HKG, takes huge pride in their elite lounges. Airside, we've already toured you through the premium playgrounds that are The Wing, The Cabin and The Pier, but there's also one sweet little secret lurking on the lower level of the arrival hall, outside security. It's simply called "The Arrival."

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Scenes from Celebrating Chinese New Year in Hong Kong

恭禧發財 or Kung Hei Fat Choi! That's us wishing you a prosperous new year in Cantonese, seeing as how we've hightailed it out of the United States just in time to miss the big blizzard and instead fall into another kind of blizzard—of red hóngbāo envelopes, the kind filled with money given at the start of the Chinese New Year.

Celebrating Chinese New Year is not so simple as getting drunk and standing in one spot to watch some spectacle, a la Times Square; instead, Hong Kong throws a massive bash that lasts for several days of public holiday and focuses on food, family, fun and travel.

By tradition, there's a whole series of "auspicious" things to be accomplished in order to guarantee a lucky, successful year ahead. Some examples are wearing the colors red and gold, dressing up in traditional Chinese attire, tossing and eating a Yusheng Salad, and decorating with tangerines and plum blossom flowers.

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The Evolution of Cruise Ships, from 1975 to 2013: The Ship Itself

Imagine a cruise. Now picture yourself on that cruise. Are you playing shuffleboard and gobbling rum cakes? God, let's hope not. Over the next several days, we're going to dig back into the era responsible for creating these cruise stereotypes—the fun-in-the-sun 1970s, when ocean liners turned into cruise ships and voyages into vacations. In sharp contrast, we'll look at cruising 2013-style onboard the newest ship on the seas, the Celebrity Reflection.

The Cruising 1975 vs. 2013 Series:

The average ship of 1975 had eight guest decks, none of them named with any creativity (ex: "Main Deck," "B Deck") while the Celebrity Reflection and similar megaships regularly boast of 13 or 14 guest decks with names ("Solstice Deck") that sound more natural than naval.

Sure, 13 decks to explore sounds like quite a bit, but then consider that the number of cabins has also risen from 500 in 1975 to 1,500 in 2013, so all that fresh space means more room for more new friends. Oh, and the chance of scoring a cabin with a verandah? Nearly 0% in 1975, depending on your ship. Heck, having a large window was living in luxury, and a dinner plate-sized porthole was far more common. In 2013, the percentage of cabins with private verandahs has skyrocketed to an impressive 85% on the Reflection, and even portholes on the lowest decks have expanded to dimensions approaching picture windows.

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Inside the Oneworld Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport

You're at Los Angeles International AIrport and preparing to wing your way to another continent and you'll be spending those in-air hours in either Business or First Class. First off, that sounds like you planned an excellent trip—congratulations. Second, you'll want to hit up the lounge for a last-minute tipple or email check, and if you're traveling on a Oneworld alliance airline (like Qantas, LAN, Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Japan Airlines), then the lounge for you is on Level 5 of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

As it's a combined lounge, the amenities here are generic but plentiful. This means more than 10 shiny Mac desktops, a long buffet bar with both and hot and cold food options, two extensive self-serve beverage areas plus a full bar with bartender, private shower rooms, and plenty of modern, comfy chairs nearby power outlets. The design isn't exactly revolutionary or even notable, but it is clean, modern and spacious.

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The Evolution of Cruise Ships, from 1975 to 2013: Cabins and Suites

Imagine a cruise. Now picture yourself on that cruise. Are you playing shuffleboard and gobbling rum cakes? God, let's hope not. Over the next several days, we're going to dig back into the era responsible for creating these cruise stereotypes—the fun-in-the-sun 1970s, when ocean liners turned into cruise ships and voyages into vacations. In sharp contrast, we'll look at cruising 2013-style onboard the newest ship on the seas, the Celebrity Reflection.

The Cruising 1975 vs. 2013 Series:

There was once a time when going on a cruise meant days of fun in the sun balanced out by the small miseries of showering in a teeny-tiny restroom, sleeping in a dreary room without a balcony (or even a window larger than a dinner plate), and forgoing the usual comforts of home. Happily those days are in the past and instead cruisers can bunk down in two-bedroom suites with wet bars, baby grand pianos, massive bathrooms larger than studio apartments, and balconies galore. Even the average cabin of 2013 makes suites of 1975 looks like steerage class. Ah, evolution.

Naturally prices have risen as well—like from $550 double occupancy for a 7-day Caribbean cruise in 1975 to $890 for the same in 2013—but though the price is nearly double, the amenities and space ratios are easily quadrupled.

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The Evolution of Cruise Ships, from 1975 to 2013: Drinking and Dining

Imagine a cruise. Now picture yourself on that cruise. Are you playing shuffleboard and gobbling rum cakes? God, let's hope not. Over the next several days, we're going to dig back into the era responsible for creating these cruise stereotypes—the fun-in-the-sun 1970s, when ocean liners turned into cruise ships and voyages into vacations. In sharp contrast, we'll look at cruising 2013-style onboard the newest ship on the seas, the Celebrity Reflection.

The Cruising 1975 vs. 2013 Series:

Beef Wellington. Poached lobster. A tower of chocolate eclairs. Daisy-shaped pats of butter to accompany as many glistening dinner rolls as you care to eat. These are the usual suspects on a cruise ship's menu, and it's as true today as it was in 1975. The big difference is that, now, there are actually other options. The ships of 2013 offer healthy and light cuisine, cater to vegetarians and food allergies, and even employ sushi chefs to handcraft rolls to order.

Boiling it down, the decades have brought a needed shift to put quality over quantity.

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The Evolution of Cruise Ships, from 1975 to 2013: Technology

Imagine a cruise. Now picture yourself on that cruise. Are you playing shuffleboard and gobbling rum cakes? God, let's hope not. Over the next several days, we're going to dig back into the era responsible for creating these cruise stereotypes—the fun-in-the-sun 1970s, when ocean liners turned into cruise ships and voyages into vacations. In sharp contrast, we'll look at cruising 2013-style onboard the newest ship on the seas, the Celebrity Reflection.

The Cruising 1975 vs. 2013 Series:

There were no cell phones in 1975, or personal computers. Of course this is huge "duh" fact, but let that sink in for a moment when you think of the hundreds of passengers onboard a cruise ship and their near complete break with communication when they stepped onboard. Sure, there were in-room radios and ship-to-shore calling, if you wanted to pay the per-minute price, but nothing like the connectivity they now offer.

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The Evolution of Cruise Ships, from 1975 to 2013: Onboard Activities

Imagine a cruise. Now picture yourself on that cruise. Are you playing shuffleboard and gobbling rum cakes? God, let's hope not. Over the next several days, we're going to dig back into the era responsible for creating these cruise stereotypes—the fun-in-the-sun 1970s, when ocean liners turned into cruise ships and voyages into vacations. In sharp contrast, we'll look at cruising 2013-style onboard the newest ship on the seas, the Celebrity Reflection.

The Cruising 1975 vs. 2013 Series:

"We're getting weirder."

It's a phrase that's been popping up in print more and more often, in attempts to describe how modern interests are evolving faster than ever before. Sure, we have the internet and its constant stream of new information and influences to mostly thank for that. Instead of coffee, we're drinking macchiatos or requesting cups brewed through a Chemex. Instead of going out for a steak dinner, we're hungry for hamachi or sous-vide venison. We're getting weirder and, oh boy, do the cruise lines know it.

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Onboard Concorde: What It Was Like to Fly Mach 2 Over the Atlantic Ocean

G-BOAF at the gate at London-Heathrow

This week marks the 37th Anniversary of the maiden commercial flight of the Concorde. To properly celebrate, let's relieve history a bit by traveling along with photographer/videographer Joe Corrigan as he remembers his Concorde flights, roundtrip JFK-LHR in July 2003 on the British Airways supersonic birds G-BOAC and G-BOAF.

I don't know quite what it was about Concorde, but ever since I first saw her as a kid, I was mesmerised. That shape, those lines—there was something about her that drew me in. I was 14 the first time I saw her with my own eyes, as my my uncle had discovered Concorde would fly into Sydney, my home town, on a round-the-world charter. Together we headed to the airport to see her land.

That aircraft, F-BVFC, zoomed in and landed with full reverse and later took off with full afterburner as I watched from afar. I was hooked. The experience was not only visual and aural, but earth-shaking. Everything in the vicinity shuddered under the engine power; you could feel Concorde slice through the air and this in itself made it all the more visceral. It became a dream of mine to fly on her, one I never thought likely to come true.

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