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SeatGuru's Survey Says United's Flight Attendants Are The Worst

June 17, 2009 at 10:57 AM | 3 Comments

SeatGuru just released results of their latest survey on airline quality and airline everything else. We always take information like this with a grain of salt, but it’s still interesting to see what a bunch of random people think about what’s going on in the sky.

Apparently, people don’t like much when it comes to United. The airline scored the title of rudest flight attendants. Don’t worry United, American Airlines and US Airways weren’t too far behind for flight attendant friendliness. All three domestic carriers were neck and neck when it came to the quality of their in-flight dining: not good. The trio also didn’t do too well when it came to the coziness of seats. JetBlue’s gray leather topped the charts for the comfort of economy seats.

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Singapore and More for $679 Is Something We Can Get Behind

June 11, 2009 at 2:07 PM | 0 Comments

Sadly, the much-hyped Airbus A380s don't fly over American skies for Singapore Airlines, but the carrier is still tops in service and in-flight amenities no matter the route. This is why we're thrilled to hear that their joining in with the summer travel discounts, and even extending the low pricing through November.

Travelzoo alerts us to this deal: Book by June 28 and travel between July 1 and November 30 out of New York to Singapore, Bangkok, Bali, Manila and Kuala Lumpor for $679, including taxes and fees. Of course keep your dates flexible to find the cheapest fares, but man is this some good stuff.

Another $200 to total an $879 flight will get you from New York to Delhi, Mumbai, Melbourne and Sydney. It seems like only months ago we were thrilled about a $750 Hong Kong direct, and now these fares fall into our laps. You know what to do: book early, book often.

[Photo: grosbyvn]

Related Stories:
· Global Sale on Top Airline from NYC [Travelzoo]
· No Sex, Please: We're On Singapore Airlines [Jaunted]
· Airfare Deals Coverage [Jaunted]

Lounging at The Airport: Singapore Airlines Stuns With SilverKris

May 8, 2009 at 10:06 AM | 0 Comments

Airport lounges promise respite from the sad public seating at the gates and the unhealthy diet offerings of the terminal food courts. But of course, at a premium price. All week long at Jaunted we will be detailing what it costs to lounge at the best international airline lounges, because the domestic offerings that we featured last week got us dreaming of much, much more. Got any suggestions or tips? Let us know.

Singapore Airlines SilverKris and KrisFlyer Lounges
· How Much: The cost to get into Singapore Air's SilverKris Lounge or the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge really depends on how good of a "deal" you got on your ticket. The spoiled flyers, who refuse any class other than Suites, First, or Business will have no problem enjoying the swanky luxuries that the airline has to offer. If you're more cautious of ticket price and you only have KrisFlyer Elite Gold or Star Alliance Gold status, you are still allowed access to the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge—which is only a small step down in luxury compared to its big brother SilverKris lounge.

· Internet Access: The Internet here is served WiFi style and is free. Honestly, we wouldn't expect anything less from one of the world's best airlines.

Keep reading after the jump for more peeks at club perks.

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Singapore's First Class Lounge Invites Great Experiences

February 25, 2009 at 1:01 PM | 0 Comments

Some airlines fascinate us with bidets in their first class lounges, but Singapore Airlines has won us over with what we can only describe as style and sophistication.

This is their hometown lounge at Changi Airport and we like it for its late-night, Lost-in-Translation vibe. This is an airport lounge where elegant strangers fetch you drinks and (we figure) anything can happen.

The nice part is that Singapore Airlines actually lives up to the expectations this lounge gives you: remember their fancy-looking first class cabin on board? Attractive strangers welcome in either spot.

Related Stories:
· British Airways [Jaunted]
· How First Class on Singapore Airlines Spent Christmas [Jaunted]
· Singapore Airlines Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Richard Moross]

How First Class on Singapore Airlines Spent Christmas

January 23, 2009 at 3:39 PM | 2 Comments

How come we can’t persuade anybody to send us on a long-haul flight in first class? Because if we could, we might get to see more than just this great picture of the first class cabin on a Singapore Airlines 747.

We’re digging the Christmas decorations although they’ve no doubt been banished to their rest-of-the-year storage cupboard by now. Since Singapore Airlines is having a rough patch and cutting flights, we’re confident that they will be reusing those wreaths again next Christmas, if you want to see them.

But what’s really making our jaw hang open is all the wonderful space and ultra-comfortable looking chairs. According to SeatGuru that single seat right at the front is the most coveted on the plane because it’s so private, although there are some ultra-fussy fliers who get bothered by the flight attendants accessing stuff in the closets nearby. We can pretty much promise that if we got that seat, we wouldn’t be bothered. If you want to try for yourself: Singapore’s 747s cover routes to New York and Los Angeles as well as Europe and Australia; NYC to Singapore in first class will set you back upwards of $12,000.

Related Stories:
· Singapore Airlines Offers Passengers iPod Docks But Cuts Some Flights [Jaunted]
· Singapore Airlines Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Blackwych]

Singapore Airlines Offers Passengers iPod Docks But Cuts Some Flights

January 22, 2009 at 11:31 AM | 1 Comment

You win some, you lose some. And that's how the week looks for Singapore Airlines. The win is in cool technology, and the loss is all about major cuts in flights, so looks like we have to take the good with the bad.

In tech news, Singapore Airlines are saying it's a world first for passengers on their A330s to be able to plug in their iPod and iPhone directly into the inflight entertainment system. iPod capabilities will roll out on Australia to Singapore flights first and gradually, well, take over the world. Nice.

The down side is that there are a lot less fewer flights to book with Singapore these days. They've announced the deletion of over 200 flights to Australia, China, Europe and India because the numbers of passengers have been falling so much. Seems to us they should have thrown the iPod connectivity in earlier and they might have least kept geek passenger numbers high.

Related Stories:
· Singapore Airlines Cuts More Than 200 Flights [AFP]
· Singapore Airlines Gets iPod & iPhone Support [APC]
· Singapore Airlines Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Alex Steffler]

Singapore Airlines Readies Millionth A380 Passenger Party

January 16, 2009 at 9:35 AM | 0 Comments

Flying to Singapore anytime soon? If so, watch out for party balloons and press a la Publisher's Clearing House at your boarding gate because Singapore Airlines is on the lookout for its millionth A380 passenger in February.

To fete the single, clueless guest who puts them into seven figures, the airline will roll out the red carpet with champagne and Singapore Airlines goodies for all passengers on the winning flight. If you just happen to strike gold as Mr. or Ms. 1,000,000, you'll be getting upgraded with a special in-flight package plus a three-night luxury hotel stay, limousine from the airport and meals at nicey nice restaurants.

It seems like only yesterday that Airbus birthed the big baby A380 and we all fantasized about joining the mile high club in their semi-private on-board suites. In actuality, that was already more than a year ago, and we're sure that at least a small percentage of the million passengers did make it past third base at 35,000 feet. Surely they won't deny a simple pleasure to their honored guest?

Related Stories:
· Singapore Airlines Prepares for One Millionth A380 Passenger [Asia Travel Tips]
· No Sex, Please: We're on Singapore Airlines [Jaunted]
· A380 coverage [Jaunted]

[Original photo: asiatraveltips]

Despite Death Watch, Midwest Remains Zagat Favorite

November 24, 2008 at 2:34 PM | 1 Comment

The annual Zagat Survey look at airlines is out today, and leather seats are in. Despite a monumentally rough year, Midwest Airlines is still the favorite "mid-sized" airline for coach of the nearly 10,000 people Zagat polled this year. Among bigger players, JetBlue took the top slot with Southwest coming in second. Yep, those chairs are leather, leather and leather.

Midwest, however, didn't show up in the list of winners for "mid-sized" premium product--which isn't surprising given that passengers now have to pay extra for the swanky seats that used to be free. Virgin America, instead, pulled first place for first class; in-seat massages probably helped, uh, finesse the results.

Among legacy carriers, Continental did better than its peers, apparently because survey respondents think free airline food is priceless. (We'd call it worthless.) For international trips, Singapore was the top pick either up front or in coach, but you won't go wrong, Zagat says, with either Emirates or Cathay Pacific either.

Related Stories:
· Global Air Travel Survey Results [Zagat Survey]
· Zagat Airline Survey: The Winners and The Losers [Jaunted]
· Midwest Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: md11forever]

Airline Meltdown Hitting Asia Hardest

November 3, 2008 at 3:30 PM | 0 Comments

And we thought Michael O'Leary was overstating the likelihood of airline failures.

The situation is particularly dire in Asia, an emerging market where airlines surged ahead to suit growing demand, only to see their bookings fall dramatically when the economy took a hit. Carriers from India’s Jet Airways to Singapore Airlines are all frantically selling off planes and reducing routes in an attempt to mitigate hemorrhaging profits.

Says one industry consultant:

There is no airline in this region--and that probably goes for most of the world too--that can be confident they will still be here this time next year.

This is going to be a watershed, if it's not already, not just for the industry but for the global economy... Any airline that thinks otherwise is seriously at risk.

At least the service is still good. The day Asian airlines start cutting amenities so their in-flight service resembles the stiff and starving flights within the United States, we’re just going to give up traveling altogether.

Related Stories:
· Analsysts Warn of Asia Airline Failure as Tourism Slows [Reuters]
· "Dark years" Ahead for Asian Airlines [AFP, via Google]

[Photo: alex-s]

Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards: We Came, We Saw, We Hit Dan Humphrey's Dad

October 16, 2008 at 11:32 AM | 5 Comments

Traveler editor-in-chief Klara Glowczewska speaks at the Readers' Choice Awards in New York City.

As she opened the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards in New York last night, publisher Elizabeth Henriques Hughes quoted recent cover boy Matt Damon and his conviction that "if people had thick passports" the world would be a better place. Of course, Jason Bourne sought out exotic destinations largely to kill people in them, but we get what she was saying.

Still, to visit many of the places honored at the awards, readers displayed not only their thick passports but their thick wallets. The silliest of the 18 awards given out at the ceremony, held at the New York Public Library (and reference to "Sex and the City" completely intended), pitted three Four Seasons resorts against each other to determine Hawaii's best.

Four Seasons CEO Kathleen Taylor pointed out in her acceptance speech (for the Maui resort at Wailea) that all three resorts have won before--well, the readers know what they like!

After the jump, the host's embarrassing travel moments and our chat with "30 Rock" actress Katrina Bowden.

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My A380's Better Than Yours

September 22, 2008 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

With Qantas finally taking delivery of its first, long-awaited A380 yesterday, the battle of business class in the super-jumbos is really starting to heat up.

Over the weekend, a totally biased review from an Australian journalist who got a free seat on the A380's maiden flight into Sydney claimed that Qantas's layout in business class is the best because it "provides ... the biggest sense of space."

If space is not everything, then the other airlines already flying the A380 might actually be the winners. Emirates has a business cabin layout that gives everyone privacy plus a personal minibar. And Singapore Airlines has the world's widest seat, plus double beds, though you're not allowed to get up to any fun in them.

Related Stories:
· Which Airline Has the Best A380? [The Australian]
· A380 Planes: Flying Kangaroo is Next in Line [Jaunted]
· No Sex, Please: We're on Singapore Airlines [Jaunted]

[Photo: NguyenDai]

Singapore Airlines Stepping up the All Business Class Game

August 7, 2008 at 5:04 PM | 0 Comments

Starting September 21, Singapore Airlines will be flying all business class across the Pacific from Singapore to both Newark and Los Angeles. And to make that 19-hour flight a little easier, your seat will be about the size of a Honda.

Each of the 100 super-recliners on this specially outfitted A340-500 is 30 inches wide and lays flat to six feet, four inches. You'll find AC power and a USB plug at every seat to complement a 15.4-inch video screen that delivers more than 900 movies, TV shows and music tracks. Singapore says they'll have 130 different games to help you pass the time, too.

So how much does it cost? We found seats in early October for "just" $7,290 all-in.

Related Stories:
· A345 All Business Class [Official Site]
· Singapore Airlines Announces Asia-US Business Class Service [PSFK]