Jaunted

Air France / Airlines / Surveys / Business Class / → All Tags

Why, Of Course: Business School Graduates Would Like To Work for Air France

We get a lot of press releases in our inboxes and while most of them are credible, quite a few of them have nothing or very little to do with travel. Depending on our mood, the latter kind either causes us to laugh or to curse the high heavens that created spambots. But every so often there is one from a credible source that makes us go, "Seriously?"

Like this one from Air France which just announced that their airline ranks first "in the 2009 Top 50 Most Attractive Employers for Junior Executives from business schools."

Apparently, over 7,000 junior executives were polled about the most attractive firms they would like to work for, among 136 firms that were proposed. These junior executives were graduates from major French business schools and universities with one to eight years of working experience. (Note: it did not say if they still had jobs in this down economy.) However, when the IT and science engineering school graduates wee polled, they ranked Air France in 8th place.

Perhaps this special announcement was a distraction from the whole pilot insensitivity that made the news last year. And we're not so sure we'd put much faith in these results. Afterall, business class tickets are pretty pricey these days and people would do all sorts of things for a free ride.

Related Stories:
· Air France Pilots Having Trouble Focusing On Priorities After Criticism Over Safety Practices [Jaunted]
· Air France [Official Site]

Fall Travel / Surveys / Travel News / Tourism / Arthur Frommer / Arizona Travel / → All Tags

Frommer's Arizona Boycott Can't Keep This State Down

Despite Arthur Frommer’s feelings about the Grand Canyon State, people seem to be ready to head out to Phoenix this fall. It is possible that his opinion might not have made it through to everyone yet, or it’s possible that nobody cares what Frommer thinks. Even though things are slow due to the economy, the Valley of the Sun appears to keep drawing the crowds into town.

According to the 2009 Travel Leaders Fall Travel Trends Survey—catchy name—the Phoenix and Scottsdale area sits just outside the top ten at number 11 among destinations booked throughout the rest of the year. People must want to avoid the cool crisp days of autumn at any cost. About 75 percent of those asked said that trips were down compared to last year overall, and about 60 percent said they had a good feeling about the strength of the fall travel season. Let's just hope the travel season isn't too strong, we're getting used to all the great deals.

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Airline Rumors / New Routes / Virgin America / Chicago Travel / Surveys / → All Tags

Will Virgin America Fly to Chicago Next?

What up Chi-town? Could there be a Virgin America launch party hosted by Branson and Kanye West in your near future? It's possible if we are to judge anything from the results of a recent VA survey.

The Virgin America questionnaire asked travelers which new route they would most like to see next from the airline. And the winner of the popularity contest was—drumroll please—SFO to Chicago. This we totally understand since, with the exception of Las Vegas, VA has pretty much ignored the "fly-over states."

The next most-wanted route is SFO to Honolulu, followed by SFO to Miami. Honestly, we're surprised that JFK to Miami is not #1 right now instead of #8. Remember the days when we thought that VA would put Miami before Seattle service? But considering that VA has been trying to break into the Chicago market for a while now, this might actually happen first. Sorry Miami! You will have to wait to carry your naked party back to the plane.

Related Stories:
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
· Airlines Play Hopscotch at Chicago O'Hare Airport [Jaunted]

Overrated Places / Arthur Frommer / TripAdvisor / Surveys / → All Tags

Art Frommer Really Ticked Off By Latest TripAdvisor Survey

We can't make up our minds about Art Frommer. Does he like the internet or not? On one hand, he has his own blog and he owns a Kindle. On the other hand, he's not a big fan of other online travel sites, especially review sites where amateur travelers detail their experiences.

His latest victim is TripAdvisor, a site with "some of the looniest opinions about travel." That's because TripAdvisor released a survey in which travelers said :

London has the worst food, Paris is the most overrated and Brussels is the most boring, according to a survey of what travelers think about European cities.

The report also said Prague was a bargain destination which practically made Frommer throw his typewriter in disgust. But you wanna know what? We agree with Frommer. Not necessarily because we think TripAdvisor is full of "loonies" or anything (their hotel reviews are always helpful) but these opinions of European cities are really off-mark.

Paris--overrated? Never. Prague may have been a bargain destination 10 years ago before people "rediscovered" it, but it's a bit of a tourist trap these days. Not to mention that one of the newest hotels there opened with rates starting at $444 a night. As if!

And London having the worst food also doesn't make sense. What about the gastropub invasion? The city has good mix of Michelin Stars and more affordable but still tasty options too. We're so angry we're about to throw our typewriter in disgust...if we hadn't thrown out our typewriter back in 1996.

Related Stories
· So What Makes a Place Overrated? [Jaunted]
· To find some of the looniest opinions about travel, head to TripAdvisor.com [Jaunted]
· Grazing on the Cheap in London [Jaunted]

Surveys / Travel Surveys / Machu Picchu / → All Tags

Survey Travel: Brits Heading to All the Globe's Corners

In the UK, another travel survey's been done to serve the needs of another travel company. OK, cynicism aside, the recent discoveries of Opodo are actually pretty interesting: Their theory is that a relatively strong Euro and pound have had British travelers heading further away from Europe for their vacations.

The first weird thing is that the destination which has really taken off is Lima which has had an almost 100 percent increase in bookings. We're guessing these travelers are actually en route to Machu Picchu, but the survey makers are letting us draw our own conclusions.

Other spots where you're likely to find a sudden influx of British travelers include the eclectic mix of Jordan, Cairo, South Korea and Bulgaria. Of course, following the example of the naughty Brit who pretended to be Spanish, you may not even know you're traveling amongst Britons.

Related Stories:
· Travellers Show Interest in Mid- and Long-Haul [Opodo]
· Brit Posing as Spaniard in Tokyo Vies for World's Worst Tourist Title [Jaunted]

[Photo: markg6]

TripAdvisor / Lists / Surveys / → All Tags

TripAdvisor Survey: Travelers Fear Germy Planes, Love Provocative Dress, Crave Eco-Adventures

The opinion-sharing folks over at TripAdvisor recently released their latest annual survey on the top trends in travel. This year's obsession: germs on a plane. We probably would have pegged cruise ships as the most likely place to come down with a nasty case of the scoots from touching an exposed surface, but apparently most people fear picking up a bug while in the tubular confines of an airplane. Out of 2,500 respondents, 28 percent were concerned about germs, bacteria, and viruses onboard airplanes, while others reported having germaphobia relating to public transit, restaurants, hotels, and airports. The report should be good news for manufacturers of hand sanitizer, Wet-Naps, and Airborne dietary supplements, as travelers appear willing to try anything that might keep the creepy crawlies away.

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UK Travel / Food Travel / Lists / Surveys / → All Tags

Best of Britain: Fish and Chips Score Number 1 Spot

If you ask the British what the best things are about living in the UK, you probably wouldn't expect to hear "food" topping the list. But that's exactly what happened when the Holiday Inn hotel chain ran a survey recently to discover 50 things Brits most love about their land.

Coming right on top, fish and chips is apparently the best reason to be in Britain. Other food and drink experiences in the top ten included old-fashioned pubs, a Sunday roast dinner and a "cream tea" in the afternoon.

While we personally don't travel to Britain for its food, some of the other things on the British best-loved list are also not convincing reasons for us to hop on a plane: the queen came in at #2, the ever-more-expensive British pound at #9 and the National Health Service at #14. We've got a feeling the British need to get out more.

Related Stories:
· Fish and Chips Voted No. 1 in Best of British Poll [Telegraph]
· Great Britain Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hugovk]

Surveys / World's Worst Tourists / UK Travel / → All Tags

Brits Might Be Champs of Pre-Vacation Arguments

This won't be the first time we've mentioned how Britons have "rows" instead of arguments. American Express did a survey about the current vacation habits of the British, given the so-called credit crunch, but discovered that most of them don't care about that at all--and think much more about holiday rows.

The stats show that almost half of the survey respondents argue about how much stuff is being crammed into suitcases before the trip even begins; two in five have arguments stemming from getting to the airport on time (or not).

The cost of a vacation and the kind of accommodation are also issues that induce quite a few arguments amongst traveling Brits, according to the survey. The biggest problem seems to come from people in Yorkshire--one in five have to turn around to pick up something they left at home.

Related Stories:
· Arguments More Concern Than Credit Crunch [Opodo]
· World's Worst Tourists coverage [Jaunted]
· United Kingdom Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: davescunningplan]

Airlines / Surveys / Delta / Southwest Airlines / US Airways / United / Delays / Airline Hell / → All Tags

Survey Says: Airlines Suck More Than Ever

A new survey has found that travelers in the US are pissed off: For the first quarter of 2008, the US airlines collectively earned a 62 percent approval rating, their lowest since the September 11 attacks shook up the airline industry back in 2001.

The results of this latest survey reflect widespread dissatisfaction among frequent fliers. The lead expert behind the numbers told Reuters that air travel in America is "getting worse" because a lack of flight options allows poor service. Some airlines received survey scores in the low 50s, which makes them less popular than the IRS. Then again, as Chris Elliott says, "you need a survey to tell you that?"

So who sucked the most?

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Surveys / Tourism Boards / → All Tags

Switzerland Top for Tourists (Not Because of Chocolate)

If you're wondering which nations have the best tourism conditions, check the new World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Report. What the WEF measures is how "conducive" an environment is for travel and tourism--whatever that means--and the results make for interesting reading about the places that might be most welcoming to visitors.

Top of the list is Switzerland, closely followed by Austria and Germany, with Australia coming in fourth. Of the English-speaking nations, the UK is sixth, the United States seventh and Canada ninth.

What does that all mean? Well, they say that Switzerland is on top because it has great cultural and natural sites, useful transport and good training for tourism industry staff. Germany pops up high on the list because it's also good at dealing with business travelers and holding conventions.

At the bottom of the list--presumably destinations that just aren't able to cater to tourists at all--you'll find Chad, Burundi and Bangladesh. Surprisingly near the bottom of the list, there are also Cambodia, Namibia and Bosnia, which are all getting plenty of satisfied visitors these days. Just goes to show you can't believe everything a survey tells you.

Related Stories:
· Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report [WEF]
· New Zealand Rates High in Tourist Stakes [NZ Herald]
· Switzerland and Austria Top for Tourism [TravelBite]

[Photo: flappingwings]

Paris Travel / Surveys / Love / Valentine's Day / → All Tags

Paris, the City of Arguments

And to think we'd always considered Paris the capital city of Love. It might be for some, but a recent British survey unearthed the disturbing result that 34 percent of British travelers consider it:

the city most likely to cause them to argue on a romantic break, with lovers' moods darkened by a "grey" and "difficult to navigate" city and surly restaurant service.

What might be worse is the fact that 10 percent of Britons surveyed have ended their relationship while on vacation with their partner. That makes going on holidays sound kind of risky.

Other top cities for arguments and break-ups included Marrakesh, Morocco and Amsterdam, so take these results to heart next time you're planning your hopefully-romantic trip.

Related Stories:
· Scant Entente Cordiale for British Lovers in Paris [Reuters]
· 'Til Travel Do Us Part [Budget Travel]
· Pam to Paris for V-Day [Jaunted]

[Photo: smudie]

Travel Media / New Orleans Travel / Surveys / → All Tags

Associated Press Perpetuating New Orleans Misperceptions

We're still picking our jaws up off the floor at the latest University of New Orleans poll that shows more than half of respondents think the city is one of the nation's most dangerous. The same survey says a third of people think the French Quarter was one of the hardest hit areas during Katrina, and about one in four people think parts of the city are still underwater.

Wrong, wrong and wrong. The Quarter was largely spared major damage and flood waters are long gone. While New Orleans does have some crime, you probably won't get caught in it unless you go looking for trouble. (We suggest you don't.) But USA Today, which ran the AP story about the poll early this morning, isn't helping correct misconceptions with the headline "New Orleans crime may be keeping visitors away."

We beg to differ: 3.8 million folks stopped by in 2006, and New Orleans will host 6 million by the end of 2007. That's not bad, given the fact that airlines slashed service to Louis Armstrong International after the storm and entire tracts of the city remained evacuated for months.

We hate to sound boostery, but the last thing New Orleans needs after so much progress is more "scary" headlines.

Related Stories:
· New Orleans Crime May Be Keeping Visitors Away [AP, via USA Today]
· The Streetcars Are Back [Jaunted]
· New Orleans Travel Map [Jaunted]
· New Orleans Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bob Jagendorf]