Jaunted

Airline Mergers / US AIrways / American Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / → All Tags

Sounds Like American Airlines Could Be Open to That US Airways Merger After All

All right, we’ll admit that we don’t exactly know what’s going on with US Airways and American Airlines. It seems like one day the two airlines are all hot and heavy for one another, and the next day the relationship has turned a tad cold and sour. This week, the two airline lovers have been talking and texting once again, and American Airlines may be interested in continuing this type of relationship.

Late last week American Airlines said that they would consider merger opportunities with the friendly folks over at US Airways. This is kind of the first time they’ve admitted it, so we’ll see how things shake out moving forward.

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New Routes / Airline News / Airlines / United / Hawaiian Airlines / WestJet / Cayman Airlines / US Airways / → All Tags

It's United, WestJet and Hawaiian Airlines with the New Routes This Week

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Cayman Airlines:
Usually we think of the warm Caribbean waters during the cooler months of the year, but it’s not like they roll up the sand and sun once the warmer months arrive. That’s why we were excited to hear about Cayman Airlines and their decision to bring a new flight in and out of Dallas-Ft. Worth. The route will head over to Grand Cayman beginning on June 23, and the flights will do their thing one time per week on Saturdays. Just be sure and get your vacation planned sooner than later, as these flights will be heading back to the hangar at the beginning of September.

· WestJet:
There’s another new option to and from the Caribbean this week, and this time the flying is come to you courtesy of WestJet. The low cost carrier is planning to connect residents of Toronto all the way down to Aruba for a little fun in the sun. The flights started up earlier this week, and will continue to do their thing once per week—on Sundays—through October 21. One-way options start at around $229, but that’s before taxes, fees, and other mandatory charges. The flights leave Toronto around 9am and arrive in paradise just before 2pm, so we say have a big breakfast and you’ll be all set for a late lunch on the beach.

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Airline Fees / Airlines / Airline News / US Airways / Star Alliance / → All Tags

Jump Lines at the Airport with US Airways' New 'PreferredAccess' Fee

We’re sure we’re not the only ones lusting over the access and convenience that comes with being an elite frequent flyer, but unfortunately it's not all that easy to gain status on more than one airline in one year. Well there’s now a fix for those dreaming of preferred check-in lines and expedited security screening, as US Airways is opening up their premium services to one and all. Unfortunately, it comes with a price.

US Airways' latest money making idea has nothing to do with selling soft drinks up in the air, but it does have everything to do with what they’re calling PreferredAccess. The airline is promising a more convenient airport experience, as you’ll make your way up to preferred ticket counters and the priority security lanes. Once you finally get to the gate there’ll be no need to unnecessarily loiter, as you will now be one of the first to board the plane with Zone 1 access and will likely win the battle of the overhead bin.

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Airline Mergers / US AIrways / American Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / → All Tags

The Latest on What's Shaking with US Airways and American Airlines

Hold onto your frequent flyer miles, as it sounds like American Airlines and US Airways are getting closer and closer to shacking up. Cleary they are jealous over how happy United and Continental have become as a happy couple, and they must have heard some loving tales from both Delta and Northwest Airlines. Well it’s hardly a done deal as of yet, but it does seem as if things are starting to get somewhat hot and heavy between the two carriers.

The biggest news over the last week or so has to do with all the union contracts. The paperwork and people over at American Airlines and their unions seem to be totally cool with the idea of a merger. The three biggest unions have all signed the papers and agreed to the policies, so that’s quite an accomplishment considering that the proposed merger is still very much on the drawing board.

US Airways still has to convince its people, including the board of directors over at American Airlines, that a combined effort is the best way for each airline to move forward.

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Museum Travel / Aviation / Miracle on the Hudson / North Carolina Travel / Flight 1549 / US Airways / Chesley Sullenberger / Accidents / → All Tags

First in Flight: Exploring the Carolinas Aviation Museum and the 'Miracle on the Hudson' Plane

North Carolina’s state motto is “First in Flight,” and the state that once hosted the Wright Brothers’ first flight now houses an aviation museum. While the Wrights’ plane flew in Kitty Hawk, the Carolinas Aviation Museum is located in the more convenient—and booming—city of Charlotte, just down the road from the airport. The location wasn’t just chosen for proximity, though—the planes live in a retired airplane hangar.

Among the aircraft you’ll see are a military jet that rescued American soldiers in Vietnam, a plane from now-defunct Piedmont Air, and one of the planes used in Top Gun. (They’re pretty sure Tom Cruise never sat in it, but that could be a plus.) However, the star of the show is a US Airways Airbus 320, otherwise known as the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane.

In case you need a refresher, it was in January 2009 that this plane left New York-LaGuardia airport en route to Charlotte, suffered bird strikes and failures of both engines, forcing it to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River. Piloted by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the plane and its passengers escaped almost-certain disaster and became a worldwide news story, with the plane’s crew invited to attend President Barack Obama’s inauguration and to greet the crowd at the Super Bowl.

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US Airways Has 'Gogo Vision' and Way More WiFi for the Fleet

We’re still not sure of the sneaky stuff that US Airways is planning behind the scenes regarding a potential merger—or takeover—with American Airlines, but we do know where they’re headed with their in-flight WiFi offerings.

Officials are US Airways were quick to point out how proud they are of their WiFi abilities, as the travel technology is now available on way more planes. It sounds like US Airways is expanding their offerings to more of their fleet including Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, as well as some of their Embraer 190 airplanes. They’re promising that when all the installations and updates are completed, that their domestic mainline fleet will be around 90 percent WiFi enabled—watch out Delta.

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It's Porter Airlines, Icelandair and US Airways Bringing This Week's New Routes

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Icelandair:
There’s already plenty of options over to London aboard Icelandair, but there’s always room for a few more flights. This time the carrier is looking at London’s other huge airport, as it plans to send planes and people to London-Gatwick starting later this year.

The flights will head between London and Reykjavik a couple times per week beginning on October 18, and if all goes well the flights should run through April of 2013. Flights will do their thing on Thursdays and Sundays—great for a long weekend—and perfect for trying to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

· Caribbean Airlines:
We heard that Caribbean Airlines was thinking about heading all the way across the Atlantic, and now it sounds like the new flights are official. The airline will be connecting Port of Spain—that’s in Trinidad and Tobago—with London-Gatwick. The flights will be doing their thing thanks to a little help from a Boeing 767, and it sounds like the flights should start heading back and forth on June 14.

Usually we think of heading down to the Caribbean during the chillier winter months, but we’re sure the residents of London can get used to checking out the islands during the summer months as well.

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Airfares / Airline Industry / Delta / United / American Airlines / US Airways / Southwest / → All Tags

U.S. Air Travel Set to Double, Airfares to Follow

It took U.S. airlines all of eleven days to increase ticket prices in 2012, with Delta announcing on the second Wednesday of the year that it was hiking some round-trip fares $20. United,, American Airlines, and US Airways promptly followed and then Southwest increased their one-way fares by $10. Dryly opined the USA Today's Travel section in response: "Fare increases often don't last because carriers don't want to price themselves too high...a low-cost carrier matching is a good indicator that [the hike] will stick."

Airlines had spent the 2011 holiday season and the very end of the year trying and failing to make airfare increases stick (and before you think that increasing holiday airfares is just how the airline industry works, no it isn't). So it was kind of a big deal when Delta managed to get the industry to follow along last January. Unfortunately the airlines seem to have figured out this "rate hike" trick, since the FAA just announced that air fares are likely to stay high "throughout this decade." Terrific.

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This Week's New Routes Star Air France, Aeromexico and More

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Air France:
You know we’re suckers when it comes to the comings and goings of the Airbus A380, and that’s why we’re excited to hear about Air France and their latest plans for the big bird. Beginning on April 1—no joke here—the double-decker jumbo jet will be heading from Paris all the way over to Singapore.

Initially the thinking is that these planes will do their thing about three times per week, but depending on how many butts the airline can get in the seats it’s always subject to change. It seems like the Airbus A380 is now pretty much flying everywhere and anywhere, so it might just be a matter of time before it shows up at your favorite airport—well, maybe.

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Emirates, AeroMexico and US Airways Lead the Way with New Routes

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Spirit Airlines:
As much as we disagree with some of Spirit Airlines' policies and procedures, we have to admit that they’re pretty darn good at adding new routes. This week they’re bringing back Denver as one of their destinations, and the plan is to start flying to and from the Mile High City as soon as May. Nonstop flights will go to new spots including Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, and Fort Lauderdale. Of course—it goes without saying—just watch out for all those fees and figures before entering in those valuable credit card digits.

· Japan Airlines:
They haven’t even started flying their very first Boeing 787 Dreamliner yet, but Japan Airlines is already dreaming about where they’re heading next. It sounds like airline officials have made a decision, and the next 787 route is going to go back and forth between San Diego and Tokyo-Narita. If all goes according to plan the new flights will begin in December, and this will be the first time San Diego will enjoy a regularly scheduled nonstop flight over to Asia. Oh, and if you can’t wait for some 787 fun, just remember that Boston will be seeing the 787 thanks to JAL as soon as April.

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Travel Tech / Retro Travel / Airlines / Travel Websites / United / Continental / JAL / Japan Airlines / US Airways / Southwest / Alaska Airlines / Delta / → All Tags

Back in the Day: Airline Websites as They Looked in the Year 2000

It's hard to imagine, we know...but a whole 12 years ago the internet did exist. It not only existed, but it was hot enough at the time for airlines to take notice, and begin shifting focus to things like online bookings, flight status, web specials and—we laugh now—pager alerts.

Last week, we gave you a peek at JetBlue's first functioning website from 2001, but today we're taking it back to 2000, the good old days before we had a laptop, before the TSA, and most definitely before September 11...

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Airline Fees / Airlines / Airline News / Delta / US Airways / United / American Airlines / Europe Travel / → All Tags

That Flight to Europe May Just Cost a Few Bucks More

If your vacation piggy bank is almost filled to the top, you may need to tape a few bucks to the outside as travel to Europe just got a little more expensive. With the new year comes a new fee, as the European Union wants airlines to pay a little bit extra to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Obviously this is going to be passed along to passengers, and that’s exactly what’s already started to happen.

Last week Delta was the first airline in the nifty fifty to add another $3 to one-way fares to Europe, and now it looks like all the other major carriers have joined the party as well. United and US Airways were quick to ask travelers to chip in a few more dollahs dollahs, and then last but not least, American did the same exact thing.

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