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Got 177,000 Miles? Then You've Got George Clooney's Leather Vest.

As competition becomes fierce in the skies, airlines are getting creative with their frequent flier rewards.

IdeaWorks recently released a list of the top 40 "weird, wild and wonderful” rewards. Some give frequent fliers unique experiences, like AirBaltic's dog sled adventure (13,754 airline points) and American Airlines' beer-tasting tour in Brussels (14,700 points).

Others give passengers an opportunity to own items money just can't buy, like Lufthansa's “sockscription," which provides a delivery of three pairs of socks immediately and two more deliveries every four months (21,000 points). And, passengers who collect 650 miles with Icelandair can get a traditional Icelandic oatmeal and rhubarb cake, called a “Happy Marriage Cake.”

But, the most buzzed about item on their list seems to be a leather vest signed by George Clooney which Air Canada is giving away for a mere 177,000 miles. It's a small price to pay for a lifetime of "Up in the Air" roleplay. *wink*

[Photo: TheDailyBeast]

New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / Hawaiian Airlines / Air Canada / United / Mokulele Airlines / American Airlines / → All Tags

United, American, Hawaiian and More Break Out the 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.

· United:
Someone must be a little jealous about that new option aboard Virgin America, as United Airlines is looking to bring back a nonstop option between Philadelphia and Los Angeles beginning this April.

Starting on April 1—no joke here—the carrier is heading across the country each day of the week. The flight to PHL will leave in the morning, and the flight back out to LAX leaves in the evening. With all the competition between these two cities now, we’d expect some decent fare battles throughout the spring and summer season, so get the Tums ready in preparation for cheesesteak consumption.

· American Airlines:
American Airlines loves Brazil, and they’re getting ready to prove it this year. The carrier is increasing their service into South America with new options and increases in existing service. Starting this December, the technology on the Dallas-Ft. Worth to Sao Paulo route is getting an upgrade, as American is debuting its brandy new Boeing 777-300ER. Even without the new plane they’re boosting service between the cities up to 12 times per week beginning June 14. Right around the same time they’re also increasing flights from Miami to spots like Brasilia and Belo Horizonte, so if Brazil is on the bucket list it's never been easier to get there.

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Holiday Travel / Toronto Travel / Canada Travel / Air Canada / Airport News / Free Stuff / Twitter / YYZ / → All Tags

Tweet at Toronto Airport and They'll Deliver Christmas Carols to an Arriving Flight

Believe it or not, airlines do like to show they care during the holiday season, some more than others of course. For example, Southwest will snap family photos right at your gate and Virgin Atlantic will be giftwrapping at several airports. Well, add an entire airport into the holiday cheer as Toronto-Pearson International offers to send carolers to meet the flight of your friends or family.

Yes, carolers will serenade the arriving passengers on a flight, if you tweet them to do so. Here's the details:

· The flight must be domestic and arriving to Toronto-Pearson between now and December 24.
· The flight must arrive between 3pm-8pm, except for the 24th when the hours are 6am-11am.
· Tweet @torontopearson with the person's name, flight number and flight date.
· Sit back and wait for the eventual "OMG you are crazy that was crazy" tweet from the friend or family who gets "FA LA LA LA LA" belted at them.

Airline Security / Airport Security / Air Canada / Alcohol Travel / Bad Ideas / → All Tags

Important Travel Safety Tips About Guns, Booze, and Handcuffs

In today's airline security/airport security post, we recommend against trying to smuggle your loaded gun through an airport and against chewing off restraints that are placed on you mid-flight. Had you asked us a few weeks ago whether such advice would be necessary, we would have expressed the belief that - no - those rules seem self-evident. And yet here we are.

Exhibit A. According to the report he would later give police, Atlanta Hartfield passenger Richard Popkin was originally going to check his loaded .22-caliber Magnum revolver into his baggage. He changed his mind at the last minute because he was concerned that the gun would push his bag over the weight limit. Instead he opted for trying to smuggle the gun through airport security.

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In-Flight Meals / Food Travel / Airline Food / Healthy Travel / Lists / Air Canada / Virgin America / → All Tags

A Doc Ranks Airlines with the Healthiest In-Flight Snacks of 2011

A snack in First Class on Virgin America

Over the next few days, millions of air travelers are going to sit down to eat something they likely wouldn't otherwise. It's called an in-flight meal and, as with the airlines themselves, the quality varies. Some will be stuck with "nuts or pretzels?" while others live in luxury with "chicken or beef?" What will you choose this holiday travel season? Allow a doctor to help out...

Dr. Charles Platkin, PhD, MPH is an assistant professor at the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College in NYC and he's just published his "2011 Airline Food Survey" at DietDetective.com. Reviewing in-flight menus and nutritional information for offerings on Air Canada, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, United, US Airways and Virgin America, Dr. Platkin rated each airline out of four stars based on the protein, variety and calories of their onboard offerings. The findings are kinda shocking...

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Qantas / Air France / Virgin Australia / Airline Industry / Airline Strikes / Air Canada / Air India / → All Tags

Winter Airline Strike News Getting Better and Better

As the airline industry settles in for a winter of labor turmoil, we here at Jaunted are becoming resigned to what will be an endless series of airline strike stories. And while we could just update you with lines like "were you thinking of going to [destination X that's totally hosed] some time soon? If so, don't"—that seems just a little bit flippant. Although if you were thinking of going to Canada, France, Australia, or India some time soon, there's a good chance you're going to want to consider travelers' insurance.

A few days ago we told you that the Qantas and Air France strikes were winding down, which was technically true. As of yesterday Qantas had resumed all flights and Air France was operating at 90%. But—because this is how things are going to go now, apparently—none of the issues have been resolved. So everything could kick up again before the month is over.

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Nude Travel / Naked Travel / Sex Travel / Flight Attendants / Canada Travel / Air Canada / Air Transat / Porter Airlines / → All Tags

Canadian Flight Attendants Pose for a 2012 Calendar

And just like that, fall has arrived. And just like that, it's about time to consider buying 2012 calendars. This year, may we suggest skipping the bookstores for something you definitely won't find there: The Turbulence Calendar of Canadian Flight Attendants.

You read right—this calendar is only featuring ladies who end their sentences with "eh?" and like to start the day at Tim Horton's. The calendar shoot recently took place in a cheap motel, to give the ladies that layover-chic look, we guess. There's no preview shots aside from the awkward one above, and the saucy background photo of their website.

The calendar won't hit the e-shelves until November and there's a few promo events where you can meet the models (and get their signatures, of course). Now we only wonder what lucky airline will get to honor of being Miss July.

Airline Fees / Checked Baggage Fees / Baggage / Luggage / Baggage Fees / Airlines / Airline News / Air Canada / → All Tags

Air Canada Adds First Bag Fee for Flyers Between the US and Canada

At this point it seems like pretty much every carrier that could has already added a checked baggage fee, but there are a few more that haven’t yet betrayed global flyers. Remove Air Canada from that list, as it looks like they’re slapping flyers with a first checked bag fee as of October 11.

Our airline buddies north of the border will begin to charge $25 for the first checked bag for all tickets bought on or after September 7 for travel from Canada into the United States, and like we said, it’s for travel beginning October 11. If you’re checking two bags, things will at least remain the same, as it’s going to be $35 for the second bag.

Just in case you don’t have any scrap paper handy we’ll do the math for you—that’s $120 per person for a roundtrip flight when you check two bags like in the good ol’ days.

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Jaunted Reports / In-Flight Entertainment / Airlines / Airline News / In-Flight Comfort / WiFi / Travel Tech / Technology / In-Flight WiFi / LiveTV / Gogo / Row 44 / Air Canada / AirTran Airways / Alaska Airlines / American Airlines / Continental / Delta / Frontier / Jetblue / Southwest Airlines / Spirit Airlines / United / US Airways / Virgin America / → All Tags

2011 US Airline In-Flight Entertainment Guide

Three cheers for in-flight entertainment! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hoo...misses the days of crossword puzzle magazines and listening to your CD player on a flight? Not us! And thankfully, not the airlines either as the majority of US carriers engage in a race to see who can have the biggest seatback TVs or the fastest in-flight WiFi.

Like it or not, what the airlines offer can vary greatly, especially where movies or music is involved. Thus, in the interest of helping you to be the coolest and most informed traveler around, we've laid out exactly what to expect when you sit in your seat. Our annual guide (now in its third year) highlights domestic carriers, plus the bonus of Air Canada because they get around the US enough. Enjoy, travel happily, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Click Here to see a printable chart of IFE onboard the airlines

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New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / Air France / Delta / AirTran / Air Canada / Air Canada Jazz / Air China / → All Tags

This Week is All About Bermuda, China, and Liberia Thanks to 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.

· Air China:
After a few days in Milan you might just get sick of being in Italy—we’re kidding—but if you do there’s always Air China to help you escape Europe and head into Asia. Beginning on June 15, the carrier will be sending Airbus A330s back and forth between Milan and Beijing just in time for the summer tourism season. The flights will run three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. They’re the only airline flying nonstop on this route, so expect to pay a little bit of a premium if you decide to hop between continents anytime soon.

· Air France:
If you’re looking to impress your friends with a unique trip, you might just want to consider some of Air France’s new options to West Africa. Earlier this month they started up flights to Freetown—that’s in Sierra Leone—as well as flights to Monrovia, Liberia. They’re even heading to the capital of Guinea; that’s Conakry of course! All the flights will depart from Paris—not surprising—and will be operated thanks to a little assistance from those trusty Airbus A330s.

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Air Canada / LCCs / Low Cost Carriers / Canada Travel / Airlines / Airline News / → All Tags

Coming Soon: Air Canada Lite, A Low-Cost Option from Canada to Vacation

Historically, when a major airline launches a low cost little sibling, things don’t turn out too well. We still remember airline brands like Song and Ted—and who knows what Japan Airlines has up their sleeve—but we’ll remain optimistic that Air Canada actually knows what they’re doing with their latest little airline innovation.

Air Canada is planning to start up their own low cost carrier brand beginning next winter, and they’re thinking about connecting chilly Canadians with warm weather destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico, as well as tourist hotspots in Europe. The head honcho at the airline doesn’t want his airline’s business to be stolen by cheaper tour operators looking to hoard the masses, so he’s taking matters into his own hands by beating them at their own game.

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Air Canada / Airline News / Toronto Travel / YTZ / Porter Airlines / → All Tags

Air Canada Begins Flying Their Bombardiers to Toronto City Airport on May 1

We’ve been following the ongoing battle at Billy Bishop Airport, and it now looks like Air Canada will finally be landing at Toronto-City. Just to recap, the airline has been trying to bring back its turboprop service to the smaller—yet super convenient—airport right outside the comings and goings of downtown Toronto after stopping service in 2006.

For quite some time, Porter Airlines has been the exclusive commercial airline with access to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and thanks to the lack of a true competitor, they’ve done pretty well with their service to Canada and the United States.

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