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Three Quick Contests to Score a Free Vacation

If getting back into the workweek is a little hard this morning—no problem—as we’ve got some daydream destinations to get you through the day. Sure the odds aren’t exactly in your favor when it comes to winning a contest, but you can’t win if you don’t play. So here’s a couple contests going on this week, so take a few minutes and throw your name into the hat for a chance to win.

Hawaiian Airlines – Lei Day

Over in Hawaii, Lei Day—May 1—is already over, but Hawaiian Airlines is celebrating for a few more weeks. On Facebook they’re inviting you to take a little Lei Day quiz to find out which lei fits you best. It only takes a few clicks, and then your answer is revealed. However, the potential payoff is that you could enjoy 140,000 HawaiianMiles as well. The fun runs through May 22, so waste a few minutes and discover your lei—today!

Alaska Airlines - Explore Denali National Park

Thanks to Alaska Airlines there’s new nonstop flights between Fairbanks and Portland, and now they’re running a little bit of a contest to help celebrate. Along with Denali Park Resorts and the Alaska Rail Road they’re giving away a Denali National Park trip for two. You’ll get a couple nights at McKinley Chalet Resort, a pair of Tundra Wilderness Tour tickets, and roundtrip tickets to Denali from Fairbanks on the Alaska Railroad. Of course to round things out you’ll also score two roundtrip tickets on Alaska Airlines to Fairbanks, but you need to remember to enter first. Just be sure to head over to Facebook to enter your details, as the sweepstakes ends on May 24.

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New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / American Airlines / Lufthansa / Hawaiian Airlines / JetBlue / Icelandair / → All Tags

Hawaiian Airlines, Icelandair and American Airlines Lead This Week's New Route News

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.

· Hawaiian Airlines:
It’ll be a little bit of time before things start flying back and forth, but Hawaiian Airlines is once again eager to get over to Asia. This time they’re planning to fly all the way over to China, as if things go according to plan the nonstop flights will run back and forth between Honolulu and Beijing.

Things should start in April of 2014, so you certainly have some time to get the funds in order if you’re looking to take advantage of this new route. This is international destination number 10 since November 2010 for Hawaiian Airlines, and this new flight should do its thing three times per week. Sounds like more tourism dollars will be arriving in the Aloha State, or it’s just a great stopover on the way back from China—Beijing, Waikiki, and then home.

· Lufthansa:
Here’s a little bit of an aircraft announcement, as it looks like Lufthansa and one of their A380s is on the move once again. Beginning on September 26, Lufthansa will be connecting Frankfurt with Shanghai five times per week, and it’ll all be done thanks to the Airbus A380.

The world’s biggest passenger aircraft will leave Germany around 5:20pm or so local time, and will arrive over in China at 9:55am—fancy. There’s room for 526 passengers across three different cabins, so we’re pretty sure there’s a seat that’s perfect for you. That’s not it when it comes to new airplane news either, as the latest Boeing bird—the 747-8—will now be doing its thing between Frankfurt and Los Angeles thanks to Lufthansa.

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Hawaiian Airlines / Hawaii Travel / Airlines / HNL / Airline News / Checked Baggage / Luggage / Baggage / → All Tags

Hawaii Says 'Aloha' to DIY Checked Bag Tagging

There’s a new fun activity to try on your next trip to Hawaii, and you won’t even need to leave the airport. It’s do-it-yourself baggage tagging, and it’s a brand new option thanks to Hawaiian Airlines. We’re sure you now want to visit the Aloha State now more than ever—right?

Seriously though we kind of love the idea, and imagine that it should be a pretty slick process for those checking their bags back to the mainland, other countries, or just over to one of the neighboring islands. Passengers at Honolulu International Airport will be able to weigh and tag their own bags, and Hawaiian Airlines is quick to point out that they’re the first carrier in the US to go all in with this process at one of their hubs.

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New Routes Galore from Hawaiian Airlines, US Airways, and Qatar Airways

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.

· Hawaiian Airlines:
We can never get enough of Hawaii, so it’s good that Hawaiian Airlines is busy adding more flights between the islands and the mainland. This time it looks like Portland, Oregon is the carrier’s focus, as Hawaiian Airlines is sending some of their new Airbus A330s back and forth between Portland and Honolulu. Demand for the flights must be up, as they’re now getting ready to start things a little sooner than initially planned. It’s roughly three weeks early, as things should now take to the skies beginning on April 20. In case you’re interested in booking something for you and your crew, the flights depart Portland at around 10am and arrive into Hawaii around 1pm—all times local.

· Qatar Airways:
It might not be the vacation destination of 2013, but this year has certainly seen a boost in service when it comes to flight in and out of Iraq. This week it looks like Qatar Airways is planning service over to the country, and they should begin as soon as this summer. As it stands now the plan is to fly between Doha—that’s in Qatar—and Basra—that’s in Iraq—beginning on June 3. After that there will also be some flights over to Sulaymaniyah beginning on August 20. The flights will run four times per week once they start up, so there’s plenty of options from which to choose.

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New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / JetBlue / American Airlines / Delta / Hawaiian Airlines / Spirit / → All Tags

New Routes on the Docket from Hawaiian, American and Delta

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.

· American Airlines:
They are still waiting on the necessary approvals and paperwork from various government agencies, but when the stamps and seals come through it’ll be good news for American Airlines. They’re thinking about heading down to Brazil, as they look to connect both Los Angeles and Chicago with São Paulo.

If all goes according to plan it’ll be LAX scoring the flights first, as it sounds like they want to get those up and running by the end of this year; however, for fans of Chicago-O’Hare you’ll just have to be patient. Those flights probably won’t hit the skies until later in 2014. At least at that point you’ll probably have the snazzy new livery and logo all over the outside of the plane.

· JetBlue:
For those snowed in over in the Windy City this week it’s probably a good time to start dreaming—or acting upon—a warm weather escape. JetBlue feels your pain, and they’re getting ready to do something about it. Unfortunately the sun and the sand aren’t arriving immediately, but they are working on getting it to you a little later this year.

The plan is for JetBlue to start nonstop flights between Chicago-O’Hare and San Juan beginning on November 20. The flights will head back and forth each and every day of the week, and if Puerto Rico isn’t your final destination that’s not a problem. JetBlue has plenty of connections to other Caribbean spots right out of San Juan—start stocking up on the sunscreen now.

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Airport Lounges / Airline Lounges / T5 at JFK / JetBlue / Airspace / JFK / New York City / Budget Travel / Airports / Airport News / CLE / BWI / Aer Lingus / Travel Comfort / Hawaiian Airlines / → All Tags

JetBlue's Terminal 5 at JFK is Getting a Lounge! With Showers! And Free Booze!

Hot breakfast sandwiches. Free WiFi. A power outlet for each comfy chair. A slick bar stocking all the good stuff for complimentary cocktails. Cheese plates. Private restrooms with showers. Macbooks.

Hello, this is airport heaven.

Though it kinda sounds like we've been describing an ultra-premium airline lounge for elite flyers at some exotic international airport, all this is in fact coming to a new lounge within Terminal 5 at New York-JFK, aka the home of JetBlue. It's to be called Airspace, and travelers will find it come May 2013 after security, near Gate 24.

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New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / Hawaiian Airlines / Turkish Airlines / Ethiopian Airlines / Delta / United / → All Tags

It's United, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Leading This Week's New Route News

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:
At this point you’re probably well aware of some of the issues that the Boeing 787 has been experiencing. As a result, new flights, new routes, and other in-flight improvements have been delayed. Now it looks like United is grounding its planes to at least June, but there’s one route that is suffering a little bit less.

Assuming they fix those pesky batteries sooner rather than later, it sounds like the nonstop option between Denver and Tokyo will takeoff on May 12. Initially it was scheduled to start doing its thing at the end of March, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed that May is when it finally hits the skies.

· Delta:
For travelers looking to hit in big during North Dakota’s oil boom, Delta has you covered as they’re getting ready to boost their service over to the Roughrider State. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale tomorrow. Delta is planning to fly nonstop between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Dickinson.

The flights will begin on June 10, and they’ll do their thing two times per day. Sure there’s money to be made in western North Dakota, but just don’t expect anything too comfortable on these flights. The back and forth flying will be done thanks to SkyWest and some less than comfy commuter jets.

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Hawaiian Airlines / 'Ohana / Airlines / Hawaii Travel / Airline News / New Routes / → All Tags

New Airline Alert: Hawaii Says Aloha to 'Ohana'

It’s been a little bit of time since we heard about Hawaiian Airlines and their plans to expand inter-island service with a new carrier of their own. They’re eager to get in on the smaller markets that aren’t as well served within the islands, so they’re ordering some new planes—smaller turboprops—and they’re almost ready to go.

The new subsidiary of Hawaiian Airlines will be known as ’Ohana, and they’re looking to get things up in the air as soon as this summer. Technically they’re contracting out the flying fun, as Empire Airlines will be the ones behind the controls. Flights over to spots on both Lanai and Molokai will be some of the first destinations, as a pair of ATR42 turboprop aircraft will handle the quick flights between the different islands and destinations.

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This Week's New Routes News: WestJet, easyJet, and Virgin America

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.

· WestJet:
We haven’t heard too much from the folks over at WestJet lately, but apparently that’s just because they have been busy planning some new options. This week it sounds like they’re coming to visit us here in the United States, as they’re getting ready for some new flights to spots like Myrtle Beach and Dallas. Starting on May 2 there will be nonstop flights between Toronto and Myrtle Beach a couple times per week, as it looks like Thursdays and Sundays will be the days for flying. If you want to head to Dallas instead—they’ve got you covered—as WestJet will be linking Calgary with Big D beginning on April 29 each and every day of the week. These are destinations number 19 and 20 for WestJet to the United States, and we say keep ‘em coming!

· Virgin America:
It’s a double-dose of new route news out of Virgin America this week, so we thought we’d mention it one more time. Up first are their plans to link San Francisco with Austin beginning on May 21. Tickets are already up for sale, so if you’re looking to head between SFO and AUS they’ve got you covered. The next planned route for the carrier is some seasonal service up to Alaska, as they’re thinking about connecting San Francisco with Anchorage. Those flights will head back and forth like six times per week, and things will run all summer long between June 6 and September 9. Tickets are already up for sale—one-way fares between SFO and AUS will set you back as little as $89, but it’s going to be $199 between SFO and ANC.

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Jaunted Awards 2012 / Travel Awards 2012 / The Jauntys / Airlines / Hawaii Travel / New Routes / Hawaiian Airlines / → All Tags

The Best New Airline Route of 2012 is...

It's that time of the year again, the time when the year just plain ends. Alas, we can't just let 2012 go that easily, especially since travelers spent it both up in the air and up in arms over a crazy range of topics. Needless to say, we're ready for 2013, but first we're taking a brief look back at the best of 2012 with the Jaunted Travel Awards,—or as we fondly refer to them—The Jauntys.

There were so many great new airline routes this year that we figured we should pick one of them as our favorite by adding this award to the bunch. However, there’s so many good ones that the decision was a difficult one. Non-stop between New York-JFK and Palm Springs was a recent favorite, plenty of 787 flights to here and there launched, and who could forget the new option between Denver and Grand Forks, North Dakota. Sure we might be kidding about the last one, but when it's about new routes we love ‘em all.

As for the very best, we’re going with the start of the new non-stop option between New York-JFK and Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines. Sure there was (and still is) a non-stop option with United over to HNL from Newark, but a little competition has brought fares down. Not to mention the fact that JFK is just so much more convenient to those who call New York home.

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New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / United / American Airlines / JetBlue / US AIrways / Hawaiian Airlines / → All Tags

New Routes Coming Your Way Thanks to United, Hawaiian and US Airways

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:
March 2 is the day that United is planning to link San Francisco with Ft. Lauderdale, so if Florida is in your plans for spring break you’re all set. It’s only an option on Saturdays when things start up, but as of April 9 the plan is to offer the flights up and each every day of the week. Just remember to pack your sunscreen, as you’ll need it.

· Hawaiian Airlines:
If you’re looking to escape the sunshine of Southern California for the sunshine of Hawaii—you’re in luck—as Hawaiian Airlines is getting ready to boost some of their flights this summer. They already fly plenty of planes and people between Los Angeles and Maui, but now even that route is getting a little boost. Boeing 767s will be heading back and forth two times per day during most of the summer. The first daily flight runs between June 13 and August 25, and the second LAX to OGG flight does its thing between June 20 and August 14. We’ve got to say that you can never have too many flights over to Hawaii, so we only see an upside to this announcement.

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New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / SAS / Hawaiian Airlines / Qatar Airways / Allegiant / Japan AIrlines / → All Tags

It's SAS, Hawaiian Airlines and Allegiant with 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.

· SAS:
Known to its buddies as SAS, it’s Scandinavian Airlines planning all kinds of stuff for 2013. We think that we mentioned that they’ve got their eyes on a new nonstop between San Francisco and Copenhagen, but that’s not all. Tickets went on sale over the last week or so, as SAS is planning plenty of new regional routes to help get passengers to where they need to be. Out of Stockholm there’ll be flights to spots like Innsbruck, Palermo, and Tel Aviv—among plenty of others. Oslo is getting on the fun to with options over to Salzburg, Berlin, Budapest, Malta, Lisbon, and Athens. That’s just scratching the surface of what’s on tap for SAS, so stay tuned.

· Japan Airlines:
We let you know about this one some time ago, but this was the week that it finally took to the skies. Japan Airlines started to connect San Diego with Tokyo-Narita on December 2, and it’s all being done thanks to some brand new Boeing 787s. Plenty of officials in suits were on hand to welcome the new planes and passengers to San Diego, as the new service is scheduled to do its thing at least four times per week—at least for now.