Jaunted

In-Flight WiFi / WiFi / South African Airways / Mango / Airline News / Airlines / In-Flight Entertainment / → All Tags

It's Now Possible to Surf the Net from a Plane Over South Africa

There’s plenty of domestic in-flight WiFi to be found in and around the nifty fifty, and even long-haul options are starting to pop up here and there. However, if there was one place where all this up in the air connectivity has been limited it's Africa, but thankfully that’s not going to be the case for long.

Low cost carrier Mango—they’re kind of like the little brother of South African Airways—is getting ready to connect passengers at 35,000 feet. It sounds like Row 44, Vodacom and Wireless G are teaming up to provide the in-flight internet magic. G-Connect In-Flight WiFi isn’t just some limited gimmick either, as it sounds like email, websites and all the other World Wide Web tidbits are yours for the browsing. There’s even plans to bring some kind of text message system to the comfort of your tray table as well.

more ›

New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / South African Airways / JetBlue / Spirit Airlines / American Airlines / Volaris / → All Tags

The New Routes Don't Stop Thanks to American Airlines, JetBlue, and Volaris

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:
Finland, Finland, Finland that’s the country for me! Well at least that’s what American Airlines is singing, as they just started up nonstop service to Helsinki over the weekend. It’s a seasonal thing, so be sure to get all your Scandinavian stuff done before the end of October. The new flights depart from Chicago en route to Helsinki with a little help from Boeing 767-300s. This is the first time American is bringing their planes to Finland, so hopefully things will catch on and the flight will become a permanent option.

· JetBlue:
Alright we knew JetBlue would be jetting back and forth between Boston and beautiful Newark, New Jersey, but this week things became official. The airline that loves in-flight television and plenty of free up-in-the-air snacks started four daily flights between the two cities on May 4. There’s a couple morning flights and a couple afternoon flights, so you should be able to find something that fits your schedule. Expect Embraer 190s on this route, which are a little smaller but just as comfy. We actually just flew this route yesterday, so it's totally open for booking and going.

more ›

Drinking Travel / In-Flight Drinks / In-Flight Cocktail of the Month / Airlines / South African Airways / South Africa Travel / → All Tags

In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: South African Airways' La Chanson

As many already know, we have a serious obsession with airline cocktails, and so much is our passion that we've created a whole first-Friday-of-the-month feature called In-Flight Cocktail of the Month, which highlights the special concoctions that flight attendants whip up with only a cocktail shaker, some tiny liquor bottles and a whole lot of hope that it won't make you drunk and unruly.

Red sparkling wine is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, the fruity stuff isn't nearly as easy to find as, say, regular French champagne or good old Freixenet. Instead, you've often to grab it when you see it, like perhaps on an Africa-bound South African Airways flight.

more ›

2010 World Cup / World Cup / South Africa Travel / South African Airways / South Africa Airports / Bus Travel / → All Tags

2010 World Cup Travel Guide: Flying To and Around South Africa

Outside Nelspruit/Kruger Airport

All this week, we'll be giving you the low-down on the many venues of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This five-part guide is designed to inform and ease the logistics of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the action, should you decide to get on the ball and go for it! Next up, how to get to the games!

Let’s be real. Unlike previous "winters", flying to South Africa is unlikely to be cheap at this time due to the World Cup. Round-trip air from U.S. gateways like JFK, ATL and IAD on South African Airways,(don’t forget their partnership with JetBlue!) are starting at around $2,000. Yikes.

But this may be the one time where the ultimate fan (and those still holding on to their tax return) may consider upgrading to the flat-bed outfitted biz class (some routes are just double economy fares) for the 16-hr plus flight ahead. You’ll get to sleep and then hit the ground running once you land. Hey, if you’re gonna go for it, don’t do it half-assed.

more ›

Airline News / Virgin America / Airlines / South African Airways / → All Tags

South Africa Now Just A Hop, Skip, And Virgin America Jump Away

Hopping a Virgin America flight between LA and Vegas might be easy and affordable enough, but what about the hassle of getting from LA to Johannesburg, switching between airlines, and hoping for in-flight internet for at least one leg? Well, now thanks to an interline agreement between Virgin America and South African Airways, getting from one coast to a whole other continent in this manner can be easily done.

What this means is that the one-third of transatlantic air traffic bound for South Africa that originates from the West Coast will have a much easier time of it. Fly Virgin America to JFK to connect with Johannesburg direct flight, or fly Virgin to Washington-Dulles to connect to the Johannesburg route with a quick stop in Dakar, Senegal. Don't forget that you can use the in-flight internet during the Virgin leg to make last minute arrangement in South Africa or just plain email home that "OMG! I'm using internet 35,000 in the air!"

more ›