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Southwest Goest Northeast with New 2011 Routes from Newark

Where: Newark Liberty International Airport [map], Newark, NJ, United States
August 30, 2010 at 9:36 AM | by JetSetCD | 1 Comment

It was only a year plus two months ago that Southwest Airlines first rolled into one of the big three New York City Airports, buying 14 slots for flights at LaGuardia Airport from bankrupt ATA Airlines (RIP). But now, the low-coast airline is bracing for a huge landing at Newark Liberty International via a nice little agreement with Continental to take over 36 of their slots at their busy airport for about 18 daily flights.

Southwest plans to bring their red-bellied planes into EWR as soon as March 2011, and although no route decisions have been made, we think it's safe to say that there'll be a Texas city in there, probably a Florida one and here's hoping Chicago-Midway as well. But hey, we wouldn't be opposed to some unique routes either. And yes, even though Southwest plays with the big boys at Newark, the airline will bring its low fares along for the ride.

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New Planes for Southwest Airlines Could Mean International Routes

August 23, 2010 at 9:36 AM | by kjb | 1 Comment

One of the secrets to Southwest Airlines’ success is the use of just one type of airplane. Southwest uses Boeing 737 jets exclusively, but they do have a couple different flavors of the planes. This allows them to make quick fixes on the ground when necessary, as many of the parts are interchangeable or at least useable when modified with a little bit of duct tape (kidding!). Now the airline is looking to add a new type of aircraft to their fleet, but don’t worry, it will still be a Boeing 737.

Southwest is eyeing the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and this is significant as this might allow them to go to some new destinations, especially places outside the continental United States. The planes are larger, allowing more passengers to bring their bags along for free, but they also boast a little bit more range to get to places other than Disney World.

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Nerd Birds and Bulgaria Make Our List of New Airline Routes

August 6, 2010 at 12:11 PM | by kjb | 0 Comments

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.

· Southwest Airlines:
The biggest new route news of the week is from Southwest Airlines. They are launching new flights between Phoenix and Ft. Lauderdale, but don’t worry, there’s also something a little more exciting than that. Twice daily roundtrips between San Jose and Austin start up on November 7, which means it’s time to welcome the country’s newest “nerd bird” just in time for the holidays. There’s also new nonstop service between St. Louis and Seattle as well as between Baltimore and Los Angeles. However, we just can’t get enough of new nerd bird service.

· Alaska Airlines:
If you don’t want to test out the new tech-friendly flight linking San Jose with Austin, but you still want to get the hell out of Silicon Valley, there’s an option on Alaska Airlines. The airline is beginning nonstop service to Cabo San Lucas on November 20, so we’re thinking 2010 might be a good year to skip the turkey in favor of some tacos. The flight will run on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

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2010 US Airline In-Flight Entertainment Guide

July 20, 2010 at 10:29 AM | by JetSetCD | 5 Comments

Ten years ago, back when JetBlue launched, In-Flight Entertainment was forever changed. Gone were the days when airline passengers expected screens to drop from the fuselage and play one movie followed by a couple episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond." Instead, the norm became $99 flights each way between SFO and JFK and on each airplane, leather seats with personal music ports and seat-back TVs showing live satellite television.

Flash forward 10 years and while no airline this side of Virgin America has really been able to come close to JetBlue's LiveTV experience, the IFE gap between Jetblue and the rest of the pack widens, thanks to advances with in-flight wifi. Airlines who've been quick to join the Gogo WiFi party are working to now make internet-connected planes just as accepted and expected by passengers as in-flight TV.

All of this means that, in 2010, the IFE game is changing once again and the race is on to see who can provide the best domestic IFE package. We have packaged up the right now of IFE into a handy guide for you to look at on the web, or take with you.

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

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Southwest Airlines Will Take You for a Free Ride in Denver...by Rickshaw

July 7, 2010 at 10:55 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

If you’re headed to Denver this summer and you hate walking, then Southwest Airlines is your new best friend. The airline that shows a little too much love for checked baggage is teaming up with Mile High Pedicabs to offer free rides to plenty of events in and around the city for the next six months.

In total you’ll be able to hitch a ride to around 20 events including baseball games at Coors Field. Be on the lookout for 25 pedal-powered vehicles fully decked out in Southwest colors, stickers and flags on the back promising free rides. Just make sure you tip your driver, and do so even more if it’s especially hot out.

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Southwest Plays with Stickers to Keep Bags Flying Free

May 27, 2010 at 8:30 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware that Southwest Airlines has a thing for baggage. They are crazy about their free checked luggage policy and they aren’t afraid to hide it. In addition to bombarding passengers—and television watchers—with advertisements about how bags fly free, the airline is now ramping up the Bags Fly Free campaign right onto the sides of the planes.

For the next six weeks Southwest will slap big stickers to the sides of about 50 airplanes across the fleet. The new decals point to the cargo hold on the plane’s belly so that passengers on other planes can see that they’re missing out on the wonderful world of free bags.

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PETA's Sexy Body Scan Ad Doesn't Fly with Southwest Airlines

May 25, 2010 at 9:00 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

Southwest Airlines is usually a little friskier than other airlines when it comes to their advertisements. They were quick to cover one of their planes in a bikini-clad babe, and they also made it clear that they don’t mind using faux-expletives with their “don’t #$*!% me over” coupon. However, PETA has pushed the envelope too far and Southwest has turned down their most recent advertisement.

The sometimes-crazy animal protection group was looking to get a clever (and topical!) x-ray image of a woman in bra and panties into the in-flight magazine. Apparently a vegan diet will result in a sexier body scan in the security line, and this image would hopefully lure travelers away from pre-flight cheeseburgers. Since Southwest Airlines has been a fan of hotpants in the past, PETA didn't think this was too risqué.

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That Oil Spill Isn’t Spoiling the Grand Opening of Northwest Florida's New Airport

May 25, 2010 at 8:34 AM | by kjb | 1 Comment

After years of construction and buckets of cash, the brand new airport near Panama City, Florida has finally fired up the x-ray machines and metal detectors for the first time. Regular air service began earlier this week at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, and Southwest Airlines and Delta are the first carriers to bring in passengers from cities like Atlanta, Memphis, Orlando, Houston, and Baltimore. With connections through those cities, beach bums from across the country will be able to test out the new airport and the nearby sun and sand.

The place is the first new airport to open in the country since 1997, so hopefully the TSA lines will be designed a little better than the ones that have been crammed into some of the nation’s older airports. We heard that our favorite government agency was going to test out some new security tricks at the new airport too, but so far there haven’t been any juicy details.

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Mile High Drinking: The Five Best Airlines For Booze-Free Beverages

April 26, 2010 at 9:40 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

We’ve done our best to ensure that everybody in the plane is getting tipsy with the best airlines for in-flight cocktails and beer, but sometimes alcohol isn’t the best choice during travel. Often there’s business to take care of or it’s just too darn early, and luckily there are several airlines offering pretty unique drinks besides the usual choice between Coke and Pepsi. We’ve rounded up our choices for best specialty drinks and the five airlines below are where to order 'em up:

· US Airways
It hurts us deep inside to include US Airways in any list of positive things, but they’re actually pretty good when it comes to specialty drinks up in the air. The airline that used to charge for soda offers Redbull for those needing wings during the flight, or for those needing to mix it with vodka. Also available are those pre-made Starbucks Frappucino things that kind of taste like the coffee version of chocolate milk; however, without the dome lid and whipped cream on top we’ve never known how these are a replacement for the real thing. US Airways also has Arizona Arnold Palmer Half & Half. It’s half lemonade, half iced tea, and fully delicious (ha!). All of these fancy drinks are offered for $3.

More beverages that help you get your wings, after the jump...

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Southwest Shows They're Psyched for Summer with New 'Florida One' Plane

April 23, 2010 at 10:52 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Today is a big day for Southwest Airlines, as they've just released another special airplane into the skies, this one decorated with the state seal of Florida. This means that it's also a special occasion for plane spotters and fans of the airlines, as they've now got a new airline sighting to watch out for.

The "Florida One" joins a fleet of Southwest planes with unique livery, and the video above gives an awesome time-lapse idea of what goes into assembling and getting a Southwest plane up in the air.

We always keep our eyes open for SWA's rare aircraft, among them seven other state-specific planes (like everyone's favorite "Lone Star One"), and even Shamu One and Slam Dunk One. If you curious about the history of their other paint jobs, you can see a few and read their stories here.

Related Stories:
· Introducing Florida One [Nuts About Southwest]
· Southwest Airlines news [Jaunted]

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Flying Around in the Belly of a Killer Whale on Southwest's 'Shamu One'

April 9, 2010 at 9:05 AM | by Jennifer Kester | 1 Comment

When we climbed aboard a Southwest flight from San Diego to Chicago yesterday, we were greeted with SeaWorld's famous mascot—and San Diego's unofficial one—plastered on the overhead bins.

In fact, Shamu's eye-catching aqua blue portraits lined most of the plane's overhead compartments. There were several different action shots of the whale and, of course, SeaWorld's logo was thrown in on some of the bins. You see, Southwest is the official airlines of SeaWorld and thus they've painted the exterior of at least one of their planes to look like a giant killer whale on the runway. It's Shamu One, and somehow we had ended up as its passengers

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Have Bike, Will Travel :: A Guide to Airline Fees and Policies for Bikes

March 22, 2010 at 9:35 AM | by kjb | 4 Comments

We’ve told you about all the weird stuff that you can bring on the plane, but now that the spring weather has arrived across most of the country it’s time for a little practical advice. Bringing your bicycle with you on our next trip isn’t just earth friendly, but it will save you big bucks if you can bypass the rental car counter. Sure it’s not totally possible to bike everywhere, but if you’re a fan of two wheels, here’s a rundown of which airlines are eager to take that Schwinn off your hands and stash it in the luggage hold.

· Southwest Airlines
At this point you should really know that Southwest Airlines has a thing for bags—have you seen their newest commercial?—and they love bicycles too. Bikes can be checked as luggage for free as long as they don’t have motors or other features that promote laziness. However, you need to pack it up in a box within the 62-inch sizing limit, and it has to weigh less than 50 pounds.

More after the jump!

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