Jaunted

Summer Travel / Southwest Airlines / Airlines / Southwest / Airline News / New York City Travel / Dallas Travel / Atlanta Travel / → All Tags

Where to Find Southwest Airlines' Party Porches for the Summer of 2013

Now that the weather is starting to get warmer everyone is getting in on the fun—even the airlines. Southwest Airlines loves to spend time outdoors during the spring and summer, and once again they’re prepping their mini-chain of Southwest Porches for the season.

In New York City, you'll find the Porch in midtown over at Bryant Park, and it’s a quick walk from Grand Central if you’re arriving into the city on the train. They’ve got plenty of drinks on tap (including their own beer), a few bits and bites from which to choose, and even some fire pits for when the weather is less than ideal. Free board games, trivia on Tuesdays, and plenty of adirondack chairs round out the scene. They've been doing their thing here for a few years now, so at this point the place is just part of the neighborhood.

more ›

Southwest / Southwest Airlines / Booze Travel / Drinking Travel / In-Flight Cocktails / → All Tags

On Southwest, Drink Specials Mean It's Always Happy Hour

Southwest seems to be one of those airlines people have a lot of preconceptions about, mostly due to the fact that they don't assign seats and that they are perceived to be a "budget" airline. And that they are, in terms of price, but as we see a lot in this world, it's the ones who ask the least that give the most.

Southwest allows you two free checked bags, the flight attendants come through the cabin with a complimentary snack basket, and they don't charge change fees if you need to rebook. All are things that some other airlines in the States don't/won't/can't offer. The generosity goes a bit further as, when it comes to sky-high boozing, they aren't shy about giving you the keys to a good time.

Southwest hands out one free drink per passenger (of legal drinking age) on certain holidays, such as New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day, among others, and they also offer drink specials. Drink specials? Yes, you read that right.

more ›

Videos / Airplanes / Southwest Airlines / Southwest / Travel Videos / → All Tags

Video Interlude: A Super Speedy Southwest Airlines Engine Swap

We’ve got to say that Tuesday is the worst day of the week. Sure, Monday isn’t all that great, but at least the weekend was just yesterday and there’s time to reminisce. That being said we thought we’d pass along a little bit of a time waster to help get you through the day.

We know that airline maintenance is pretty serious business, and that it takes plenty of time to get the planes ready to fly to here and there. Now it looks like Southwest Airlines is giving us a front row seat into some of the usual this and that needed to keep their planes moving about the country.

more ›

Southwest Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / Southwest / In-Flight WiFi / WiFi / In-Flight Comfort / Row 44 / Travel Tech / → All Tags

Will You Pay $5 to Watch a Movie on Your Own iPad? Southwest Hopes So.

Southwest Airlines hasn’t exactly been at the forefront of in-air technology, but slowly but surely they’ve been adding to their in-flight WiFi abilities. In-flight connectivity won’t be available on each and every one of your Southwest flights just yet, but they are boosting some of their offerings in hopes of keep passengers entertained at 35,000-feet.

The airline’s video-on-demand service just finishing rolling out to each and every one of the tech-enabled planes, so now you’re free to check out this and that from the comfort of your seat. It’s $5 per movie or $5 for television, and it sounds like that rate is the price regardless of whether or not you’re signing up for the full WiFi. Obviously you’ll need your own device, so please don’t ask the flight attendants where you can get an iPad with the TV on it like the guy seated in 18A.

more ›

Travel Contests / Free Stuff / Denver Travel / Southwest Airlines / Colorado Travel / Events / → All Tags

Two More Weeks of Skating, Tickets and LUV at Southwest's Denver Ice Rink

We’re pretty sure that when it comes to cities and their residents Southwest Airlines doesn’t want to play favorites, but that might not be the case when it comes to Denver. After all the city is the proud of home of the airline’s skating rink—Southwest Rink at Skyline Park—and now it looks like the airline is getting ready to shower the city with even more loveLUV.

First and foremost you’ve only got a couple more weeks if you’re looking to take a spin out on the rink. Winter isn’t coming to an end anytime soon—but the skating rink is—as the ice is no longer an option starting around Valentine’s Day. However, there’s still much to celebrate as the rink prepares for its final days in the Mile High City.

more ›

Southwest Airlines / Southwest / Airlines / Airline News / Airline Fees / → All Tags

Southwest is the Latest to Offer Priority Boarding in Exchange for Cash

At this point we have pretty much accepted that airlines are going to charge us extra for anything we could possibly want. Snacks, space, and suitcases all come at a premium when it’s finally time to get yourself to the airport, but of course once it’s time to hop aboard things like early boarding and extra legroom are also available—for a price. Southwest Airlines is the latest carrier to throw their hat fees into the ring, as they’re eager to help you get on board one of their blue-bellied planes earlier than the other passengers. However, it’s going to cost you.

They might hate baggage fees, but they don’t hate early boarding fees. As this week Southwest Airlines made it known that $40 will get you one of the top 15 spots in their boarding system. Just in case you don’t recall how it works over at Southwest, everyone gets a number—and a letter—and then you board in that order. The trick is to check-in right at the 24-hour mark before your flight, as that kind of increases your odds of winning the boarding lottery.

more ›

New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / Virgin America / Etihad / AirChina / Southwest Airlines / AirTran / JetBlue / → All Tags

It's Air China, JetBlue and Etihad with This Week's Newest 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:
The government paperwork is still in the mail, but if things go as planned then Air China will be touching down over in Houston. The plan is to link Houston with Beijing as frequently as four times per week, as Air China wants to start heading back and forth beginning on July 11. Boeing 777-300s will do the heavy lifting across the globe, but there’s no doubt that it’s going to be a long haul to get where you’re headed. Air China is buddies with United thanks to the Star Alliance, so we’re pretty sure that Houston is a great place to help domestic flyers hook up with their new Air China connection.

· Etihad:
If you’ve had enough of Europe then give Etihad a call, as they want to get you from Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi once you’re done doing your thing over in the Netherlands. The plan is to start the new flights just in time for the busy summer travel season, as May 15 is the day that they’ve circled on their calendars. Airbus A330s look to be the planes of choice for this new option, and Etihad will team up with KLM to market the flight as a codeshare option too.

more ›

Southwest Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / Southwest / Travel Contests / Holiday Travel / → All Tags

Score a $1,000 Southwest Gift Card in the '12 Days of LUV' Contest

It’s just a week until Santa starts his journey around the globe, and now it’s time for the airlines to start getting in on the seasonal fun as well. Southwest Airlines loves a good holiday celebration—just look at what they do for Halloween—and they’re also clearly fans of Christmas. They’re not putting up lights or decorations on one of their planes, but they do have a bit of a holiday contest.

What they’re calling the "12 Days of LUV" is back for 2012, as each and every day offers up a chance to win a decent present—for yourself. We’re a little bit behind the news, but don’t worry, things are running through December 23. Southwest is partnering with Dr. Pepper for the prizes, as they’re giving away 12 Southwest gift cards for $1,000 each.

more ›

Football Travel / Sports Travel / Delta / Southwest Airlines / → All Tags

Airlines Add Flights for Bowl Season

We’ve known for a little bit about who’s going to play in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, and now it’s time to get the fans from Notre Dame and Alabama down to Florida for next year’s other big game. All the football fun in the sun is set to take place at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the airlines are now boosting flights to get all the fans there in time for kickoff.

Southwest Airlines posted on their blog that they’re ready for the game, as they’re adding extra flights for the game on January 7, 2013. On January 5 they’re adding two nonstop between Chicago-Midway—that’s kind of near South Bend, Indiana—and Ft. Lauderdale. They’re also adding nonstops between Birmingham and Ft. Lauderdale. Clearly there will be a little bit of a drive on both ends of the journey—except from those leaving from Alabama—but that’s better than driving the whole way.

more ›

Airline News / Dogs / Cats / Airlines / Southwest / Southwest Airlines / Animals / → All Tags

Southwest Flies the Furriest Victims of Hurricane Sandy

The last time we heard from Southwest Airlines they were busy rescuing a beautiful little butterfly that missed the memo to head to warmer weather for the winter. Well now the airline that provides plenty of LUV to all creatures and critters is at it again, but this time the helping out furry friends displaced due to Hurricane Sandy.

Over the weekend Southwest organized a special charter flight and around 60 dogs and cats from the Save A Pet organization on Long Island as well as Delco SPCA to send these little guys towards a better home. There was a special onboard crew, as animal rescue experts from SeaWorld were caring for the animals.

more ›

Travel Tips / Tickets / Airfares / Airlines / Delta / United / JetBlue / American Airlines / Continental / US Airways / Southwest Airlines / → All Tags

How to Cancel an Airline Ticket Within 24 Hours, Without Fees

We’ve all been there—you enter the credit card digits on what you think is awesome airfare, but just moments later you realize that really wasn’t the case. Thankfully Uncle Sam has got your back more than ever, as now cancelling flights within 24 hours of booking is pretty much the law. So if you realize your best friend can’t skip out of work, or if you see an even better fare less than a day later you can cancel your purchase—hassle free. We’ve rounded up some of the policies below to ensure that you can book first and figure things out later.

· Delta
They call it their “risk-free guarantee” and they actually had this pretty generous policy before the new rules and regulations went into effect. Refunds are allowed for most tickets purchased directly through their website, as long as you are leaving from the United States, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Again, you can do it all online, and you will be credited back with a full refund—including any prepaid fees and direct ticketing charges—with no cancellation fee.

more ›

New Routes / Airlines / Airline News / JetBlue / Southwest Airlines / Alaska Airlines / US Airways / Ethiopian Airways / → All Tags

This Week It's Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and US Airways Heading Here and There

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.

· Alaska Airlines:
We’re pretty sure that we’ve mentioned this in the past, but now it’s time for Alaska Airlines to finally start the flying. In total it looks like this week—and this weekend—is when Alaska Airlines is starting up three new nonstop options between west coast cities and the island of Hawaii. Portland—the one in Oregon—got their very own flight over to Kauai earlier in the week, and yesterday was the day for nonstop flights to begin between Maui and Bellingham, Washington.

Finally, for those that really need an escape from the cooler temperatures there’s also a nonstop option between Anchorage, Alaska and Kona over on Hawaii’s Big Island that starts tomorrow. All of the new options are seasonal, so get your flying in before they disappear around the middle of next April.

· Southwest Airlines:
It isn’t exactly time for Southwest Airlines to start flying internationally just yet, but some new flights down to Puerto Rico seem like a step in the right direction. San Juan is going to be the carrier’s first city outside the continental United States, as they’re planning to start heading there as soon as April. Nonstop flights will arrive in San Juan from both Orland and Tampa beginning on April 14, 2013. Tampa will be getting one daily flight, and Orlando scores most of the flights with three daily roundtrip options.

It sounds like this is all part of Southwest taking over some AirTran routes, but as of now it is just these city pairs that will be getting the blue-bellied planes. No plans for Mexico—or Hawaii—just yet, but again flying over the water for this first time is a good start.

more ›