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That Flight to Europe May Just Cost a Few Bucks More

If your vacation piggy bank is almost filled to the top, you may need to tape a few bucks to the outside as travel to Europe just got a little more expensive. With the new year comes a new fee, as the European Union wants airlines to pay a little bit extra to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Obviously this is going to be passed along to passengers, and that’s exactly what’s already started to happen.

Last week Delta was the first airline in the nifty fifty to add another $3 to one-way fares to Europe, and now it looks like all the other major carriers have joined the party as well. United and US Airways were quick to ask travelers to chip in a few more dollahs dollahs, and then last but not least, American did the same exact thing.

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New Year, New Routes from SAS, Frontier, Delta and More

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:
It’s still cold outside, but it’s already time to start planning about hopping in and around Europe this summer. SAS—thanks to an awesome post on Instagram—revealed some of their plans for the warmer weather. They’ll be heading from Oslo to Faro, Portugal, and that’s just one of many. There are also new options to spots like Nice, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca from some of their favorite airports like Stavanger Airport in Sola and Bergen Airport—both in Norway. So remember that the summer of 2012 is right around the corner and start saving those pennies (and euros).

· Frontier:
The animal-tailed airline is on the move again, and it looks like there’s going to be a few more new routes. Frontier Airlines is starting up nonstop service between Kansas City and Orlando this week, and the plan is to keep the route as a seasonal thing through April. In addition there will also be new flights from Grand Rapids, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin to and from Washington, DC—Reagan-National to be specific. The airline is running a New Year’s Sale through January 12, so if you’ve been looking to score some decent fares for these new routes—or others—be sure to check out what they’re offering.

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An Early Nomination for the Stupidest Travelers of 2012

Last year it took us until the end of January to open nominations for the stupidest traveler of the year. But now that we're living in the future, here in 2012, everything moves faster.

It's the first week of the new year and already there are stories of travelers who—if they aren't straightforwardly blistering idiots—start off at least as idiot-adjacent. But then at the end there's a punchline that literally causes our blood pressure to spike, and that crosses the line into incandescently stupid.

The Fickes family of North Carolina has quite the broode. There are the two parents, Kathy and Jason Fickes. Then there's their 3-year old son. Then there are their 18-month old twins. Then there's their eight-month old baby. All six of the Fickes were traveling to Chicago to visit grandparents over Christmas. So far so good. The problem enters inasmuch as they tried to fit the entire family into a single row in coach on a US Airways flight.

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Airline Lounges / Shopping Travel / Delta / Continental / United / American Airlines / US Airways / Airlines / → All Tags

Gift These: Annual Memberships to Your Favorite Frequent Flyer's Airline Lounge

What's shaking at the Delta SkyClub...

Frequent flyers in your family don’t want one of those inflatable neck pillows, and they especially don’t want anything from the SkyMall catalog—well, probably. However, what they do want is access to an airline lounge, so they can think of you each and every time they escape the madness of the terminal in favor of a comfortable chair and an adult beverage. Sure, there's a significant annual admission to what lies beyond the automatic doors, so maybe you should just get it for yourself instead of asking Santa.

Here's a quck rundown of the pricing and features of the four major US carriers' lounges, just in case you're feeling extra generous:

· American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge
If you’re a big fan of American Airlines and their shiny planes, there’s no better lounge to access. Membership gets you free beverages—both boozy and not—as well as some snacks, WiFi, and access to computers and printers. There’s 40 clubs across the airline’s network with the majority in the nifty fifty. Getting in will set you back a cool $500 for the year, but if you just want to test things out before committing it’s $50 per visit. That way you can check out their additional food offerings, as select clubs have a little bit of a restaurant thing going on.

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Inside the US Airways Club at Washington DC's Reagan National Airport

Have you ever entered a fancier doctor's office and been directed to "take a seat," and then looked around and thought, "hey, this isn't all that bad?" Of course you have; an experience like this is common enough, but what isn't so common is finding that exact same feel in an airline lounge.

Every so often we fly through Washington DC's Reagan National Airport and, this last time, we actually had enough of a layover to warrant spending some time drinking the complimentary coffee and soaking up the tarmac views from the US Airways Club in Concourse C.

Getting there: The lounge is after security, but up an elevator before you head down the concourse to the gates. A simple silver plaque lets you know this, and upstairs you'll hit the regular reception desk. It's here however that you may encounter problems if you're a Star Alliance Gold member, but not with US Airways. The receptionist at first wouldn't allow us entry, because we weren't traveling on an international ticket.

WRONG. Star Alliance Gold members (*of airlines other than Continental, United and US Airways) are allowed up there, so long as they're traveling on a Star Alliance flight in any class that day. Explaining the right to enter a lounge is not only embarrassing but it also immediately sours our impression of the place.

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Lufthansa, United and Virgin Atlantic Bring Plenty of New Routes to New Places

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.

· Virgin Atlantic:
Sir Richard Branson and his airline are coming to Canada, so you better get ready for a party filled with Mounties and maple syrup. Virgin Atlantic is adding its very first Canadian destination, as the airline is going to link up London-Heathrow with Vancouver beginning on May 24 of next year.

The idea is to utilize some of their Airbus A340s four times per week with the capacity to send around 240 passengers back and forth. Right now the plan is to just keep the option around until like the middle of October, as the airline is trying to get as many people as possible into the United Kingdom for next year’s Olympics. Hopefully—for Canadians and Londoners—the route will do well and Sir Richard will let it stick around.

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Three Hours at DCA and We Spot Four Special Airplanes

When we have to fly US Airways we don't exactly jump for joy. After all, we've not had the best of luck getting our luggage back or even convincing friends the airline still exists. There's not a whole lot of options for one-ways from Detroit-Metro to New York-LaGuardia however, and thus we occasionally find ourselves stuck on a layover at Reagan-National Airport.

After yesterday's experience plane spotting from the US Airways club overlooking the C gates though, we must admit that we regret it doesn't more often. Four—count 'em—four special liveries were on the tarmac. We were like a kid in a candy store (an adult in an airport—ha).

Above is US Air's retro ode to PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) whom they merged with back in 1987. The plane is smiling! Here's the other three we snapped:

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Gilt Groupe Goes Gogo, Brings Online Designer Sample Sales to 37,000 Feet

Holy crap. Two of obsessions have just combined in an amazing conflagration of awesomeness. Take a breath. Okay. Here we go: designer sample sale site Gilt Groupe is partnering with Gogo In-Flight WiFI to offer special online sales...in the air.

This means that, without having to pay to login to use the full internet on Gogo-equipped flights on Delta, United, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and US Airways, you can open up your laptop or turn on your smartphone or iPad to browse the Gilt site and maybe purchase a special something or other (we're currently loving their new site, Gilt Taste).

Here's how to get on when up in the air:

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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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Four Tips for Surviving Delays and Cancellations Thanks to an Airline Computer Glitch

Yes, in this modern day and age, we're still at the mercy of tech glitches. No one knows this better than international airlines, who move millions of people around the world every day in flying machines that rely on other machines, that rely on other machines and systems and so on and so forth. The most recent victims of computer issues (both within the last two weeks!) were US Airways and United, though any airline worth its salt has had their runin with such digital drama; even the FAA's systems go down every so often.

According to ABC News, the United issue effected over 3,000 travelers at LAX alone. So how do you keep yourself from becoming one of the confused and angry masses when there's no one to scream at (because it's a computer problem)? This way...

Our Top Four Tips for Surviving an Airline Computer Glitch:

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Flight 1549 / US Airways / Miracle on the Hudson / Chesley Sullenberger / Museum Travel / → All Tags

'Miracle on the Hudson' Plane Finally Makes It Home to Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte

It’s been a long journey—including some tight turns in New Jersey and a pretty big surprise landing in New York—but flight Flight 1549 has finally arrived at its scheduled destination of Charlotte, North Carolina.

On Friday afternoon the plane finally pulled into Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and was greeted to a water jet shower thanks to the airport trucks on hand to welcome it. The plane has since pulled into a hangar at the Carolinas Aviation Museum—it’s final resting place—and was on hand Saturday evening for an event to welcome it back home. Passengers from the flight—along with everyone’s favorite hero pilot—were there to see the plane from which they so thankfully escaped backed in January 2009.

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Forget Plastic Wings! Air Wisconsin Gives First Flight Certificates

We have a really excellent series here at Jaunted (if we do say ourselves), called "My First Flight." Readers like you are invited to send us the story of your first trip in the skies, which we'll share on the site, because everyone's got to have a first time and it makes for a truly enjoyable read. The thing is, these stories come years and years after the first flight, when the moment has been relegated to the memory bank. It's not often that we hear from a newbie to the skies...until now. Kinda.

Yesterday while traveling on a regular ol' flight from DTW to DCA, we were witness to a tiny baby's very first plane trip. It was onboard a half-full Air Wisconsin Canadair Regional Jet that seats max 50 people, so this little girl could have disturbed everyone with her crying. Alas, she didn't cry one bit; instead, she spent the little-over-one-hour flight happily smiling at her mom and making courteous little giggles at the flight attendant's cooing. For her perfect behavior, the FA awarded the baby with a Certificate of First Flight.

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