Jaunted

April Fools Day / Virgin Atlantic / Southwest / Kayak / Google / WestJet / Bad Ideas / Comedy Travel / → All Tags

Hey, Who's Up for the Inevitable April Fools' Day Travel Gags?

Someday, someone will explain to us the mirth to be found in having the Internet become useless every year on April 1st. It's not that we harbor any hostility toward people who write things that are false but plausible, and who then giggle when people belie—actually, no. Those people are ridiculous and they make the world a worse place to live.

There was maybe a marginal justification for their existence when the Internet was younger. Back then April Fools' Day pranks were the web advertising equivalent of Superbowl commercials. But now that the White House is posting pranks the whole thing is just grating.

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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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WestJet Pulls Off the First Travel Flashmob for This Holiday Season

Airlines and airport love flashmobs. Why? Well, it could have something to do with the fact there's always a large enough captive audience to view, record and social media share the spectacle, but there's also the fact that travelers during the holiday season aren't exactly the happiest bunch and maybe need a little positive boost before boarding that plane. Whatever the reason, travel flashmobs go hand-in-hand with holidays now, and WestJet is first out of the gate for 2012.

On December 4, WestJet organized one of their aircraft to "arrive" from the North Pole to Calgary International and, at 11:30pm before a packed red-eye flight to Toronto, gift those passengers with stockings full of goodies (including Apple iPod Shuffles).

We'll keep other spoilers to ourselves, but do watch the video below and be on the look-out over the next couple weeks as more airports and airlines are, without a doubt, entering final rehearsal for their own flashmobs.

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Livery / Movember / Charity Travel / Qantas / WestJet / British Airways / Virgin America / Airplanes / Airplane News / → All Tags

Four Airplanes Sporting Their Best Movember Moustaches

BA's mustachioed A319

If you can't tell by all the weird weather, it's definitely November. And that means Movember! "Movember" (moustache November) has, over the last few years, become more and more popular around the world as a time for guys to grow a moustache to draw attention to prostate cancer and men's health issues. It's essentially the male version of women wearing pink during Breast Cancer Awareness month (which was October), so just as airplanes love to sport pink tails, they too get in the spirit of Movember.

For 2012, four airplanes are sporting moustaches. In order from least to most facial hair:

British Airways' A319 (pictured above)
How much facial hair: A proper moustache in a style the airline calls "the connoisseur."
Why? To up awareness for the airline's November charity initiative to raise more than £80,000 for the Prostate Cancer Charity. It also hits home as BA's former CEO Lord Marshall suffered from the disease.

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New Airline Alert: WestJet Encore

It’s been a couple months since we were blabbing on and on about WestJet and their plans for smaller planes and propeller power. Well it looks like officials at the airlines have figured out a little more regarding their regional carrier, and they’ve even picked a name.

That new name is going to be WestJet Encore—yea, we were expecting something a little more fun too—and Encore will take to the air during the second part of 2013.

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Propellor Power for WestJet as Canada Gets More Small Planes on Small Routes

We knew that WestJet was adding more space to certain seats, but now it looks like they’re into adding some brand new planes as well. We won’t get into the industry this-and-that over the decision, but basically it looks as though WestJet wants to compete head-to-head with Air Canada on shorter trips. These smaller routes require some smaller planes, so WestJet just made a call over to Bombardier to add some propeller power to their fleet.

WestJet may be really good at flying Boeing 737s, and in fact that’s all they’ve been flying for quite some time. However, now that they’re planning a little bit of a more regional operation the plan is to add plenty of Bombardier Q400s. The initial order was for around 20 or so aircraft, and if things go well they might just order up an additional 25 planes. Things are still in the planning stages as of right now, but the plan is to get those babies up in the air at some point in 2013.

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Seats / Canada Travel / Airlines / Airline News / Economy Class Travel / Airline Seats / Airplane Seats / WestJet / Premium Economy / → All Tags

Even Canadians May Soon Enjoy Premium Economy Seating

It seems like everyone wants a little more space nowadays, and airlines are certainly aware that passengers are willing to pay for it. Carriers like Virgin America, United, Delta, and JetBlue all have different flavors of their extra legroom seats, and now there’s one more airline looking to help you stretch out a little bit.

WestJet is looking for more profit (and to lure more business travelers away from Air Canada), so they’re now offering up their own version of premium economy seating for those willing to pay for the privilege. Planes are heading into the hangar starting this month, as four rows of seats will now be enjoying around 36 inches of pitch.

WestJet is upgrading and updating their entire fleet of Boeing 737s, so this is going to be quite the undertaking; however, they obviously feel that moving and shifting all the seats is more than worth it.

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WestJet, Delta and United Pile on the New Routes This Week

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:
It’s already time to start thinking about the cooler months up north, because it’s important to know where you’re headed when the weather turns sour. That’s why WestJet is already thinking about where cool Canadians will want to visit this winter, as they’re preparing to add a few new flights.

If all the government stamps and seals are obtained it sounds like they’ll be heading to Antigua, Curacao and Liberia, Costa Rica this winter. All the flights will do their thing to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport. The flights won’t be a daily option, but there will be at least one flight per week to get you to the warmer waters of the Caribbean when you’ll need it most.

· United:
Last week we mentioned all kinds of new options heading in and out of Chicago, but this week we’re sharing the details about the new United flights doing their thing from Denver. No big wide body jets serving exciting international options, but we can’t complain.

Shreveport, Louisiana will get some new nonstop flights starting on August 28, and Grand Forks, North Dakota will also become an option beginning on October 3. The always comfortable 50-seat regional jet will be doing the heavy lifting between these new city pairs, so ensure you thoroughly stretch your legs before boarding.

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Canada Travel / Travel Delays / Airlines / Airline News / Air Canada / WestJet / → All Tags

Canada is Now a Little Bit Nicer to Their Airplane Passengers

It’s now the law up in Canada to be really nice to your passengers if you’re running an airline.

The Canadian Transportation Agency has ordered some of the country’s biggest carriers to increase compensation for passengers who suffer from screwed up travel plans. That means airlines like WestJet and Air Canada need to raise the amount of money offered up to passengers with delayed or canceled flights. It’s the same thing for those who are forced into a later flight by getting bumped from their original itinerary.

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It's United, WestJet and Hawaiian Airlines with the New Routes This Week

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.

· Cayman Airlines:
Usually we think of the warm Caribbean waters during the cooler months of the year, but it’s not like they roll up the sand and sun once the warmer months arrive. That’s why we were excited to hear about Cayman Airlines and their decision to bring a new flight in and out of Dallas-Ft. Worth. The route will head over to Grand Cayman beginning on June 23, and the flights will do their thing one time per week on Saturdays. Just be sure and get your vacation planned sooner than later, as these flights will be heading back to the hangar at the beginning of September.

· WestJet:
There’s another new option to and from the Caribbean this week, and this time the flying is come to you courtesy of WestJet. The low cost carrier is planning to connect residents of Toronto all the way down to Aruba for a little fun in the sun. The flights started up earlier this week, and will continue to do their thing once per week—on Sundays—through October 21. One-way options start at around $229, but that’s before taxes, fees, and other mandatory charges. The flights leave Toronto around 9am and arrive in paradise just before 2pm, so we say have a big breakfast and you’ll be all set for a late lunch on the beach.

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In-Flight Entertainment / Android / Travel Tech / In-Flight WiFi / Travel News / WestJet / → All Tags

WestJet Hooks Up With Tablets That Hook to Your Seatback Traytable

Late last year we heard about a new in-flight entertainment idea that would put a little bit of fun right into your tray table. Well it looks like the suits and salespeople over at Skycast Solutions are pretty darn convincing, as they’ve already signed on WestJet to utilize their new product. Things look slightly different from the initial concept we first checked out, but the final product isn't too shabby.

"TrayVu Slim" is the name of the new device, and if all goes well, it’ll be clipped on before too long. It’s basically an Android tablet—a 8.9” Samsung Galaxy to be specific—that will be distributed by flight attendants, and you're invited to attach it right to your tray table. It’ll flip up and open towards the seat back, so you’ll still be free to play a game of gin rummy with your seatmate while resting your Diet Coke.

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United, WestJet and Copa Airlines Plan New Routes to 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.

· WestJet:
If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out what WestJet has to offer, this may change in 2012 as they bring new flights down to the nifty fifty. Of course they already have cheap flights to here, there, and everywhere in and around Canada, but now they're prepping to take on New York-LaGuardia.

Live, in-flight television will be yours to enjoy on seven new nonstop flights between NYC-LaGuardia and Toronto beginning June 4. A couple weeks later they’ll be boosting the flight frequency up to eight flights, so they definitely mean business when it comes to serving the flying public between New York City and Toronto. They even just launched a codeshare deal with Delta, so you can continue on aboard Delta until your final destination.

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