Jetsettersblog

Singapore Airlines has announced a special value fare available on its exclusive, all-Business Class, nonstop flights from New York (Newark) and Los Angeles. Singapore is rewarding ARC travel agents with a $50 rebate in conjunction with the fare.

Priced at $5,999 inclusive of all taxes and surcharges, this outstanding value will now be valid on a limited number of seats for specific departures through March 31, based on availability. The special fare allows customers with flexible travel schedules to enjoy up to a 39 percent savings off peak travel day prices. The offer is available exclusively on Monday-through-Thursday departures on Singapore Airlines’ nonstop flights from Newark and Los Angeles.

Singapore Airlines’ nonstop flights reduce the travel time between the U.S. and Singapore by up to four hours compared to one-stop services.

Each aircraft offers the industry’s newest and most spacious Business Class seating, 180-degree flat beds, more than 1,000 on-demand entertainment options, oversized 15-inch video monitors with the world’s only in-flight workstations, as well as the industry’s first in-flight iPod and iPhone connectivity.

Travel from the U.S. is restricted to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday departures only.

Fares are valid for travel between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2009, based on availability, and must be purchased at least 14 days prior to departure. Attractive add-on fares for a range of Singapore Airlines’ destinations in Asia, India and Australia are also available in conjunction with this offer.

For more information, visit www.singaporeair.com/usa

Ho Ho Ho!! It’s Off To The USA We Go…For AUD$1199* return - V AustraliaLaunches “Not Deer Christmas Cheer” Sale And Gears Up For 27 February 2009 Take Off

V Australia Airlines is bringing Australian travellers an early Christmas treat, offering return airfares to the United States of America for up to 45% off the normal economy fare. V Australia goes on sale today with thousands of AUD$1199* fares up for grabs from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles.

The sale follows confirmation of V Australia’s new launch date of 27 February 2008. The airline’s original launch date of 15 December 2008 was delayed due to industrial action at the Boeing factory in Seattle, which slowed down the delivery of V Australia’s launch aircraft.

V Australia has announced it will take delivery of its first brand new 777-300ER on Australia Day (26 January) with the aircraft due to touch down on Australian soil for the first time on Monday 9 February, following the fit-out of special cabin features post Boeing handover.

The delivery date has paved the way for V Australia to confirm the launch date of Friday 27 February 2009 for its historic trans-Pacific inaugural flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. The airline will initially operate three weekly direct services before ramping up to daily flights from 20 March 2009 following the delivery of additional 777-300ER aircraft.

V Australia Executive General Manager, Scott Swift, said, “While we never took our foot off the pedal, the team is now in full flight preparing for the delivery of our first aircraft, subsequent approval processes and of course the actual launch of Australia’s newest long haul airline.”

He continued, “From the outset, we committed to launching an airline that offered an outstanding and innovative three class option across the trans-Pacific. We also committed to offering value for money fares and the $1199* return all-inclusive fare currently on offer is almost half the normal fare and is very much in the spirit of V Australia and the festive season.”

The AUD$1199* sale is for flights from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles and is on sale now until 29 December 2008 with a travel period 1 March 2009 – 24 October 2009. V Australia has also confirmed Wednesday 8 April 2009 as the revised launch date for direct Brisbane-Los Angeles flights, with three weekly direct flights to LA, the gateway to the USA.

World Extreme surfing champion Garrett McNamara reveals his secrets to big wave surfing at http://www.YogaforSurfers.com.

“Some of my friends think I’m a madman. But I like seeking out and surfing the most dangerous waves that I can find,” says McNamara, speaking to Peggy Hall at http://www.YogaforSurfers.com.

From Hawaii to Alaska and everywhere in between, big-wave charger Garrett McNamara puts himself in such heavy situations that we mortals can only look at him in awe — not even envy — unless that is, you like wondering if you’re going to make it through your next surf session alive.

How does he do it? What in nature’s name gives this extreme surfing world champion such laser focus, drive, tenacity, toughness and sheer I-Know-I-Can-Do-This confidence? Just exactly what does he do to stay in such amazing shape for big-wave surfing?

Now you can find out. McNamara himself lays it all out in a just-released video clip right at http://www.YogaforSurfers.com

Listen in as he tells Peggy Hall his secret weapon for feeling “confident and secure” in life-threatening surf.

The good news is that even if you can’t surf the unfathomable waves that Garrett does, at least you can benefit from one of his training tools.

More secrets to better surfing are revealed at http://www.YogaforSurfers.com

Two Northern California hotels — CordeValle, A Rosewood Resort in San Martin (Santa Cruz foothills), and Hotel Healdsburg in wine country — are offering low-season packages, valid Jan. 4-11.

The three-night 2009 Anti-New Year’s Resolution Getaway at CordeValle includes a Villa Suite with a fireplace, a steam shower, a jetted tub, a private patio and an enclosed patio with a private whirlpool spa; a 90-minute fireside couple’s massage provided in room; a couple’s game night including Wii station, board games, gourmet pizza, popcorn, beverages and other in-room snacks; a kit for making s’mores, plus a grill set up on the private patio and blankets and wraps; and an in-room, tasting dinner for two next to the fire prepared by CordeValle Executive Chef Luca Rutigliano.

The package is priced at $2,009 excluding resort fee and taxes. For more information, call 888-767-3966 or visit www.cordevalle.com

Hotel Healdsburg is featuring a Winter Dead Week package which includes a private wine tasting session with Charlie Palmer’s sommelier at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen; a Honey & Wine wrap and massage in the couple’s suite at the Spa at Hotel Healdsburg; and private wine tasting at Healdsburg wineries (a different winery each day). The package is priced at $395 per room, double, per night, excluding taxes and gratuity.

For more information, call 800-889-7188 or visit www.hotelhealdsburg.com

Air Berlin and NIKI flights to Russia for summer 2009 are available for booking now. The daily non-stop service from Düsseldorf to St. Petersburg is a new addition. Furthermore there will again be a daily flight from Berlin-Tegel to St. Petersburg next summer. In addition to the daily morning flight, Air Berlin passengers will have the option in summer 2009 of an evening flight from Berlin-Tegel to Moscow six times a week (every day except Saturday). The service between Düsseldorf and Moscow, as well as between Munich and Moscow will have an additional flight on Saturdays and Sundays respectively. In summer 2009 NIKI will again be operating a flight six times a week (every day except Saturday) between Vienna and Moscow.

Air Berlin currently operates nonstop service from Miami and Fort Myers to Düsseldorf. In April, Air Berlin will operate four flights a week from New York and beginning in May increase it to daily service. In addition, three flights a week from Los Angeles and Vancouver also begin operating in May. All passengers using Air Berlin or LTU will be able to accumulate miles with, and redeem miles for all of the companies belonging to the Air Berlin Group when enrolled with Air Berlins TopBonus mileage program. At present, the Air Berlin Group includes Air Berlin, LTU, dba, Belair and NIKI. The summer timetable starts May 1, 2009, and ends Oct. 31, 2009. For more information, call 866-266-5588 or visit www.airberlin.com

Spurred by a love of travel and the outdoors, Emma and Nick Thomson have launched Lost Campers, a San Francisco-based campervan rental service.

Campervans are a hybrid car and RV. A quick peek at the Web site, www.lostcampersusa.com, reveals that these smaller-sized vans with big amenities are proving popular with fans from Australia to Slovakia. Rental rates are comparable to car rental fees and there’s a big bonus.

Campervans come equipped with a full-sized, double bed; picnic table and camping chairs; cooking and kitchen equipment; awning for added living space; fresh linens; 24-hour roadside assistance; portable ice cooler; travel atlas, and competitive insurance rates. Additional items for rent include sleeping bags, winter comforter, towels, bike racks, roof racks, electrical heaters, GPS navigation systems and dome tent.

Surfboards will soon be added to the list. Van rental facility is located at 2955 Third St., between 25th and 26th streets and is close to public transportation including the T-Third light rail.

For information and reservations (recommended), visit www.lostcampersusa.com  or call 415-386-2693 or 888-LOST-VAN (567-8826).

oneworld® has become the first in the travel industry to sell multiairline
round-the-world air tickets on-line with its new internet booking tool for its oneworld Explorer fare. This also makes oneworld the first global airline alliance to offer any of its public fares for sale through the worldwide web.

The new on-line booking tool is available now through oneworld.com The alliance’s member airlines will add it to their own websites too or provide links from their internet sites to the oneworld.com facility – at www.oneworld.com/ow/flight-info/plan-and-book-your-itinerary
oneworld Explorer is among the most popular multi-airline tickets worldwide, enabling passengers to travel right around the globe using the flights of any of oneworld’s ten member airline and 20 or so affiliates, who together serve some 700 destinations in approaching 150 countries.

With the launch this new oneworld internet tool, customers or their travel agents can for the first time both plan their round-the-world itinerary and now book and pay for their tickets on-line. The system has a number of special features to make it as simple as possible for customers to plan oneworld Explorer round-the-world trips.

As they build their itinerary - simply by clicking on destinations displayed on the alliance’s interactive map - the system automatically checks availability and displays only flights that have seats available for each route and date selected. It also validates that the itinerary meets all the fare’s rules and conditions - and then provides an instant price for the trip. Once customers have finalised their itinerary - which can be of up to 16 sectors - they can pay online using a credit card (see notes) and print out all the details. The e-tickets for the entire trip are then sent to the customer by email.

oneworld Vice-President Commercial Nicolas Ferri said: “The tremendous value and flexibility our oneworld Explorer fares offer now combined with the ease and simplicity of planning, booking and paying on-line extends oneworld and our member airlines’ leading position for worldwide travel. We are delighted to be the first and only alliance - and indeed the first in the travel industry - to offer this level of convenience to our customers and travel agency partners, building further on our record of
innovation.”

The booking engine project has been led on behalf of all the alliance’s carriers by Qantas. Its General Manager Sales and Distribution Rob Gurney said: “With so many possibilities of places to visit and routes to take, planning and booking a round-the-world trip can be time-consuming - both for our customers and sales representatives. Our new, easy-to-use on-line booking and payment facility simplifies the entire operation, saving customers a huge amount of time and providing them with far more flexibility in planning their trips. It will also reduce costs for our member airlines and free up time of airline and travel agency reservations agents to handle other tasks.” oneworld first to sell alliance fares on-line…

Unlike other round-the-world fares, oneworld Explorer’s price is based on the number of continents visited (three to six), not the mileage flown, making planning and pricing journeys much more simple and flexible. It covers flights worldwide by all oneworld member and affiliate airlines.

With oneworld the only airline alliance with members based in South America, Australia or Asia’s Middle East, it is just the ticket for anyone who truly wants to circumnavigate the globe. It offers great flexibility and value, generating the largest portion of the US$725 million revenues earned by oneworld for its member airlines through its alliance fares and sales activities last year.

Around 50,000 people bought a oneworld Explorer round-the-world ticket last year. oneworld Explorer can be booked for travel in Economy, Premium Economy (where available), Business or even First Class, and earn frequent flyer programme mileage awards and tier status points. Prices from the USA start at US$3,900, from the UK at GBP1,349, from Euro-zone countries at EUR1,999, and from Australia at A$3,499, all excluding any taxes, charges and surcharges. For lead-in prices from other countries and full details, see www.oneworld.com/ow/air-traveloptions/
round-the-world-fares/oneworld-explorer#fare-estimate

The on-line booking tool build on oneworld’s record for innovation. More than three years ago, it became the first of the global alliances to put in place interline e-ticketing (IET) links between all members of the grouping, enabling customers to travel with the convenience of just one electronic ticket for journeys involving any combination of alliance’s member airlines. Rival alliances have only recently completed links between their own member airlines.

Initially, oneworld Explorer itineraries ticketed through British Airways (generally when the first sector flown is on British Airways) will still need to have their payment processed through a British Airways sales outlet rather than on-line. The airline ticketing the itinerary will be displayed in the reservations’ confirmation page, before the booking is completed and payment requested. oneworld Explorer sectors in Premium Economy cabins cannot at this stage be booked on-line. oneworld developed the on-line booking engine in cooperation with Innovata, the global leader in travel related content management and content distribution, and Amadeus, the global distribution system, which also supports the majority of oneworld’s member airlines.

About oneworld oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian, and around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru. Mexicana and its affiliate Click Mexicana will join the alliance in 2009.

Between them, these airlines
:
• Serve almost 700 airports in nearly 150 countries, with more than 9,000 daily departures.
• Offer nearly 550 airport lounges for premium customers.
• Carry some 320 million passengers a year.
• Employ 250,000 people and operate almost 2,500 aircraft.
• Generate more than US$100 billion annual revenues.

oneworld is the only alliance with any member airlines based in Australia, South America or Asia’s Middle East. The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges. oneworld was voted the World’s Leading Airline Alliance for the sixth year running in the 2008 World Travel Awards, retaining the title ever since it was first presented.

FROM SELECTED U.S. GATEWAYS TO THE CARIBBEAN

Offer Valid for Travel January 10 – February 28, 2009

Air Jamaica continues the spirit of giving this holiday season and starting tomorrow December 20 through December 23, travelers can take advantage of this special offer in order to beat the winter chill. In response to the escalating costs of air travel, Air Jamaica is providing an unbeatable offer by providing special non-refundable one-way sale fares from selected gateways in the U.S. to Kingston or Montego Bay, Barbados and Grenada. Air Jamaica passengers can take advantage of this last minute winter deal and escape the frigid temperatures to enjoy the warmth of the Caribbean.

Customers are encouraged to book now to benefit from these incredible one-way sale fares good for travel between Saturday, January 10 and Saturday, February 28, 2009 and combinable with any available fare for the return trip to the U.S.

“This holiday is a great time to fly Air Jamaica. As always, we want to make it affordable to travel the Caribbean,” says George deMercado, Air Jamaica’s Senior Director, Sales. “Especially at a time when travelers are seeking deals which offer great value for money, we want customers to experience our award winning lovebird hospitality at a great price. Air Jamaica continues to prove that the Caribbean is an affordable vacation option this winter.”

These special one-way fares are valid for travel originating from the U.S. between January 10 and February 28, 2009 and combinable with any available fare on the return. Government taxes and fees are additional. Conditions regarding cancellations and changes apply. Sample fares include:

• New York to Montego Bay/Kingston: $119

• Atlanta to Montego Bay/Kingston: $120

• Philadelphia to Montego Bay/Kingston: $139

• Baltimore to Montego Bay/Kingston: $175

• Chicago to Montego Bay/Kingston: $188

• Los Angeles to Montego Bay/Kingston $222

• New York to Barbados/Grenada $237

THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY GIFT

Providing access to an unrivalled world of privileges, benefits, expert knowledge and a global network of insider information, a Quintessentially membership offers the perfect present this Christmas.

Quintessentially is a unique private members’ club and global luxury lifestyle group committed to delivering nothing but the best in high quality services. Available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, by telephone or email, Quintessentially provides unlimited access to an unrivalled package of privileges, preferential rates and bespoke services, and acts as your very own PA – any time, anywhere.

With three tiers of membership available, starting from $1500 per year Quintessentially provides an affordable and long-lasting support to help guide you through to 2009. From securing last minute hotel reservations and travel deals, to restaurant bookings and access to events and galas around the world, Quintessentially is here to help. Offering an excellent benchmark of service and a unique network of insider information and benefits, Quintessentially aims to bring you nothing but the best, making it not only an invaluable resource but, more importantly, an easily accessible time and money saving solution.

Membership also includes access to the growing number of expert Quintessentially sister companies which can cater to all your needs including the dedicated personal shopping service Quintessentially Gifts, the bespoke experience company Quintessentially Escape, the bespoke wine service Quintessentially Wine and many more including Quintessentially Art, Quintessentially Events, Quintessentially Estates and Quintessentially Flowers. Members are also sent a weekly Quintessentially newsletter, packed full of the latest news, views, events and benefits, as well as the Quintessentially Magazine, published quarterly.

Quintessentially now encompasses a staggering 44 offices in a host of major cities worldwide, in destinations as diverse as Hong Kong, Cape Town, Istanbul, Mozambique, Cairo, Panama, Los Angeles and Sydney with a number of new office launches planned in the coming months, including those in Amsterdam, Auckland, Chicago, Luxemburg and Kuala Lumpur.

Goes Farther And Faster To Achieve Top Results

New travel search engine nowfly.co.uk launches today, looking set to overhaul the standards of speed and accuracy established by other well-known market leaders. At a time when finding the best value option is more important than ever to travellers, nowfly.co.uk delivers equal or better fares than its rivals. And it is seriously quick, too.

Cleanly designed and easy to use, nowfly.co.uk was started by a group of online and travel experts with a clear objective to provide an easy, fun, and best priced way of finding a flight, hotel or car rental. The business is headed by Dan Hart, who has extensive experience in the online and travel sectors.

There are a number of factors which set nowfly.co.uk apart from its competitors:

• The site has gone through extensive usability testing and the results have shown that the site is clearly presented and easy to navigate.

• The content is broad and wide, searching more than 340 airlines with routes, fares and availability and giving the user essential information about booking their flight, hotel or car rental.

• The team studied the way flight results are presented with other travel and airlines websites and recognised that the user wants maximum flexibility when booking their flight itinerary. nowfly.co.uk uses an airline-style search, presenting results for each sector rather than lumping outbound and inbound options together.

• nowfly.co.uk searches low-cost, charter and scheduled airlines, giving a well-informed choice to the traveller, along with the flexibility to choose the best departure and arrival times.

• The site has third-party integration with leading, well-known travel sites as well as airlines, hotels and car rental suppliers.

• The website has geo-coded results for all the leading hotel chains and major consolidators, using the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API) to visually place hotel results.

• Car rental options are found by using the leading car rental suppliers and consolidators globally.

• nowfly.co.uk uses the Ajax web application, retrieving data from the server asynchronously in the background. This means it loads before the user’s very eyes, without the need for a separate wait page.

Utilising cutting-edge technology, nowfly.co.uk is the first site in the UK to employ the full suite of the TRAVELfusion API. Dan has worked closely with TRAVELfusion over the past year. “I knew they were a great, innovative travel technology company and felt that they were the right people to work with,” Dan comments. “I believe that the combination of good content from TRAVELfusion, matched with a great user-face, is a compelling proposition for travellers booking trips online.”

Comments Moshe Rafiah, TRAVELfusion CEO: “This is exactly the kind of partnership that we envisioned when we created our XML API programme. By combining the most advanced travel search technologies developed by TRAVELfusion with innovative applications such as nowfly.co.uk, we have created a winning formula for success.”

TRAVELfusion is a world leader in constructing powerful travel search and web fare booking tools which search, aggregate, compare and book travel content from the web. Based around the company’s patented TRIPplannerXML platform, TRAVELfusion has integrated hundreds of travel suppliers including air, hotel, car, rail and ferry as well as adding its unique content generated directly by travel suppliers.

Money-saving price comparison websites have grown in reach and reputation over the last few years. According to a 2008 study undertaken by e-consultancy.com, Comparison Shopping Engines (CSEs) contributed to around 10% of online sales for retailers. Approximately 43% of these retailers claimed that their sales had increased in the last 12 months.

The next phase for nowfly.co.uk is to introduce further useful travel tips as well as community-based content to help users make better informed decisions.

The company will also run a number of marketing campaigns to keep users abreast of great travel offers, including ancillary products such as travel insurance, car parking and foreign currency. Product innovation and enhancement is key and will be driven forward to keep nowfly.co.uk looking fresh, without losing sight of the founding principle – fast and highly competitive travel search results every time.

About www.nowfly.co.uk:

nowfly.co.uk was established at the beginning of 2008. The management team comprises a mix of travel and online experts with extensive experience within these fields. The business is headed by Dan Hart, who has worked within the travel and online sectors for over 15 years. Dan worked within the Virgin Group for 12 years, initially starting his career at Virgin Atlantic and most recently with thetrainline.com.