Jetsettersblog

Italy’s AirOne Expands Fleet

Air One, the Italian private airline, announced an agreement with Airbus SAS, to purchase 24 new long-range aircraft – making the airline one of Airbus’ largest customers in Europe.

The newly ordered airplanes are 12 Airbus A330-200s and 12 new Airbus A350-800 XWBs, the latest generation of highly efficient and eco-sustainable aircraft, not yet available on the market.

The contract includes a plan for the future purchase of eight A330s to be delivered by 2012 and twelve A350 XWBs to be delivered by 2018. The order for the new aircrafts is consistent with Air One’s plan to increase its international network – particularly in the U.S. and the Far East markets – to reach 16 intercontinental destinations by 2012.

It also coincides with the relaunch of its domestic air transport system to improve quality and efficiency. The new aircraft purchase agreement is the latest step in the airline’s wider program to renew its fleet with aircraft which can guarantee passenger comfort, operative efficiency, and meet or surpass new environmental regulations.

Air One first signed an agreement with Airbus in 2005 to purchase 90 Airbus 320s for its medium–range operations – 16 of which are already part of the fleet. In 2006, Air One also signed a purchase agreement for 10 regional CRJ Bombardier, all of which were delivered by mid-2007.

Weber Grill Polls Americans Plan Staycations

Forty percent of Americans taking “staycations” this summer say they will grill outdoors more as part of their staycation plans, according to the latest Weber GrillWatch Pulse.

As a result, 46 percent of them say they will spend more money on grilling this year. In fact, among grill owners planning staycations, a whopping 80 percent plan to grill weekly, including 41 percent who plan to grill at least several times each week. While the term “staycation” is relatively new, 15 percent of respondents recognized it as “a vacation that people spend at or near home, instead of a traditional vacation away from home.”

Once having the term explained to them, more than half (51 percent) of the respondents said they plan to take one or more staycations this summer-including 24 percent who are changing their traditional summer vacations to include a staycation this year. Staycations appear to be more popular among grill owners: 54 percent plan to take a staycation this summer vs. 43 percent of non-owners. Among all Americans taking staycations this summer, many are seemingly interested in expanding their outdoor grilling repertoire and improving their outdoor rooms as they spend more leisure time at home.

Cruise Holidays of Chicago Voyage with Hearty Boys

Cruise Holidays of Chicago is offering a cruise with Food Network stars Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, “The Hearty Boys.”

The duo will sail on a seven-night Caribbean cruise departing on Valentine’s Day on Holland America Line’s new Eurodam.

The Hearty Boys group will include exclusive cooking demonstrations, a premium wine tasting, group photo, and an autographed copy of the hosts’ cookbook. The cruise departs Fort Lauderdale and will visit Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay.

After creating a successful restaurant and catering business in Chicago, Smith and McDonagh beat 10,000 entrants in the Food Network’s “Search for the Next Food Network Star.” In their television show “Party Line with The Hearty Boys” and cookbook “Talk With Your Mouth Full,” the caterers demonstrate their informal, fun approach to food and entertaining.

“Our goal is to create unique, memorable vacations, and our partnership with the Hearty Boys achieves exactly that,” said Rob Clabbers, president of Cruise Holidays of Chicago.

For more information, call 888-SHIP-EXPERTS or visit www.ourgroupcruise.com/heartyboys

Dollar Car rental Mobile Service

Dollar Rent A Car has unveiled a new mobile service that allows travelers to make a reservation with www.dollar.com by using a cell phone or other Web-enabled mobile device. The new mobile site retains virtually all of the features and functionality of the www.dollar.com desktop website. Users of mobile devices will be automatically redirected to the mobile site when they visit www.dollar.com  Travelers can make reservations, cancel or modify existing reservations, see all car types or only those desired and other functions.

Chicago Urban Adventure Hotel Packages

Chicago: A Great Urban Adventure,” presented by the Chicago Office of Tourism, offers more than 200 ideas for exploring and rediscovering Chicago this summer.

To enhance the visitor experience, the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau developed hotel packages for the Urban Adventures for an all-inclusive stay in the Windy City.

Now through Labor Day, a variety of Chicago hotels will offer Great Urban Adventure packages with discounted accommodations and other amenities. Among the packages are “Chicago Lakefront Adventure,” which includes a stay at the Talbott Hotel or W Chicago Lakeshore Hotel, plus a Lakefront Neighborhoods’ Bicycle Tour by Bobby’s Bike Hike;

“Chicago Garden Adventure,” which includes a stay at the Essex Inn or the InterContinental Chicago, plus a Gray Line Chicago tour to the Chicago Botanic Gardens; and “Wicker Park Shop and Dining Adventure,” includes a stay at the Affinia Chicago Hotel or Sutton Place Hotel, plus a shopping guide chauffeured tour in luxury vehicle.

The “Chicago Museum Adventure” includes a stay at the Congress Hotel, Inn of Chicago Magnificent Mile, Affinia Chicago Hotel, Essex Inn, Hard Rock Hotel Chicago or Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, plus a Chicago City Pass, featuring a 48 percent discount on tickets to five of Chicago’s most popular attractions — the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium and the John Hancock Building or Sears Tower Observatories.

For more information, call 877-244-2246 or visit www.choosechicago.com/urban_adventures

Sun Country Airlines Launches Cashless Cabin

Sun Country Airlines has introduced its cashless cabin project in which Visa and MasterCard will be accepted as payment for items available for sale onboard flights.

Visa and MasterCard will be accepted for payment for all the items Sun Country passengers can purchase in-flight, including snacks, sandwiches, candy, premium beverages, space-available first-class upgrades, headphones and pillow/blanket sets.

It is anticipated that the new payment process will allow flight attendants to more efficiently serve passengers in-flight. Payments will typically be posted to the consumer’s credit card within 24 hours of the transaction. “As a Minnesota airline, we consider customer service one of our top priorities,” said Stan Gadek, CEO of Sun Country. “The launch of this program shows Sun Country’s commitment to service and the measures being taken to consistently deliver value to our passengers.”

For more information, visit www.suncountry.com

Honor Flights WWII Tours

Since the World War II Memorial was erected on Washington DC’s national mall four years ago, few of the thousands flocking to the site daily are surviving servicemen.

Volunteer-staffed and donation-funded Honor Flights provide free travel and guardianship for World War II veterans to visit the monument that memorializes their service.

“In 10 years as an ExpressJet pilot, flying the Honor Flight was the most rewarding day of my career. As an air force veteran, I felt great pride being part of a day to honor those who gave so much,” said ExpressJet’s Honor Flight pilot Jeff Rupp.

ExpressJet Airlines’ charter service will fly the Northwestern Ohio Honor Flight hub’s second Honor Flight in late June, after flying 29 veterans from Toledo on April 30 for the inaugural flight.

Dee Pakulski, whose father was a WWII veteran, founded the Northwestern Ohio hub of this program after serving as an Honor Flight guardian for a terminally-ill World War II veteran through the Michigan hub of the program.

“Each day, we lose more of our greatest generation of Americans,” Pakulski said. “Many of these brave Americans returned from service after victory unnoticed. Many of them hear words of thanks and appreciation for the first time when they visit the Memorial.”

According to the honor flight website, each day, 1200 World War II veterans die. Through the program’s TLC or “their last chance” initiative priority is given to terminally-ill veterans.

“Safety is our top priority,” Pakulski said. “These veterans are in their ’80s and ’90s and require wheelchairs, oxygen, and they need special travel accommodations.”

ExpressJet’s chartered service provided flexibility, allowing the group to give the veterans an unforgettable day to experience the capitol of the nation they fought to defend.

Each Honor Flight hub pays for the veterans’ travel through the group’s fundraising and sponsorship efforts.

Since starting in 2005, the Honor Flight network has expanded to 30 states. A local core of volunteers raises funds and plans trips for area veterans out of each Honor Flight hub. Each veteran is paired with a volunteer guardian. Though trips for veterans are free, guardians pay for their own travel.

As awareness for the program has grown, many hubs have seen waiting lists of veterans grow into the hundreds.

“We go to bed every night knowing that as we are raising funds and planning for the next Honor Flight, some of the veterans may not be here tomorrow. We definitely want to provide as many trips to as many veterans as we can,” continued Pukulski.

She advises anyone interested in helping to donate funds to their local hub, serve as a volunteer fundraiser or guardian, or set up a local Honor Flight hub in their area, to contact the national honor flight organization at www.honorflight.org

ExpressJet Honor Flights memorial North America veterans WWII

bmi Holds Fall Sale to Scotland, Brussels

For a limited time bmi is offering fares as low as $562 roundtrip to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Brussels via London from a number of U.S. gateway cities — Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles through July 3, 2008 for travel from Sept. 3, 2008 through March 25, 2009.

These sale fares are nonrefundable, require a seven day-advance purchase and minimum three-day stay or Saturday overnight. A stopover in London in either direction is allowed. Changes are allowed for a $150 fee plus any difference in the fare level. Children’s fares are available at a reduced rate.

The fares are based on required roundtrip purchase. Tickets must be purchased within 72 hours of making a reservation. bmi code share flights to and from US to London Heathrow are operated by United Airlines.

For more information, visit www.flybmi.com

New JAL suite for Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines unveiled its brand new JAL Suite, available in JAL First Class and created for its newly-manufactured Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The individual private suites were designed by London-based James Park Associates (JPA) and manufactured by Contour. They will be introduced on the Tokyo to New York route in August 2008 and the Tokyo to San Francisco route in September 2008. Introduction of the seats to the Tokyo to Chicago and Tokyo to Los Angeles routes will follow next year.

JAL Suites combine seat, storage area, dining table and ottoman, and mark a significant departure from their predecessors. Offering passengers improved comfort and privacy within their own personal environment, each seat converts into a forward-facing, 35-inch wide, 78.5-inch long, lie-flat bed, and the headrest folds to provide an entirely flat sleeping surface.

Visually, the seat combines JPA’s trademark combination of the familiar with the cutting edge. Upholstered in especially-developed pale grey leather, the seat’s shape is reminiscent of a traditional armchair - its 5-inch wide, thickly-padded armrests reinforcing this impression. The seat’s color-coordinated surround continues to encompass the console to the side of the seat and a facing ottoman, above which is a 19-inch TV screen. The console features storage spaces for bags and small items, a large side shelf, literature pockets and a laptop power point, while the ottoman can be used as a seat, should the passenger choose to dine with a partner.

James Park, founder of JPA, said, “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to design this suite for Japan Airlines. The JAL Suite has a clean, elegant and uncluttered appearance, but its simple forms belie huge technical complexity. Much of the last year has been spent rigorously testing, refining every detail and, as a colleague put it, ‘perfecting perfection.’ We are extremely pleased with the result, and I am sure passengers will be impressed.”

Fitted in a one-two-one configuration, giving each passenger direct aisle access, the seat has been designed using the principles of Universal Design to ensure the accessibility to passengers of all levels of mobility. The application of this approach is illustrated by way in which key seat controls can be identified visually and by touch and by the soft, rounded and easily gripped edging to the shroud, which can provide support as passengers access their seats or move down the aisle.

Mr. Mitsuaki Matsuura, vice president for Japan Airlines Product & Planning, said, “The launch of our new First Class cabin is a major step for Japan Airlines, and the seat designed for us by James Park Associates reflects our total commitment to providing the very best in comfort and hospitality for our passengers. The seat expresses subtlety and elegance, is practical and easy to use, and offers both space and privacy. It is everything JAL First Class customers would expect of us, and more, confirming our position as the airline of choice for the international passenger.”

James Park concluded, “Japan Airlines has been a superb client to work with. They have taken a keen interest in every stage of the design process and their responsiveness has helped us overcome the challenges of progressing from first concept stage to delivery within a very short period of time. Getting the JAL Suite so right, so quickly would not have been possible without the involvement of the manufacturers, Contour, and I think it is significant that British design and manufacturing has delivered the exceptional level of quality that Japan Airlines demands.”

Luxury Retreats are gay friendly

Luxury Retreats, a leader in the luxury villa rental industry, recently announced the creation of a website dedicated to private rental homes in gay- and lesbian-friendly travel destinations.

Out Villas (www.outvillas.com) by Luxury Retreats consolidates vacation rentals in all the world’s best gay-friendly locations, from the Caribbean to Europe.

“Short-term villa rentals are a great option for gay and lesbian travelers because they’re very private and appeal to discriminating tastes,” said Ben Tuff, Luxury Retreats’ director of marketing. “We’re happy to cater directly to this savvy group of travelers.”

Almost 800 villas are featured on Out Villas, spread across 10 major regions including Greece, Mexico, Spain, France and the Caribbean. Out Villas does the work for potential travelers by focusing solely on those destinations where attitudes are tolerant and accepting of the gay and lesbian community.

“We would never send our guests anywhere that they can’t enjoy a completely carefree vacation,” said Tuff, “so Out Villas is a place to start without those concerns.”

For easy browsing, the website breaks down villas by region and then sub-regions, such as individual Caribbean islands. Each villa featured has its own page with detailed information about bedroom layouts, pricing, staffing, plus many large photos to help travelers make informed choices. Villas are available in wide price points.

All guests of Out Villas by Luxury Retreats receive complimentary guest services from villa provisioning - have your favorite bottle of wine there when you arrive - to car rentals, restaurant reservations, activities and tours.