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.

Linear Air Taxi Online Pricing and Booking

Concord, MA – Linear Air is the first Very Light Jet (VLJ) air taxi company to offer travelers the ability to easily check pricing and book flights online. The company’s new booking tool provides an instant reservation for a specific aircraft in the Linear Air fleet, while the Quick Quote™ technology generates pricing and flight information. The newly integrated Quick Quote ™ technology is one more addition to the many conveniences that Linear Air offers travelers.

“Linear Air’s goal is to make air travel as pain-free as possible for our customers – starting with the booking process,” said William Herp, president and CEO of Linear Air. “Now customers can go online and access aircraft pricing and availability with minimal effort and time involved.”

Linear Air utilizes ten times more airports than traditional commercial airlines by flying in and out of regional airports. This large selection of airports lets Linear Air better accommodate clients’ air travel needs. With changes in air travel, regional airports have been found to be more accessible for the traveler and less congested than commercial airports.

Linear Air’s commitment to technology is not only reflected in the company’s new pricing and booking tool, but is also reflected in its fleet, which includes the advanced Eclipse E500. Using less fuel than other jets, the eco-friendly, twin engine Eclipse E500 offers jet aircraft performance at an unprecedented lower overall cost. That savings is directly passed on to the Linear Air customer.

About Linear Air

Linear Air provides point-to-point air taxi service with unprecedented access and affordability. Based in Concord, Mass., the Linear Air fleet includes the three-passenger Eclipse E500 business jet and eight-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan turboprop.

Linear Air offers business and leisure travelers access to more than 750 cities in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and eastern Canada from its bases in Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. Linear Air is a FAA-certified part 135 charter operator that maintains a Gold safety rating from ARG/US, the leading independent safety auditor in the aviation industry. For more information, please visit www.linearair.com  or call 1-877-2-LINEAR.

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.

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.

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

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.

United Airlines iPod and iPhone connectivity

United guests may now reach cruising altitude with a new, personalized in-flight entertainment system. United is the first US carrier to offer iPod and iPhone connectivity to its in-flight entertainment system, enabling customers to enjoy their individual content on a 15.4-inch personal television, all while the iPod or iPhone charges.

The first aircraft with iPod and iPhone connectivity is scheduled to depart at 5:40 p.m. from Washington, DC to Zurich as United #936, and it will fly primarily on trans-Atlantic routes. United’s entire fleet of international, widebody aircraft are being reconfigured over the next two years with lie-flat seats, on-demand entertainment, and iPod and iPhone connectivity in first and business class.

“Our guests may now watch or listen to what they want, when they want with programming they choose,” said Graham Atkinson, United Airlines - executive vice president and chief customer officer. “United will continue to provide services and technology that makes our customers’ travel experiences more relaxed and enjoyable.”

“The iPod and iPhone have become essential for millions of travelers around the world,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod & iPhone Product Marketing. “We think United customers are going to love being able to listen or watch personal music and video content on their iPod or iPhone via the in-flight entertainment system, and we can’t wait for United to roll this out to their fleet.”

Through a cable that supports iPod and iPhone via the 30-pin connector, customers may watch and enjoy their personal content on United’s in-flight entertainment system. Technology for the connectivity was developed by Panasonic Avionics Corporation.

The customized video and audio options complements the more than 150 hours of movies and television shows available on-demand on United’s newly-configured international aircraft, as well as games and XM radio.

New dinner cruise ship comes to Boston Harbor

BOSTON — The competition for diners’ dollars is heating up this summer on Boston Harbor now that a new dinner boat has docked in South Boston.

The operators of the Yacht StarShip moved the 180-foot dinner boat to Boston last week from its home base of Tampa, Fla. The boat arrived on May 27 at its berth in South Boston next to the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal in time for a soft opening last Saturday.

The Yacht StarShip will compete directly with Entertainment Cruises, the Chicago company that runs the Spirit of Boston and the more upscale Odyssey.

Robert Platner, Yacht StarShip’s vice president of Boston operations, is familiar with his competition: He was a manager of the Odyssey for five years before leaving in 2000. He was involved in non-marine hospitality businesses before returning to the seas with the Yacht StarShip.

The boat will employ nearly 50 people to start, including 15 who came from Tampa to work here.

Dinner cruises will last about two-and-a-half hours and will cost $85 to $100, although some tickets are available each night at a two-for-one price this summer, Platner said. The boat also offers two-hour lunch cruises.

The Yacht StarShip will stay in Boston through mid-October before returning for the winter season in Tampa and will operate on Wednesdays through Sundays, at least for now. While the boat is licensed for up to 600 people, it can usually accommodate about 400 among four separate dining rooms or 550 on a fully chartered trip for one client, Platner said.

Platner said the boat’s operators hunted around for dock space before settling on a dock managed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority off Summer Street.

The location doesn’t get much foot traffic, but Platner said few dinner cruise tickets are sold to people who walk up to the boat on the night of a cruise. The company is providing free parking at a nearby city garage.

Bob Lawler, general manager for Entertainment Cruises in Boston, said it will be tough for the Yacht StarShip to take much market share away from the Spirit and the Odyssey, especially given the sluggishness of the economy. “We’re two very well-established brands,” Lawler said. “People are watching their money closely. They’re more likely to go with what they know.”

But Platner said this is a good time to invest in Boston’s tourism industry, with a weak dollar driving foreigners here and local residents cutting down on transportation costs. “The economic conditions are going to play into our favor,” he said. “People are going to be sticking closer to home with their entertainment dollar.” http://www.yachtstarship.com