The British media are all atwitter about the supposed plans by Ryanair to install vertical seats—that is, standing-room-only seats—in the last 10 rows of its Boeing 737-800s. Price of airfare in one of those seats? Just 4 pounds sterling (about U.S.$6). And how, you ask, can they afford to do this? Why, by charging you to use the toilet.
Wait a minute… Didn’t they already float (and later flush) the idea of a loo fee only to be publicly remonstrated, humiliated, and pilloried? Yeah, kinda—except that Ryanair doesn’t know the meaning of the word humiliation. On the other hand, it seems not to know the meaning of a lot of words, like “safety,” “concern for our passengers,” and “common sense.”
We just revealed our annual World's Best Awards this morning, and we're happy to see that our winners are already celebrating! Virgin America, which was voted Best Domestic Airline for the third year in a row, is throwing a "Three-Peat" sale today. Fares start as low as $33, but hurry, because the sale ends at 5 P.M. PDT this evening.
MSNBC (AP) | PAYERNE, Switzerland — An experimental solar-powered plane landed safely Thursday after completing its first 24-hour test flight, proving that the aircraft can collect enough energy from the sun during the day to stay aloft all night.
Pilot Andre Borschberg eased the Solar Impulse onto the runway at Payerne airfield about 30 miles southwest of the Swiss capital Bern at exactly 9 a.m. (3 a.m. EDT) Thursday.
Helpers rushed to stabilize the pioneering plane as it touched down, ensuring that its massive 207-foot wingspan didn't scrape the ground and topple the craft.
The record feat completes seven years of planning and brings the Swiss-led project one step closer to its goal of circling the globe using only energy from the sun.
If you happen to live along the sweltering East Coast, in any one of the Gulf states, or any place where summer has yet to kick into high gear, you are no doubt day-dreaming—about strong, cooool ocean breezes, tar-free beaches, and well, a good old-fashioned getaway designed with a little barefoot relaxation in mind. This week, Vacationist comes to the rescue with a grab bag of terrific hotel offers guaranteed to bring relief:
Terranea Resort — 30 percent off Rancho Palos Verdes, California Escape to this former Marineland theme park in Southern Cali; the 102-acre, Mediterranean-style seaside resort comes complete with a 50,000-square-foot spa.
Diamond Deluxe Hotel — 53 percent off Kos, Greece With all the water in and around it—from glass-like pools weaving through the property to the sparkling Aegean—this 110-room boutique resort on the island of Kos appears to float.
Rendezvous — 42 percent off Castries, Saint Lucia Massages, showers, chaise longues—everything short of bicycles—are built for two at this couples-only resort.
The sprawling five million square foot building was officially opened Saturday by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi.
Complete with imported granite floors, huge white columns fitted with expensive speakers, 63 elevators, 95 immigration counters and a state of the art security and baggage system, Terminal 3 is also home to India's first transit hotel.
Officials say the new nine-level hub will be able to handle 34 million passengers per year, making it one of the biggest in the world.
One weekend during the semester I studied abroad in Prague, my friends and I wanted to go on an adventure. Instead of debating over where to go, we went to the train station with our bags and bought tickets for the next train out of town, wherever it went. That’s how I ended up spending one of the best weekends of my semester in Dresden, Germany.
If you’re feeling equally spontaneous, Priceline.com, Hotwire.com, and LuxuryLink.com, as well as its sister site FamilyGetaway.com, have added an element of mystery to their popular flash sales and auctions recently by having travelers bid on undisclosed resorts in unknown locations for very low prices (or by helping them score deeply discounted rates on unnamed hotels in cities of their choice, in the case of Priceline.com and Hotwire.com).
Business Travel News | The U.S. State Department on July 13 will raise the price for visas, passports and other consular services—some by more than $300—to reflect what the department determined is the true cost to provide such services.
For an adult passport, the State Department will begin charging $110—$35 more than the current price—plus a $25 execution fee, which is not retained by the department. Meanwhile, the cost for some visas will jump by even greater amount. For example, an employment-based immigrant visa will cost $720 under the new pricing scheme, compared with the previous $355. (Photo credit: Lyndsey Matthews)
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you're standing by the carousel at the airport, watching suitcase after suitcase pass by—none of them yours—until finally, the carousel, now empty, turns off? It's a wretched feeling, especially at the start of a vacation.
One way to avoid this situation altogether is to ship your belongings ahead of time. The UPS Store just announced its new Luggage Boxes—and the cost is pretty reasonable. Shipping between NYC and L.A. costs about $66 for the small box or about $92 for the large. Just be sure to ship far enough in advance, and give your hotel the heads up! For a price comparison, here are the checked bag fees from five major domestic airlines:
Fourth of July weekend is just about here! If you waited too long to make plans—or just didn't want to deal with the high volume of travelers trekking to and fro—then head on over to Vacationist.com and book a relaxing post-holiday vaca. The four newest properties on sale are:
Zoetry Agua Punta Cana, Dominican Republic All your needs will be tended to at this all-inclusive Oceanfront beach resort, where check-in and -out times are non-existent. Spend your time taking up one of the many hotel activities—snorkeling, anyone?—or grab a beach towel and cocktail and lounge by the pool.
Topnotch Resort and Spa, Stowe, VT Vermont is not just a winter destination, and Topnotch will help you take advantage of all the area has to offer. Get a tour of the lush maple and pine trees on horseback or head into town to sample tasty Vermont cheeses.
With Lance Armstrong and the rest of the world's best cyclists lining up in Rotterdam this Saturday for the Tour de France's grand depart, we here at T+L have biking on the brain. But with the realities of the ol' nine-to-five standing in the way of most everyman cyclist's yellow jersey dreams, it's hard to squeeze in midweek rides. Timbuk2 CEO Mike Wallenfels found a solution to that dilemma, deciding to trade in the morning commute behind the wheel for one on top of two.
We recently caught up with Mike to talk early morning rides, city cycling culture, and the pleasures of finding those perfect European cafés when business (and the bike) takes you on the road.
