Despite China’s 21st century emergence as a major economic power, a lot of the country still remains hidden behind closed doors . . . but not for long. On September 23, Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific launched brand new China Experience tours designed by local experts to provide unparalleled VIP access to normally off-limits attractions. Starting at $3,000 a pop, these all-inclusive, ultra-exclusive expeditions offer behind-the-scenes peaks of protected heritage sites scattered throughout Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai – like The Forbidden City’s Imperial Palace tea room, Xian’s national treasure vault, and Pit #5 of the famous Terracotta Warrior Museum (normally only open to archeologists). In addition to dining with locals in a traditional courtyard (“hutong”) and taking private tai-chi lessons, visitors can explore the better-known Great Wall and Tiananmen Square (pictured). Read the rest of this post »

Twitter may be time consuming, but it may soon be well worth any savvy flyer’s while. United Airlines and Jet Blue are taking notice of the Internet update-obsessed and rewarding them with tempting deals, many of which are exclusive to the social networking and mini-blog site. While following United Airlines’ twares, or Jet Blue’s cheeps, tweeters receive hot prices (some one-way flights have been advertised for under $10 bucks) that often leave the screen faster than a plane has liftoff. In fact, in many cases, fares are only available for as little as an hour or two. Read the rest of this post »

Tuesday marked the debut flight of the world’s first all-pet airline, run by husband-and-wife team Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel.  While nearly all major U.S. airlines allow small dogs and cats to accompany paying passengers in the cabin, anything larger than a lap dog must travel in cargo, a scary place for doting pet owners, that’s somewhat notorious for its drastic changes in temperature. One nerve-racking flight with Zoe – the couple’s Jack Russell Terrier – in the cargo hold convinced Alysa and Dan to find a better way for animals to fly. Their solution is Pet Airways, a five-plane fleet that’s been 4 years in the making – onboard all seats have been stripped and replaced by animal carriers for dogs and cats (reptiles, birds, and even pigs will be welcome in the future).

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Cue the entrance music – Southwest Airlines has finally touched down at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (as we first reported back in April). As of Sunday, New Yorkers can enjoy non-stop service to Chicago and Baltimore/Washington, D.C., as well as direct and connecting flights to over 45 domestic destinations that the low-cost carrier flies to.

To kick off the celebration with a unique twist on pre-flight announcements, check out rapping flight attendant David Holmes (above) spit out some rhymes to an amused audience.

Delta, US Airways, Continental, American, United, and even budget airline Southwest have all jumped on the fare-hike bandwagon over the course of the past several weeks, bringing about a $10 fare increase (each way) for their domestic routes. Delta has also announced a $10 to $40 rate increase (each way) for select international flights. While consumers had been enjoying significantly reduced fares compared to the highs seen in 2008, airlines’ battle with rising jet fuel prices and drops in business travel have led to this response.

What would you suggest airlines do to cut costs without raising fares?

Come November 1, Southwest will be touching down at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport. The budget carrier has scheduled at least one flight daily between Milwaukee and Baltimore, Kansas City, Orlando, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Phoenix – intro fares will start from just $35 (sale ends June 26). Officials at Southwest and Mitchell alike hope that the new service will reinvigorate travel in and out of the Milwaukee area, bringing much needed income to the region, while also offsetting the plunge in revenue reported by Southwest in the first quarter of this year.

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Southwest Airlines has opened up its cabin doors to passengers’ furry pals, courtesy of its brand-new P.A.W.S (Pets Are Welcome on Southwest) policy, which permits small cats and dogs in cabin for a $75 fee. While P.A.W.S has triggered delight from pet owners nationwide, it’s also resulted in a whine from customers suffering from pet allergies, afraid of the inescapable dander soon-to-be onboard. Several other commercial airlines (like Jet Blue, AirTran, and United, to name a few) have allowed pets in the cabin for quite some time, however, and serious allergy problems, if they’ve been reported, have not proved to be a large enough issue to lead to cancellations of the policy. Southwest also plans to maintain a five pet-per-plane limitation to keep noise, odor, and allergies under control. Read the rest of this post »

A sagging economy and struggling airline industry make rather unlikely parents to a new airline, but the folks over at JetAmerica are ready to put their baby on the market all the same. The new low-cost, Clearwater, Florida-based carrier is slated to launch services on July 13, with rock-bottom fares from just $9 offered on each and every flight. Set to target six mid-sized U.S. cities that it believes other larger carriers have overlooked, several conveniently offer easy access to major metropolitan areas, to boot. Look for JetAmerica to touch down in a city near you: Newark, NJ (New York City); Melbourne, FL (Orlando); Toledo, OH (Detroit); Minneapolis, MN; South Bend, IN; and Lansing, MI are currently on the bargain airline’s roster. Read the rest of this post »

Forget the same-old glass of wine to take the edge off during your next flight – look to super-hip Virgin America for a fun alternative to calm those onboard jitters (or to simply kick off your vacation with a bang), with the introduction of absinthe to all of their onboard menus. The think-outside-the-box airline has long had us “oohing” and “ahhing” over their lounge-like mood lighting, high-tech gadgetry, and recent announcement that WiFi will be offered on all flights, so their recent partnership with French liquor company, Le Tourment Vert (translated into English as “The Green Torment”), predictably speaks to their strive toward drawing a hip clientele.

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ROUTE                  AIRLINE      STARTS
Baltimore to Cancun                                     AirTran                           3-7-09
Boston to San Diego                                    American                        4-7-09
New York to Charleston, W. VA.                   American                        4-7-09
Munich to Tel Aviv                                        Lufthansa                        4-26-09
Allentown, PA., to Myrtle Beach                    Spirit                              5-3-09
New York to Montego Bay                            JetBlue                           5-21-09
New York to Bermuda                                   Delta                              5-22-09
New York to Madrid                                      Air Europa                       6-1-09
Paris to Pittsburgh                                       Delta                               6-3-09
Zurich to New York                                       Delta                               6-8-09
Fort Lauderdale to Cancun                            JetBlue                            6-18-09
Bostonto Santo Domingo, D.R.                     JetBlue                            6-19-09
New York to Port-au-Prince                           Delta                               6-20-09

From the April/May issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine.