The holidays are shaping up to be a bit more merry and bright for flyers this year, now that a number of major airlines have announced free in-flight WiFi deals. While 2009 has seen all the usual suspects (Delta, Virgin America, JetBlue, etc.) rolling out en-route service on most or all flights, the cost of upwards of $10 a pop on longer trips (half the price of my monthly at-home bill) has left only the most email-addicted passengers biting the bait. Thankfully, just in time for air travel’s busiest time of year, discounts seem to literally be falling from the skies, with many airlines offering Internet passes completely free of charge. 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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The Deal: Super-sleek Virgin America, with its mood lighting, personal power ports, on-demand meal service, and in-flight entertainment systems, is one of fave ways to fly, especially on the long-haul transcontinental jaunts. Happily, these coast-to-coast routes are now priced as little as $79 each-way – look for tax-inclusive round-trip fares of just under $180 for flights between cities like Los Angeles and Boston this month!

Sample One-Way Fares: LA–Boston $79; San Francisco–Boston $99; NYC–Las Vegas $109; San Diego–DC $109; and more

The Catch: Fares spike considerably once the summer months roll around – don’t miss the boat plane on this one.

Travel By: May 31

Book By: May 31

ROUTE                  AIRLINE      STARTS
Denver to Mexico City                                  AeroMexico                    2-1-09
San Francisco to Mexico City                       AeroMexico                    2-2-09
Los Angeles to Boston                                 Virgin America                2-12-09
San Francisco to Boston                              Virgin America                2-12-09
Toronto to Mexico City                                 AeroMexico                    3-2-09
Dallas/Fort Worth to Madrid                          American                       5-1-09
Atlanta to Tokyo-Narita                                 Delta                             5-4-09
San Francisco to Orange County, CA            Southwest                      5-9-09
Atlanta to Johannesburg                               Delta                             6-1-09
Tokyo-Narita to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam    Delta                              6-1-09
Salt Lake City to Tokyo-Narita                      Delta                              6-3-09
Detroit to Rome                                           Delta                             6-4-09
New York to Valencia, Spain                        Delta                              6-5-09

From the February/March issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine.