JetBlue’s JFK Terminal 5 opens its doors

by Grant Martin on

After a few brief delays, a dry run and countless days of anticipation, JetBlue finally opened the doors of Terminal 5 at JFK today.

The building, a Gensler re-design of the old TWA behemoth, features wide open spaces, new amenities, all sorts of lovely food options and a dedicated home for the once-cramped JetBlue airlines. Blogger Jeremy Kressmann took a look through T5 earlier this fall and wrote it up for us here.

So how are things going so far? Have there been any epic fails like Heathrow’s Terminal 5 that opened up earlier this year?

Things actually seem to be moving pretty smoothly so far. JetBlue launched a liveblog (of sorts) that details some of the features and hobknobbery that’s going on during the first day activities and things seem pretty calm. Sure, you can’t trust content coming straight out of the lion’s mouth, but the blog is at least worth taking a look at for all of the fun pictures and insider looks into operations.

Later this week, our own Jerry Guo will be wandering through T5. Stay tuned to hear his take on the facilities.

Airline Celebrates 5th Anniversary with Free Flights for All

by Josh Lew on

United Arab Emirates-based Air Arabia will be celebrating its 5th birthday with a special treat for its customers. Everyone flying on the Persian Gulf’s original low-cost carrier on October 28th will fly for free. Passengers are still expected to pay any applicable airport taxes and fees. The free flights are for one day only and only include one-way service.

Before you get excited, you should know that the airline has a rather limited list of destinations. Outside of the Middle East, Air Arabia flies to India, Ukraine and Nepal. In all, there are 42 cities from which passengers can take advantage of the no cost specials.

Air Arabia is a regional leader in its niche; though younger budget carriers, like NAS and Jazeera Airways, are also competitive. But, things are looking quite rosy for Air Arabia. They recently inked a deal that will triple the size of their fleet (which currently consists of 15 Airbus A320s). If they keep up the pace of growth, one wonders what’ll be on tap for the 10th anniversary.

10 tips for smarter flying


Obama to hold election night party at Chicago’s Grant Park

by Meg Massie on

Want to spend election night with Barack Obama and thousands of his closest friends? The Obama campaign announced yesterday that the Democratic nominee for president will be hosting what he hopes is an election night celebration outdoors at Grant Park in Chicago.

Obama will appear at Hutchinson Field at the south end of the park, which is often referred to as Chicago‘s “front yard.” The park is often used for major events like festivals, sporting events, and concerts. Pope John Paul II held a mass here in 1979 that drew a crowd of nearly 1 million people.

The Obama campaign has not yet announced ticketing details, but those who wish to attend will likely need to register online or get tickets in advance, as the Illinois Senator and Presidential hopeful has been drawing huge crowds throughout his campaign.

If you’re going to attend, be sure to dress warmly. The windy city can be bitterly cold in November.

Visitors no longer able to see the world’s most expensive toilet (except on video)

by Josh Lew on

When Lam Sai-Wing’s Hong Kong-based jewelry business, 3D Gold, took off more than a decade ago, he made a rather unusual investment. He built the “Hall of Gold” in one of his showrooms. This unusual and extremely expensive structure was made of six tons of gold. The furnishings included a fully working solid gold toilet.

As gold prices rose, Lam began dismantling the hall, melting down the gold and selling it to finance his company’s expansion into mainland China. He never parted with the toilet, which is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most expensive toilet. Here’s what it looked like:

But, visitors to Hong Kong won’t be seeing it any time soon. Lam died unexpected earlier this year and his company has become engulfed in scandal after five executives, including his own widow, were accused of stealing nearly $23 million worth of gold bars from the company vault. Public trading of the company has stopped and what remains of the Hall of Gold has been closed to the public indefinitely.

[Via Time’s China Blog]

One website is your guide to local etiquette

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Ever wondered how much you need to tip at restaurants while abroad? Or how many cheek kisses to give a new acqutainance? Or whether, in a particular country, it’s proper to wear shorts? (I’m looking at you, Andrew Zimmern!) One website has all the answers to those questions, and more.

While most guidebooks have sections on local etiquette, I haven’t found too many websites that aggregate all that information in one place. Thankfully, I’ve just stumbled across Travel Etiquette, a site with dozens of articles explaining the everyday customs and traditions of many of your favorite travel destinations.

From the Sri Lanka entry:

“Women should not touch a Buddhist monk under any circumstance and should also never try to give anything directly to a monk… It’s OK to take pictures of statues and images of Buddha, but it’s not acceptable to pose in front of Buddha.”

From the Saudi Arabia article:

“If you are planning on giving your Saudi acquaintance a gift, remember that men presenting women with gifts, especially flowers, is not always wholly appropriate. A gift for the whole family would be well received.”

Got it? Trying to pose in front of Buddha = bad. Giving flowers to Saudi women = also bad.

Check out more tips here. (thanks to AlphaTangoBravo for the pic)