OpenSkies launches NYC – Amsterdam route today — extends fare sale

by Grant Martin on

Today is the first day that OpenSkies‘ new route between JFK and Amsterdam. As of 4PM this afternoon, the inaugural flight from Amsterdam should have landed, and the return flight departs in just a few hours.

In light of their new route (and perhaps a little bit because of the economy), the airline has also announced that they’re extending their fare sale for Prem + seats to an additional 1,000 customers.

It’s probably a smart move on their part. With the economy in the toilet I have very little doubt that demand for premium air service across the pond has gone south as well. By extending their fare sale, they now can get a little more face time on their product and cajole a few wafflers to purchase a ticket.

Anyway, if you’re still curious about the product that OpenSkies has tailored, you can check out Gadling’s review of the airline here, and even enter to win a few premium tickets on the airline. We’re drawing a winner this friday (two days away) Good luck!

Say “I do” at the airport

by Abha Malpani on

I’m not sure if I’ll ever get married, but if I do, I’m clear that I’d want it to be as quick as possible, a couple of minutes is what would work best for me. Being Indian, a wedding under four days is sacrilege, but oh well.

A registered wedding at the court was what I thought the only option, a super boring option indeed, until I read in USA Today about quickie weddings possible at the airport!

At Los Angeles International Airport, a man called “The Officiant Guy” can marry you without witnesses and in full confidentiality. You don’t even need to be an LA resident! At Sweden’s Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, you can arrange to be married in the airport church or by a registrar; last year the 500 couples got hitched there. “Say Yes and Go” marriages sound awesome too — say “I do” and jump straight onto a plane, a common wedding style in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

However, if that’s too simple and you want a bit of a novel themed wedding, you can tie the knot inside a parked Concorde Airplane at England’s Manchester Airport, and Schiphol Airport has a wedding planner who will organize it the way you want at the airport (boarding pass style invites? Air crew uniforms as outfits?). The airport will even allow you to have a champagne brunch, and should you want to take all your guests on a trip straight after, a special “Ticket to Paradise” package deal can be sorted out.

So if you are looking for a different, cheaper, and quicker way to get married, you might want to ring your nearest airport!

That’s a weird airport story. Check out these weird airplane stories:

Citizen M Hotels: Budget meets luxury?

by Abha Malpani on

Those of you sick of hostels, bed&breakfasts, and motels, wanting to go upscale on your accommodation when you travel without spending a fortune, this new brand of Citizen M Hotels might be just what you’re looking for.

Go to their website and you’ll find a great brand-building and marketing effort targeting the “mobile citizen” who is a new generation traveler, explorer, culture seeker, shopper and professional, looking for low-price luxury.

By its description, it seems more like a big apartment than a hotel. It has modern rooms up to date with all the technology you need including free movies on demand and free wifi, a living room to hang in, and a 24-hour canteen area for food and beverages.

Other than the fact that you can self check-in and you “shouldn’t pay for bits of hotel that you don’t need” (butler, chocolate on pillows?), it’s not clear how they manage to offer their so called low-price luxury rates, whatever they may be (not mentioned either).

Their first hotel has just opened at Amsterdam Schipol Airport and currently has two offers running: 1) become a Citizen and the first 100 to book with them will get a free room, 2) if you aren’t one of the lucky 100, throughout summer you can avail of their special room rate of €69 a night. Considering the fact that in Amsterdam any decent 2-star hotel is not available for less than €45 a night, for €69 if you are getting the luxury they promise, it’s not a bad deal.

In the future, they plan to spread this concept throughout Europe.

All-in-all, a unique concept — but no one has been here yet, so we’ll just have to see .

UNESCO names Amsterdam new World Book Capital

by Anna Brones on

Book lovers and aficionados: if Amsterdam wasn’t on your travel plans before, you might want to add it. On April 23, UNESCO named Amsterdam the World Book Capital. The city will hold the title until April 2009, and in that time hopes to inspire dialog and spark debate about the freedom of expression.

Here are some of the World Book Capital’s upcoming events that just might be of interest:

May 18: Amsterdam International Literary Festival. With over 1,000 stalls this is Europe’s largest book market held in the streets of Amsterdam.

April 23 – June 23: Amsterdam in Words. An exhibition with portraits of 60 authors and quotes from their work that relates to a street, park or site in the city.

June 1 – September 8: Poetry in the Park. Two days of poetry in ten of Amsterdam’s parks, beginning with Vondelpark and ending with Westerpark.

I guess it’s time to hit the Amsterdam books.

Dollars hard to sell in Amsterdam

by Anna Brones on

You may be sick of hearing how low the dollar is, but today we have just another example of how badly the American currency is fairing. In Amsterdam, small currency outlets are refusing to buy dollars for euros, making it difficult for tourists to exchange their money.

“Our dollar is worth maybe zero over here,” said Mary Kelly, an American tourist from Indianapolis, Indiana as reported by Reuters. “It’s hard to find a place to exchange. We have to go downtown, to the central station or post office.”

Small currency exchanges are different than banks and other institutions in that they don’t want to be holding a currency that will devalue and be worth less next time they have to sell it. One euro is currently worth $1.58, compared to $1.47 a month ago. If you want to make your travel money last, it’s probably time to find a job in Europe.