OpenSkies releases sale fares on new routes to Amsterdam and Paris

by Grant Martin on

Been eyeballing those super fancy fares on OpenSkies for the last few months but too afraid to jump on the tickets? Now’s your time to take the bull by the horns and pull the trigger on that vacation to Paris or Amsterdam.

OpenSkies just announced that they put their Prem+ cabin on sale for the first 1,000 passengers on each route. For now, tickets will be $499 one way to Amsterdam, their newest route opening on October 15th, and $599 one way to Paris.

In case you aren’t sure what “Prem+” means, that’s OpenSkies code for plush, giant leather seats and premium service — an experience better than many carriers in Business Class. Gadling got to try out Prem + first hand this past summer, and let me tell you, its well worth the dollar spent.

Sound like a good ride? You can take advantage of the Premium fares at flyopenskies.com or if you’re feeling lucky, register to win free tickets at Gadling next Friday.

Luxury train travel in the U.S. a bust? Train cars for sale

by Jamie Rhein on

Last month, GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, a luxury train company we’ve blogged about in the past stopped operations due to financial woes. It’s not that Americans aren’t interested in train travel, Amtrak’s business went up this summer, it just seems that fancy trains have a hard time making a go of it in the U.S.

Rachel Dunlap at Intelligent Travel stated her surprise that the GrandLuxe Rail wasn’t able to make a go of it. As she pointed out, it had met with great reviews.

Dunlap is stymied about the demise, particularly since luxury trains have been able to find a market outside the U.S. Just yesterday David posted about VIA Rail’s upcoming Concierge class for the discerning train traveler.

I’m thinking that one reason why luxury train travel hasn’t picked up in the U.S. is because train travel in many parts of the U.S. is not something people think about as an option. Train schedules on a day to day basis aren’t the most convenient. Although I took the train with my 6-year-old son from Cleveland to New York and loved it (see post), we took the bus back. The train would have put us into Cleveland at 4 or so in the morning, plus we don’t live in Cleveland. One trip there from Columbus was enough. The bus had several schedule options–none of them perfect, but doable.

Perhaps in the U.S., we are so attracted to the idea of speed that even if the train offers a luxurious way to go to a destination, we’re not hooked into the idea of the journey as being the pleasurable aspect. We want to be on that beach or at the tourist attraction–and quick.

Although, cruise ships have done a tidy job of making the journey the thing. Except ships are huge, and there is much to do to occupy a person’s time. Not that I’ve ever been on a cruise ship, but from what I’ve heard there are several options geared to keep people from thinking much. On trains, scenery gazing and letting one’s mind wander are the major highlights.

If the U.S. peps up train travel, and passengers get used to heading to destinations on the rails more and more, perhaps luxury train travel will have another go at it. Even without the luxury, I love a train.

As Dunlap mentioned in her post,the GrandLuxe train cars are for sale.

Next feature for the A380? Showers!

by Grant Martin on

Dubai’s Emirates airline just started revealing some plans for its A380 configurations. They’re the second customer for Airbus’s giant airship with delivery slated for later this year. And it looks like they’re going to try to beat Singapore Air, the first customer, in sheer ridiculousness of their first class product.

With showers. Yes, first class travelers on the new, highly-coveted Emirates A380 routes will soon be able to take a shower while they’re flying in the world’s skies. The service is slated to unroll on the new New York – Dubai A380 route scheduled for October 1, but eventually will be augmented into all of their super jumbo jets.

I’m curious as to whether this is going to be a high-water pressure, multi-head luxury shower or a tiny RV-style drizzle of water from the ceiling.

To support this service, Emirates plans to haul an extra TON of water on the aircraft, thus as the Times Online reports, increasing the carbon output by an extra 25 tons. Baffling. But as many airlines are wagering these days, the real money lies in the business class product. We cattle will pay anywhere around $1,000 for a flight between New York and Dubai, but each business class ticket should run around $18,000.

So much for being eco-friendly.

European river cruises: AAA travel show tidbit

by Jamie Rhein on

The one presentation I was able to attend at my cyberspace AAA travel trade show, “Europe is Closer Than You Think” was the one by Uniworld Grand River Cruises. As I watched a slide show from the comfort of my home-based office, the presenters talked about what the cruise ship company offers and then answered participants’ questions.

For people who would like to tour Europe, but are afraid of the costs, a river cruise has some advantages. Since you sleep on the ship and meals are covered, that takes care of worrying that you could end up spending much more money than you had planned. Wine comes with dinner and is included in the price. The ship also is your transportation. That cuts down on the wondering about how much getting from place to place will cost you. Since at each stop, local entertainment comes on board, you won’t have to spring for entertainment tickets either.

One of the things the presenter mentioned is that such a trip also cuts down on the hassle of needing to pack and unpack at each destination. There are 5 to 8 hours at each port, but you could stay longer at the city where the cruise starts or ends. Just arrange for your flight to arrive a few days early or leave a few days late.

Another feature I like about Uniworld Grand River Cruises is that there are experts who give tours of the places on the shore excursions and the admission to the places on the tour are included in the cruise price. You won’t be dinged over and over again when you want to maximize your experience. On board the ship, there are programs as well, or you can chill out.

Another plus about these cruises is that the ships are not big so you’re not traveling with huge crowds of people, and because the ships are small they can travel where large ships can’t. Cities are not the only stops–so are small towns and villages.

There are several itinerary options. Here is a link that leads to the page of European river trips. The company also offers trips in Egypt, China , and Russia. There’s a trip that cruises the Black Sea and takes in Ukraine and Turkey.

Trans-Siberian: Trading in experiences for luxury

by Neil Woodburn on

Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Trans-Siberian was up-scaled.

Back in the early 1990s when I traveled the legendary journey, it cost just $150 to travel nearly a quarter of the globe, from Moscow to Beijing. And I paid inflated tourist prices at the time.

Today, discerning travelers can opt for a $14,000, 19-day pampered adventure that is completely opposite of everything I experienced on my journey. The berths, for example, aren’t “sleeper” or even First Class. No, for $14,000 you get Gold Class, an entirely elevated level of comfort that includes “power showers and under floor heating…, state of the art DVD/CD player, LCD screens, audio system, individual air conditioning, recessed lighting and wardrobe space.”

Wow. I, on the other hand, shared a 4-person berth with Mongolians smuggling consumer items out of Russia. The bathroom was nothing more than a nasty toilet that was shared by the entire carriage and cleaned only once a day. And, the dining car had nothing but beef stroganoff for seven days straight.

While Gold Class certainly sounds inviting, all that money will never replicate the wonderful experience of sharing meals with my Mongolian bunkmates and listening to them drunkenly sing BeeGees songs out of tune.

That, folks, is priceless.