GadlingTV’s Travel Talk 012: Trains, planes, & mergers! Behind the scenes at Southwest Airlines, Gowalla & Gadling in Austin + a brand new GIVEAWAY!!


GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 12 – Click above to watch video after the jump
Well, we’ve been bouncing around the country this week and have got a great show to prove it! From Dallas, Texas to Austin, Texas and finally Portland, Oregon – we’ll take you behind the scenes at Love Field Airport and the operational headquarters of Southwest Airlines!

In the news this week: United & Continental’s big merger, a new train makes tracks in a forbidden country, we look into the biggest World Expo in history, and find out why your toothpaste may once again be safe while traveling through Europe.

We get the inside scoop on Austin-based tech startup Gowalla, and catch up with Gadling crew for a day out on the town. Last but not least, we’re GIVING AWAY TWO FREE TICKETS on Virgin America!! Watch to the end to find out how to enter!!

Tune in next week for our full Portland, Oregon special!

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Subscribe via iTunes:
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Links
Get the official scoop on the United/Continental merger.
U.S State Department’s guidelines for visiting North Korea.
Must Watch!! The Vice Guide to North Korea. An in-depth look at DPRK guided tours.
Going to the World Expo 2010? Download and print this form and read these instructions.
More Shanghai World Expo 2010 photos!

Contest:
We’re giving away two free tickets on Virgin America!

To enter, join our Facebook group and send us an email, telling us 1) where you would go 2) what you would do there 3) who you would take.

At the end of May, one lucky winner will be randomly selected from our inbox. So, get your friends to submit to increase your chances!!


Hosts: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special Guest: Jonathan Carroll, Jeremy Kressman.


Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea

Update **The current video has been revised from it’s original version at the request of Southwest airlines. We were given a sneak peak at the TSA’s baggage screening room and filmed bags being opened, which presented privacy concerns. That footage, as well as a mention of Southwest’s mechanical practices – has been removed.



Music by:
“Hraka”
Finn Riggins
myspace.com/finnriggins



All other music used in partnership with nonstopmusic.com

Southwest Airlines introduces Florida-themed plane and a Florida fare sale

“Florida One” a new Southwest Airlines plane decked out with an image of the state flag, was unveiled at Tampa International Airport this morning.

It’s now making the rounds at the five other Florida cities Southwest currently serves: Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers.

Southwest is adding service to the new Panama City Beach airport on May 23.

Florida One is the 13th themed plane in Southwest’s fleet, which includes planes that honor the NBA, SeaWorld and several other states.

To keep up the Florida festivities, Southwest announced a fare sale to and from its Florida airports, with fares starting at $49. The discounts are for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays between May 11 and June 23.

The fare sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Monday, April 26.

SkyMall & Southwest Airlines want to send you to Florida

We’re not shy about our love of SkyMall here at Gadling. And our favorite in-flight catalog has a history of partnering with the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. But this time around, instead of giving away Garden Yetis, the two travel pals are teaming up to send a couple of lucky winners on a trip for two to Panana City Beach, Florida.

If you purchase anything from SkyMall between now and June 30, 2010, you will automatically be entered to win two tickets on Southwest Airlines to Panama City Beach, FL, three nights of deluxe hotel accommodations, a four-day car rental, tickets to a “marine theme park” (which we can only assume is Gulf World Marine Park, but the contest rules don’t specify) with a dolphin swimming experience and one Instant Sun Shelter from SkyMall.

Not interested in buying your children any star-shaped apparel but still want to enter the contest? No purchase is necessary, so you can enter simply by completing the form here.

You may still be Yeti-less if you win this contest, but at least you’ll be made in the shade with a pretty sweet getaway. Enter now and, if you do purchase anything from SkyMall, let us know what you ordered in the comments below.

Southwest Airlines offers double Rapid Rewards credits

Southwest Airlines is offering “Double Credit Days” today through May 26.

To be eligible, you must be a member of the airline’s frequent flier program, called Rapid Rewards, but you can join today and still earn the extra credits.

If you already belong to the Rapid Rewards program, you still have to register online to get in on the promotion. If you fly and don’t register, you won’t get the double credit.

Once you are registered, you will earn 2 credits for every flight (4 credits for every roundtrip). If you buy Southwest’s Business Select ticket, which includes perks such as early boarding and drinks, you will get 2.25 credits for shorthauls and 3 credits for longhaul flights.

The trick here is that you must book and complete your travel between now and May 26. It takes 16 Rapid Rewards credits to earn a free Southwest flight.

On Wednesday, Southwest announced that its traffic increased slightly in March, 0.4 percent over last year’s numbers.

The best airline safety announcement videos

Air travelers have all been there — the plane is about to take off, but first we have to awkwardly look away or bury our noses in magazines to avoid paying attention to the safety announcements. They’re the same every time, so we always know that the closest exit may be behind us. But a few savvy airlines have come up with better ways to grab passengers’ attention. From stripping down to rapping, here are some of the best airline safety announcements you’ll see on board.

Thomson Airways
British airline Thomson Airways knows that cuteness always gets attention. When a plane full of adorable kids tells you how to buckle your seatbelt, you’re sure to listen:

Air New Zealand
If cute doesn’t work, sex always sells. Take this Air New Zealand video, which encourages passengers to “take a second look” at safety — and the body-painted flight crew:

To further prove they have a sense of humor, Air New Zealand released a blooper reel of the clips that didn’t make the safety video. After all, reciting lines wearing body paint can’t be too easy:

Delta Airlines
Delta is a little more subtle with its sexy announcements — but every person in the video is ridiculously attractive, with perfect teeth and not a hair out of place. YouTube commenters have even dubbed the main announcer “Deltalina” for her resemblance to Angelina Jolie:

Virgin America
International airlines aren’t the only ones who get to have fun. Take Virgin America’s safety video, which pokes fun at the various characters found on a typical flight:

Southwest Airlines
Southwest is known for its funny flight crews. This flight attendant brings the entertainment with a safety rap:

This Southwest attendant makes announcements American Idol-style, singing a parody of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies:”

Virgin Atlantic
When in doubt, use flashy graphics. Virgin Atlantic puts passengers at ease with its calming music and intriguing animation: