Taking off Travel blog

International business travelers now have new ways to connect to the UK, thanks to a partnership between Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue Airways.

Travelers can now connect from London, Glasgow and Manchester on Virgin Atlantic onward to JetBlue’s domestic flights serving destinations including Baltimore, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; San Diego, California; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Tampa, Florida.

The airlines will interline in the following Virgin Atlantic-operated transatlantic markets that depart from JetBlue’s Boston, New York, Washington and Orlando focus cities:

• Boston – London (Heathrow)
• New York (Kennedy) – London (Heathrow)
• Orlando – Glasgow
• Orlando – London (Gatwick)
• Orlando – Manchester
• Washington (Dulles) – London (Heathrow)

Under the agreement, travellers will be able to purchase single itineraries combining travel on JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic, bringing new travel options to customers of both airlines. On the day of travel, customers will be afforded the convenience of one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in whether their travel originates with JetBlue or Virgin Atlantic. (via PR Newswire)

Don’t forget to check out our off airport parking lots when flying from JetBlue’s domestic destinations!

A New Way to Check In Online

In other travel news, if you’re already spending a lot of time on Facebook, whether for business or to keep up with your friends, there’s one more thing you can do while you’re there, at least if you’re flying with Delta. The airline has announced (or rather, tweeted) an upgrade to its Facebook Ticket Counter tab which means that you can now check in online via the tab. Delta has been offering online booking through Facebook since last year, so this is a welcome addition. You can even check your air miles while you’re there. Delta is the first US airline to offer this facility – who will be next? (via AOL Travel).

Christopher Elliot recently published a list of 7 trips you should never book online. His list online booking scenarios to avoid included:

• Cruises
• Round the world trips
• International travel
• Exotic holidays
• Special events

An Online Booking Nightmare

He cites the case of a honeymoon couple’s online booking nightmare as a reason and suggests the use of travel agents instead.

I disagree, because I don’t think it’s an all or nothing scenario. I’ve been booking online for years to destinations including Europe, the Caribbean and of course, the US. Read more »