Roundup: American Airlines launches limited Wi-Fi; Tablet Hotels contest; are you a flashpacker?

Good morning, travelers. Are you ready for some in-flight Wi-Fi?

Airlines news | American Airlines announced today it will have in-flight Wi-Fi on some flights,  including long-haul flights “connecting New York with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami,” reported the Associated Press. The cost is $12.95 per flight, but you’ll have to forgo your VOIP phone calls. Read: American launches in-flight Internet on three routes.

Let us know if you took one of these flights and tried the service. What kind of Wi-Fi can you compare it to (speed-wise)?

Hotel contest | Tablet Hotels is giving away two free nights if you can answer the hotel question featured in its free e-mail newsletter. From the newsletter: “One Tablet Hotel has been overrun with showbiz types since its opening in 1927 — in fact, its ‘Blossom Room’ was home to the first-ever Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. Guess the hotel and you’ll be entered into a drawing to stay there free for two nights! A winner will be randomly chosen from all correct answers sent to info@tablethotels.com.” [Update: The deadline for the contest is Aug 24, 2008, at 9 p.m. PST.]

Travel website | Are you a flashpacker? It’s a term used for cushy backpacking. Vagabondish has a great article on this modern style of traveling plus tips for how to be a better flashpacker. Read:
I Wanna Be a Flashpacker: When Backpackers Grow Up or Get Rich

– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Photo: Associated Press]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 7:22 am by Jen Leo and is filed under Good Morning, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.