Our friends at TUAW are reporting on developments by Australian Airline Jetstar (a Qantas subsidiary) to offers its passengers inflight access to an iPad. The airline had trialed the iPad earlier this year, and that trial apparently worked well for them - as they are ready to move ahead with the deployment.

The plan is to have the rollout completed by Christmas, renting the 10" tablet to passengers for about $10 per flight. The exact timing all depends on support and arrangements from Apple and media companies who'll be supplying the entertainment content for the iPad.

Jetstar flies within Australia on a fleet of 41 Airbus A320 aircraft, and supplying iPad's will obviously be much cheaper than installing a dedicated up-to-date inflight entertainment system. Still, $10 is quite a bit to ask for something that most airlines offer for free.

In the U.S., Virgin America provides a seatback entertainment system with a moving map, video and audio on demand, seat to seat messaging and even food and beverage orders. JetBlue entertains passengers with liveTV and satellite radio options.

Personally, I think the iPad as an inflight entertainment option is a little too "look how cool we are" and not a really practical solution. The device is obviously excellent, but the airline will still need to design a way to mount the iPad, as holding it for a three hour flight is really uncomfortable.



[Photo: AFP/Getty Images]

Air New Zealand has never been shy in their use of video. This is the airline that used body paint to promote their services. They hosted a Matchmaking Flight. They used the body paint again in their in-flight safety videos. So, it should come as no surprise that they've launched a new ad campaign starring a foul-mouthed puppet. Rico has a thick accent, a penchant for employing some well-timed double entendres and seems to spend an awful lot of time on transcontinental flights.

Check out one of the ads above and two more here and here. As we have in the past when we covered some of Air New Zealand's risque ads and videos, we ask you to share your thoughts in the comments. Is this another example of a cheeky airline with a sense of humor and the courage to have a personality or evidence that they have crossed a line? I vote for the former. What say you?

On October 16, Armenia became home to the longest aerial tramway in the world. The three-and-a-half mile track consists of just two stations - without any other supporting tower structures.

The new tramway takes passengers from the village of Halidzor to the Tatev Monastery. In the past, visitors had to make a 40 minute drive up the side of the mountain, but now they'll be able to make the same trip in just 11 minutes.

The aerial tramway was built by Swiss-Austrian firm Garaventa-Doppelmayr, who are the engineers behind other famous tramways like the Jackson Hole Big Red and the new Peak2Peak ropeway in Whistler.

Construction of the new Wings of Tatev ropeway cost $18 million, and was fully funded by benefactors.

To learn more about the Tatev Monastery and its importance to the nation, head on over to Armenia Now.

[Photo credit: AP/Hayk Badalyan]

It's not hard to spot the various levels of platinum in Beverly Hills. Whether you're looking at someone's newly colored frocks or admiring the rock placement on a ring finger, platinum knows no boundaries in Beverly Hills. Now, one hotel has taken platinum to a new level.

Relaxation and revitalization will always be the mainstays of the spa industry, but the five-star properties of Dorchester Collection, including The Beverly Hills Hotel, are inviting guests to experience a new kind of pampering.

The new Platinum Rare Facial at The Beverly Hills Hotel is a head-to-toe treatment from The Beverly Hills Hotel Spa by La Prairie. Two therapists using the high performance Platinum Collection, including Cellular Cream Platinum Rare and Cellular Serum Platinum Rare, turn your tired skin into a thing of rare beauty.

The price? $400 for 90 minutes
The result? Red-carpet radiance

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

So far my journey through Yorkshire has been one of small towns and moorlands, yet the most popular destination in Yorkshire is the city that gives the shire its name--York. No trip to the north of England would be complete without checking out this historic city.

A brief look at York's long history
Like many English cities, York's origins are lost in prehistory. It's first recorded in the late first century AD as the Roman city of Eboracum. It became an important trading center and it was here that the legions proclaimed Constantine emperor before he went on to convert the empire to Christianity. Some of the original city walls can still be seen.

After the Roman legions left around 410 AD, York remained a political and religious center under the Angles until the Vikings took it over in 866. Contrary to popular opinion, the Vikings weren't all seafaring raiders. In England they came to settle, once they got their fill of looting and burning that is. Known as Jórvik, it became one of the biggest cities in the Viking world. In the Middle Ages its economic and religious influence continued to grow and it remains one of the biggest cities in the north of England today. The Yorkshire Museum gives a good rundown of the city's history.

Five things to do in York
1. Visit the Minster. York's cathedral is a masterpiece of medieval architecture. The minster is one of the most grandiose cathedrals built in the Middle Ages. Much of it dates to the 13th century but there are some older and newer bits as well. Soaring Gothic architecture, weird gargoyles, and beautiful stained glass windows make this a place you can stare at for hours.

2. Wander the streets. York's medieval center still retains some of its historic charm. Many of the buildings are hundreds of years old, and the winding little streets give you a feel for past times, minus the Black Death and open sewers. Keep a sharp eye out for carved wooden figures that used to act as neighborhood signs in the days when most people were illiterate.

3. Vikings! The Jorvik Viking Centre is one of the most popular attractions in northern England. Set atop an archaeological excavation of the Viking city, you can see foundations of Viking buildings under a glass floor before hopping on a ride that takes you through a village of animatronic Vikings. No, I'm not kidding, and it's as silly as it sounds. Anyone over ten will probably feel a little embarrassed by the whole show and leave knowing only slightly more about the Vikings than when they arrived. Your kids will love it, though, especially when they spot the constipated Viking groaning in the outhouse.

Gallery: York

Okay, you know how much I like the Acela, so I'm not at all surprised to see that Amtrak has shown solid growth through the 2010 fiscal year, which ended on September 30. More than 28.7 million customers rode the rails, a year-over-year gain of 5.7 percent. Ticket revenue surged 9 percent to $1.7 billion, and Acela ridership, indicating growth in Amtrak's upscale offer.

Nonetheless, Amtrak did rely on our tax cash. We chipped in $1.49 billion to cover the railroad's $3.5 billion in expenses, not to mention another $1.3 billion from the federal stimulus program. The stimulus payout went to finance work on tracks, cars and train stations.

[photo by cliff1066 via Flickr]

Got any upcoming rental car needs? Make life a little easier with a free membership in the Hertz #1 Gold club. The perks are relatively limited, and really only help speed up the car pickup process.

Once enrolled, you'll be able to walk up to any vehicle and drive off. In addition to this, you'll also start earning reward points for your rentals.

Membership is normally $60/year, but you can get it for free. Simply sign up through this link, enter Marriott Rewards as the program name and 9259 as the promotion code. Once enrolled, you'll have a permanent discount code on your account.

And yes - to enroll, you'll need to give Hertz quite a bit of personal information - but in return, they'll let you drive off their lot with an expensive car without having to stop at the desk.

For an overview of all the perks, and other membership levels in the #1 Gold Club, click this link.

[Via Fatwallet.com]

Competition for direct flights to Russia is growing this month with the addition of non-stop service from New York JFK and Miami International Airport on Transaero Airlines.

"Transaero," you ask? "Isn't that the second largest Russian carrier serving over a hundred destinations worldwide and sporting a wide assortment of fancy Boeing widebodies?" Why yes, dear reader, it is. Авиакомпания Трансаэро has been growing sinusoidally over the last ten years, launching and folding routes from Los Angeles to Sydney to Hong Kong.

Their newest expansion plan includes launching direct service to the east coast of these United States in additional to Beijing in the far east.

Will it be better than Aeroflot? Well, Aeroflot does have the strong advantages of Skyteam partnership and backing from the Russian state -- but perhaps the competition in the market will drive prices down. Now, if only we could do something about the visa fees....

[flickr image via maiak.info]

In 2013, Europe could become even easier to navigate, with a new high-speed train connecting Germany with other major cities in Western Europe. The new Deutsche Bahn train would travel at 200 miles per hour from London through the Euro Tunnel, arriving in Amsterdam in four hours (currently only reachable with a connection) and Frankfurt in five hours (down from seven hours on DB). Additional services are planned for Brussels, Cologne and Rotterdam and officials are hopeful this could pave the way for additional high-speed routes.

The above video from BBC goes inside a prototype train currently at London's St. Pancras Station for safety checks and a test run. Reporter Richard Scott shows off the train's reclining seats, real-time travel information, and even multi-country emergency stops. Let's hope they work out any air conditioning problems for the new trains.