Briefs: DayJet Shuts Down

BOCA RATON – DayJet Services LLC, the world’s first operator of “Per-Seat, On-Demand” jet service, today announced that it has ceased service. The company today eliminated most employee positions. With the discontinuation of jet services and cancellation of flights, DayJet is unable to honor any customer reservations. “We deeply regret the disruption and hardship to customers, suppliers and employees caused by this unexpected shutdown of commercial operations,” said DayJet founder Ed Iacobucci.

Iacobucci has stepped down as continues to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors. John Staten has been named interim CEO. Staten has served as DayJet CFO and Senior Vice President of Operations for the past six years. Additional information is at www.dayjet.com.

Briefs: JetBlue to Begin Caribbean Service From Fort Lauderdale

NEW YORK JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq:JBLU) Sept. 17 announced plans to “grow its focus city” at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport this winter with “double daily” service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. One daily flight begins Dec. 18, 2008 while a second daily flight will be added Jan. 6, 2009.JetBlue is offering fares beginning at just $109 each way between Fort Lauderdale and San Juan – a price that includes unlimited free snacks and drinks and seatback TVs.

“As we expand our reach from Fort Lauderdale into the Caribbean, we thank our customers for making us their carrier of choice in South Florida,” said Scott Laurence, JetBlue’s director of route planning.

“Puerto Rico celebrates JetBlue’s decision to introduce daily service from Fort Lauderdale, one of our most important markets for business and leisure travel,” said Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s Executive Director, Terestella Gonzalez-Denton.

With the addition of this new service to San Juan, JetBlue will offer as many as 46 flights per day from its focus city at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport. In addition, the company recently announced flights from Tampa to Cancun. For information or reservations call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com. (Source: GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network)

While Visiting Florida, Get Some Religion

When you visiting Florida, finding a great church is easy; Florida has some of the country’s most dynamic congregations. Your hotel concierge can tell you about services and denominations that can turn a fun vacation into a week of personal transformation. Here are just a sampling of some of the religious offerings in Florida:

• MIAMI Father Albert Cutié, known to viewers of EWTN, leads mass at St Francis De Sales in South Beach. Along with his TV show, he has written a book on relationships. The church is on Lenox Avenue (621 Alton Road) in Miami Beach. Their slogan is “When You come to the beach, don’t forget who made it.” Info at www.saintfrancisonthebeach.com
• WINTER PARK Pat Morley has led thousands of men around the world to Jesus Christ through his Man In the Mirror ministry. It all started with a Friday morning bible study that grew, and grew. He still leads the men’s bible study each morning at the Winter Park Civic Center at 6:50 a.m. If you are in the Orlando area, come by and meet him. www.maninthemirror.com.
• FORT LAUDERDALE Dr. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, seen on his television ministry, is known across the world for his practical teachings and scriptural integrity. Visit them on Sunday. While Kennedy died in 2007, his church, founded in 1959, has not. www.crpc.org
• LAKELAND The Lakeland Outpouring, an old fashioned revival through the Ignited Chuch, will continue through 2008. The nightly revivals include healing, singing and preaching. More information is at www.ignitedchurch.com
• DAYTONA BEACH The Drive In Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been in operation since1953. In cooperation with the owners and management of the Neptune Drive-In Theater, the members of The First Christian Church of Daytona Beach organized and sponsored a Drive-In service. It continues today. www.driveinchurch.net
  
• PENSACOLA In downtown, the Episcopal Christ Church has over 150 years of history. Its original building is the oldest standing church building in Florida, dating from 1832. The new church, in the Spanish Renaissance Style, dates from 1903. www.christ-church.net

Pan Am Tour of South Florida

The roots of Pan American World Airways, National Airlines and Eastern Airlines are in South Florida. If you are interested in that history, take a tour of the historic locations related to Pan Am in this Google Maps tour.
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AmEx Charges St. Augustine “Unexpected”

ST. AUGUSTINE St. Augustine has been named by American Express as one of the ten “surprising, exciting, and cutting-edge places” in the world where Americans can enjoy one of their favorite travel pastimes.

A survey of American Express cardholders revealed that 87 percent selected vacation destinations based on their personal interests.  The top ten interests named were culinary, family events, music, fitness and exercise, education/learning, history, the arts, wine/champagnes, fashion/shopping and sporting events.  American Express then selected ten “unexpected’ destinations worldwide where these interests could be enjoyed.  Their history recommendation was St. Augustine, Florida.

American Express said:  ”Not many history buffs would consider St. Augustine, Florida their ultimate destination.  However, this city celebrated its 400th birthday back in 1965.  Founded by the Spanish in 1565, it is where the nation’s first schools, hospitals and banks were built.  St. Augustine lays claim to the first European birth in the New World and is the oldest town plan in the United States.  It was here where the first Thanksgiving actually took place, not at Plymouth Rock.”

St. Augustine was one of only two American destinations to make the list.  The other was Virginia’s wine country.  The other recommendations made by American Express were:  Culinary -Vietnam; Family Events – Lake Garda, Italy; Music – Iceland; Fitness and Exercise – Madagascar; Education/Learning – Kerala, India; The Arts – Beirut, Lebanon; Fashion/Shopping – Durban, South Africa; and Sporting Events – camel racing in the United Arab Emirates.

The American Express selection is the latest in a series of travel-related accolades recently bestowed on St. Augustine – a city of only 12,000 residents located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida.  In August, ABC’s “Good Morning America” in conjunction with Travel + Leisure magazine, named St. Augustine as their number one pick for a place where Americans could feel like they were in Europe – without the cost of actually going to Europe.  In June, USA Today selected St. Augustine as one of their ten recommended American destinations where visitors don’t need a car to enjoy their visit.

For more information on vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, call the Visitors and Convention Bureau at 1.800.653.2489 or visit www.Getaway4Florida.com.

Disney Seeks Parents for Mom Panel

LAKE BUENA VISTA (September 2008) – Disney Parks announced its search for a group of park-savvy parents to be named the 2009 Walt Disney World Moms Panel, following in the footsteps of the first-ever online Walt Disney World Moms Panel which has been fielding and answering thousands of vacation questions in 2008.

The quest is for 16 parents who pride themselves on being Walt Disney World “know-it-alls” and have an undying passion to share their Disney knowledge with others at www.disneyworldmoms.com.  From Sept. 8 through Sept. 19, interested applicants can visit www.disneyworldmoms.com/2009 to apply for the panel. The application process begins with a series of questions and three brief essays – about their family, why they are a great Walt Disney World vacation planner and their favorite Disney vacationing tip.

“The first-ever Disney Moms Panel has responded to more than 9,000 questions from vacation planners this year. They have offered our guests countless tips to plan a magical vacation at our resort,” said Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “We thank the 2008 panel for their contributions and look forward to working with a new group of parents.”

Since the launch of www.disneyworldmoms.com in January 2008, the current 12-person panel has responded to questions covering just about anything from how to sign up for a character dining experience to what items are allowed in the parks. In exchange for serving up their Disney expertise online in 2009, the expanded, 16-person panel will each receive a 5-night, 6-day vacation at Walt Disney World Resort for four people.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of being on the Walt Disney World Moms Panel has been the opportunity to use my travel experiences in ways that help other families plan the most magical vacations ever,” said Darcie Maranich, a panelist and mother of four from Vail, Ariz. “I encourage anyone who has valuable pointers for vacation planning to apply – for me, it is a dream come true being a part of the Moms Panel, and I look forward to the information the next round of panelists will share.”

About the Walt Disney World Moms Panel

Launched in January 2008, the Walt Disney World Moms Panel is an online forum where guests can get insider tips and insights for vacationing at Walt Disney World Resort from real moms who have mastered the art of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. The 2008 Walt Disney World Moms Panel consists of 12 real parents selected to share their vast knowledge of the resort and personal secrets of success with other families who are considering a trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Guests can pose questions and have them answered by the panelists, as well as gain access to other valuable park insights and vacation planning tools – including a new online “How-To” video series featuring homemade videos from the panelists sharing their favorite Disney vacation tips. For more information, visit www.disneyworldmoms.com.

Briefs: New Marianna Truckstop, Golf Package in Ponte Vedra

MARIANNA — TravelCenters of America LLC announced today the reopening of its Marianna, Florida location after a major renovation project. Marianna, Florida is situated on I-10 and State Route 71 at Exit 142. A major emphasis of the renovation was extensive remodeling of the Country Pride restaurant and the addition of a quick-serve food court. The Country Pride reopened with new booths, seating, buffet, wall treatments and more. TA operates 129 full-service restaurants across the U.S. and Canada including 86 Country Pride locations. The new food court features two highly-popular quick-serve concepts; Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, serving New Orleans Cajun style chicken and a Taco Bell/Pizza Hit Express combination. TravelCenters of America, headquartered in Westlake, Ohio is a leading national chain of travel centers in 41 states and Canada under the TravelCenters of America and Petro brands. For more information visit www.tatravelcenters.com

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Brief: Surinam Airways Returns to Miami Airport

MIAMI-DADE – On Monday, August 25, officials from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, Surinam Airways and the Surinamese government celebrated the return of passenger service by the airline to Miami International Airport after a 16-year hiatus. Flight #463 was welcomed to MIA with a water cannon salute by the Miami-Dade Fire Department and greetings by MDAD officials.

Surinam Airways will provide twice-weekly service every Monday and Friday between Paramaribo, Suriname, and MIA, with a connecting stop in Aruba. The Miami route will be the airline’s only flight to the United States. See www.slm.nl

Brief: New Airline to Sanford Orlando

SANFORD — Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) and Direct Air announced nonstop service beginning Saturday, November 22, 2008 to Worcester Regional Airport (ORH) in Worcester, Massachusetts. Located just off of Interstate 290 in central Massachusetts, the airport is positioned less than an hour from Boston, MA; Springfield, MA and Providence, RI. Service will operate three days per week on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday using a 149-seat Airbus A320 aircraft leased from Virgin America. The aircraft, with 8 First-Class and 141 Coach-Class all-leather seats offers plasma television, touch service screens, satellite radio and telephone, and computer connectivity aboard each flight. The flights will be staffed by Virgin America flight crews. For more information about SFB, visit the airport’s website at www.OrlandoSanfordAirport.com.

Elvira Garner’s Ezekiel of Sanford, Florida

One great, forgotten Florida author is Elvira Garner. Garner, a native of Sanford, Florida, wrote two famous children’s books of the 1930s, Ezekiel Travels and Sarah Faith Anderson, Her Book.

Ezekiel was about an African-American boy in Sanford, Florida, who lived with Mammy, Pappy and his sister Emancipation. Sarah Faith Anderson was the daughter of a missionary to the Seminoles in St. Augustine.

Today, the Ezekiel book is out of print, most probably because its characterizations were extremely dated and terribly politically incorrect. The editions are prized collectables, not only because they are about African Americans, but because they were children’s books, and few survive. If you can find one, they are an excellent read.

If you can find one before a trip to Florida, you can get a sense of the state in the 1930s. And certainly, it will make a trip on Auto-Train much more memorable, as the Florida station is in Sanford, a small city north of Orlando.

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