Dots, Lines & Destinations: Recent Episodes
Dots, Lines & Destinations
A special episode this week, recorded live at the Points Travel Festival in Portland. We've got the usual news bits, of course, but also an interactive portion with the audience.
Deals signed, routes slashed, and splitting services in a couple different and interesting ways have us talking this week.
Is there a secret to making Newark Airport an esay travel experience? If anyone knows it is United's station manager, John Gooda, our guest on this week's show.
Ups and downs for Boeing this week, plus some FAA issues, a buyout, and an unexpected partnership.
Talk amongst yourselves; I'll give you a topic: These three so-called "points hoarders" goofballs are bad at hoarding and rarely have a point. Discuss!
Singapore? Bangkok? Lisbon? Portland? All are options to hang with the DLD crew this year, with the Portland event just a few weeks away.
The industry gathered in Rio to discuss its future, and things are awfully murky right now. Plus an update on the UA 764 incident at EWR, lounges, dynamic award pricing, and more.
One of the last free meals is gone for US travelers. Plus inflight internet shifts, new walkways, and some really, really stupid comments (but other people this time, in addition to ours!).
The dust is settling on some legal scuffles and uncertain route futures, with more than one foil hat consideration in play.
Big news out of Canada, wine country, and routes changing to backfill the Spirit collapse, among other things.
Just the usual amount of chatter from us, mostly about way more chatter in the market than is typical. And, perhaps, some of which should settle down.
Doors or not? Herringbone or staggered? These and other design decisions can have a lasting impact for passengers and airlines, two of which announced new cabins last week.
Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026 is a wrap, and we've got a report from Hamburg recapping all the fun bits about new seats and screens and more.
Chatting up changes for a pair of premium cabins, plus points subscriptions, capacity shifts, and more fallout from the Iran war.
More comfort, more planes, more rumors, and more fees take us through this week's news.
Some major announcements from United Airlines have us intrigued this week, plus security and capacity shifts and Austin back in the spotlight.
When will the aviation world really heal from the mess in the Middle East? Plus a CEO is out in India, as are two more airports for Southwest, while bus options expand in Canada.
How do you replace 100,000+ seats daily that just disappeared from the global aviation network? Things are definitely a mess.
How much is too much change? How much is too much risk? How much is too many flights? We'll likely never know, but many seem to be trying to find out right now.
Are the policy changes real? Can anyone or anything be trusted anymore? And a 20+ year throwback reference at the end, just for fun.
Can inflight dining ever really be premium? Or just better in some cabins than others? Plus legal drama over new routes, certification progress, and more.
A longer than normal episode this week, thanks to special guest Ed and lots of wayward story lines.
Why is the 10 so hot right now? Plus cabin retrofits, premium economy, and some confusing CC action.
We're in Malaga this week, along with some listeners, enjoying great food, delicious drinks, and some aviation excursions along the way.
More passengers on some planes, fewer passengers in some airports. And some interesting route cuts, both confirmed and rumored.
'Tis the season for all sorts of things, including some interesting operational messes.
There are lots of ways to flex power in this industry. Two moderately incoherent ones cropped up this week.
Technology and travel are intimately intertwined these days. And that's not always good news. But we're making the best of it where we can.
A320s grounded globally and another airline goes bust. Plus tales from Korea with two special guests.
The Dubai Air Show proved its worth last week, with plenty of deals (though also a few expected ones unrealized). New interiors and route changes for next summer, too.
Sometimes the best questions come from unexpected quarters. Plus, lifetime status of a different sort, some ultra premium silliness, and A380s flying even longer.
The US ATC situation is bad and getting worse. Plus another Starlink deal, Bahrain as a hub, and credit cards could cost you more.
Does Mexico City really need more than one airport? Plus, unexpected lounge operators, Connect again, and some lawsuit hijinks.
The adventure of getting there is part of the fun, right? Plus lots of new routes and a new terminal on the horizon.
We're taking a look at historical aircraft production numbers and rehashing old stories, while also talking new orders, new Wi-Fi, and new types of inflight incidents.
Fozz and Stephan are off to Asia, talking shop along the way. Single-aisle long-haul, amenity kits, and much more in the conversation.
A major milestone crossed, so what's next? Plus one airline calls it quits and another is making major moves in that direction, while others are expanding and refreshing.
Big orders, big plans, and potentially big troubles across the industry, depending on who you are and how your fleet is structured.
As an airline trims meals for being too popular with passengers we're pondering the cyclical nature of inflight products, and if there's ever a reason to believe things will stabilize.
Unwinding joint operations is not easy, but it must happen thanks to a DOT ruling. Plus fumes in the cabin, a hilariously low fine and some questionable funding in play.
Routes and partnerships slashed in some areas, while others focus on innovation. Plus Spanish airports fight back against Ryanair and lots more.
Spirit Airlines is back in bankruptcy court, once again planning a restructuring in hopes of finding profitability. Plus more orders, 787 progress, and some aviation idiocy in Florida.
It is new. It is shiny. Of course Atmos dominated this week's show. Fortunately, we also got some other bits in.
Strikes and travel tales and routes, oh my! With special guest Michael Trager from TravelZork.
Stephan and Fozz are headed around the world this week, with plenty of hijinks along the way.
Where's the premium demand? And will it stick around forever? Plus booking shenanigans and a hunting delay.
Lots of news this week about American Airlines, plus MAX 10, a couple crash updates, and more.
Can multi-modal transportation ever really take off in the USA? Plus mini-lounges, lots of plane orders, and more Macon.
The initial accident report from AI 171 is out, and the story it tells is both spooky and incomplete. Plus new planes in Malaysia, new cabins for Virgin, and new ways to visit China, and much more.
A pilot ends up in jail, another wannabe who probably should. Plus a couple big orders and delivery milestones.
Partnerships come and go, as do new routes and competition. Plus, what makes an airport better than others?
Recounting product developments and aircraft orders from the 2025 Paris Air Show. Plus a segment with special guest John Walton of The UpFront.
Another rough week in aviation, so we aimed for more respectful snark in this week's episode.
Picking up a soon-to-be-disappearing line almost translates into a disappearing bag. Plus new routes, more planes, and a fewer flights at Newark.
Usually we're talking about lawsuits, not actively involved in them. Plus, seating shifts and ATC and maybe another airline financial collapse.
There's lots to unpack this week, including a new premium seat, a new paint job, and new route plans galore.
All eyes are on Newark these days, much like gawking at a crash when driving by. But fear not; there are plenty of messes to behold around the aviation world.
Flying the Air Inuit 737-200 Combi to Puvirnituq's gravel runway is an AvGeek bucket list item. Alas, the 47-year old plane had other ideas. But we still had an interesting/good time.
Why is walking through an airport so annoying? And which new airports will some airline passengers soon be walking through?
New seats and new systems unveiled at AIX, and some new leaders needed as two CEOs are out on the same day.
A funky trip to Hamburg, a new mini-hublet, and wondering about inbound international travel (again) among our ramblings this week.
Just how dire is the coming summer for US-bound travel? We're looking at various data sources to try to figure it out.
Got power? That's usually not an issue for airlines and airports, but this week is different.
Marrakech remains a mess for connections. And there are plenty of other messes around the world. But we find some good news, too.
Which cards to cancel and where to fly? We've got Ed from Miles To Go on the show this week to help answer those questions and lots more.
New seats, nicer hotels, and crazy photos from a diversion are three of the five bullet points we talk about in this week's show.
Another rough week for aviation in many ways. And plenty of concerns about what lays ahead.
Which new markets make sense? Both long-haul and short-haul are seeing some interesting changes.
We're back in the USA and ready for some news and rants this week. Some of them are even reasonable.
A quick hop to the beach runway at Barra was part of this week's adventure, plus Frontier, rockets, and more.
What key messages were in the keynote? What happens when massive hubs freeze? And much more…
A new year brings new topics to the fore, including new routes, new IFE, new status rules, and more.
Fortunately not too much drone chatter this week; we've got more important stuff to talk about.
Two very interesting and very different sets of route announcements caught our attention this week. Plus premium seats and lots more.
Is it finally time for some passenger rights in the USA? And why does air travel feel more unbundled than ever, in every class of travel?
It was Thanksgiving week in the US, so we shifted our gaze to Europe and the Middle East, with plenty of news being made.
Sure, the U/LCCs are struggling right now, but they're still planning for growth in 2025.
Wayward bullets are bad. Ditto for rodents on planes and a handful of now infamous travelers.
As Elite Status rules continue to shift, is there really any greener grass out there? With United’s latest changes announced we brought in Ed to get a fresh take.
Doing our best to prove that there's no such thing as a quiet airport lounge anymore, and part of the problem, too.
Lots of chatter this week about premium products, and which airlines are having success with them or not.
Dartboard or strategic planning? Either way, lots of new routes to discuss in this week’s news.
Also in this episode:
- Delta to CTA next summer, plus SLC-ICN, AUS Growth
- Starlink for Air France (and United, too)
- Cathay to DFW
- Another NYC helicopter play
- Seth’s Frontier rant-ish
- UA has reintroduced change fees
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Adams and TK
- YVR vs YYZ border connections
- Southwest News
- UA Total System Outage
- United route announcement on the 10th
- Cap1 Lounge Review
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
One strike averted, another underway. And plenty of challenges remain for the aviation industry overall.
Also in this episode:
- United picks Starlink for Wi-Fi refresh
- Real ID is really real (almost)
- Allegiant gets its first MAX
- Boeing strike
- AC Pilots have a TA
- Confirmed SEA cyberattack
- Aegean taking a stake in Volotea
- Sun Country Loses Its Only Essential Air Service Contract
- Riyadh Air certification flights begin
- Six Directors (plus the Chairman) to step down at Southwest
- San Antonio terminal shuffle
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Who is the target of Spirit Airlines’ reboot
- Rex accused of stealing planes from aircraft boneyard
- Virgin Australia converts a dozen MAXen to 8s
- WN/AS incident at BNA
- Turkish to Sydney
- NBA’s new charter fleet
- American finally kills off the Austin focus city
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
A strike avoided, an engine fire, and new routes as we hit another arbitrary milestone.
Also in this episode:
- Cathay Pacific finds flaws in A350 engine components
- Virgin Atlantic to Riyadh, Accra in Summer 2025
- LATAM new 787 Biz seats
- American’s Summer 2025 plans
- DOT auditing loyalty programs
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Vance’s charter hits trouble again
- MH back to Paris
- Boeing/IAM751 Tentative Agreement
- Small Community Air Services Development Program 2024 applications are in
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Another week, with plenty of random thoughts from the guys…
Also in this episode:
- Malaysia cuts follow-up
- HA/AS comments from UA and HI AG
- Russia, Japan facing staffing shortages for somewhat similar reasons
- Frontier keeps growing at JFK
- Mint to Montana
- C919s now at all three major Chinese airlines
- Beginning of the end for Vistara
- AI A350 now running real longhauls
- KLM gets its first A321neo
- Boom second flight and AMA
- Lufty going for a stake in TAP
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Delta’s TATL cuts
- Norse mixed messages
- Southwest’s aggressive RR promotion
- Bilt’s latest changes
- UA hints at XLRs to Ireland
- SAS now in SkyTeam, with *A Status Matches
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
The 777X is back on the ground, while an IFC vendor goes under and a couple airlines have operational issued. But it isn’t all bad news…
Also in this episode:
- 777X test program grounded
- Malaysia Airlines significant cancellations through December
- Mokulele fleet troubles in Hawaii
- DOJ approval of HA/AS merger
- AeroShark for EVA 777F fleet
- Air Canada pilots vote for strike authorization
- Virgin Australia & Air New Zealand codesharing
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- SmartSky drops out, with some impressively bad sales numbers reported
- Azul adds long-haul connectivity
- Hawaiian’s Starlink A330 flying
- Phu Quoc’s new routes
- Stupid Abu Dhabi tourism stats
- Alaska Airlines adds Expedia as hotel booking partner
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Airplanes and hail don’t mix. A storm rendering 10% of an airline’s fleet unflyable is all sorts of bad.
Also in this episode:
- New stuff coming over the next few years
- Rolling delays for the HA/AS merger
- Elliott proposes 10 new directors for Southwest
- Delta’s “CrowdStrike” recovery remains a burden for travelers
- Greenland and Fozz
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Czech Airlines wrapping up operations
- Edelweiss adding ZRH-SEA/YHZ from June 2025, and also has an A350 now
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Gotta love that new terminal smell, right? PDX finally opened its new space, and we’ve got Ned Russell on to talk about it.
Also in this episode:
- Crash in Brazil
- Canada Jetlines demise
- Cathay orders 30 A339s
- Qaviar for Qsuites
- FlightAware Data Breach
- Ned and Stephan talk about the new PDX
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- BA dropping Beijing for Winter 2024
- Frontier defers ~50 planes to end of the decade
- New Haven battle
- Australia joining Global Entry
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Fiorello would be happy, perhaps, to see Newark no longer managed by New York ATC. But will it help?
Also in this episode:
- Spirit goes normie, but it is gonna take a while to see results
- Rex bankruptcy; Is Oz a failed aero market?
- JetBlue sheds Europe growth
- Air NZ bails on 2030 climate goals
- Allegiant pushing more Extra
- TUI Belgium grounds E2s on GTF issues, shuttering Antwerp ops
- Porter to PSP/SAN from YYZ
- CUR-FLL from Azul
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Korean dropping ramen as mid-flight snack
- DOJ suing Norfolk Southern on behalf of Amtrak
- BAiling on Air Europa deal
- New PDX close to opening
- 100ml rule mess in Europe
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Perhaps major airshows are losing their impact on the industry a bit. But Farnborough still brought plenty of key news to the fore.
Also in this episode:
- Flydubai sees things differently on Boeing’s solid first day
- TK non-order (engines)
- Flynas – MoU 75x A320neo, 15x A339 (2-class, 400pax)
- Indian & Swiss flying boats
- Hydrogen fuel cells, including KLM prop w ZeroAvia, but Airbus scales back APU test plans
- Boom’s “progress” towards real planes
- New Qsuite from Qatar Airways and new Crystal Suite from Turkish Airlines
In the not from Farnborough files:
- BA moving to GE engines on new 78X deliveries
- Avelo goes international
- Southwest assigned seats & redeyes
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- ANA domestic deval
- Bilt deval
- JetBlue in New England
- AA Earnings
- Boeing titanium inquiry now up to 10 years
And plenty more. Enjoy the show.
What a mess for airlines and more as millions of Windows-based computers were knocked offline last Thursday night. The recovery was still ongoing as the week rolled on.
Also in this episode:
- XLR Certified by EASA
- Farnborough
- Pretty good Boom article from Flight Global
- Some eVTOL plans
- Boeing still hoping to get back to 38 MAX/month by EOY
- China-UK
- Virgin Atlantic bails on Shanghai
- BA down to just one 787 for HKG
- Mainland carriers backfilling massively
- Alaska Airlines retrofitting interiors
- CLD getting American flights (On the E75, not a CR7/9 like Seth said in the show)
- TA for AA FAs
- Quick DCA slots update
- First DL/SkyWest CRJ-550 is out of paint
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Greenland flightseeing
- Vance’s charter got the TFR wrong
- Euro football canceled trains
- WN @ TPA
- Fiji Air to DFW
It could’ve been a lot worse, for sure. But now we have some initial details about the Southwest flight that took off from a closed runway two weeks ago.
Also in this episode:
- DCA slot nuance
- Delta/Riyadh Air plans
- AA/ZeroAvia
- Southwest’s MOU with Archer Aviation
- Alaska’s winter adventures
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Breezy-Pease-y
- UK261 covers sick crew, too
- DL earnings comments, including potential “Basic business” play
- Certifications
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
A trio of Boeing stories top the show this week. And somehow pleading guilty to a crime might end up being good for the company?
Also in this episode:
- Boeing pleads guilty
- Boeing 737 oxygen mask issues
- Boeing buys back 737 MAX that suffered explosive mid-cabin blowout
- JetBlue disabling some Mint doors
- Norse Atlantic’s rough Q2
- KLM at PDX
- New Southwest board member
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- ZipAir cutting back
- Atlantic Airways shortens the season
- DCA Slots
- Greenland and Seth
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Airlines love ancillary fees. But is there a point at which shifting charges out of the base fare will finally be too much?
Also in this episode:
- Lufthansa’s New Environmental Surcharge
- Men are “Rawdogging” flights
- Southwest’s takeoff from PWM’s closed runway
- AA catering at PHL/CLT
- Google Credit Card Links Killing Bloggers?
- May on-time performance, top airlines all dropped 5%
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- How Delta made itself America’s luxury airline — and what United wants to do about it
- Delta One Lounge at JFK
- PQI Drama
- Breeze ramping up at ISP
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
The US DOT seems keen to rewrite the rules – or at least how they’re enforced – in a way that’s liable to significantly impact the US market.
Also in this episode:
- Public Charters (i.e. JSX) are about to get screwed
- Volaris and Iberia agreement to expand connectivity between Spain and Mexico
- AA FAs close negotiations without a deal, while AS FAs have a framework for a new TA.
- Aer Lingus strike likely
- WestJet Mechanics returned to bargain, avoiding more flight cxls
- JetBlue brings carry-ons back to Basic Economy
- Global Airlines punts to 2025
- X-66A delays at Boeing
- Boom building built
- Sun Country picks up more Amazon freighters
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Archer “plans” eVTOL network for Bay Area
- WN/OKC
- A220 GTF complaints from airBaltic
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
We finally managed to work a pop culture reference into the show…only took a decade.
Also in this episode:
- JetBlue at ISP
- Frontier’s “competition” play
- Virgin Atlantic, eh!
- Starlux maybe into OW?
- Southwest’s activist investor
- Delta adding PremY on transcon 767s
- Bonza officially gone
- Online passport renewal returns
- Dublin getting a spotter park
- Dutch roll, and 787 fasteners, and WN roller coaster in Hawaii, And titanium issues for Airbus & Boeing, and a 3 month slowdown for 737 prod finally reported to suppliers
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- New b(r)ag tags for Qantas
- EK/B6 codeshare consent order
- United’s “Get me close” plan
- Alaska Airlines loses on Virgin licensing suit
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Mostly by us, but also perhaps from an airline or two…
Also in this episode:
- FAA extending NYC slots waiver through Summer 2025
- American’s FAs open strike command center
- Sir Tim wants 1500-seat planes for Emirates
- Air India/Vistara formally approved
- Fiji Airlines to become a full oneworld member
- AA/DFW is the world’s largest airline hub by departure count, and 2nd largest by destination count
- A travel update from Seth‘s exploration of Europe
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Starlux offering sim time as FF redemption
- Mexicana buys planes, plans routes
- Cathay makes a Belt and Road play
- British Airways goes multi modal
- Seth’s foray into politics
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Something a bit different this week as Stephan and Fozz take a closer look at some airline apps.
For our Patreon subscribers we have some additional discussion on American Airlines and Vasu Raja’s departure from the company.
Enjoy the show!
We’re back in Hamburg for another go at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024, taking a look at what the future will be for commercial aviation.
As always, Jason joins Seth for this episode talking about the myriad new bits that will maybe eventually one day be flying, including:
- The Maya concept seat from Panasonic Avionics and Collins Aerospace
- Accessibility ideas from Collins, Delta Flight Products, and others
- Efforts to squeeze seats a bit, and how manufacturers are responding
- A new approach to the IFE world, including caching of streaming services on board to make sure they work better
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Origami in the cabin
- Nifty ways to make business cabin seat storage more efficient
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Also, check out the rest of Seth’s coverage from the show here.
Maybe taking five flights rather than just two, and adding an extra overnight en route, was a mistake.
Also in this episode:
- An absurd airplane bathroom story
- Follow-up to Fozz’s ORD taxi times
- JetBlue/BA codesharing
- SQ Turbulence
- Spirit putting a pilot base at EWR
- Breeze/PVD growth
- DCA perimeter slots update
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Lounges as the new hot thing for airline ancillary revenue
- Seth’s journey to Europe
- Saudia/flyadeal Airbus order
- CRJ550 @ DL Followup
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Why do executives have so much trouble making tough decisions? Or are they just blind to the challenges?
Also in this episode:
- Qantas shifting capacity from Shanghai to Philippines [while Philippines Airlines is forced to lease Wamos Air A330s]
- New Frontier model
- Automated Singapore immigration is now open to all
- Austrian’s 787s are not quite ready
- DCA slots from the FAA bill
- Swiss completes AeroSHARK rollout (More on AeroSHARK)
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Breeze Adventures
- Boeing’s annual meeting
- United can (maybe?) resume growth, but trimming Australia ops next Winter
- Lisbon might get a new airport in 2034
- A few bits from AvFest Americas
- Fozz loves O’Hare
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Is change good? Is it bad? Should you get a refund? Or fly the new routes? Come join us for these conversations and more…
Also in this episode:
- DOT Rules and Schedule Changes
- Updated Lufthansa Group/ITA proposal for merger remedies
- JetBlue’s new SJU routes and Mint moves (plus some cuts, too)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport’s new terminal: When it will be built and how big it will be
- Delta adds the CRJ550 to its fleet (some Scope Clause details)
- DOJ has until August 5th to decide on AS/HA merger
- Expectations on domestic carriers and the gap between LCCs and full service
- Dorkfest and Braniff Show
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- MHT-GSP on Avelo
- New Zoom airlines (previously dubbed Air Flo)
- AI for airlines: Alaska Airlines Tests AI for Loyalty and Flight Search, United integrating into SHARES
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Who will be the first to fly the A321XLR? And when will the 777X ever fly? At least now we have some A350 confirmed flight times and an A380 on the move…
Also in this episode:
- Aer Lingus confirms it won’t be launch customer for new Airbus XLR jet
- Lufty now sees 2026 for 777X
- TPA-AMS coming back on DL in October (A333)
- Bonza is dead in Australia amid fraud claims against 777 Partners
- Global’s A380 made it to Europe
- Qantas settles with regulators over selling already canceled flights
- Emirates announces A350 routes
- Spirit sees a need to pivot the on-board product
- Frontier adds Frontera as a brand name, but probably not tortas on board
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Boite Noire
- United’s App Update
- Boeing locked out its firefighters, while WestJet reached a TA with maintenance techs
- Southwest is bringing back last-minute fare sales, or maybe not
- Southwest should buy Breeze to solve its missing MAX 7 problem
- BermudAir’s funky bond
- €50mn Push for more Chunnel traffic
- “Bubble” concept for views from a plane
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Regulators are forcing airlines to do good things for passengers, which is refreshing. Plus maybe a new Dubai airport a decade from now, and lots more.
Also in this episode:
- New DOT rules on refunds for changed/canceled flights
- Airline systems still have a two-digit year problem
- New IFE on JetBlue tries for real personalization
- AA, WN both lost money in Q1
- IndiGo A350 order
- Avianca brings back biz on A320neo fleet
- Ethiopian adds ATH-WAW, but no local traffic rights
- Listener Q about the terrible experience at AUS
- Is DWC really finally going to be built and Emirates move there?
- You might want to delete your OpenTable reviews
- JetBlue’s anti-union play
- Austrian puts the 787 on BER/FRA from 17 May, adds DUS 17 June, before TATL comes over the summer
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- United finally refunded the Chase UR points for phantom inventory
- United charter with pax on flight deck
- New T&Cs for travel to the T&Cs
- States Attorneys General get power to investigate airlines
- Beregional might be a (very stupid) thing
- Avelo adding MIA-MCO
- Maybe bags passing to final destination for inbounds from Japan
- Beond 5th freedom rights on ZRH-DWC
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Aircraft orders shifting, service types are switching, and one major airport is underwater in this week’s show.
Also in this episode:
- Spirit fleet deferrals
- United’s earnings, fleet adjustments, and eventually segmented “Polaris Plus”
- American’s Flagship Business Preferred
- Provo is American’s Future – Cranky Flier
- Aegean A321LR play
- Norse to CPT
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- CapOne travel portal
- Allegiant trip report (and mess of buying the tickets)
- DXB storm and recovery
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Often times the shortest distance between two airports is defined by politics more than geography. Last weekend that was more the case than usual.
Also in this episode:
- Iran and the joys of geopolitics in aviation
- SAS leaving Star Alliance end of August
- Breeze says it found profitability for March 2024
- LH cabin crew contract
- New Boeing whistleblower
- Stephan finally gets another PDX-LAX option
- Lufthansa finally has an Allegris plane (sans new F)
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Kirby envies DL’s brand
- Polaris Plus
- Tennessee chemtrails thing really became a law
- A319 as a school library
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Join us on another jaunt through the juicy world of aviation gossip, airline route news, and loyalty relaunches.
Also in this episode:
- OAK wants San Francisco in its name
- Turkish Airlines adding DEN
- Hainan A330neo order potential
- Four more A380s being scrapped
- UA canceled investor day
- NYC Earthquake
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- New AI FF program
- BAM: Credit Cards & Loyalty
- Mexicana faces massive lawsuit
- JetBlue multi-city booking woes
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
We’re skipping April Fool’s Day in favor of some real news, including at least one story we were convinced should’ve been a joke.
Also in this episode:
- Boeing leadership
- United dealing with the FAA, fewer planes than planned, and new E175 bins
- FAA halts Sequim wing-walking flights, revokes owner’s pilot license
- Breeze launches NDC integration with Priceline, a co-brand credit card, and Basic Economy
- Japan plans new jet, possibly Hydrogen-powered
- Air Malta relaunch as KM Malta Airlines
- Southwind banned in Europe (and UK by default)
- EU officially objects to LH Group/ITA deal
- British Airways is 50
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- UK citizens learning about passport rules for visiting EU/Schengen
- Bulgaria and Romania are now in the Schengen zone
- Norse LGW-LAS starting in September
- WeatherPromise guarantees rain-free trips
- Knock Airport to Scranton flight will happen, says Weir
- Air & Space visit
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Newark air traffic is on the move, in a sense. Control of traffic to and from the airport will shift later this summer from the NYC-area’s “N90” controllers to Philadelphia. Can that solve the ATC delays?
Also in this episode:
- Big Airbus orders from East Asia
- JetBlue kills off LAX focus city, but not completely
- Redeyes coming (eventually) to Southwest
- XB-1 first flight
- New biz seats for Malaysia Airlines (and no more A350 F)
- Avelo headed to Mexico, Dominican Republic
- BA JFK-LGW diversion due to incapacitated pilot
- BA First Wing check-in (no more liquid restrictions)
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- New Pacific dropping Reno
- airBaltic applies for US authorities
- United mileage pooling
- Frontier to JFK/EWR
- Tennessee tries to ban chemtrails
- Alaska Access subscription (and a new route at STS)
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Well, that’s another week that Boeing probably wishes didn’t happen…
Also in this episode:
- More bad news for Boeing from the NTSB
- UA MAX 10 conversion to MAX 9
- UA 737 panel falling off and maintenance overall
- LATAM 787-9 incident
- Former Global Crossing chief to start up Florida-based A220 operator
- Frontier UpFront Plus eurobiz play
- Embraer E2 ETOPS-120
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Bilt trades AA for AS
- Another AS Award Change
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Hopefully not too shocking, of course. But maybe enough to keep you awake, unlike those pilots…
Also in this episode:
- Batik Air pilots suspended for falling asleep on a flight
- IAG/Air Europa deal on ice again
- NTSB is pissed at Boeing, and lobbyists aren’t really helping
- New United routes
- China Southern to Mexico
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Electric cars
- Self-service TSA
- AirBnB cameras
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
American Airlines placed a sizable single-aisle aircraft order this week. Perhaps the biggest surprise: Neither Boeing nor Airbus came out on top, at least in terms of total aircraft committed.
Also in this episode:
- An absurd trip to try Starlink on Hawaiian
- BA adding inflight messaging
- JetBlue/Spirit deal is dead
- More Eclipse flights (DL 2nd frequency, WN contest with Omni)
- Qantas new A220 in service
- TK’s first flight to MEL
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Mexico objects to the DOT’s suspension of DL/AM ATI
- Boeing’s 90 day deadline from the FAA
- United award pricing
- New Pacific trip report
- BA-B-Q sauce
- First Allegris route is MUC-YVR
- Verdi strike
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
More baggage talk, plus buses, and an airline is out of business.
Also in this episode:
- Lynx out of business in Canada
- Landline for AC @ YYZ
- AA files JFK-HND to start 28 June, UA files GUM-HND for 1 May
- AA agrees with the DOT on DL/AM ATI suspension
- AA FF changes (and bag fees, too)
- Avelo STS base: new routes and a LAS closure, plus a profitable quarter
- Spirit suspending MHT
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- TK Wallet and other airline-proprietary payment systems
- UA back to TLV
- Breeze goes all A220 by EoY, and free Wi-Fi
- Qantas delivery delays, but also finally adding international Wi-Fi (for free)
- Other Singapore Air Show stuff
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Revisiting a couple stories from the past few weeks, and they still don’t make much sense. Plus lots of new news, too.
Also in this episode:
- Nolinor Ramps Up Capacity for Rising Northern Demand
- Air Canada’s chatbot gave a B.C. man the wrong information. Now, the airline has to pay for the mistake
- Silly carry-on bag thoughts
- Qantas domestic ETOPS
- Icahn buys in to JetBlue
- HA shareholders approved buyout
- Allegiant starts loading MAX flights
- UA swapping EWR for IAD starting June 27 for four Pennsylvania markets: AVP, MDT, PHL and SCE.
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Fake ATC in Mogadishu FIR
- A380 maintenance in MHV and MNL
- RegioJet seats like SkyRider
- A4A Threatening to pull out of DUB
- Spirit killed Tulum already
- DL BOS-HNL, MIA-SEA
- Battle for Barbados
- Air Serbia E195 incident
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
What’s the silliest reason you’ve ever heard of for planes to be removed from service? We might have a new top contender for that title.
Also in this episode:
- A321s (briefly) grounded because of no smoking signs
- Indigo wet-leasing Qatar 737 MAX for Doha service
- Copa to RDU
- Finding the bottom in Orlando
- Another (even more) absurd India bilateral request
- New Go Wild pass from Frontier, again with a twist
- Delta premium lounges
- Emirates MIA-BOG
- Lufthansa back at PHL, pushing Discover out
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- The glory of Houston Intercontinental Airport
- AA’s new non-hub route
- KE trims a funky one
- More China & Cuba delays
- Update on the freighter engine fire
- SAS selling a mystery flight in April
- Heathrow Slot Swaps for Summer 2024
- Tunnels under Chicago
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Why? because it leads to deliciousness later. But that has nothing to do with this week’s conversation. Fortunately, we’re joined by Ed in an effort to keep things on track.
Also in this episode:
- 737 MAX 7 deicing exemption & certification delay
- STS base for Avelo
- (B)OS
- AA DFW long-haul expansion
- Frontier BizFares
- Blind passengers screwed by airline forms
- Aeromexico cutting transborder routes this summer
- New Southwest seats
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- JetBlue trying to drum up new revenue
- Global gets an A380
- BFS preclearance tease
- New AF short-haul Biz meals
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
The MAX continues to dominate news cycles, but there’s lots more out there also worth talking about.
Also in this episode:
- MAX 9 is back in service, but that’s far from the end of the story
- MAX 8 delivery to China Southern
- Ryanair buying homes near DUB
- Delta/Aeromexico Joint ops busted by MEX issues
- American gets Haneda Slots for JFK route, but United may get a consolation prize thanks to Hawaiian
- IAD Lego model moves to IAD
- Tulsa is adding CBP facilities
- Breeze – Mobile, Denver, Greenville
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- United’s MAX 10 plans may need a boost, and Southwest is also unhappy with unclear certification timelines
- ITA/Lufthansa Group hits EU merger roadblocks, as does IAG/Air Europa
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Winter weather is giving the industry some troubles, but there’s still plenty of hot news to discuss..
Also in this episode:
- Delta’s A350-1000 order, plus a new 738 config and the A321 premium config is coming soon
- Southern Airways Express to Loudon (and eAAgle off the runway at ROC (and KL off the runway at GOT))
- Akasa Orders a bunch of MAXen
- Air India A350 PaxEx
- Alaska Airlines to YYZ (but dropping PAE-HNL and a couple others)
- Turkish will launch MEL via SIN
- SAS to Atlanta
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- JetBlue/Spirit merger blocked
- LGA Chase Lounge open, already has a waitlist
- Coming home from Europe
- United scuttles Saudia/Kuwait Airways codeshare
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
We’re on the road this week, hanging out in Antwerp with some friends and talking travel.
Also in this episode:
- LATAM new liveries
- Air India adding SEA/LAX/DFW (ZRH, CGK, FCO, KUL)
- AUS new concourse
- AAdvantage Updates for 2024
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Michigan man charged in Meijer mPerks fraud scheme
- Travel tales in Antwerp
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Two major aviation incidents to start the year is not a good look for 2024. Here’s hoping things calm down in a hurry.
Also in this episode:
- The JAL crash at Haneda
- The Alaska Airlines depressurization event over Portland
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Seth made a couple amateur mistakes this week
- New Starlux CCs are cool looking
- Capital A spins off AirAsia to AirAsia X
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
As 2023 comes to a close we’re talking about status earned, how we value it, and what the year ahead holds. We’ve also got Ed from PizzaInMotion and MilesToGo on the show to try to keep us in line. It almost works.
Also in this episode:
- Turkish gets major slot boost in Australia
- Some unusual plays by FlyingBlue after a mispriced business class award
- Approval of Norwegian/Wideroe merger after further review
- South African Airways Aims To Triple Fleet | Aviation Week Network
- Boeing delivers a 787 to China, and appears cleared for MAXen, too
- airBaltic 50th A220 livery competition
- Europe requiring more airports to have train links
- Southwest had troubles over Christmas, but not nearly as bad as last year
- Bilateral negotiations for UAE/India
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Best/worst trip of the year
- More on Japan
- Norse’s winter schedule is a mess, but adding ATH-JFK for next summer
- HiSky OTP-JFK
- SAS killed the EWR-AAL/GOT service
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Long flights come with challenging performance requirements. Delta looks to shed some weight restrictions and United may be adding some next year.
Also in this episode:
- Porter/Alaska partnership
- AA 787 Deferral
- Airbus finally gets its mega Turkish order
- JAL first A350-1000 delivery
- QF first A220 delivery
- WestJet to Seoul
- BA operating to Stansted because City still closes on the weekend
- Mexicana converting military 737s for its civilian ops
- UA giving up on BNE?
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Southwest FA vote debacle
- JSX moving to Scottsdale
- Air New Zealand wants to try Starlink
- Lufthansa Group bringing TLV service back in January
- Delta boosts Austin now that AA pulled back
- Delta’s High J A350 layout
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Maybe it’ll work, but there are some half-baked plans being bandied about. And we’re not a fan of that unless they’re our half-baked plans.
Also in this episode:
- New Nuuk airport for 2024
- New Vegas airport
- Delta to launch SEA-TPE
- United to launch SFO-BCN
- Delta A330s stranded in Goose Bay
- EWR/IAD-JNB going to 772
- Two cargo bits
- Fake engine parts guy arrested
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Hyatt program changes
- NATS testing urban mobility
- Something about Japan
- AA in CUN this winter
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Alaska Airlines is buying Hawaiian Airlines. There are lots of reasons the deal makes sense, but more than a few questions we have about how it will play out.
Also in this episode:
- FAA/DOT rules changes for certifications and aircraft monitoring
- Visa rules for Malaysia are changing, with major regional tourism impacts
- Tulum’s new airport is alive
- UA A321neo enters service
- UA goes GEO
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- High-J 789 speculation
- Breeze adds Ogden
- AA RJs getting good wifi
- Porter/Transat (and more E2s)
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
No, really, I have no idea what to put here.
Also in this episode:
- Relatively Successful Thanksgiving Travel Day
- Allegiant back at MCO
- Oneworld is opening a lounge in Seoul
- AS new award charts coming
- AA finally kills SEA long-haul
- Kittens on a plane
- Kiss-and-tell from off-duty crew
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- EK AC/UA
- Etihad and FlyingPoo
- Pakistan visa shenanigans
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Thanksgiving week but we’re all avoiding the worst of the travel challenges, so that’s a win.
Also in this episode:
- More Dubai Air Show bits
- Quick Haneda follow-up (It was, unsurprisingly, not quick)
- Connect Airlines certificate revoked
- Alaska’s revised reward charts
- Delta wants Porto, JetBlue wants Lisbon
- United’s A321neo inaugural moves up 2 weeks
- United IAH B development
- United to Tulum
- Nashville continues to grow, and it wants Hawaii service next
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- DL to end LGA-LAX/PHX Saturday-only service
- Paris takes on air taxis
- Westjet seasonal TATL coming back
- Virgin Atlantic’s reboot with significant feed to Delta
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
With the 2023 Dubai Air Show underway there are plenty of new orders to talk about. And lots of other news, too.
Also in this episode:
- Norse Atlantic Weighs Alliance Options With Larger Airlines
- United Airlines tweaks frequent flyer program to reward credit card spending
- ITA A321neo 4-class cabin
- Emirates, flydubai, airbaltic and more all ordering at the Dubai Air Show
- Maybe a major Airbus Order from Turkish and Riyadh Air MAX order?
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- UA992 Radio Loss
- B6 and Qatar Redemptions – They giveth and taketh away
- Haneda applications
- First Mexicana plane painted (E145)
- Janet needs a new operator
- London City E195-E2 certified
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
More cuts coming in Austin, this time American Airlines slashing its mini-hub there. But at least maybe it has a good reason?
Also in this episode:
- Allegiant earnings
- Siem Reap gets a new airport
- Delta FFDO FO charged with threatening Captain
- New loos at MIA
- Schiphol cuts trigger US response
- EI/AA codeshare expansion
- Icelandair adding PIT/YHZ
- Titan Air flight with a melted window
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- AraJet in Africa
- SAF Greenwashing, again
- Air Niugini A220
- Asiana Cargo on sale
- Haneda slots application process opens
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Once again the IATA seasonal change brings about new routes and kills off others.
Also in this episode:
- Portugal’s President Vetoes TAP Airline Privatization
- Lufthansa Group adds another airline to the mix
- JetBlue adds Dublin, Edinburgh, closes Burlington [ends JFK-DCA, EWR-MIA, BOS-ROC]
- Tulum’s new airport adds NK, DL
- Swoop is finally dead
- Qantas confirms Perth-Paris from 12 July 2024
- Breeze adds GPT (another TPA-LAS routing)
- Alii Palau Airlines announces ROR-SIN
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Flybondi allowing resale of tickets
- More Lufthansa Allegris cabin mess
- Boom for Saudi Arabia
- Southwest, Spirit, Frontier earnings
- Air Greenland
- United Ultra Longhaul Mid-Flight Snack Trial
- Accidental inaugural (and other new routes)
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
A couple major unexpected events this week caught us off guard, but we’re doing our best to get through it all.
Also in this episode:
- Alaska/Horizon incident
- Akbar is out at Qatar Airways
- Delta rolls back some loyalty changes
- New liveries for Air India Express and Avianca
- Air France closing Orly ops (Transavia will remain) in 2026
- MEA moving planes out of Lebanon
- Alaska Airlines adding Anchorage-JFK/SAN and other MAX 8 routes
- Air Greenland Nuuk-Iqaluit
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Boeing pumping cash into Spirit Aerosystems
- UA/EI codeshare is dead
- UA/HA Handea fight still smoldering
- ZIPAIR HND-PDX?
- Delta bringing live television to the 767-400s (and probably more widebodies, eventually)
- UA gets first A321neo
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Can loyalty programs actually make changes that seem to make things better for customers, without taking benefits away elsewhere?
Also in this episode:
- Mosaic updates
- Southwest lowers elite qualification requirements
- United switching to boarding with Windows first
- Beond reveal
- AA wants to bring back JFK-HND
- ITA Airways announces seven new destinations for Summer 2024
- PSM fire engine issues
- AA backfilling NEA breakup in New England
- Rolls-Royce to cut 2,500 jobs in cost cutting drive
- More MAX build issues
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Interesting Emirates loyalty stats
- Delta talks loyalty in its Q3 earnings
- BermudAir backtracks on all-premium play
- KLM getting worried about AMS slot cuts
- Deforestation avoidance carbon offset scam had two major US airlines as customers
- New AA Business Program
- A plan with a lot of baggage! MEPs push for airlines to stop charging for carry-on bags
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Thank goodness change is such a constant in this industry. Otherwise what would we have to talk about every week?
Also in this episode:
- Mexico routes coming (Delta, VivaAerobus)
- United adds 110 more planes
- SAS shakeup
- Air Malta revamp
- Allegiant pivot to more MAX 8200
- LOT’s new 787 cabins, in 2026+
- Boeing Factory Tour is open again in Everett
- Rugby World Cup – 40 flights from Ireland to France
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- SunCountry going for more EAS routes
- Global Airlines/HiFly
- These Pilots Were Sued For Quitting. They Say It Was Dangerous To Stay.
- Award tool troubles
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
So many aircraft orders announced in the past week, and we didn’t even cover all of them. Plus, a suite new seat.
Also in this episode:
- New JAL A350-1000 cabins (【JAL】国際線 The New Flagship A350-1000 機内空間イメージ)
- AF/KL A350 order
- Air Canada orders more 787s, including the -10
- Cathay Pacific A321neo order
- LATAM A321neo order
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- “How I built this” with Udvar-Hazy
- Alaska Airlines no longer More to Love
- British Airways and United Airlines, plus the questionable quality of the Lisbon Airport
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Lots of heat out there, but nothing melting, at least not this week…
Also in this episode:
- Delta’s PDX-Haneda well and truly dead
- Akasa sues pilots for leaving early, but also launching international routes
- Air Belgium stopping standalone passenger services
- Edelweiss A350s (but not the same as Swiss)
- Delta TATL Summer ‘24
- Condor to San Antonio
- Fake engine parts on nearly 100 planes.
- CBP updates from APEX EXPO
- iAero bankruptcy
- Brighline launches Orlando connection
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- 777 Partners (Flair, etc) buying Everton FC
- Air Peace tries a unique approach to Heathrow slots access
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Delta made waves with its SkyMiles/SkyClub rules changes last week. Plus, new seats, new routes, and an end to revenge.
Also in this episode:
- Swiss A350 cabin layout
- Delta SkyMiles/SkyClub changes
- Aeroplan Family Sharing Suspended
- New United Club in Denver
- Vietnam Airlines 50 737 MAX order
- Breeze almost makes it to Canada
- Mexico back to Tier 1 with FAA
- JetBlue EWR/BOS divestments to Allegiant
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Upgrade semi-shenanigans
- What the next year holds for NYC air travel
- Have we reached the end of the “revenge travel” era?
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Intellectual property is a very real thing. So are weather-induced diversions these days.
Also in this episode:
- Northern Pacific is no more
- Biman to NYC
- UA not to China (slot usage exemption request)
- Norse adding CDG-LAX in May 2024
- Condor to MIA/YYC in Summer 2024
- More MAX pressure bulkhead retrofit info
- AA opens new catering facility at DFW?
- Details on the new United single-aisle Polaris seat
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Seth’s diversion
- Asia codeshares
- Fake engines issue details
- Follow-up on the P&W 777 engines
- Tom Brady works for Delta now
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Picking an airport in Mexico might be a bit more challenging later this year. Plus flying whales and more Tokyo.
How much money can a one-plane airline lose in just two months? More than just about everyone involved expected.
Also in this episode:
- Redway is dead; Only 19k pax, Possibly LF as low as 37%
- Finnair Avios
- Southwest changes
- Aer Lingus US routes
- American’s Summer ‘24 expansion
- Porter’s new US routes
- El Al Stopover Ambitions
- Monarch making a comeback in the UK
- Qantas widebody order, and a potential shift away from Los Angeles
- China MAXen starting to do checkout flights (Bloomberg)
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- FAA issues alert on pilots claiming VA disability payouts
- Southwest’s Companion Pass promo
- FAA May Crack Down on Upscale Air Charters
- JetBlue/Spirit redaction SNAFU
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
This week we’re talking all things Faroese (but not in Faroese) as Seth and special guest Ed Pizzarello were on the inaugural Atlantic Airways flight from Vagar to Stewart.
Among the highlights of the trip, a short helicopter ride to Mykines to see puffins, chatting with the Atlantic Airways CEO during the flight, and generally having a great time exploring the world for a few days.
Empty flights typically suck, but sometime airlines still fly them and make money doing so.
Unlikely this episode will be, but is it worse than the odds of a new MAX delivery to China anytime soon??
Dismissing idiocy of the past rather than owning up to mistakes is an interesting choice for an airline startup trying to avoid being seen as a scam. Think it'll work?
What does it take to bring motorcoaches into the airline world? We've got David Sunde, CEO of Landline, on the show to talk about getting the buses inside security, growth potential, and lots more.
Can economy class be considered an upgrade from premium economy? We're talking about airlines, so you know where this is going.
United's operations are mostly back to normal at this point, but it took a while to get there. Fortunately, there were plenty of other things to keep us entertained while watching that mess unfold.
Like the rest of the country's air travel, this week's episode got hit by rolling delays. But we made it to our final destination eventually.
Summer in Paris, perhaps a delightful experience. A week at Le Bourget, however, is far less appealing for us. But there's a bit of news worth discussing.
What does the future of air travel hold? Odds are it will appear on the show floor at Aircraft Interiors Expo a few years before it flies, and we've got a report from the show.
New planes, new routes, and new seats all bode well for the future. And some lines being dropped might not be so bad, either.
JetBlue and American Airlines have a lot of work to do if they’re going to keep the NEA alive. A judge ruled it illegal last Friday, setting up all sorts of challenges for the carriers.
Also in this episode:
- Qantas boosting capacity, including Finnair A330 leases
- American Airlines, WestJet pilots reach AIPs
- Long thin routes from smaller carriers, maybe on larger planes??
- Mega profits at Emirates, Singapore Airlines
- AA Football routes from JT
- Southwest taking advantage of the DCA slots from the NYC rules this summer
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Breeze Ascent Trip Report
- Northern Pacific inaugural delay
- Hertz/PR passport idiocy
- Do328 lives on
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Two nice implementations of indigenous themes and art from airlines announced this week, and the impact for passengers is pretty good, too.
Also in this episode:
- US DOT Customer Rights Rules might happen
- Ryanair MAX 10 order
- Philippine Air A350-1000 order
- Hawaiian’s 787 Suites
- New Alaska Airlines salmon livery
- JD Power Airline Survey results
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- UA mutli-segment award pricing idiocy
- Order rumors – Le Bourget is gonna be exciting
- United Fries….
- YouTube plane crash douchebag might be going to jail
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Can fries be reasonably served as a side on board? And, quite frankly, why not tater tots instead??
Also in this episode:
- United is bringing fries on board as the side dish for the cheeseburger
- FAA/MAX
- GO FIRST insolvency in India
- New seats from Arabian Travel Market
- flyDubai MAX
- Etihad 787
- Saudia A321XLR
- Breeze to Mexico
- Delta’s Haneda slot flex attempt
- Norse winter plans for sun markets
- Oracle Opera hotel management Security Flaw
- Air Canada free wifi option for other loyalty programs
- FAA cancels plans to move 30 controllers from Long Island to PA as part of air space reassignment
- DL adding LGA-SLC for a couple months this summer
- Top carriers @ JFK
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- A trip report from Fozz
- Go Wild Pass marketing for the summer
- Bermudair theoretical premium carrier to US
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
In which Seth gets sidetracked on a train journey across Europe, drawn to Siena thanks to an online aviation connection. Special thanks to João for hosting and joining in the conversation.
Also in this episode:
- Is Embraer’s E2 really the best new small jet flying?
- The Brazilian market is incredibly dynamic
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
A special Dreamliner is on the move. And we’re not really sitting still, either.
Also in this episode:
- JetBlue firms its Amsterdam ops
- Atlantic Airways Faroe to SWF
- Alaska Airlines and Starlux are partners now
- Mexican Government plane sold to Tajikistan
- New Southwest livery for Hawaii (plus USB power)
- Silver Airways MCO-GSO-BNA
- US-China flight limits continue
- WestJet finally launched Tokyo service
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Seth’s trips – Florida + Europe
- Stephan’s trip
- Private sleeper train for SF-LA
- ANA Mistake fare
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
It is all fun and games until a rules change hits home. Then the rage rises to the surface.
Also in this episode:
- American dropping SEA-LHR for the winter, launching LAX-AKL
- Airbus delivery delays drift into 2024
- Dulles could have new permanent Pier 2 gates by December 2026
- Breeze ISP, Avelo ILG growth
- New MUC terminal
- The most expensive bus
- Air Malta potential collapse
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- British Airways PremY experience
- Lufthansa flight experience
- NH Mistake fare, maybe being honored. And how much is too much?
- How to get an A380 out of the desert after nearly three years
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
What matters most on long-haul flying? And why isn’t it a good night’s sleep??
Also in this episode:
- How much should a turkey sandwich cost?
- AA drops award charts
- EI A330 troubles
- 737 MAX tail problems
- Fort Lauderdale flooding (and a JetBlue diversion to NAS)
- Silver possibly evicted from FLL
- Cool video on planes being stripped for parts
- BA adds Avios-only flights
- JR Rail pass prices going up in October
- Sudan
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- BA in General
- BA Lounge Showers
- Seth in Italy
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Trying to squeeze more planes into a terminal is rarely an easy task. When the terminal is brand new and someone screwed up the design work it is even worse.
Also in this episode:
- BA and Avios
- Credit Card denials?
- Sea-Tac Too Tight
- Workers dying at JFK
- Dubai trying to restart DWC construction
- More Dubai flights to Canada (both countries agreed to more flights)
- Amsterdam green flight cap got blocked in court
- OTG finally pulled iPads at EWR
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- AA passenger kicked off flight
- Norse forgets JFK immigration
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Fares are up, and revenues are strong in many markets. But that doesn’t mean everyone is doing great, financially or otherwise.
Also in this episode:
- Red Way launches in Lincoln
- Really Cool Airlines in Thailand
- Lufthansa still talking about buying ITA
- More business class seat fees, this time from AF/KL
- Finnair cuts
- Hotels.com destroyed its loyalty program (via Expedia)
- Colombian airlines bankrupt, and the air force is activated to help
- China Southern, China Eastern expect MAX deliveries this year
- EasyJet’s Travel 2070 vision
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Hello Kitty flights are coming back
- CRW and other Breeze growth
- Aerus in Mexico
- Paris votes to ban e-scooters
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Spring is here! The Northern IATA season started last weekend, and even if the weather isn’t entirely cooperating, the new routes are alive.
Also in this episode:
- St John’s Airport Fire
- Travel insurance
- Qatari FIR goes live
- FAA safety messaging
- DOT needs help cutting operations in NYC
- DST mess in Lebanon
- United appoints CEO to MileagePlus
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Business class seat lawsuit
- Japan Travel
- South Africa Travel
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Surcharges for air conditioning? How Canadian, we’ve been informed.
Also in this episode:
- Flair leasing mess
- Canada Jetlines as a proxy for Qatar Airways
- Riyadh Air launches in Saudi Arabia
- US airlines lobbying for limits on Russian overflights
- Spirit/JetBlue gets its formal opposition from the government
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Northern Pacific picks its first route
- New Emirates livery
- Rebookings and weird PremY pricing
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Stephan and Fozz are together in Portland this week, talking about a few topics near and dear to the PNW, including:
- PDX Construction
- The Alaska Airlines fleet, and particularly first class cabins on the MAX and –900s
- A bit of extra conversation about Porter’s expansion plans in Montreal.
This week’s episode is only for our Patreon subscribers. We should be back to a more normal episode next week.
Hydrogen is flying, at least on one engine. And that’s way better for emissions awareness than some of the other stuff we’ve seen lately.
Also in this episode:
- New Lufthansa Allegris premium cabins (Swiss doing similar, too)
- Lufthansa Group adding A350-1000 (10), plus five more -900s and seven 787-9
- Luxair and Greater Bay ink Boeing deals
- Norse expansion to the USA from London
- Delta pilots approved their contract
- Porter plans to build a new terminal across the river in Montreal
- Korean/Asiana merger approved by the UK, with slots ceded to Virgin Atlantic
- Universal Hydrogen goes flying
- Freetown, Sierra Leone’s new international terminal
- Lawsuit over Schiphol slot cuts (DL/KL vs govt)
- Listener question on rental car fees
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- CSA has only one route left
- Vistara brand being dropped by Air India
- Airline greenwashing and “raising awareness“
- Bavarian Airlines was a fraud dreamt up by a 15 year old
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Top news this week is the new Qantas First Class and Business Class seats, set to fly in 2025 when Project Sunrise takes flight. And we’ve got John Walton back with us to dig deep into the details. Alas, we’re all a bit meh on this one.
Also in this episode:
- Gaspers and center bins in business class cabins
- IAG finally gets Air Europa, but will regulators let it happen?
- New Kansas City terminal opens this week
- 787 deliveries halted again
- Oman opens airspace to Israel
- AAdvantage program stats
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Emirates‘ recycling stats
- Tailwind’s push into Rhode Island
- Diversions galore as the jet stream pushed westbound transcons well over 7 hours of flight time in some cases
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
A few “whoopsies” at terminals this week left many a traveler affected.
Also in this episode:
- United Airlines flight loses altitude on takeoff at Maui
- JFK T1 Outage
- Lufthansa cancels all flights on Friday
- Alaska loses lawsuit with Virgin
- JetBlue Trying to Extort flights out of KLM
- Scoot Orders E190-E2s
- JFK-AKL Flight and the disaster that is
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- More on EWR Terminal A
- Adjusting to time zones
- MIAT Mongolian flying to SFO?
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
We’re joined this week by special guest Ed Pizza of Miles to Go and Pizza In Motion to talk about changing allegiances and the rest of the latest news.
Also in this episode:
- Ed picks the Widget?
- JetBlue teasing new routes, but the DOJ seems likely to file suit to block the merger
- Ryanair is not happy about airport moves in Estonia and Poland
- The No-Jet Set
- Pilots Union Not Wanting NTSB Meeting with AA pilots recorded
- Hawaiian Pilots Accept New Contract with 32% pay raise
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Gold Medallion assaults FA en route to Anchorage
- AI Travel Planning via RoamAround
- Seth’s day trip to ORD
- Ed’s many tickets home from Orlando
- What should Seth do with a Venture X card?
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Competing university mascots at an inaugural flight? Sure, why not. It is Delaware, after all.
Also in this episode:
- Express lounges as a growth vertical
- DL SkyClub New Access Rules
- DL/AX award discount
- Bali might get US service
- 747 Final delivery
- Flyr kaput
- Flybe collapse, too
- BA/VS back to China
- Near miss for FedEx/Southwest at AUS
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Avelo Delaware Inaugural
- Porter’s E195-E2 ops launched, as did a new OpCo
- Airbus/Qatar Airways settlement
- Frontier All You Can Fly Summer Pass
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
New wing designs, and new engines hanging from them, could change the way we fly. Or at least make it more efficient.
Also in this episode:
- CommuteAir pwned
- DCA is a connecting airport now
- Croatia Airlines takes the A220
- Lufthansa Group formally asks to be allowed to negotiate for ITA (and is the only bidder)
- New Boeing/NASA demonstrator of single-aisle design with a funky wing
- A4A wants waiver extended on slots at HND and China
- Southwest strike authorization vote & “gratitude pay” for pilots
- Delta AIP becomes a TA
- Ethiopian to add Atlanta service via Dublin
- Delta LAX-AKL, ATL-NCE, JFK-CDG 3x
- Envoy exiting E45 ops for American Eagle.
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- ZeroAvia flew a hydrogen plane for 10 minutes
- AA106 pilots say they didn’t know how seriously they screwed up until landing in London.
- Avelo v Breeze revisited
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
A rough week in aviation for safety incidents. But we’re also trying to find some positive news…
Also in this episode:
- Yeti Airlines crash in Nepal
- FAA Outage
- Airbus bows out of Boeing safety panel
- US State Department has done a terrible job issuing passports with the X gender marker
- A bunch of Delta Air Lines-related stuff:
- A330 lands short at AMS
- CDG-SLC diverts to MAD
- Loss of engine at SNA
- Loss of auto pilot and flight controls (back in July 2022)
- More lounge access cuts
- Near Miss at JFK with American 106 (777) and a Delta 737
- MAX is back in China. For real this time.
- New EWR Terminal A open, and it is already a mess
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Northern Pacific wants to fly to Kansas
- FedEx retired its last DC-10s
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Refreshing cabins is a nice touch, but why does it take so long?? Also, how long will it take Southwest to pay out all the comp it owes.
Also in this episode:
- Southwest’s mess will cost $725-825 million, so far
- Delta announces free wifi
- Emirates A380 retrofit returns to service
- EK/UA codeshare
- Emotional Support Boa
- United growth in Houston / New Routes
- An Etihad Travel Bank credit query
- Hawaiian adds two 787s
- Mexican Government Buying Mexicana
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- A340-600s coming back for Lufthansa
- Air Canada dropping Doha.
- China reopening, and with it some chaos of testing rules
- Kids in First Class
- Pilot training challenges
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Diversions galore, and a meltdown, too. It was a rough end for many in 2022, but 2023 is starting strong.
Also in this episode:
- Boeing gets its MAX exemption
- Russia buying 10 77Ws
- More on United and Mesa
- US travel meltdown over Christmas, and Southwest’s extended version
- Amazon freighter capacity overload
- ITA now probably headed to Lufty
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- All the diversions
- Chasing status in the new year
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Nothing but the best for our listeners as we wrap up the 2022 season.
Also in this episode:
- Delta dumping all 50-seaters by Summer 2023
- AA dumps Mesa as a regional operator
- Boom finally has an engine partner–ish.
- AAdvantage program changes
- Listener Question
- Air India might grow its fleet
- First C919 delivery happened
- Stephan’s trip home from India
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- A321XLR flight
- Virgin Australia to Japan on a 737 MAX
- Qatar bribery scandal threatens EU Open Skies
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Just a couple hundred (more) new planes coming to United through the end of the decade. Nothing to get excited about here.
Also in this episode:
- Swiss A350s in 2025
- Etihad A380s coming back
- Air Canada and Emirates frequent flyer redemption reciprocity is now live
- JetBlue has a new Mosaic program
- Air India is getting new interiors
- Porter announces some E195-E2 interior details and initial routes
- JSX finally online, with the first SpaceX-equipped plane in service
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Emirates is bringing back CTOs
- AirAsia adds Cambodia
- Pan Am 103 arrest
- Air Greenland now an A330-800 operator
- REAL ID delayed another two years
- Air Canada to JFK
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Singapore Airlines is out spending cash like it is 2019 again, so that seems to be good news for other airlines.
Also in this episode:
- Air India/Vistara merger
- SQ/TG expanded partnership
- SkyClub Lounge Access changes
- Delta has new Pilot contract to ratify
- United is opening new pilot bases
- United might order more 787s
- Air France F awards becoming even less likely
- More new routes from Norse
- MAX certification extension compromise proposed
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Airbus Innovation Summit
- JetBlue’s Cyber Monday sale fail
- Avelo’s interesting new CC offer
- British Airways finally at T8, bye bye T7
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Long flights, jet lag, and do pilots need to sleep on a trip, too?
Also in this episode:
- World Cup shuttles DOH-DWC
- FlyAtlantic launching in 2024
- LATAM adds Sao Paulo – Los Angeles
- AA pilots handing out cards for disrupted flights (but are there really any??)
- New round of single-pilot ops talk (and an interesting Twitter thread on the topic)
- China Southern headed to OW?
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Frontier no longer offers customer service via phones
- easyJet pitching empty nesters for FA roles
- Boeing freighter cert issues in Canada
- Alaska Airlines Q400 impending retirement
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
How many million milers is too many? Plus a crazy crash and new transatlantic routes on the horizon.
Maybe we're supposed to say something in advance when the publishing schedule changes. Oopsie.
The semi-annual IATA seasonal schedule change happened last weekend, and it brings some fun and interesting new routes and slot opportunities to the industry.
What happens when you dupe consumers for decades with the confusing names between classes of service then make a change to a tiny part of the fleet? Fun times, indeed.
New cabins, new partners, and new fuels are just a few of the major investments airlines announced that we're talking about in this week's episode.
Halfway through a long trip and still suffering from jetlag, but there's news to consider and punditry to ponder, so here we go…
It was supposed to be a quick weekend getaway for the crew. That didn’t work out so well. Also in this episode: Virgin Atlantic joins SkyTeam Eurostar’s Brexit capacity cuts Cleveland gets its European nonstop...
We considered just having this episode go missing, an homage to the HTTP 404 status code. But there's too much interesting stuff to cover instead.
Catching up on some reader mail, and also on big changes coming in airports served, meals on board, and vaguely boring partnerships.
Can Russia produce more than 300 commercial aircraft by the end of the decade to backfill the Boeing and Airbus frames that will be inoperable by then? And would you fly on one if they do??
Summer is ending, but travel continues. And optimism remains strong, at least in some segments of the industry.
Another airline disappears, but we're still here. You can decide if that's a good trade or not.
So much news from American we might have to rebrand the show. But lots of other goodies, too.
Scavenging for spare parts, profitable routes, or just good travel ideas? We've got it all in this week's show.
Airlines raked in revenue in Q2, but not all of them reported a profit. And that raises a lot of bigger picture questions.
More leisure travelers than expected, plus some gardening tips. Oh, and lots of airline news, too.
Despite being one of the slowest major air shows for new order announcements in years, Farnborough 2022 offered plenty of news.
We haven't had much to say about travel to Asia in recent months. That changes this week, as we're joined by Michael Traeger from TravelZork to share some thoughts. A lot of thoughts, really.
As if airport crowds and luggage SNAFUs aren't enough, summer heat waves are adding to the challenges in travel.
Great news: The holiday weekend wasn't a total meltdown, despite warnings from airlines.
Trade shows are back, and so are we. Greetings from Hamburg and the 2022 edition of the Aircraft Interiors Expo.
Day two of a trip to Europe always brings along some jet lag challenges. But we're trying our best.
Some terribly dorky jokes get us started this week, but eventually we manage to transition to terribly dorky conversations about airplanes, so that's mostly a win.
Sure, the conversations were great, but our plans for birthday festivities came up short.
Mergers generally reduce competition. Upstarts increase it. And somewhere in the middle, we like to talk about all of options.
Flight status. Travel history. Connection updates. And lots more. That's the promise from Flighty, and we've got founder Ryan Jones on this week's show to talk about it.
Hard to believe we're still saying this, but please stop being an asshole on airplanes. Or anywhere else, really. But definitely not on airplanes.
The lack of appeal, perhaps, is the most interesting part. But the CDC mask mandate for travel is gone, thanks to a court ruling in Florida.
Who is to blame? And does it matter when you finally admit that? Plenty of challenges in the industry these days and more flight cancellations are coming.
No squirrels were harmed in the making of this episode. And we cannot explain why that is even remotely relevant. But here we are anyways.
At some point "Plus" has to not be the default naming of whatever new thing a company comes up with, right? Alas, this is not that week.
Mask rules are changing, maybe too quickly for airlines to keep up. Plus electric news and MAX potential.
A good award search tool is something of a holy grail in the miles & points space. Point.Me is pretty darn close, if not entirely there.
A bit of a challenge this week to get past the very real suffering of war and have a conversation about what it means in the context of aviation. But we're trying.
Should you subscribe to an airline's recurring payment offerings? Probably not. But we're going to talk about it a bit.
New seats, new routes, and a comeback of quality flooring round out this week's top stories.
Sure, we're not really traveling long-haul for leisure right now. But some people are. We had long time friend of the show Han on to talk about a couple recent trips.
With a blizzard bearing down we're reliving prior diversions and other cold weather travel tales, all the way to Antarctica.
A special report from San Bernardino, California where Northern Pacific unveiled its new livery on a freshly painted 757-200.
We shouldn't be here right now. We should all be there. But we aren't. And we don't even really know where "there" is. A most interesting predicament.
Slightly bizarre to have the lead topic for an aviation podcast to be a subway story, but we've never really been a normal group. Plus, we've got Jason on to talk about that and many other airplane-related bits.
A new year, and we're ready to go with fresh hot takes on all the latest aviation news.
Lots of news in the Transatlantic market this week, with high hopes for Summer 2022. Lawsuits, and new elite status and maskholes, too.
Thought on airline pyjamas? Yeah, we've got some of those. And lots of other ideas, too…
Sometimes the best plan when a trip gets complicated is to just walk away. Or at least strongly consider the possibility in the face of ever changing travel restrictions.
A new variant of concern doesn't have us too concerned. At least not yet. Plus greenwashing, hub bluffs, and pilot retirements.
What are you thankful as the Thanksgiving holiday arrives once again? Probably not being involved in any of our first few topics is a good start.
This week’s episode is a little different. It’s just Fozz and Stephan, as Seth is soaking in all the avgeekery he can at the Dubai Airshow and there hasn’t been a ton of news. But, some of the highlights are:
Europeans (and many others) can once again visit the USA, assuming they're fully vaccinated. And more than a few airlines are very happy about this.
American's turn for a meltdown, plus slower recoveries, a big Heathrow boost, and planes shifting national registries for some reason.
The brand new Breeze A220 is top of mind this week, as we have a crew chatting just hours after the unveiling. Plus AAdvantage and Bonvoy news that might matter to you.
So much noise for a handful of new routes. Is it really worth the hype? Plus an airline blocks customers and a hotel sues its parent brand.
We faced a couple mechanicals getting this week's episode recorded, but are willing to admit that truth, rather than blaming weather, unlike some airlines.
We're on location this week, recording at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Boston where industry CEOs and suppliers gathered to absolutely not collude on anything they cannot legally address.
An irrational amount of discussion about connecting flights takes over this episode. But, in our defense, one of you asked about it.
We took the show on the road this week, and brought in a couple guests to spice things up. C'mon in!
What if, instead of changing the contract to match the active policies, we fixed the policies to not suck?? Seems worth at least considering.
How does just one out of service plane cause so much trouble for a major airline?? But it worked mostly in our favor, so no complaints this time around.
Kicking off the show with a bad conspiracy theory about hurricanes probably isn't our strongest play, but here we are. It gets better pretty quickly.
We lost last week's episode, but came back strong this time around with planes big and small crossing oceans and some fun new routes and money for US startups.
Airline meltdowns happen form time to time, but this past week's performances are surprisingly ugly.
More airline partnership and a key route trimmed. Plus, cool new trains and airlines and loyalty plays.
They might all be terrible ideas, but we're still going to talk about them and figure out if any of it makes sense.
Points for paying rent? That's the underlying premise of the new Bilt Rewards program and, well, it is very different from others that came before.
Fancy new screens, a questionable route plan, open borders (sortof) and a trio of new/renewed airlines make the news this week. Plus, what happens if you don't pay a DOT fine??
Opening back up is great, but the inconsistencies are hard to handle. So are the lines.
Back on the road and exploring the world, with some thoughts on just how well that's going overall and why we're not in a huge hurry to do more of it too soon.
Summer is heating up in more ways than one. Booking rooms in some destinations is dicey and seems unlikely to get better any time soon.
Many things are happening in the aviation and travel world. We're talking about some of them in this week's show.
A strike, two lawsuits, one shutdown and another airline launch, plus a production boost. The industry is full of happenings and we're barely scratching the surface.
A confluence of work, leisure, and just living has a trio of us on the Williamsburg waterfront on a gorgeous May Saturday for our first in-person recording in well over a year.
Ground issues grounding a plane is harder than you’d think to explain, but very much at the center of the latest 737 MAX drama.
Also in this episode:
- United Airlines confirms it will take some MAX 8s
- Delta Air Lines adds Dubrovnik for this summer, as well as Premium Select retrofits on A330/763s, but isn’t combining the two yet
- Avelo picks New Haven for its first east coast hub
- Bernard Ziegler, who basically invented fly-by-wire for Airbus, died
- So did Helmut Jahn, the architect responsible for the UA terminal in ORD and the new BKK.
- Air Senegal plans flights to JFK/IAD later this year
- Kid went into the baggage system at MSP
- UK green list of places people can’t visit
- EASA tracks space weather, too
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Breeze to hire non-college kid FAs
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Maybe we went a little too far off the rails talking about privacy and ad tech and where they intersect. Including on board JetBlue’s newest A220 fleet. But that shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Also in this episode:
- More refunds in Canada
- An update on Tugs
- Other bits from the JetBlue A220 inaugural
- Sun Country‘s new routes, bypassing MSP in the Upper Midwest
- Bonus points options from MileagePlus
- RealID is delayed. Again. May 2023
- Is it time to start planning summer travels?
- Has the advance booking window really shifted? IATA shared some interesting data.
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- An El Al Bomb Threat
- Vistara to the US?
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Oh, and Seth got at least two references wrong: Picked the wrong pop Justin to make a joke about and Grab became Servy, not Divvy. Oops.
Picking routes for a new airline is a major challenge, with significant unknowns. Unless you just take an existing airline and copy its core operating plan. That’s what Connect Airlines appears to have in mind for an October 2021 launch, shadowing the Porter Air transborder model.
Also in this episode:
- JetBlue‘s new A321LR economy class product details are out, including a funky meal service approach
- Avelo has a new route map based in Burbank
- LATAM is dumping its A350s
- Radisson Rewards is “enhancing” the program by splitting it geographically
- Flight load planning software matters a lot, and when “Miss” gets flagged as a child rather than an adult bad things can happen
- Air Canada got a bailout from the government, conditional on delivering cash refunds to customers
- Australia-NZ quarantine-free bubble launches
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- New Airbus visitors center at Finkenwerder
- Kayak launching its own hotel in Miami Beach
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
We’ve got a special guest on the show this week, talking about a very special topic. There’s a new aviation-themed children’s book out, Aya and Avi’s Airplane Adventure, and we’ve got the author on to talk about his inspiration for pulling it together and a few other things.
The book follows an ambitious young girl named Aya with a dream of being a pilot, and a shy boy who learns to love the magic of flight named Avi, as they take an airplane adventure with Dad and Papa and learn that you can be anyone you want to be.
Also in this episode:
- Alaska Airlines joins Oneworld
- Delta Air Lines is ending its middle seat blocking policy
- The CDC altered its guidance about vaccinated travel
- Air Canada and Transat’s merger is off
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- The MAX 8200 is now certified and should be flying across Europe soon.
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Perhaps it was a mistake to let an outsider take the lead on one of our episodes. But what follows in nearly an hour of spectacular conversation about, not surprisingly, travel and pent-up demand and what the return to normal will be like.
This week we’ve got Ed from Miles To Go leading the party and, well, it is interesting.
Some of the topics in this episode:
- Cancun is raising taxes on visitors, trying to cash in on relatively strong tourism demand
- Iceland is open again for US tourists
- Lots of talk about routes, with Ed choosing to focus on Dulles
- Deicing is important
- Rental cars are strange
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Meth is a helluva drug
- Hong Kong is playing favorites for pilots
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
A mistake fare brought back some excitement we haven’t felt in a long time, even if it eventually cancelled. Plus Iceland to Antarctica and much more!
Also in this episode:
- UA 328 lost an engine and that was all sorts of exciting, plus the flight number matches our episode number, assuming we counted correctly
- US Airport transit funding rules change and it could be a major win, though probably not a LaGuardia
- ATR testing single pilot operations with FedEx
- United adds bus service in Denver
- Icelandair went to Antarctica
- Boeing talking about possible safety issues at Airbus doesn’t look good, even if it might be vaguely accurate, plus EASA said it first
- Lufthansa is ready to ground the A380 permanently
- Air Sinai (which we talked about a year ago) could be going away for good?
- Some follow-up on the Boston-London market and slots
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Frequent flier account data was compromised because of a leak at SITA
- IranAir as some interesting aircraft acquisition processes
- TAP’s mistake fare
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Sometimes travel is about new and different adventures. Sometimes it is about repeating the most boring or ridiculous habits. And, when done right, it is often a great blend of both. We close out this week’s episode with some discussion of travel souvenirs that we’re constantly collecting, or at least that we did back when we traveled more. And that we’re looking forward to resuming soon enough.
Also in this episode:
- Potential for Amtrak preclearance in Montreal
- The BA Baby Bus gone, and we’re not all that sad about it
- DeHaviland “pauses” Q400 assembly, and has to move the factory, too
- United Airlines signed on to a deal with eVTOL maker Archer, except it isn’t nearly as big a deal as the headlines might suggest
- American Airlines and JetBlue have their first codeshare routes and expanded markets tied to the Northeast Alliance, even as the partnership continues to draw opposition from competitors. Details here and here.
- United will eventually launch BOS-LHR in “retaliation” for JetBlue’s expansion
- Some listener questions:
- Is it ethical to travel one I’ve finished the vaccine regime? The data says that I’m protected, but not that I can’t infect someone else. Would you feel ok traveling if you had the vaccine, but the vast vast vast majority of people do not?
- I’ve been looking at what countries have what requirements for entry of Americans and I can’t find any policy changes for people that can prove vaccination. Do you guys know a central site that tracks what the entry requirements are at any given time? Seth suggests TIMATIC as a solution.
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Finnair selling their meals in grocery stores
- Do you have a common souvenir you always bring home from a particular place on a trip?
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
An aviation podcast talking about driving? Sometimes that’s the only viable option, and it is strange. Plus, so are we.
Also in this episode:
- New Dutch airport delayed again
- 777X delayed to late 2023 at the earliest
- Alitalia might really finally die
- Canada closing its borders
- HNA bankruptcy affects about a dozen airlines, 600+ planes and more. Plus $9B+ in embezzlement.
- New Mint suite (including front row Studio)
- Boeing’s next attempt at a new plane
- AA plans MIA-TLV starting this summer
- Dodge Neon as baggage tug
- Allegiant New Routes
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Nunavut bathroom idiocy (and Seth‘s poor geography)
- Rolls Royce summer shutdown
- $AAL riding the squeeze
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
First the policies change. Then they change again. Keeping up with that back and forth is incredibly challenging. But we’re trying.
Topics in this episode:
- The US announced plans to relax restrictions, and then just hours later that was countered. Now the rules are even more strict, including quarantine requirements.
- KLM Indicated it would halt long-haul flights following proposal of strict testing requirements that would affect crew. Again, a change of policy saw that averted.
- Canada’s airlines face continued challenges, including more service cuts as test and quarantine rules are strengthened.
- Norwegian’s long-haul operation is dead, and with that some changes to the TATL marketplace are already being seen.
- Alaska Airlines will offer a new status tier at 100k miles starting next year, but no one really knows what it will include
- A man lived in O’Hare for 3 months.
- British Airways has a new grocery partner for Avios earn and burn.
- Chengdu has a new mega airport slated to open soon.
- The Ghanaian government really doesn’t want to fly to Gatwick
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Allegiant has some fun in Portland
- United Airlines has less fun in long-haul ops
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
Huge thanks to our newest patrons: * Matthew H. * Arthur L. * Megan J. * Jeff A. * Ben B. * Mike R.
We start 2021 with an unplanned trip down memory lane to Malta, because happy travel memories are a good thing
Also in this episode:
- Boeing settled with the US Department of Justice, and it seems the price was cheap
- With the new CARES Act extension in play the rules for where airlines have to fly have been revised a bit
- Spirit Airlines was defrauded to the tune of $150k by a group issuing fake pass travel tix
- Marriott is among the companies changing its policies on political contributions in the wake of last week’s insurrection at the US Capitol
- A Sriwijaya 737-500 crashed just after takeoff over the weekend
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- New York City’s new Amtrak terminal
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
We definitely don’t recommend eating it, but the 2,000 year old street meat discoveries in the ruins of Pompeii are all sorts of awesome.
Also in this episode:
- Montenegro Airlines is dead, but it will likely return soon
- A lawyer involved in representing 737 MAX victims stole payments intended for them
- After years of battles a Delta pilot won their case regarding whistle-blower retaliation, and the now-head of the FAA is implicated
- The EPA finally adopted aircraft emissions standards so Boeing can sell planes internationally but it won’t really help reduce emissions
- Alaska Airlines will continue to block middle seats in its Premium Class cabin, at least most of the time
- Azores Air will fly an intra-Atlantic route from Puerto Delgado to Bermuda and that’s a seriously sexy line
- The book Seth mentioned, Empires of the Sky
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Some thoughts on the increased Alaska Airlines 737 MAX order book
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
As has happened several times since the pandemic began airlines are shaking up their route maps with idea so crazy they just might work. So which new destinations will work this time around??
Also in this episode:
- JetBlue has some interesting ideas about new markets that can benefit from its presence, particularly Miami and Raleigh-Durham, which just happen to be an American Airlines hub and a Delta focus city.
- American reacted with some new routes of its own from Fort Lauderdale, though it is also cutting TATL markets and otherwise trying to find a path to stability.
- US Congress finally passed another COVID recovery plan that probably isn’t the best use of money, especially with respect to how airlines are being treated.
- A new strain of COVID detected in London saw brisk reaction from much of the world, though the US is keeping its border open.
- Brexit is just around the corner and Ryanair is among the airlines feeling the pain after its plan to skip local ownership rules got busted by the UK CAA.
- The US Senate says Boeing coached its test pilots inappropriately around the recertification flights, which is definitely not good.
- Starlux is planning to fly to the USA in 2022.
- JetBlue makes some changes to Mosaic elite status in 2021.
- A passenger on a United flight died from COVID and the industry is struggling to handle it well.
- Stephan took a trip last week and was not impressed.
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- Do you get bonus points for finally deciding to stop traveling now that it is dangerous despite taking many leisure trips throughout the rest of the year??
- All sorts of interesting happenings in India with potential changes of airline ownership.
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!