• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 522: Helo Hold

• February 20, 2025
• Tagged as: 777X, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, Avis, Contour Air, crash, DCA, Delta Air Lines, EAS, elite status, Emirates, Essential Air Service, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Hawaiian Airlines, hydrogen, Iberia, Qatar Airways, regulators, Riyadh Air, Southwest Airlines, Toronto, Trip Report, United Airlines, Washington DC, YYZ

Another rough week for aviation in many ways. And plenty of concerns about what lays ahead.

• Podcast

DLD 521: Far-flung Frontiers

• February 13, 2025
• Tagged as: Alaska, alitalia, Allegient Air, British Airways, CAI, Cairo, cobrand, crash, credit card, credit cards, DCA, elite status, Executive Club, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, fees, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Frontier, IndiGo, ITA Airlines, Italia Trasporto Aereo, jetblue, JSX, LIM, Lima, loyalty, Lufthansa Group, Norse Atlantic, routes, San Juan, SJU, Starlux, United Airlines, Washington DC

Which new markets make sense? Both long-haul and short-haul are seeing some interesting changes.

• Podcast

DLD 520: It just sucks

• February 6, 2025
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, A320neo, AirBaltic, American Airlines, Boeing, Boom Supersonic, cobrand, crash, credit card, credit cards, DCA, Eurowings, France, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Icelandair, jetblue, LCY, London City, lounge, lounges, Lufthansa Group, Qantas, Washington DC

Last week was decidedly bad for aviation in many ways. Ugh.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 519: Rankings and Rantings

• January 30, 2025
• Tagged as: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, earnings call, Qatar Airways, routes, Saudia, Trip Report, TSA, United Airlines

We’re back in the USA and ready for some news and rants this week. Some of them are even reasonable.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 518: Barra or Bust!

• January 23, 2025
• Tagged as: Barra, BlueOrigin, Condor, Frontier, Glasgow, ITA Airlines, Italia Trasporto Aereo, JejuAir, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Group, Scotland, SpaceX, Trip Report

A quick hop to the beach runway at Barra was part of this week’s adventure, plus Frontier, rockets, and more.

• Podcast

DLD 517: Deep thoughts

• January 16, 2025
• Tagged as: Air Greenland, Air Wisconsic, ATL, Atlanta, Dallas, Delta Air Lines, DFW, Greenland, IFEC, JejuAir, Nuuk, Pakistan International Airlines, regional jets, Starlink, United Airlines

What key messages were in the keynote? What happens when massive hubs freeze? And much more…

• Podcast

DLD 516: Back at it

• January 9, 2025
• Tagged as: A350, Alaska Airlines, awards, Azerbaijan Air, British Airways, crash, DCA, elite status, Emirates, Executive Club, frequent flier, frequent flyer, JejuAir, jetblue, loyalty, revenue-based, rewards, slots, United Airlines

A new year brings new topics to the fore, including new routes, new IFE, new status rules, and more.

• Podcast

DLD 515: Droning on and on

• December 26, 2024
• Tagged as: 787, A220, A320neo, A350, Air Canada, Air India, Air Traffic Control, Allegris, ATC, business class, dining, ExpressJet, Heathrow, LHR, Lufthansa, Malaysia, Pegasus, premium cabin, SIN, singapore, United Airlines

Fortunately not too much drone chatter this week; we’ve got more important stuff to talk about.

• Podcast

DLD 514: Hub Plays: Alaska’s Long, Southwest’s Short

• December 19, 2024
• Tagged as: AAdvantage, Air Canada, AirTags, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, credit card, credit cards, drones, elite status, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, first class, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, hubs, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, jetblue, PDX, premium cabin, Premium Economy, Qatar Airways, routes, SEA, Seattle, Southwest Airlines, Spain, United Airlines

Two very interesting and very different sets of route announcements caught our attention this week. Plus premium seats and lots more.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 513: We Try Harder(ish)

• December 12, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 757-200, A321LR, A321XLR, Air Canada, Allegris, American Airlines, ancillary, ancillary fees, Avis, Basic Economy, Boeing, business class, Citi, co-brand, cobrand, credit card, credit cards, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, DOJ, DOT, first class, Frontier, Icelandair, Lufthansa, premium cabin, privacy, rental cars, routes, Swiss, TAP Air Portugal, Tulum

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?