• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 552: Fuming mad!

• September 18, 2025
• Tagged as: Aegean Airlines, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Antitrust Immunity, Avelo, Boeing, Breeze Airways, codeshare, Delta Air Lines, E195-E2, Embraer, India, IndiGo, jetblue, joint venture, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Mexico, Mexico City, premium cabin, Premium Economy, routes, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines

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.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 548: From Addis to ZorkFest

• August 21, 2025
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, A320, A320neo, ADD, Addis Ababa, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air India, Airbus, Antitrust Immunity, ATI, Boeing, Delta Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines, first class, joint venture, MEX, Mexicana, Mexico, Mexico City, premium cabin, Southwest Airlines, special guest, strike, TQO, Trip Report, Tulum, union

Strikes and travel tales and routes, oh my! With special guest Michael Trager from TravelZork.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 547: Around the World and Back Again

• August 14, 2025
• Tagged as: Aeroplan, Air Canada, elite status, frequent flier, frequent flyer, JNB, Johannesburg, marriott, podcast, points, Qantas, Southwest Airlines, Trip Report, United Airlines

Stephan and Fozz are headed around the world this week, with plenty of hijinks along the way.

• 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?

• Podcast

DLD 507: Lounge Life

• October 31, 2024
• Tagged as: Air Canada, AirBaltic, American Airlines, Boeing, business class, Dulles, first class, flyDubai, Greenland, IAD, Nepal, premium cabin, Premium Economy, Qatar Airways, SAS, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, strike, union

Doing our best to prove that there’s no such thing as a quiet airport lounge anymore, and part of the problem, too.

• Podcast

DLD 504: Reading the fine print

• October 10, 2024
• Tagged as: A321XLR, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air China, Australia, bankruptcy, Boeing, Cathay Pacific, Chase, China, co-brand, cobrand, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, FAA, Japan, Lebanon, lounge, lounges, Qatar Airways, regulators, Spirit Airlines, strike, United Airlines

Details matter, and a few of this week’s topics dig in to that fine print.

• Podcast

DLD 501: Star signs and labor challenges

• September 19, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 8200, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Allegient Air, American Airlines, Boeing, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, Real ID, Rex, Riyadh Air, San Antonio, SAT, Southwest Airlines, SpaceX, Spirit Airlines, Starlink, strike, Sun Country, TSA, union, United Airlines, Virgin Australia, Volotea

One strike averted, another underway. And plenty of challenges remain for the aviation industry overall.

• Podcast

DLD 472: Bags and buses and out of business

• February 29, 2024
• Tagged as: Aeromexico, Air Canada, American Airlines, Avelo, Breeze Airways, Bus, Delta Air Lines, elite status, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Guam, GUM, Haneda, HND, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, JFK, JFK Airport, joint venture, Landline, Lynx, payments, points, Qantas, routes, Spirit Airlines, Tel Aviv, TLV, Tokyo, Toronto, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Viasat, wifi, YYZ

More baggage talk, plus buses, and an airline is out of business.