• 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 505: Cream of the Crap or Cream of the Crop?

• October 17, 2024
• Tagged as: AI, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, artificial intelligence, Boeing, Brazil, Breeze Airways, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, Houston, IAH, routes, SAFs, United Airlines, WAF24, World Aviation Festival, ZipAir

An interesting CEO panel discussion at a trade show?!? It finally happened last week. Plus new routes and lots more.

• 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 500: Or something like that

• September 12, 2024
• Tagged as: 787, 787-8, 787-9, A350, A350 XWB, A350-1000, A350-900, Boeing, business class, Cathay Pacific, DCA, Department of Transportation, DOT, engines, frequent flier, frequent flyer, LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, Paris, premium cabin, R7, Recaro, Rolls Royce, routes, SCASDP, strike, Virgin Atlantic

A strike avoided, an engine fire, and new routes as we hit another arbitrary milestone.

• Podcast

DLD 498: You’re Grounded!

• August 29, 2024
• Tagged as: 777X, A330neo, Abu Dhabi, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, Azul, Boeing, codeshare, Department of Justice, DOJ, Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, hotels, Malaysia Airlines, merger, MileagePlan, Mokulele Airlines, regulators, Russia, SmartSky, SpaceX, Starlink, United Airlines, Viasat, Vietnam, Virgin Australia

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…

• Podcast

DLD 494: The Farnborough files

• August 1, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, A320neo, A330-900, A330neo, Airbus, American Airlines, ANA, Avelo, awards, Bilt Rewards, Boeing, Boom Supersonic, British Airways, credit cards, crystal suite, earnings call, engines, Farnborough, FIA2024, flyDubai, flying boat, Flynas, General Electric, GEnx, hydrogen, jetblue, KLM, Qatar Airways, QSuite, rewards, Southwest Airlines, Turkish Airlines, ZeroAvia

Perhaps major airshows are losing their impact on the industry a bit. But Farnborough still brought plenty of key news to the fore.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 491: More bad news for Boeing, but maybe it is good?

• July 11, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 737 NG, Air Greenland, Atlantic Airways, Boeing, business class, Canada, Canadian North, DCA, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Greenland, inaugural, jetblue, KLM, lie-flat beds, Mint, Norse Atlantic, PDX, Portland, regulators, routes, slots, suite, TATL, Transatlantic, Washington DC, ZipAir

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?

• Podcast

DLD 489: Well and truly screwed

• June 28, 2024
• Tagged as: A220, Aer Lingus, AirBaltic, Alaska Airlines, Amazon, American Airlines, ancillary fees, Archer, Basic Economy, Boeing, Boom Supersonic, cargo, codeshare, Department of Transportation, DOT, engines, eVTOL, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Global Airlines, GTF, Iberia, jetblue, JSX, Mexico, OKC, Oklahoma City, Pratt & Whitney, regulators, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country, union, Volaris, WestJet

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.