• Podcast

DLD 534: In the Studio

• May 15, 2025
• Tagged as: Aer Lingus, Air Traffic Control, Airbus, American Airlines, ATC, Boeing, British Airways, business class, Contour Air, Delta Air Lines, EWR, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, IAG, Iberia, International Airline Group, jetblue, joint venture, Juneyao, Korean Airlines, Level, livery, Newark, Polaris, Polaris Studio, premium cabin, Qantas, Real ID, routes, Spirit Airlines, Stansted, United Airlines, WestJet

There’s lots to unpack this week, including a new premium seat, a new paint job, and new route plans galore.

• Podcast

DLD 524: TO/GA

• March 6, 2025
• Tagged as: ACC, Accra, Africa, Air France, Airbus, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, ANA, Boeing, British Airways, Chicago, Delta Air Lines, dining, E175-E2, E195-E2, EasyJet, elite status, Embraer, Expedia, FedEx, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Frontier, jetblue, loyalty, Lufthansa, Manchester, Marrakech, MDW, MHT, MIdway, OTAs, Peach Airlines, Qatar Airways, RAK, regional jets, routes, Southwest Airlines

Another close call, and a lot to consider as new orders and new routes come online.

• 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 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…