• Podcast

DLD 587: Buyouts, Compromises, and Questionable Decisions

• May 21, 2026
• Tagged as: Air India, Allegient Air, American Airlines, Boeing, Caracas, CCS, China, Delta Air Lines, dining, elite status, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Global Airlines, ITA Airlines, jetblue, Lufthansa Group, merger, Qatar Airways, routes, San Antonio, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country, United Airlines, Venezuela, WestJet

The dust is settling on some legal scuffles and uncertain route futures, with more than one foil hat consideration in play.

• Podcast

DLD 543: Some Answers, But Not Enough

• July 17, 2025
• Tagged as: 787-9, A330-900, A330neo, AI171, Air India, AirAsia, Allegiant, Bermudair, Bus, business class, China, crash, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Greenland, Hertz, Landline, LCC, LCCs, LIM, Lima, Low Cost Carriers, Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines, Nuuk, premium cabin, Premium Economy, rental cars, Retreat Suite, routes, TSA, United Airlines, Upper Class, Virgin America

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.

• Podcast

DLD 538: Looping back

• June 12, 2025
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, Air China, Air France, Air India, AirBaltic, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Boeing, Boom Supersonic, Brightline, business class, China, China Airlines, codeshare, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Etihad, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Heathrow, IATA, IATAAGM, Icelandair, ife, IFEC, IndiGo, inflight entertainment, interline, jetblue, KLM, London, Newark, Paris Air Show, premium cabin, Premium Economy, Riyadh Air, Rome, slots, Southwest Airlines, Starlux, supersonic, train

More on partners, plus London and American’s premium play and Rome for Alaska

• Podcast

DLD 531: Walk this way

• April 24, 2025
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, China, Delta Air Lines, IFC, IFEC, immigration, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, Key West, routes, United Airlines, wifi

Why is walking through an airport so annoying? And which new airports will some airline passengers soon be walking through?

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 506: P(l)aying premium

• October 24, 2024
• Tagged as: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca, bankruptcy, Boston, business class, Cathay Pacific, China, DCA, first class, Hainan Airlines, hyatt, Korean Airlines, MileagePlan, Norse Atlantic, Play, premium cabin, routes, Russia, SkyTeam, slots, Spirit Airlines, train

Lots of chatter this week about premium products, and which airlines are having success with them or not.

• 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 496: In search of cool carpet

• August 15, 2024
• Tagged as: A321XLR, A330-900, A330neo, Airbus, Australia, Avelo, bankruptcy, Breeze Airways, British Airways, business class, Canada, Canada Jetlines, Cathay Pacific, China, Frontier, Global Entry, Greenland, HVN, New Haven, PDX, Portland, premium cabin, Qatar Airways, QSuite

Gotta love that new terminal smell, right? PDX finally opened its new space, and we’ve got Ned Russell on to talk about it.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 493: Is your crowd on strike?

• July 25, 2024
• Tagged as: A321XLR, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, certification, China, CRJ550, Dallas, DCA, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, DFW, DOT, EU261, Farnborough, FIA2024, Fiji Airlines, Greenland, London, regulators, SkyWest, Southwest Airlines, union, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia

What a mess for airlines and more as millions of Windows-based computers were knocked offline last Thursday night.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 487: Unreasonable expectations

• June 13, 2024
• Tagged as: Air India, Air Traffic Control, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China, DFW, E2, Embraer, Emirates, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Fiji Airlines, JFK Airport, LaGuardia, merger, Mexicana, N90, New York City, Newark, Oneworld, Starlux, strike, union, Vistara

Mostly by us, but also perhaps from an airline or two…

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 484: Board games

• May 23, 2024
• Tagged as: 787, ancillary, ancillary fees, Austrian Airlines, Boeing, Breeze Airways, bundles, China, DCA, FAA, fares, Federal Aviation Administration, first class, Frontier, Lisbon, O'Hare, ORD, Philippines Airlines, Qantas, regulators, Shanghai, slots, United Airlines

Why do executives have so much trouble making tough decisions? Or are they just blind to the challenges?