• 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 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 511: Gobbledy good times

• November 28, 2024
• Tagged as: Allegient Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, dining, DOT, Federal Aviation Administration, Finnair, Frontier, Karachi, LCC, LCCs, Low Cost Carriers, routes, Russia, S7, Southwest Airlines, Trip Report, ULCC, United Airlines, WestJet

Sure, the U/LCCs are struggling right now, but they’re still planning for growth in 2025.

• Podcast

DLD 492: Whoopsie!

• July 18, 2024
• Tagged as: 777X, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Archer, Breeze Airways, certification, DCA, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, DOT, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Portland, Portsmouth, PSM, PWM, Riyadh Air, slots, Southwest Airlines, SSJ100, Washington DC, ZeroAvia

It could’ve been a lot worse, for sure. But now we have some initial details about the Southwest flight that took off from a closed runway two weeks ago.

• 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.

• 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?

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 477: Playing the fool

• April 4, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, Air Malta, Basic Economy, Boeing, Breeze Airways, Brexit, British Airways, co-brand, cobrand, credit card, credit cards, E175, Embraer, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Gatwick, hydrogen, Ireland, ITA Airlines, Japan, Knock, LAS, Las Vegas, LGW, London, Lufthansa Group, NDC, Norse Atlantic, overhead bins, routes, Scranton, Southwind, United Airlines, United Kingdom, Washington DC

We’re skipping April Fool’s Day in favor of some real news, including at least one story we were convinced should’ve been a joke.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 473: Huh, so now what?

• March 7, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, A321neo, Aeromexico, Airbus, American Airlines, Antitrust Immunity, ATI, AUS, Austin, Australia, awards, Boeing, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, E175, Embraer, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Hawaiian Airlines, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, JV, Mexico, New Pacific Airways, points, Qantas, regulators, rewards, routes, SpaceX, Starlink, strike, Turkish Airlines, union, United Airlines

American has a bunch more planes on order, while JetBlue and Spirit officially call it quits. Plus lots more…