• Podcast

DLD 544: The Last Mile

• July 24, 2025
• Tagged as: Abu Dhabi, Aegean Airlines, AI, AirAsia, American Airlines, artificial intelligence, Avelo, Breeze, Breeze Airways, Bus, Condor, Contour Air, Delta Air Lines, DHS, EAS, Emirates, Essential Air Service, Fetcherr, first class, frequent flier, frequent flyer, GulfAir, immigration, JFK Airport, JSX, lounges, loyalty, MIA, Miami, premium cabin, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, visas, WAF25, WizzAir, World Aviation Festival

Can multi-modal transportation ever really take off in the USA? Plus mini-lounges, lots of plane orders, and more Macon.

• Podcast

DLD 541: Planes, Politics, Partnerships, and PDX

• July 3, 2025
• Tagged as: ATL, Atlanta, Cape Air, Cebu Pacific, elite status, Emirates, flyadeal, flyDubai, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Iberia, Iran, jetblue, PDX, PlusPoints, Porter Air, Portland, Qatar, routes, Spirit Airlines, UAE, United Airlines

Partnerships come and go, as do new routes and competition. Plus, what makes an airport better than others?

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 537: The Power of Partners

• June 5, 2025
• Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Boeing, Etihad, EWR, fares, frequent flier, frequent flyer, jetblue, Newark, Trip Report, United Airlines

New partnerships, new productions, new pricing, new pains, and lots more….

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 536: Island Time

• May 29, 2025
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Charlotte, CLT, Etihad, EWR, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Newark, Phoenix, PHX, points, Starlux, Trip Report, union, United Airlines, Upgrade, upgrades

Picking up a soon-to-be-disappearing line almost translates into a disappearing bag. Plus new routes, more planes, and a fewer flights at Newark.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 526: Not so express

• March 20, 2025
• Tagged as: 787, Allegient Air, American Airlines, ancillary, ancillary fees, DCA, earnings, elite status, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Frontier, IndiGo, Korean Airlines, lifetime, livery, Los Angeles, Marrakech, NTSB, PAE, Paine Field, routes, Seattle, Southwest Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Transatlantic, United Airlines

Marrakech remains a mess for connections. And there are plenty of other messes around the world. But we find some good news, too.

• 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
• 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 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

DLD 516: Back at it

• January 9, 2025
• Tagged as: A350, Alaska Airlines, awards, Azerbaijan Air, British Airways, crash, DCA, elite status, Emirates, Executive Club, frequent flier, frequent flyer, JejuAir, jetblue, loyalty, revenue-based, rewards, slots, United Airlines

A new year brings new topics to the fore, including new routes, new IFE, new status rules, and more.