• 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

DLD 512: Branching out

• December 5, 2024
• Tagged as: A350, A350 XWB, A350-900, A380, Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, Asiana, Atlanta, British Airways, Bus, charter, Delta Air Lines, DFA, Eastern Airlines, EasyJet, elite status, Emirates, Etihad, ETOPS, Europe, Eva, first class, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Frontier, Heathrow, Korea, Korean Air, LHR, merger, Norse Atlantic, Orly, Paris, premium cabin, regulators, slots, Spirit Airlines, T'way, United Kingdom, Virgin Atlantic, visas

It was Thanksgiving week in the US, so we shifted our gaze to Europe and the Middle East, with plenty of news being made.

• 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 478: Deep fried and delicious

• April 11, 2024
• Tagged as: A330neo, A380, Air India, co-brand, cobrand, credit card, credit cards, DEN, Denver, elite status, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Hainan Airlines, jetblue, lawsuit, loyalty, Mexicana, New York City, OAK, Oakland, points, San Francisco, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines

Join us on another jaunt through the juicy world of aviation gossip, airline route news, and loyalty relaunches.

• Podcast

DLD 476: Giving away Newark

• March 28, 2024
• Tagged as: Air Traffic Control, AirBaltic, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, ATC, Avelo, Boom, Boom Supersonic, British Airways, business class, Dominican Republic, EWR, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Frontier, jetblue, JFK Airport, LAX, Los Angeles, Malaysia Airlines, Mexico, New Haven, New Pacific Airways, Newark, points, routes, seating, seats, Southwest Airlines, supersonic, United Airlines, XB-1

Newark is on the move. Plus XB-1 takes flight, United dives into pooling, and Avelo looks to grow internationally. Plus plenty more.

• Podcast

DLD 472: Bags and buses and out of business

• February 29, 2024
• Tagged as: Aeromexico, Air Canada, American Airlines, Avelo, Breeze Airways, Bus, Delta Air Lines, elite status, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Guam, GUM, Haneda, HND, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, JFK, JFK Airport, joint venture, Landline, Lynx, payments, points, Qantas, routes, Spirit Airlines, Tel Aviv, TLV, Tokyo, Toronto, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Viasat, wifi, YYZ

More baggage talk, plus buses, and an airline is out of business.

• Podcast

DLD 458: Dubai on our mind

• November 16, 2023
• Tagged as: 777-8, 777-9, 777X, 787, 787-10, 787-8, 787-9, A321neo, A350, AirBaltic, Airbus, Boeing, DAS23, Dreamliner, Dubai Air Show, E195-E2, Embraer, Emirates, flyDubai, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Haneda, HND, ITA Airlines, Janet, jetblue, LCY, London City, loyalty, Mexicana, podcast, Qatar Airways, rewards, United Airlines

With the 2023 Dubai Air Show underway there are plenty of new orders to talk about. And lots of other news, too.

• Podcast

DLD 454: Is there such a thing as real loyalty program enhancements?!?

• October 18, 2023
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, American Airlines, AMS, Amsterdam, ancillary fees, Beond, Bermudair, carbon offsets, Delta Air Lines, economy class, elite status, Emirates, engines, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Haneda, HND, ITA Airlines, Italia Trasporto Aereo, Japan, jetblue, JFK Airport, KLM, loyalty, Mosaic, points, Portsmouth, premium cabin, promotions, PSM, Rapid Rewards, Rolls Royce, routes, slots, Southwest Airlines, Tokyo, TrueBlue, United Airlines

Can loyalty programs actually make changes that seem to make things better for customers, without taking benefits away elsewhere? Tune in to find out.

• Podcast

DLD 448: ¿Cual Aeropuerto?

• September 7, 2023
• Tagged as: A380, ancillary fees, bankruptcy, China Southern, Corendon, Cuba, Delta Air Lines, El Al, elite status, Ethiopian Airlines, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Haneda, HND, jetblue, Lufthansa, Mexicana, Mexico, Mexico City, Monarch, Oneworld, PDX, Portland, Qantas, Qatar Airways, routes, Tokyo, Virgin Australia

Picking an airport in Mexico might be a bit more challenging later this year. Plus flying whales and more Tokyo.

• Podcast

DLD 447: Too much red

• August 31, 2023
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 787-10, 787-9, A350-1000, Aer Lingus, Airbus, American Airlines, Atlantic Airways, Avios, Boeing, China, El Al, elite status, FAA, Faroe Islands, Federal Aviation Administration, Finnair, frequent flier, frequent flyer, jetblue, merger, Monarch, Porter Air, Qantas, revenue-based, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Trip Report

How much money can a one-plane airline lose in just two months? More than just about everyone involved expected.