Deals signed, routes slashed, and splitting services in a couple different and interesting ways have us talking this week.
DLD 589: BoB-ing Around
- June 4, 2026
- Tagged as: A350-1000, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, Amazon Leo, American Airlines, ancillary fees, BLR, BlueOrigin, buy-on-board, DEN, Denver, dining, Hawaiian Airlines, IFC, IFEC, immigration, in flight, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, in-flight wifi, India, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, Project Sunrise, Qantas, SpaceX, Starlink, Swiss
One of the last free meals is gone for US travelers. Plus inflight internet shifts, new walkways, and some really, really stupid comments (but other people this time, in addition to ours!).
DLD 572: Will They Ever Shut Up?
- February 5, 2026
- Tagged as: A220, Aer Lingus UK, Air India, Airbus, Bilt Rewards, Bombardier, Breeze Airways, Canada, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, Dubai, elite status, Global Services, Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, ICN, jetblue, routes, SAS, Seoul, Southwest Airlines, special guest, Thailand, Transatlantic, transcon, United Airlines, WizzAir
A longer than normal episode this week, thanks to special guest Ed and lots of wayward story lines.
DLD 565: A Power Play
- December 18, 2025
- Tagged as: 747-8i, Aer Lingus, AUS, Austin, Beond, Boom Supersonic, CSA Czech Air, Hawaiian Airlines, ITA Airlines, Italy, jetblue, lawsuit, Lufthansa, merger, New Zealand, Oneworld, Pegasus, PIT, Pittsburgh, Qantas, routes, Ryanair, SmartWings, Southwest Airlines
There are lots of ways to flex power in this industry. Two moderately incoherent ones cropped up this week.
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.
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.
DLD 499: Ramble on
- September 5, 2024
- Tagged as: A321neo, A321XLR, A350, Air China, Air India, Alaska Airlines, Bilt Rewards, Boom Supersonic, C919, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, DOT, elite status, Frontier, Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, Ireland, ITA Airlines, Japan, jetblue, JFK Airport, KLM, Lufthansa Group, Malaysia Airlines, merger, Mint, New York City, Norse Atlantic, pilot shortage, Rapid Rewards, regulators, Russia, SAS, SkyTeam, Southwest Airlines, Star Alliance, TAP Air Portugal, TATL, Transatlantic, United Airlines, Vistara, XB-1
Another week, with plenty of random thoughts from the guys…
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…
Airplanes and hail don’t mix, and a storm rendering 10% of an airline’s fleet unflyable is all sorts of bad.
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…
