• Podcast

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…

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 497: A hail of a problem

• August 22, 2024
• Tagged as: ADD, Addis Ababa, Air Greenland, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Czech AIrlines, Delta Air Lines, Edelweiss, Ethiopian Airlines, Greenland, Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, HNL, Honolulu, JFK Airport, Korean Air, lounges, merger, SEA, Seattle, Southwest Airlines, WestJet

Airplanes and hail don’t mix, and a storm rendering 10% of an airline’s fleet unflyable is all sorts of bad.

• Podcast

DLD 490: The search for more fees

• July 4, 2024
• Tagged as: American Airlines, ancillary, ancillary fees, Breeze Airways, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, fees, Islip, ISP, JFK, JFK Airport, lounges, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Group, moving map, New York City, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines

Airlines love ancillary fees. But is there a point at which shifting charges out of the base fare will finally be too much?

• 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

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 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 428: Squeeze play

• April 13, 2023
• Tagged as: American Airlines, AMS, Amsterdam, British Airways, credit cards, Dubai, DWC, EWR, immigration, JFK Airport, Newark, Norse Atlantic, OTG Experience, points, routes, SEA, Seattle, slots, Upgrade

Trying to squeeze more planes into a terminal is rarely an easy task. When the terminal is brand new and someone screwed up the design work it is even worse.

• Podcast

DLD 421: Terminal Condition

• February 23, 2023
• Tagged as: Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, EWR, jetblue, JFK, JFK Airport, KLM, Lufthansa, MIAT, Mongolia, New York City, Newark, routes, Scoot, singapore airlines, slots, strike, United Airlines, Virgin America

A few “whoopsies” at terminals this week left many a traveler affected.

• Podcast

DLD 417: Safety challenges

• January 19, 2023
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, American Airlines, China, China Southern, crash, Delta Air Lines, EWR, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, JFK, JFK Airport, Nepal, Newark, Nothern Pacific, Yeti Airlines

A rough week in aviation for safety incidents. But we’re also trying to find some positive news…