• Podcast

DLD 573: A Flying Fancy Feast

• February 12, 2026
• Tagged as: Air Traffic Control, American Airlines, ATC, business class, dining, economy class, Economy Plus, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, jetblue, JetStar Japan, lawsuit, LCC, LCCs, O'Hare, ORD, premium cabin, Qantas, singapore, Singapore Air, Spirit Airlines, Starlux, United Airlines, Venezuela

Can inflight dining ever really be premium? Or just better in some cabins than others? Plus legal drama over new routes, certification progress, and more.

• Podcast

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.

• Podcast

DLD 559: Messy at the Border

• November 6, 2025
• Tagged as: A321XLR, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, bankruptcy, Bonvoy, Condor, Connect Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, DOT, Eastern Airways, HNL, Honolulu, lawsuit, lounges, Marriott Rewards, MEX, Mexico, Mexico City, Orlando, routes, Southwest Airlines, Tokyo, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic, ZipAir

Does Mexico City really need more than one airport? Plus, unexpected lounge operators, Connect again, and some lawsuit hijinks.

• Podcast

DLD 535: Two Billboards Outside New Haven, Connecticut

• May 22, 2025
• Tagged as: 777, Air Traffic Control, ancillary fees, ATC, Avelo, Basic Economy, Chase, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, EWR, Global Airlines, lawsuit, Newark, Seaport Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, Vietjet

Usually we’re talking about lawsuits, not actively involved in them. Plus, seating shifts and ATC and maybe another airline financial collapse.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 529: HAMming it up

• April 10, 2025
• Tagged as: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, AUS, Austin, Avelo, British Airways, Canada, Delta Air Lines, Global Airlines, GlobalX, HKG, Hong Kong, lawsuit, routes, Trip Report, United Airlines, Vietjet, WestJet, wifi

A funky trip to Hamburg, a new mini-hublet, and wondering about inbound international travel (again) among our ramblings this week.

• Podcast

DLD 495: Shifting borders in air world

• August 8, 2024
• Tagged as: A321LR, A321XLR, Air Europa, Air New Zealand, Air Traffic Control, Airbus, Allegient Air, amtrak, ANR, Antwerp, ATC, Australia, Azul, British Airways, emissions, EWR, IAG, International Airline Group, jetblue, Korean Air, lawsuit, Newark, PDX, Porter Air, Portland, Rex, routes, security, Spirit Airlines, TATL, Transatlantic, TUI

Fiorello would be happy, perhaps, to see Newark no longer managed by New York ATC. But will it help?

• 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 468: More MAX than you can shake a stick at

• February 1, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 737 MAX 10, 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9, A321neo, Air Europa, American Airlines, Breeze Airways, Dulles, Haneda, Hawaiian Airlines, IAD, IAG, ITA Airlines, lawsuit, Lufthansa Group, merger, Ryanair, slots, Tulsa, United Airlines

The MAX continues to dominate news cycles, but there’s lots more out there also worth talking about.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 434: Trust buster

• May 25, 2023
• Tagged as: American Airlines, Antitrust Immunity, Breeze Airways, DCA, Department of Justice, DOJ, Emirates, Finnair, first class, Hertz, jetblue, lawsuit, Northern Pacific Airways, premium cabin, profit, Qantas, routes, singapore airlines, Southwest Airlines, Trip Report, union, Washington DC, WestJet

JetBlue and American Airlines have a lot of work to do if they’re going to keep the NEA alive. A judge ruled it illegal last Friday, setting up all sorts of challenges for the carriers.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 433: Going native

• May 18, 2023
• Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, A350-1000, Alaska Airlines, awards, Boeing, DOT, Hawaiian Airlines, lawsuit, lie-flat beds, livery, Philippines Airlines, premium cabin, rewards, Ryanair, suite, United Airlines

Two nice implementations of indigenous themes and art from airlines announced this week, and the impact for passengers is pretty good, too.